Consumer complaint received 2020-10-23 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: The Phoenix Recovery Group
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I signed a 12 month lease with XXXX XXXX XXXX, located at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX ; ( o ) XXXX | XXXX. 

After two weeks I cleaned my apartment and turned in my keys because I felt unsafe and was being harassed by the neighbors, which are disproportionately Section 8 residents. XXXX XXXX was the old " XXXX XXXX  '' Public Housing complex, and as one news article outlines, composed of " public housing units, 660 units in all, that was built in the early XXXX. The property was remodeled several times over the last five decades, with the most recent renovation coming in late XXXX and early XXXX. 

As was the challenge with public housing across the country, when concentrated, it did not provide the incentive or environment for those living in the project to improve their situation and transition out of subsidized housing. The quality of life waned within XXXX XXXX and the actual units themselves, and crime was often an issue in the project, negatively impacting the surrounding neighborhood and downtown. It was a place that many people lived in but only because it was their sole option. '' None of these particulars were ever told to me and was therefore shocked when I was cursed out the very first day of moving in. I was harassed by XXXX  and XXXX  neighbors and could hear people arguing and fighting throughout the two weeks I was there.

When I first took a tour of the apartments, no less than three of the workers told me that they lived there in order to get me to live there. Yes, three of the people at the front desk lied about their residency and this was later confirmed because all of them left the premises
after work. After my first set of complaints, XXXX told me that the apartment complex " could not guarantee my safety '' and that I should call the police before ever calling them. After only a few days of being harassed by neighbors downstairs and across the hall, I mentioned this to the management and they basically ignored me until I went back a few days later to ask again. The management told me, in no uncertain terms, that because I had lived there less than 30 days that I should just turn in my keys, which I did after leaving the apartment in the very same condition as when I moved in.

A few months passed until I received a notice from the Phoenix  Recovery Group at work in XXXX. The mail system at my job is not the best way to send mail unless you have all of the office names and numbers, and so I did not know about this letter until after a few months. XXXX claimed that I owed them over {$10000.00} for damages, and following the letter of the law, I asked for their information and also evidence. They provided no evidence and quickly realized that I had taken pictures of the apartment before I left, as I do with every home that I've lived in ( doesn't everybody! ). Realizing that they would lose in court, they did the only thing they could do, which is to smear my reputation via my credit score.

My guess is that this is their strategy to scare people into paying questionable debts that they themselves can not defend. I did absolutely nothing wrong and genuinely feared for my safety and security. Quite frankly, I think the management was embarrassed by the situation and given the online reviews that I've read, I am not the only one that has shared these concerns.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation