Consumer complaint received 2025-06-16 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Dear Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I am writing to file a formal complaint against XXXX XXXX XXXX, the original creditor for a debt related to my former tenancy. This complaint concerns their assessment of charges not agreed upon in our original lease contract, their subsequent refusal to accept payment for the agreed-upon amount, their failure to provide a Form XXXX, and, highly concerning, the appearance of an alleged debt collection account on my credit report from a party that has never contacted me. 

Creditor Information : Original Creditor Name : XXXX XXXX XXXX Creditor Address : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, CA XXXX Account Number : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Summary of Complaint : I am attempting to pay an outstanding balance to XXXX XXXX XXXX. However, they are demanding additional " lawyer fees '' that were never part of our original lease agreement or any subsequent agreed-upon modifications. My contract with XXXX XXXX XXXX does not stipulate any provisions for such lawyer fees. XXXX XXXX XXXX has explicitly confirmed that these lawyer fees are not stated in the original contract. 

In XX/XX/year>, I attempted to pay the amount I legitimately owed through their designated online payment system. However, XXXX XXXX XXXX inexplicably cut off my access to this system, preventing me from making the payment electronically. 

Following this, I attempted to send the payment for the agreed-upon amount via mail order. Despite my good faith effort to resolve the outstanding balance, XXXX XXXX XXXX refused to accept this payment, explicitly stating that it did not include the aforementioned lawyer fees, which I maintain are not owed as they were never agreed upon in the contract. 

Furthermore, XXXX XXXX XXXX has refused to provide me with a Form XXXX, Cancellation of Debt. By refusing to accept the full payment I offered for the legitimate debt ( excluding the unauthorized lawyer fees ) and insisting on uncontracted amounts, they are effectively demanding payment for a debt that, as per our agreement, does not exist in its entirety. If they are no longer attempting to collect the " agreed-upon '' portion of the debt without the lawyer fees, or if they have written off the original amount ( typically {$600.00} or more ), they may be obligated under IRS regulations ( 26 U.S.C. 6050P ) to issue a XXXX for any portion of the debt they have effectively canceled or discharged. Their failure to do so, while potentially reporting an inflated balance, is concerning.

Most alarmingly, my credit report now shows an account related to this debt being reported by a debt collection agency that has never contacted me. I have received no prior notice from XXXX XXXX XXXX that this debt was being transferred or placed with a third-party debt collector, nor have I received any direct communication or validation notice from any debt collector as required by federal law. The presence of this debt collector on my credit report, without any direct communication, strongly suggests inaccurate and improper reporting. 

I have documentation supporting my attempts to pay the legitimate debt and the original creditor 's refusal to accept payment without the inclusion of these unauthorized lawyer fees. I also have a copy of my credit report indicating the presence of an account from an unnotified debt collector. 

Violation Details : XXXX XXXX XXXX 's actions and the subsequent credit reporting constitute unfair and deceptive practices and potential violations of federal regulations, including but not limited to Assessment of Unauthorized Charges : Demanding " lawyer fees '' not agreed upon in the original lease contract, which violates fair dealing principles. 
Refusal to Accept Legitimate Payment : Impeding my ability to resolve the debt by refusing the agreed-upon amount, thereby escalating the situation. 
Obstruction of Payment Methods : Deliberately cutting off access to their online payment system after I attempted to pay. 
Failure to Issue Form XXXX ( 26 U.S.C. 6050P ) : By refusing my payment for the agreed-upon amount and effectively treating the original debt ( or a portion thereof ) as uncollectible while insisting on unauthorized fees, XXXX XXXX XXXX may have canceled or discharged a portion of the debt. Their failure to issue a XXXX, if applicable, is a violation of IRS reporting requirements.

Inaccurate and Improper Credit Reporting ( 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) - Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) ) : The reporting of this debt to credit bureaus, particularly by a debt collector who has not provided any direct notice or validation, constitutes the furnishing of inaccurate information. 
An original creditor has an obligation to report accurate information to credit reporting agencies. If the reported balance includes unauthorized fees, or if the debt 's status ( e.g., " in collections '' ) is reported without proper transfer or notification, it is inaccurate. 
The appearance of a debt collector on my report without having provided me with the required validation notice within XXXX days of initial contact ( as per 15 U.S.C. 1692g ( a ) Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) ) is a serious concern, even if XXXX XXXX XXXX is the original creditor. This indicates potential misrepresentation of the debt 's status or the collection agency 's involvement.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation