Consumer complaint received 2025-08-13 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly — Talked to a third-party about your debt
Company: Ability Recovery Services, LLC
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
Over a year ago, I enrolled in the XXXX XXXX program offered by XXXX XXXX. This enrollment did not involve any kind of credit or loan agreement. I paid on a monthly basis as part of a service agreement, not a loan. 

When I reached the final exam for the very first course, the system denied me access for whatever reason. I contacted XXXX XXXX 3 times via their support channels to resolve the issue. I first contacted them via email on XX/XX/year>, then again on XX/XX/year>, and then one last time on XX/XX/year> after I called. Each time, I was assured that the issue was being investigated and I would receive a follow-up. I did receive a follow-up and was given a form that needed to be filled out in order to take the exam. I filled it out same day and sent it back over to the agent via email as requested. However, I never received any resolution or follow-up communication after that. I sent this form in twice to 2 different agents. 

Given that I was unable to proceed with my education due to a failure on their partand they provided no solutionI made the reasonable decision to stop payments. I was not going to continue paying for a service that I was no longer receiving due to their failure to provide access. 

XXXX XXXX is now claiming that I owe a balance and has referred the matter to a third-party debt collection agency, Ability Recovery Services , LLC, which has contacted me seeking payment. This is deeply problematic for several reasons : 1. At no point did I borrow money from XXXX XXXX or agree to any loan. If they are attempting to characterize this as a credit arrangement, they are required under the Truth in Lending Act ( TILA ) ( XXXX XXXX Code XXXX ) to provide me with clear disclosures regarding the terms of the credit, including : - The APR - The total amount financed- The payment schedule - The finance charge - A TILA disclosure statement I never received any such disclosures, which suggests that no valid loan relationship exists. If they are reporting this as a debt, they are misrepresenting the nature of our agreement. 

2. My personal information has now been shared with Ability Recovery Services , LLC, a company with which I have never interacted or provided consent to share my information. They have no legitimate business need to have my private information. This raises serious concerns regarding potential violations of : - The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) ( 15 U.S. Code 1692c ( b ) ) which limits third-party disclosures. 

- Potential violations of FERPA if XXXX XXXX, as an educational institution, disclosed student-related data improperly. 

3. If this is considered a credit account, I should have received regular billing statements pursuant to TILAs open-end credit provisions ( 12 CFR 1026.7 ). I never received regular statements beyond the original payment confirmations while I was actively enrolled. 

4. Instead of resolving the problem or acknowledging the service failure, they proceeded to attempt collectionspotentially in bad faith.

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