Consumer complaint received 2025-03-28 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Difficulty submitting a dispute or getting information about a dispute over the phone
Company: FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am disputing a {$120.00} collection account reported by Fair Collections & Outsourcing ( FCO ) on behalf of XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I was contacted by FCO about a balance I did not recognize. I informed the representative that I had been cleared to move out by the apartment manager and stated that I would not pay unless documentation was provided. Despite this, FCO never sent any documentation, even though they already had it in their records. 

After that call, I made multiple attempts in XXXX to contact XXXX XXXX, speaking with XXXX, the property manager, who was responsible for both my move-in and move-out. Despite that constant communication I had with XXXX, I was never sent notice or documentation of any balance once I departed from the property in XX/XX/XXXX. When speaking with FCO, it was said that they received this information in XX/XX/XXXX. Seems that the debt was immediately sent to collections. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, FCO reported the {$120.00} debt to the credit bureaus, without any validation or formal notice sent to me. Since then, I have disputed the debt multiple times formally through XXXX XXXX and XXXX, and it has not been removed and deemed as accurate when it is not. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted FCO concerning the matter and was told that documentation confirming the debt would be sent within 48 hours. I never received it. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted XXXX XXXX directly for validation as well and received a resident ledger from the executive property XXXX. That document shows : My security deposit was forfeited and applied, Rent credits and adjustments were issued, This is the same document that FCO had since XXXX, yet they never provided it to meeven when I asked directly on XX/XX/XXXX. 

What the ledger does not show and or provide is proof of charges assessed after move-out were communicated with me, which I did ask for after response the same day. I also called, left a voicemail, and I have not received anything in that matter as of today, XX/XX/XXXX. 

On a follow-up call with FCO on XX/XX/XXXX, a supervisor confirmed : That I verbally disputed the debt in XXXX and explained I had been cleared to move. 
That no validation was ever sent because they interpreted my statement as a refusal to pay. 
That I was placed on a do not call list, and FCO made no further effort to communicate with me after that initial dispute. 
That they could not confirm if XXXX XXXX ever attempted to notify me of the charge. 
That although they claimed I provided a forwarding address in XXXX it was contradicted as I was asked to re-provide the same address on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX it was either never documented or never used In a previous call, I was told there was no forwarding address on file. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was told the address was provided in XX/XX/XXXX, but they still did not send anythingagain using the excuse that I refused to pay. This proves that neither FCO nor XXXX XXXX sent documentation or attempted proper notification before the debt was reported. 

Placing my account on a do not call list instead of validating the debt, then reporting it to the credit bureaus, is a clear violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ). Reporting a disputed and unverified debt also violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ).

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation