ARS-Advanced Recovery services

Have you checked them out on the BBB website?

That's a good idea, Tiffany. My husband just got a notification from them, as they are trying to collect on an old hospital bill. We just got it yesterday. So far, no phone calls, though. I plan to send them the DV letter by the end of the week.

I don't think they went out and got a phone number to almost match someone you know a while ago.

collection agencies have various different number. The one I work for has several but two constant that is always used on our dialing system and the one we leave on VM's as well as a local #..

Yeah FYI, I don't think so either, just such a strange coincidence from them! My husband told me that that particular number originated from Harrisburg, PA and we're in western pa so that makes sense. I need to check with the BBB. have no clue why I didn't think of that. thank you to all. didn't get a call from the today, hope i don't!

Good luck, and keep us updated.

Thanks so much Tiffany. I checked on the BBB site and so far there's a collection agency under that name but they're devoted to Medical Collections. I don't have any medical collections. ARS is after a debt from Target. I'm still investigating, will let you know...thanks for all the support!

I finally got a letter from ARS today giving me the option to settle for a percentage off. Not sure what to do. I don't have much experience with CAs, I mean the experience I do have my consolidation company dealt with them (a couple of years ago) and I paid them a monthly fee to do so. What would you guys do? send in money orders? how do i know they'll apply payments? I tried to find a post with some information before posting. I really try not to duplicate information but am at a loss here. thanks to all

Well if having a settlement is better than being sued and having a judgement on your credit report then I would opt to SIF it. YOu should send certified funds. Cashiers Check. money order or western union.

Ok, that's what i thought as far as payment goes. I had to pay my credit counselor a money order every month then finally they allowed me to debit from my account. I trusted them, i do not trust ARS by any means! heard too many bad things

debtsinker my opinion if you do not trust ARS you shouldn't send them anything by any means! If they are already giving you the option of a percentage off--it means they purchased debt for pennies on the dollar and this will remain on your credit report for years--ONLY deal with original creditor--don't make settlement payments to anyone else because it will still show up on your credit report and might keep being resold into infinity --I am not speaking from experience because my credit report is still good--only speaking from things I have learned on this sight and from people I know who have gone through this--I think you should challenge them to sue you if they are already offering a settlement--once again the experts should weigh in here! All I know is that I have a brother who paid off an old debt from ex-wife 3 times now and it is still showing up on credit report because the debt keeps getting resold to unscrupulous credit and collection industry! He paid with certified funds the first time it showed up on his credit report and AFTER he paid settlement to the first collection agency who assured him they would settle debt once and for all through a title company--SAME DEBT STILL showed up 5 years later as debt owed to still another company-- I think--pay your debts only to original creditor and only deal with the people you actually owe money to-- or you might as well throw whatever money you eventually spend to settle the debt--into the toilet!

Hmmmmm, I appreciate your response Hanky. I didn't know that i had the option of dealing with Target directly. If you don't care, here's my story (short side)
I bought an item online for $30 from target.com. I only had $200 credit limit which was perfect for me. When it came time to pay I tried NUMEROUS times on their site and even called them to say that your site isn't letting me pay. The assured me it would be taken care of. So I kept monitoring their site and it would not let me pay. Short of it is I forgot about it until three months later i owe a whopping $169!! now to some that debt is minimal and really it is, but for a woman who wasn't working at the time I was watching every dollar I had so I did not do much about it. Then for a year or so I didn't hear from Target and then all of a sudden, just recently, ARS contacts me and bugs me to death. So, obviously Target sold this debt to them. Do you guys really think I can deal with my original creditor?

If Target sold this debt then NO they will not work with u, they no longer own this debt! Also if they sent u a letter stating that if u pay $XX by X date and u do pay by date then u have PROOF in case they re-sell this debt. Keep the letter along with ur payment in a safe place and keep it FOREVER! ;)
I'd say that would suffice for ur proof of paying this.
Hope this helps u,
Ang

Also, u may want to send a dv letter to them first.
Just a suggestion,
Ang

I had a company collecting on a $14 copay, they were more annoying than the ones that have had bills of mine for hundreds. they are persistant and won't go away until you pay them. I also had one for cellular one, they sent me a letter with a settlement offer of $524, I called them and they actually settled for much less, like $200 less. You may want to call while they are in settlement mode and request that they settle for less, just a thought. I just asked them, can't you do better than this and they did, very quickly in fact. Get it all in writing and as mentioned above, keep it forever.

I know people who have paid settlements (and kept proof) and it still shows up on credit reports for different amounts under different names more than 10 years later and they end up fighting or giving up and paying again --how do you keep proof of this if they are reselling and rewriting debt for different amounts? Are the people here who are responding speaking from experience of debts owed more than ten years? and what happens when they mysteriously show back up on credit report under different name and amount after a significant time? Not challenging anyone just wondering from stories I have learned! what good is proof if 5-12 years later someone else tries to collect for different amount for something you have already settled? It's a never ending battle as far as I have seen because the collection industry is not effectively regulated at this point-- just my opinion--all I'm saying is even if you keep receipt of paying something to a Ca--there is still a very good chance it will still show up years later as you owing someone else a different amount for same charge --please prove me wrong America please!

also debtstinker not an attack but if you knew you owed Target money-- why wait for a year or so of not hearing from them? That doesn't make a lick of common sense--however-- I still wouldn't pay subsequent collector challenge the debt with the story you have presented here and I would be willing to go to court to fight the injustice you have said they treated you with! You might even end up with way more money than what they are trying to collect at this point--(just a thought!)

Hanky, she did try to contact and pay target but they kept saying she had a zero balance and would not accept payment, maybe she can explain it more. She contacted me on friday after this collection agency started to call. Thats how I know she did attempt to pay them. I don't think she put that in the post anywhere though. At least that is the way I understood it. Hey debtstinker, can you explain a little more.

Hanky please read the Fair credit reporting act and the Fair Debt collection practices act to answer your questions on collection and reporting. The things you suggest would be law violations actionable in court.

okay so if she did try to contact Target-- and Target stated zero balance and wouldn't accept payment and NOW she is later pursued by a collection agency for same debt they wouldn't let her pay! --then end of story --Target gets sued for huge amount and pays amount consumer supposedly owed plus compensation to lawyers and compensation etc for their terrible mistake right? Of course these things are actionable in court if they happened--don't lie down-- fight the abusers please!Cajun is this what you are talking about? I am only trying to respond not as an expert but as someone protesting the way these people are being treated! If there aren't laws in place to protect them--then by golly we as a nation need to enact them as soon as possible!

The laws I posted are in place to provide consumer protection.Consumers as a whole need to read and understand these laws so they will not be taken advantage of by a creditor or collector.

Hey cajun, good to see you.