allied interstate.... another complaint and question
Date: Sat, 09/23/2006 - 22:23
I've been searching this forum and seen several complaints about allied interstate already... so I know that they are considered a difficult collection agency to deal with. I got into some debt trouble in college because I wasn't responsible with credit cards and unfortunately, I was eventually unable to pay on the accounts anymore and they were sent to collections. One account I have paid off (almost a year ago!), another I worked out payment arrangements with the collection agency with no problems.
The other was a bigger account and I just have not been able to tackle it yet (trying the "snowball" method for paying off my debt)..... it has gone through a few collection agencies and apparently is now with Allied Interstate. I learned this because I received a phone call from them the other day. I usually received phone calls from collectors on my cell since it was the only consistent number I've had for the past several years (moved around a lot). we have a new landline number (just moved again) and we got a lot of hang up calls but no one ever left a message (typical, and we don't have caller ID yet but we are so getting it after what happened the other day).
anyway, my husband was home for lunch the other and answered the phone. A guy asked for me and when told I was not home, asked if he was speaking to my husband (never asked for his name to verify). he then proceeded to tell my husband that i was going to be arrested for fraud. he said he was calling in regard to an account with X company (the above mentioned account) and he was with Allied Interstate. Then he said something about a probationary period on my account when it was still open and there was a time limit to pay off the card and since i had not, that was fraud? it didn't make any sense and neither my husband nor i had even heard of anything like that.
then he went on to say they would settle for a lesser amount and could my husband go ahead and make a payment over the phone, etc. this guy was really rude and his story was very inconsistent. my husband just kept telling him he'd have me call him back. i have not called back yet. when this account was in collections with a different agency, i tried to contact that collection agency and only ever got a voicemail box. i sent a letter but never received a response.
as i said, i don't deny this account exists but i do have some questions about this particular collection agency as well as the amount they say I owe. At the time the creditor charged off the account, it was around $3,000. now the collection agency is saying it is almost $7000.
I plan to send them a debt validation letter because i have not received anything in writing from them informing me that they have purchased this account. the guy said he sent something already when my husband asked him to send us information in writing but i did not receive anything.
i would be more than willing to work out payment arrangements (preferably monthly) but i am afraid they will insist we can only do bank drafts.
also, is there anything to be done about the increasing interest on these types of accounts? how do they expect anyone to be able to pay these off if they continue to charge interest through the roof?
has anyone else successfully dealt with this company in getting them to communicate only in writing and making payment arrangements?
by the way, this account is still within the statute of limitations for my state.
also, is it legal for that guy to accuse me of fraud for a debt? and give all this information to my husband over the phone? how did he even know it was my husband?
thanks!
go to (www.collectionindustrylive.com/news_allied.html) and you
go to (www.collectionindustrylive.com/news_allied.html) and you will see what is going on with this company.
thanks for link. i had already seen some articles regarding this
thanks for link. i had already seen some articles regarding this company's horrible business practices and that information cemented the deal.
i'm planning to send a debt validation letter that includes a written communication only clause. but today, i was looking for some more information and realized that i think the statute of limitations for this account expires in march-- just six months from now. at least, that is the last activity on this account reported on my credit report. sooo..... now i don't know what to do. if i try to make payment arrangements, then the clock will start over. but if i try to wait it out and ignore them, they may still sue me. any advice here?
also, there was a message today on our phone from another one of their (AI) agents to contact him about the settlement offer. i may have forgotten to mention but the guy who tried to bully my husband on the phone offered to settle for about half the amount they said was owed. should i call this guy back? mention it in the letter? i really do not want to communicate with them over the phone, only in writing.
i don't know what to do but i want to get something in the mail to them asap in case they are about to file a lawsuit, at least i will have some evidence that i tried to work with them. (and if they won't honor my request for information, then maybe something against them).
thanks in advance!
Your thought on dealing with the collection agency sounds fair.
Your thought on dealing with the collection agency sounds fair. You should have all the communication in writing only. But a call will provide you the chance of keeping a follow up on what's happening with your account. allied interstate cannot get money from you unless they prove you that they have your file. If the debt has not been validated yet by the company, send the debt validation letter giving it the legal approach. Allied Interstate will be forced to prove their collection practice with all the correct info before contacting you next time.
I sent the debt validation letter yesterday so I hope they will
I sent the debt validation letter yesterday so I hope they will get it by Friday. Today, there was a message on my machine from them again and the guy said he needed to hear from me in 48 hours because he had "a very important business decision" he needed to make and if he didn't hear from me, he'd "be forced to make it on my behalf."
do i need to call and tell them that i've sent a debt validation letter and i'd prefer all contact be made in writing? the same guy has called twice since last week's threatening phone call and left a message but given a different name each time, so it is a little difficult to know if I should take this threat seriously or if he is just trying to scare me into making a rash decision and emptying my bank account.
i'm just worried. i want to see the proof before blindly agreeing to send this company money, you know?
I would not contact them to let them know about the cease and de
I would not contact them to let them know about the cease and desist letter. Let them receive it, and then violate the law. Because I'm sure they will call you. Then file a complaint for the violation. If you call them you are more than likely setting yourself up to be threatened and harassed by this company, they are viscious. I would want all communications with them in writing. But more important I would want to make sure I am supposed to sending them the money.
hello, i have another question/thought about this ordeal. (By
hello,
i have another question/thought about this ordeal.
(By the way, no message from AI on my phone today so I wonder if they got my letter... I sent CM/RR so I guess i'll get the receipt soon if they did).
I was looking at my credit report again last night and Allied is not listed on there with this account. The original creditor is still listed so does that mean AI is just collecting for them? Does that change anything regarding fdcpa regulations? Would it be wise to try to contact the original creditor directly and see if they'd be willing to work with me to resolve the account? If so, that would be wonderful. As I said, I want to take care of it but I won't work with an agency that is verbally abusive and uses illegal collections practices. Anyone have success with contacting the original creditor and getting them to take back the account?
I am the CEO if www.CollectionIndustryLive.com
Hello my friends,
I want to simply state that there are a lot of new calls on the wesbsite. I suggest that you go to the NEWS section and listen closely to the calls.
As the CEO of Western Capital, a former large consumer collection agency, we stopped what we were doing because the business was becomming 'Morally Bankrupt'
In conclusion, I WOULD NEVER EVER PAY A COLLECTION AGENCY FOR ANY TYPE OF UNSECURED DEBT THAT THEY CAN NOT 'VALIDATE' ; that means that they must provide you with the original loan docs or cardholder agreement, all statements AND ALL CHARGE SLIPS THAT BACK UP THE CHARGES. Spend some time on the MyCollector.com site, follow my advice, and if you need special one on one help, just click on the VIP logo on the main page.
I wish you the best and keep visiting our site. We ARE Creating worldwide change.
One final thing, I received these two letters recently that I want to post. THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO AT MyCollector.com
Letter One:
#
To all of the debt collectors, agencies and corporate counsel who visit our website daily:
I, as the CEO of Western Capital, want to simply ask that you would judge what we are doing at Western Capital - mycollector.com on the merits of our sites results only, not of the childhood mistakes of its founder. Look at the consumer feedback. Look at the success letters, look at the hundreds of news features about our clients that have appeared around the world. Look at the change that we have created.
We know that it is so easy to run to the sidelines and bash Bud, Ed and myself as a Team that in some way has conspired to manipulate the American Public into believing that debt collectors are all bad. That is simply not true.
The bottom line is that the live audio recordings on our site speak for themselves. The ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC, CNN and all of the other International news stories are based on fact. These are REAL DEBTORS AND REAL AGENCIES WHO ARE PROFILED.
Today, we received this letter from the fiance of a collector directly inside American Express. This is the letter in its entirety:
Mr.Robert Paisola,
I have to say???????I am very pleased to see what you are doing. : ) I wish I
would have known about you a year ago. My boyfriend, whom just recently
started a job as a collector at American Express, walked in the door this
evening and yelled "Honey go to this website and check out this crook!" Much
to my amazement it was your wonderful website!! I LOVE what you are doing! I
further explained to my naive soulmate that what these companies are doing
is WRONG and finally someone is taking action against them. I had a
runaround with Wells Fargo a year ago (long story short) I cosigned on a
truck with my ex-boyfriend (big mistake) and would make payments to him
every month (another mistake) well after 3 months of him not putting my
payments through to the bank they started harrassing me at work claiming to
garnish my waiges, close my accounts, as well as repo the vehicle. I told
them I had made every payment and would do my best to settle the account and
asked to please be patient as my boyfriend "screwed" me over. (To make a
long story even longer) I was visited by a "police officer" at my place of
work and said if I did not tell him where the truck was or give him my
driver's licence he would put me in hand cuffs and take me away in his
patrol car, which was no where to be seen. He also stated I had a court
hearing the following morning and that I could not drive myself, yet he need
to pick my up in his car and escort me to the court house. This "officer"
looked funny, I paid close attention to detail, and becuase I watch those
bounty hunter shows on HBO I soon realized that he was a repo man whom also
worked as a bounty hunter, he even wore his badge and uniform to scare me.
After a 2 hour session with him he finally left and I immediatly called all
the court houses in my area to be sure I did not have a court hearing ever,
which I did NOT. I then contacted Wells Fargo and told them they hired a
bounty hunter and is stalking me and informed them I had made a police
report. Later that evening, at my new boyfriend's house, the same gentleman
conveniantly showed up at the front door???????I do not know how this man would
know where my new boyfriend lived but somehow found out. I had not arrived
there yet and received a call from my boyfriend telling me to stay away, he
then proceeded to call the police, as instructed, and two real officer were
on there way to arrest the man, but repo man got away before they could
catch him.
There are plenty more scary details but I am more than positive that someone
violated many many laws. Since then they have taken my truck and I have not
heard anything from them but I have a big fat ding on my credit for,
somewhere in the ballpark of $18,000 that I now must dispute.
I just thought you would like to hear a cRaZy story that I went through, it
would have been nice to have you around back then, maybe I would still have
my truck that I so much deserve. Afterall, I never missed a payment.
Sincerely Yours,
Supportive of you, Keep up the Incredible Work
You are changing the world..
So now what???????. Can you say that?
Western Capital was instrumental in creating change in congress to PROTECT THE CONSUMER. We created and funded a foundation to assist former offenders overcome the reality of recidivism, We made the decision to cease collecting on consumer debt because we believe that the undustry has become morally bankrupt. Just watch all of the media coverage on our NEWS section at CollectionIndustryLive.com
Look at how we are creating change at American Express/ Ameriprise Financial. We receive letters daily from Senior Management that confirms that our voice IS being heard.
The bottom line is that there is a rolling tide that is about to hit the entire debt collection industry. It will effect the Credit Card Issuers, The American Public and the Debt Collection Companies that you work for.
I can not tell you how many hundreds of letters that we have received asking us how we got started doing what we do. Many of you have asked for, and received positions with our companies, yet all that you can do is castigate the people who use their voice to protect the American Public?
Again, change is coming, and if you have not taken the time to listen to the calls on our site, do it now. Listen to the call with Nationwide Collections. Listen to the calls with Unifund. Listen to the calls with the company that threatened to "dig up the bodies of the deceased parents and cut their heads off and drop them on the debtors front lawn if they did not pay the funeral home.
Now, I ask, who is the victim in this set of circumstances?
You are welcome to say anything that you want about me as an individual, however, the results speak for themselves. Our trainings are sold out. Our book is in its third printing and there are not enough hours in the day to keep up with consumer demand for our services.
Remember, I sat in your chair, dialing for dollars, and figured out that there WAS a BETTER WAY???????. and that is exactly what WE CREATED, and yes, we do make a lot of money by helping people, and guess what, that is the best feeling in the world knowing that you can be successful and help others at the same time.
One last thing. Goto our blog at WesternCapitalBlog.com and read the post that was issued today about the Debtor who KILLED HIMSELF BECAUSE HE COULD NOT HANDLE THE PRESSURE OF THE COLLECTOR???????.
Something to think about..
With Greatest Respect,
Robert Paisola
President and Chief Executive Officer
Western Capital Financial Services, Inc.
The Success Training Network
MyCollector.com
CollectionIndustryLive.com
RobertPaisola.com
Comment by Robert Paisola - October 5, 2006 @ 2:08 am
#
Hereis a full copy of that letter???????
Charging collection agency with murder
A distant relative just commit suicide. He was 32 years old.
Remaining are his wife and their 3 children. He left a suicide note that said he was killing himself because he could not stand the
harassment any longer from the bill collectors and collection agencies.
I just spoke to his wife and she sounded like she is on the verge of a breakdown. She said that she never suspected this, and their marriage was fairly happy, despite their financial troubles, and these bill
collectors. She said these collectors had turned their lives to hell.
They were getting as many as 20 calls a day from bill collectors, piles of threatening letters in the mail, and the police had been to
their door several times lately, to serve papers from these collectors.
She said they had just talked last week about looking into filing for bankruptcy, because due to her husbands layoff at work and her own health issues, they just could not keep up with the bills, and there was no way out of the mess they had gotten in.
She went on an said that it's not like they bought fancy stuff, these were just normal bills for necessities. It's just that his layoff came unexpectedly and they could not pay their debts.
They even had their phone number changed to an unlisted one, and put it under an alias name because these collectors had taken over their
phone almost entirely. She knew it was really getting to her husband, and to her also, but she thought that they were at least making some
headway by making an appointment with the lawyer for possible bankruptcy.
However, Saturday evening he left the house with his gun, and said he was going to go by a friend to have the gun cleaned, so it was ready
for hunting season.
He never came home.
Sunday morning the police found his body in their car with a gunshot to his head. The suicide letter was on the car seat next to him.
She said these bill collectors caused his suicide and they should be charged with murder.
She said she plans to have their lawyer take the companies to court and hopes they will be charged with murder.
Having been through a bankruptcy myself, I know how harassing these bill collectors can get and how they take over a persons life.
I would have never done suicide because of it, but I too had to get my phone shut off, and I mailed them form letters telling them to stop
contacting me, which did very little to stop the threatening letters and the police from coming to my door.
Apparently my relative took them too seriously.
Myself, after getting the phone disconnected and sending out those letters, I just returned every collection letter they sent to me, unopened.
Anyhow, can this wife legally file a suite against these bill collectors, and does she have any chance of winning a murder case?
Thanks for all advice.
-What would YOUR ADVICE BE To this family my friends?
Robert Paisola
President and Chief Executive Officer
Western Capital Financial Services, Inc.
The Success Training Network
.MyCollector.com
CollectionIndustryLive.com
RobertPaisola.com
Comment by Robert Paisola - October 5, 2006 @ 2:18 am
A collection agency does not have to report your account to the
A collection agency does not have to report your account to the CBR agencies. In fact it's better if they don't.
The SoL just protects you from getting a judgement gained against you and from verbal collections. It doesn't resolve you of responsibility. So if you have the means to pay your debt back in full or on payments it will always make your credit report look better rather than having future creditors and employers (depending on your field of work) look at it and them decide that you are a person who refused to pay back somehting you took. It won't matter your reason on why you did it, medical family reason lot employment.
"So if you have the means to pay your debt back in full or on pa
"So if you have the means to pay your debt back in full or on payments it will always make your credit report look better rather than having future creditors and employers (depending on your field of work) look at it and them decide that you are a person who refused to pay back somehting you took."
What if you never took out the debt they are harrassing you for? You still look bad to your future employers or creditors.