focus receivables

Hello guest,

Sorry nobody got to you earlier. Well, if this collector continues to slip up and make mistakes, you may have a robust legal case against him.

Firstly, a collector is not allowed to use the threat of legal action to force someone to pay a debt. Threatening to sue when no suit is intended is a violation of the law.

How do you know that this debt is accurate? You must force them to provide you with details with the debt to see if this is something that you actually are responsible for.



First of all, this collector should have sent you a written notice providing you with all of the necessary information relating to this debt. The notice should inform you of:

1) The amount of the debt;

2) The name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;

3) A statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector.

If he did not provide you with this info, you should tell the collector that you "want to have this debt validated."

After you inform the collector of your validation request, all calls from the collector must stop until the debt is validated. If he does not comply, then you can sue.

Oh, I just was about to search your question as you posted in another thread.

Go through these links if it helps you further.

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/focus-receivable.html

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/forums/about3341-4.html

I, too, just received a phone call from this company. I was innondated with personal questions, which I refused to answer, since I did not know who was calling. They referenced a prior address and my husband's name... to which I still gave no validation or rebuttal. A man (notice I didn't say GENTLEMAN) named Mr. Hamilton got very rude.. rude doesn't even BEGIN to describe his language, attitude and inferences. When I asked for his name, he told me, and then, in a diminutive tone, asked if he should SPELL it for me! He refused to answer any of my questions (employee ID #, etc). I asked to speak with his supervisor, Mr. Black, who was calmer, but seemed to support his charge, and did not realize how unacceptable Mr. Hamilton's behavior was.
What a HORRIBLE company ~ what HORRIBLE customer-relation skills. They will be reported to the BBB, and I strongly urge other people who have fallen victim to these predatorial collection agents, who, by the way, had NO valid claim.

I went through the same problems you have had with Focus Recievables. They called said I had an outstanding doctor bill. I told them fine let me find out where the bill is coming from and why it was so much. They told me know there was not time for that if I don't make a payment now i would be prosacuted to the fullest. I never made the payment. So about 6 months later they call again the guy was acting all nice and he was here to help so I set up payment arrangements with a check for X amount and he said i could send in a little here and a little there as long as it was paid before the check was dated. I sent almost all of it except for $50.00 of and they tried to pass the check for $400.00. Then they had the nerve to call me and tell me I had wrote them a bad check. I ask them how they could pass a $400.00 check when I only owe $50.00. He became angry and yelled at me and told me he was done with me and that he hoped they could get all they could from me, and if i wanted to discuss the matter further i would have to call back at a later time and then he hung up on me. I called back and complained and they said they will discuss this with the man. Then a new guy calls me about a month later to ask me about the rest of the money. Itold him about the expierence I had and then he told me that the man I had dealt with earlier had been fired. So I paid the rest. I hope they never call again.

Misty

I had a cell phone bill from a while back that I was on a payment plan with another company. The phone company was bought out and sent the collection to Focus Recievables. A guy called me and was very rude. I told him that I wanted to speak with some one else about my account. He transfered me to some one else and she was very rude. I then told them that I wanted to speak to a manager. A lady got on the phone. She said she was a supervisor. I told her that I knew I had a debt that had to be cleared up but it wasn't for the amount that they claimed. It was for $200.00 less than what they were asking for and all I could do was make $100.00 a month payments. She didn't want to take $100.00 payments. So I told her that was all I could do and she hung up on me. About 2 weeks later I called in and tried to speak to some one. A guy flipped out on me so I hung up. I called back. A lady got on the phone. She hung up on me. I called again and asked to speak to a supervisor. I asked for all of the business' info. and told her that I wanted all of the conversations I was involved with recorded. She hung up on me. I was also told in the first conversation that I had just better plan on getting a lawyer and seeing them in court. What do I do now?

I have contacted this firm on behalf of a client

they have numerous warnings from Federal and State

Authorities for violations of the Fair Debt Collection

Act I would call their office in Tampa and inform

them you will be seeking damages for each and every

call which violates the Act.

Make sure you get the names of people you spoke with

and if possible tape record the conversation. This

is not illegal since you have informed them of such

and does not violate any wiretapping statute

I had a similar experience, they are all rude at focus receivables. There is no reason in the world why they have to be that damn rude!!!

I have been getting calls from them also, have yet to answer, let it go to VM...will try and find an email and see if i can correspond that way.. Just don't need the headache of trying to deal with it over the phone.

Ya this Mr. Kaufman guy keeps calling for my sister and he kept badgering me about my phone number. I kept telling him that I have had the number for 2 years and that my sister doesn't live here. He pulled up my phone number somehow and searched so that he could get my name and crap. What the hell?

You can send them cease communication letter, certified mail, return receipt requested. AKA a get bent letter.

I had the exact same problem with them....i just had a baby in febuary and focus recievable kept calling my house and telling me that i was refusing to pay and i explained to them i was on maternity leave and could only make payments....they got really nosey and wanted to know wat i did with my tax return. I explained i had to pay rent for my daughter and i, due to my maternity leave. They laughed at me and told me they would write it off as a refusal and to go pay rent!!?? If they are trying to collect a debt, they arent doing a very good job.

i received like 20 calls in the day from the company very rudew n nasty

My daughter is a student & mom, has never married, owned a car or had access to a credit card. There has never been any need to as we support her and her child. Some moron (male) called today and left a very threatening message. He has never attempted to call here and I just hope my husband answers the phone the next time he does

i keep getting phone calls at work from Alex Woods at Focus Receivables and he leaves very rude messages. Now he's even gone as far as leaving messages for my boss so he can confirm my employment here. Can they do that?? He's left another message for my boss telling him he needs another return phone call from him...why??? can these people harrass the people i work with? What can i do? I've already put a call in to him to stop calling my work. I don't even know if I owe them anything I never received any mail from them. Is there anything else i can do?

I see that you have you told Focus that you are not allowed to recieve personal calls of this nature at work. They are in violation of federal law by continuing the calls.

Send them a demand for validation of the debt. There's a good template for that letter here. Send it CMRRR, and keep the green card that you get back as proof that they recieved it. You'll need that if you have to initiate legal action against them down the road.

Apparently the person that had my phone number before me (William) owes someone out there alot of money. I constantly get calls trying to collect his debts. When I explain that I am not William and I've never heard of William, the people are usually very nice and apologetic.
Well Focus Receivables employs the most deplorable "customer service agents" on the planet. I called and told them they had the wrong number and to stop calling me (because I had a message on my machine every night for the past 7 nights and some were at 8:55pm). The agent named Michelle was so rude, put me on hold for some three minutes, then berated me when I asked if I had been removed from their list, saying "I already removed your number" before hanging up on me. That's right, she hung up on me!
I don't know who these people collect for or what right they think they have interrupting my dinner for some debt that I have nothing to do with, but they should be shut down.

Tell'em to pound sand. Total cease-and-desist letter. If they don't take the hint, consider legal action. They aren't allowed to harrass.

I too am having a bad experience with focus receivables. I tried to make payment arrangemnants with focus receivables and was told i defaulted on arrangements before. I explained to them that I wasnt given an address as to where to send the payment. She told me that since i defaulted they would need $833 on Jan. 22. Which I figured wasnt bad since it was 10% of my debt. She thenm proceeds to tell me I have to make a payment of $500 Feb. 5. and $3000 the end of Feb. when I get my take return. I never told her I would get my tax return then. She tells me to go file at Jackson Hewitt Quick Return. If that isn't bad enough she says after those payments are made then they will lower the payments. I have other bills to pay besides them. Then she tells me they cant make arrangements without a bank account. Why do you need a bank account I can send it to you via Western Union a bank account doesnt guarantee they money will be there. Then she tried to tell me when to open the account prying into my business I told her I was going back to work she says can you go set it up now I said no she says well when I told her I dont know. Then also she wants to knoe my daughter cell phone number and email address. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!!

Well, well, well!?? Imagine this.?? I settled a credit card bill with F.R. and the agreement was x amount down and 800.00 a month for 4 months.?? I paid my 4 months and before I knew it they took another payment out without my authorization!!!!!?? I URGE everyone to contact the company directly that passed your account on to Focus receivables.?? I did this and guess what??? My account was settled and F.R. was trying to collect another $18,000 from me!!!?? Talk about FRAUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?? I just might contact an attorney and sue them!?? I can't wait for them to call me again!

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from these people. They are collecting on behalf of Wachovia. I asked them to send me something in the mail proving they have my account and if they do have it, I will set up payment arrangements with them but I would not give them access to my checking account information. They were very ugly about this. I got another call again yesterday, the girl that called said she was a manager on the floor and they needed to set up arrangements for this account today. I told them I still have not received anything in the mail. She said they sent me something out on the 11th when they talked to me last and I should have already received it. I told them I had not. She said well, anyway, we need to make some arrangements on the account. I told her again, I'll be glad to make arrangements but I will not give them my account information. She said she could not make arrangements on the account unless I did that. I said "Well, I'm sorry, I will not give you access to my account. She said, hold on, let me get you my manager, maybe she can work something out with you. Hmmmmmmmm. I thought she said she was a manager! Anyway, the manager got on the phone and said the same thing as the other girl and I told her the same thing I told the other girl. She told me if I did not give her my account information then she was going to put it as a refusal of payment and they would demand payment in full instead of a payment arrangement. I said, Let me get this right, because I won't give you access to my account, its a refusal to pay. She said correct. She kept trying to talk over me, but I refused it and kept going. So, I asked her if this call is recorded and she refused to answer that question, but continued to try and talk over me, so I finally said Well, if this call is recorded, let it be put on record, that I am not refusing to pay on my account, I'm refusing to give you my account information and hung up. Are they violating laws in this case? Can they really do that? What will happen now? Can anyone help me with this probem?

I keep getting a call from Focus Receivable. Today I got 2 with in a half hour just call and hang up. I wish they would send me a letter with some kind of proof of debt. I will report them to the BBB if they call again. I suggest others to the same. May the BBB can force them to stop

Per the Fair Credit Reporting Act..If you tell them that you are not going to pay the bill, they HAVE TO STOP CALLING YOU and find an alternate way to collect the bill. I have not heard of anyone getting sued by this company because they will not spend the money on a judgement when they know they will not collect any money. If they don't have your place of employment or bank account information its a waste of their time. Also, if they keep calling after to tell them you won't pay, you can call the State attorney general on them and that will stop the calls.

Is there a statute of limitation for debt collection?

SOL is the amount of time you can be sued for a debt. An unpaid debt remains collectible until paid unless you live in MS or WI.

I also have had rude and unprofessional collectors bugging me. here is a link you can go to that might give some answers. It was sent to me from the Federal Trade Commission in Washington D.C. after I contacted them. After the FTC contacted te third party their attatude has changed 100%!!!!!!
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

Listen, people. This is a pretty much a scam! I do not have any "old" debt that this company could have bought up. File an online complaint at http://www.fcc.gov. Be prepared to have the name of the company, the number that shows up on your caller ID, specific dates/times they have called (3 of them) and the gist of the pre-recorded message. Hopefully, you're already on the Do Not Call List, as that helps.

I have filed complaints of various "robo calls" to the FCC in the past, and they actually responded to me via mail. They take this stuff seriously, so do the work on your part and provide them with the information they need to go after idiots like Focus Receivables.

Additionally, if you have the patience and nerve to ask them for a written statement of the "debt" in question as a previous post suggests, then do so! That post is correct -- they are required by law to provide that information to you (if they actually do name a debt that you feel you really are responsible for).

they too called me regarding my 600.00 at&t bill. i told them i would make 50.00 mo payments for now, not telling them, but knowing in a few months i was filing a chapter 7. I was trying to do what i could till i could file. i felt bad not bieng able to pay it all so i fugured some would help. the lady told me i could settle within 10 more days only at 1/2 off the price, and i told her i did not have it which i clearly did not or i would have. she told me to call her back by june 30 if i change my mind. i did not hear from her, and on july 20, i filed bk and called and told her, i had and not to take any more payments that i "do not authorize any future payments form my account". the next day they took the entire full balance from my checking account, in full!!!! DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR credit card or bank account numbers ever... send money orders if u are paying payments. they will rob u for all u have left. i had to change all my accounts i had for over 20 yrs, and fight with a claim, etc...watch out, they are criminals and im suing them! I already have the lawsuit filed. PLUS, they still call everyday, and today i talked to two of them again, and told them my bk info and they still called, so thats ok, they will owe me now. DO NOT GIVE THEM u r bank info. PLUS they are rude and hang up on me everytime i try to talk to them, every time!!!!
They will be out of biz when im done with them. If you want to set up a class action, let me know. [email]yeahyeah70@aol.com[/email]
T

Just don't pay! Ater a period of time the stature runs out and they can't sue you in any court of law. Call them and laugh at them. Tell them you used the money for a trip to Hawaii. Give them the same treatment they give people they call. what a bunch of assholes for sure.

I have a $1500 bill with AT&T Advertising that I tried to negotiate with AT&T but they would not work with me. Without going into a long and drawn out story about ethics and such, I did refuse to pay the entire amount. Monday, November 1, 2010 I received a call from Focus Receivables. I told the kid on the other line that I had tried to work with AT&T and thus refused to pay the bill. He said, "Okay, I'll mark the account. And you didn't hear it from me, but this is the end of the line. AT&T doesn't report to collections." We had a friendly quick conversation, a couple of laughs, and that was that. Now I wish I had written down his name.

They have called quite a few times since then, and when I answer the phone, no one is there.

Finally today I answered the phone and there was actually a girl on the line. She didn't even introduce herself by name. I explained that I had already spoken with someone on Monday and refused to pay the debt. I expected that to be the end of it. But no, she wanted detail on the reason I was refusing. After trying to explain the situation as calmly and quickly as possible (what does she care anyway?), she got snarky with me. I was explaining how I tried to reach AT&T multiple times to dispute charges but ended up on hold for 20 minutes each time and had to hang up because I HAVE A BUSINESS TO RUN and can't be on hold every time to dispute charges. She asked if I didn't have anyone else in the office to help me with these calls. As a matter of fact, as a young business, NO, I don't, it's me and my husband and he has clients to tend to. She then said, "Do you really think you're the only one who calls AT&T and you wouldn't be on hold?" I lost it. I asked for her supervisor, thinking they would be a) apologetic for their employee's attitude and b) I would tell them that I refused the debt and that was it. Nope.

The supervisor and I spent a long time on the phone together. I actually had to call him back directly because I had clients to tend to. (Cedric Alston 1-678-228-3493 is his direct line). He kept trying to tell me what it said in my contract with AT&T (um, how does he know?), and that I couldn't prove all the times I had called AT&T to dispute charges. I asked him why, when I had already told the Monday guy that I refused to pay the account, was I being called again and again all week? He said AT&T requests 3 person-to-person contacts before they call it quits and pursue even further action, and this was actually our third contact because I had had to call him back (seriously?). I was standing my ground until finally he threw out the "When this goes to court, you'll be responsible for all the fees associated with the lawsuit--retainer fees, court costs, for BOTH parties..." That got my attention (but I still recalled what the NICE young guy said on Monday--that this was the end of the line). So we started talking about working out a deal. We went 'round and 'round about settlements, payment plans, etc. I told him I would not be able to pay off the settlement amount in one, even two payments. That wasn't good enough. So he "spoke to his manager" and they offered me a payment plan on the original amount for 6 months, then would offer me another settlement then and reassess the situation at that time. In the meantime, I had started Googling and came across this site and started reading. I then pretended to be SO overwhelmed at that point and requested 24 hours (but it's Friday so in a business setting that would be until Monday) to think about it. He said, "No, you have to accept this agreement now or it's off the table." I said I wanted 24 hours to think about it. He said they had already gone above and beyond, as had his manager, and if I didn't accept it today, he HAD to mark the account as my refusal to pay. After each of us repeating ourselves a few times, I said, "Fine. I will call you back on Monday and see if the deal is really off the table, but I want to process all of this for a bit and look at my budget." He said, "Okay then, good luck" and hung up.

I've dealt with collection agencies before (from a few years ago due to the economy some bills had to go unpaid--I acknowledged the debt and paid them over time) and had no problem working with them on payment plans, including an AT&T personal bill which I was able to pay off in a few payments (different collections agency). I acknowledge SOME debt with this bill, but I refuse to pay it all and AT&T would not budge. I can only assume since I then flat out refused to pay the bill with AT&T Advertising when they wouldn't work with me that this is why they sent me to FC instead of a nicer group of people, so FC might badger me into paying.

I'll continue to research my options, but after reading this thread, along with some inconsistencies with FC, I think I'll just go about my business.

And if you are a small business owner, please do NOT sign up with AT&T Pay Per Call Advertising. You will get charged for a bunch of calls from telemarketers, robocalls and wrong numbers, even hang-ups, which they'll tell you when you sign up the charges are super easy to reverse, but then they make it almost impossible because you pretty much have to spend 20 minutes on hold every day you try to call to dispute them. As a small business owner, a start-up in the worst economy in recent history at that, I do not have 20 minutes a day, or more, to spend on hold waiting to get a charge reversed.

*In my previous post "collections" in the first paragraph should be "AT&T doesn't report to 'credit agencies.'"

UPDATE: After some more investigation on my part today, I realized I had received a collections letter the same day I first received a call from Focus Receivables (11/1/10). Except THE LETTER WAS FROM A DIFFERENT AGENCY!

I spoke to that agency and let them know that another company was trying to extort their account (but that I was still disputing the charges so I would not be settling). He was shocked to hear they called me the same day as me receiving the legitimate agency's letter. He was very nice.

So heed the warnings here and ask for a verification letter from them. My guess is that Focus Receivables has some way of finding accounts that are out for collections and they try to extort the money from you first. No letter=no payment. Do not give them your info (thank goodness I Googled and came upon this site before I caved to their badgering and set up a payment plan). And no matter what agency or even account in good standing you are dealing with, always ask for a zero balance letter. I've done this with every account I've ever paid off.

After my conversations with them this morning, I still received three more calls this afternoon from them. The first was a person who said, "Oh, I see someone has already talked to you today, we'll take your number off the list." 2nd was a hangup and third I did not answer but they left no message.

This is the second time I've had an agency come after me for a debt that was being handled by a legitimate agency. Duvera tried to come after me for an account I had paid off years prior. Also check ripoffreport.com for multiple complaints about the company.

i got the same call from these losers. just dont pay attention to them. settle your debts with human begins not with these miserable buttocks. rick dean

Industry Tips
Debt Collection
The following is more detailed information about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:

HOW MAY A DEBT COLLECTOR CONTACT YOU?

A collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or FAX. However, a debt collector may not contact you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. unless you agree. A debt collector may not contact you at work if the collector knows your employer disapproves.

CAN YOU STOP A DEBT COLLECTOR FROM CONTACTING YOU?

You may stop a collector from contacting you by writing a letter to the collection agency telling them to stop. Once the agency receives your letter, it may not contact you again except to say there will be no further contact. Another exception is that the agency may notify you if the debt collector or creditor intends to take a specific action.

MAY A DEBT COLLECTOR CONTACT A THIRD PARTY ABOUT YOUR DEBT?

If you have an attorney, the debt collector may not contact anyone other than your attorney. If you do not have an attorney, a collector may contact other people, but only to find out where you live and work. Collectors are usually prohibited from contacting such permissible parties more than once. In most cases, the collector cannot tell anyone other that you or your attorney that you owe money.

WHAT IS THE COLLECTOR REQUIRED TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE DEBT?

Within five days after you are first contacted, the collector must send you a written notice telling you the amount of money you owe; the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money; and what action to take if you believe you do not owe the money.

MAY A DEBT COLLECTOR CONTINUE TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU BELIEVE YOU DO NOT OWE MONEY?

A collector may not contact you if, within 30 days after you are first contacted, you send the collection agency a letter stating you do not owe money. However, a collector can renew collection activities if you are sent proof of the debt, such as a copy of a bill for the amount owed.

WHAT TYPES OF DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ARE PROHIBITED?

* Use of threats of violence or harm against the person, property, or reputation;

* Publishing of a list of consumers who refuse to pay their debts (except to a credit bureau);

* Use of obscene or profane language;

* Repeated use of the telephone to annoy someone;

* Telephoning of people without identifying themselves;

* Advertising your debt.

Debt collectors may not use false statements when collecting a debt. For example, they cannot:

* Falsely imply that they are attorneys or government representatives;

* Falsely imply that you have committed a crime;

* Falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit bureau;

* Misrepresent the amount of your debt;

* Misrepresent the involvement of an attorney in collecting a debt;

* Indicate that papers being sent to you are not legal forms when they are.

Debt collectors may also not state that:

* You will be arrested if you do not pay your debt;

* They will seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages, unless the collection agency or creditor intends to do so, and it is legal to do so;

* Actions, such as a lawsuit, will be taken against you, which legally may not be taken, or which they do not intend to take.

Debt collectors may not:

* Give false credit information about you to anyone;

* Send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency when it is not;

* Use a false name.

Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices in attempting to collect a debt. For example, they may not:

* Collect any amount greater than your debt, unless allowed by law;

* Deposit a post-dated check prematurely;

* Take or threaten to take your property unless this can be done legally;

* Contact you by postcard.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU BELIEVE A DEBT COLLECTOR VIOLATED A LAW?

You have the right to sue a collector in state or federal court within one year from the date you believe the law was violated. If you win, you may recover money for damages you suffered. Court costs and attorney's fees also can be recovered. A group of people may also sue a debt collector and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector's net worth, whichever is less.

This information is general in nature and is not to be interpreted as a reliability report on any particular product, service or company.

This information was developed by the United States Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection (202) 326-3650.

The information in this report has either been provided by the company, or has been compiled by the Bureau from other sources.

[COLOR=black]This company keeps calling me for someone that had my phone number before I got it. I have called them and told them that I don't know the person that they are looking for. Every time they say "they will take care of it" and they say it with an attitude but they continue to leave messages and continue to call. I just put a complaint with the BBB to see if they will stop calling.[/COLOR]

I too have been getting calls from a collector; most recently Focus Receivables. I refused to verify my address or social security number until they verified the debt. The man I spoke to refused to give me any information until I verified mine. I again refused and he told me he would not go back and forth with me. I told him that was fine by me and he hung up. Before the company Focus Receivables identified themselves, I was getting calls from a supposed lawyers office asking me to verify my social security number and informing me that charges were being pressed against me for an unpaid payday advance, which I never took. The calls continued to come in after I told them I had no business with them and would not give any personal information until I received the info about the debt in writing. Admittedly, I was rude to the reps since I felt that they were frauds and trying to get my info. At one point the representative asked if he could "F*** me". I was certain I had not heard him right and asked him what he had said. He repeated it and then I hung up. Although I am not certain this is the same group of individuals contacted me, I have no REAL outstanding debt so I figure it must be. I spoke with a police officer regarding the situation and he informed me that it sounded like fraud to him as well. Although there was nothing the police could do, he advised me not to verify my info, do not send money, and not even to accept the calls until they sent me documentation proving the debt.