Palisades Collection is not cooperating!

Do you have anything in writing regarding them agreeing to send you a refund?

Do you have proof of each payment versus the original debt?

I contacted PALISADES COLLECTION over a year ago when I seen them on my credit report. They told me it was an AT&T account. I called AT&T to dispute I never had AT&T account and never lived at the address they said. Then called PC back both companies wanted me to prove who I was.(send copies of Drivers lic. ss card and proof of my address. I ask AT&T if they ask for it when the account was open, was told " well no you can open them online now." I said I did not feel like that idea. I did fax over to PALISADES a dispute letter. a few months later they started to call again I went though the whole story again.(found out my ex was or family member lived there. was told because the divorce was not final when the account was open I had to pay.) Askes PC how to get rid of this he said just pay it and it will not show up on my creit. (WHAT DID I DO yep...PAID now its over a year and I just seen it is on my credit report and was told by PC it will be there for up to 7 years. Call them today was hung up on 6 times.....

I wish I had the the time to give the answers that I see are needed here, but I can't. So I will direct you to Budd Hibbs who has been helping people for a long time. He wrote a book and you can download it for free. He has all the answers. I've cleaned up my own credit report/history and helped others using what I've learned on my own and from Bud Hibbs. Search tip: use Ctrl - F to search for specific topics.

Sorry Chris....Bud's site is great to glean info on CA's and JDB's and I am a fan of his but he by no means has all the answers. Sending a cease comm to any CA who calls you will only cause you to end up in court 9 times out of 10.

Palisades is a bad apple. I've dealt with them numerous times on behalf of clients. The advice here is good. Send them a dispute/validation letter under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Also, dispute the debt with the 3 credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian) under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

I can still dispute even if i paid already?

Palisades are a bunch of criminals. In my case, 5 years ago I provided documented proof that a account they purchased from AT&T had been paid. Since then I moved and that proof has been misplaced. Two months ago they show up my credit report demanding them money. Now I have no proof and all three credit agencies say the debt is valid. What to do now???? HOW CAN THIS KEEP GOING ALONG???? I wish I had the money to hire a good lawyer and sue their a$$es!

I recieved a letter from a magistrate saying there is a cival complaint from Palisades Collections from Camp Hill Regarding my deliquent account from HSBC credit card that I had from several years ago. I've been going through some hard times (in fact have moved back with my parents at the age of 35!) because I can't even afford to rent my own apartment. I have never heard of this agency but they said in the magistrates letter that they tried to contact me through mail and phone which never happened. If they did happen to call then they never left messages. How can this happen? I am willing to pay in installments to keep this from going further but I tried calling them today but all I get is a busy signal. This is scaring me to know they are also very fraudulent and freeze peoples bank accounts and leave them for broke. I only make 30,000/year and everytime I get paid I only end up with less than 200 dollars to survive on for 2 weeks and have medical problems that demand attention and monthly expenses (diabetic). What else can I do? Thank you for your attentioon.

Troy, we need to know what state you're in, and when the last time a payment was made; this debt may be beyond the SOL. Check with the county clerk to see if a complaint was filed and a summons has been issued, some CA's like Palisades make up a false summons to send out.

The last payment that I recall could have been over 3 years ago. When I moved back with my parents a lot of papers have been misplaced and dont know where they have gotten to. Could Pallisades Collection made up a false summons? The summons I got was two pages long listing court costs also with the balance of over $700 with a $150 interest penalty attatched to it. The summons looks real with the actual District Magistrates name and address on it.

I am from Pennsylvania and the Pallisades Collection branch is from Camp Hill Pennsylvania. Also they have a date for the "hearing" at my local magistrate but no time. Doesn't it usually have a time already set for this stuff? Makes me wonder if it is fraudulent.

I am from Pennsylvania and the Pallisades Collection branch is from Camp Hill Pennsylvania. Also they have a date for the "hearing" at my local magistrate but no time. Doesn't it usually have a time already set for this stuff? Makes me wonder if it is fraudulent.

Easy way to find out is to call the court of record on Monday morning.

There is a time for the hearing afterall. The only thing is that I know the money needs to be paid but since they never sent me anything or called me and went through a magistrate before anything else would I have a defense against them? Furthermore does anybody know of a way that I can pay through the magistrate and not directly to Palisades before the hearing since it is already filed? I'm new to a situatin like this...

Be sure that you attend the hearing. Ask for debt validation during discovery, if they can't produce validation, most likely they can't, ask the court to dismiss the case.

i believe the agency is legit....they sent me a letter like a year ago for a debt from Verizon. they said i could pay 50% of what i owe. I called them and asked for verification of debt because i couldn't remember having this verizon bill. well a few months later they sent me a itemized bill of the charges. I am going to pay them off and be done with it.

Hello, i newbie, anybody can help me?

What do you need help with? You might want to start a new thread.

i got a bill last year from palisades saying i owed money from a verizon bill. so i asked for validation of debt ... six months later i got a big packet in the mail with all the verification i needed. so i called them agreed to a settlement amount and i'm paying it off and they worked with me for the settlement amount. believe me about 80% of the time it's valid. it's just that its from so long ago that people don't remember. i mean if someone hits you with a bill from 5 or 6 years ago you wouldn't remember. half the time we don't remember what we did last month let alone 5 years ago. but believe me if you ask for it they will send it. also call the company that sold it to them and they can verify it as well even if it is from years ago. believe me they will verify it for you. i just cant wait to pay it off and be done with them.

after reading every other poster on this thread.i have come to the conclusion you are a BOBO for this bottomfeeder.nice of you to drop by so sad you had to run off like all BOBO'S do.

what is a BOBO?

I also have fallen victim to this 'less than professional' company, due to AT&T...I settled my account in 2005 with AT&T (their errors in billing roaming charges), so called AT&T to see if they knew this company or that I still owed...they knew nothing of the company nor my debt...these people got rude, threatening, and were unwilling to even try and resolve the issue...I'm going to turn them over to an attorney and the Arkansas attorney general's office, as well as the Better Business Bureau....hope anyone else isn't having this type of harrassment out of this company, because they need to be put out of business...it might pay a bunch of us to sue AT&T for not taking care of their business properly.

smo.BOBO is a term i use instead of shill or troll on occasion.

Dear Sir:
I recently found out I was being sued in court for an old old debt that had been dissolved by the Nat'l Board of Arbitration. I found out by getting all these letters in the mail from attorneys offering to represent me. I called the courthouse and sure enough they've got me in there this agency vs. me. What do I do now, as the time is quickly moving and I didn't have these folks' phone #, until I came upon your site. So, I'm fixing to call them again and tell them, I've already written them once before telling them that this debt was dissolved by this board and they paid no attention to my letter. Help!

Were you ever served properly? It sounds like you were never served papers so you may be able to get it dismissed due to improper service.

Now if the debt was dissolved with the arbitration forum, you should have some paperwork to that effect? You should fax a copy to the lawyers suing you, and if that doesn't drop the case then take those papers with you to court to prove your side.

Whatever you do make sure you answer the summons, if you never got it talk to the court about it and see if either you can get the case dismissed due to that fact, or get a copy of the summons so you can properly answer it, but honestly you should try to get it dismissed since by law you have to have time to even answer the dang thing...you should find out if they filed that they served you.

what is the EEOC?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commision....way off topic post so I deleted them

Back in 2004 my husband went to a job in Northern NY. (We live in Southern CA) He was going to be there for about 3 mos. We knew that the phone bills between the 2 places was going to be terrible, so I went down to the ATT store to get a cell phone account with a nationwide plan for $69.95 per month. So, my husband tosses the cell phone in his suitcase and hits the airport.

So, during that month we talked on the phone constantly since we knew that we had nationwide coverage. Well......imagine my shock when I open my next cell phone bill and it is over $3500.00!!!! I immediately called ATT to report the error, and was told that the bill was accurate. The rep told me to take a look at the coverage map, and I would notice that there was a teeny tiny area in Northern NY that was NOT covered by this nationwide plan. Therefore, we were charged .25 per minute plus .78 per minute for roaming charges.

They pretty much had me over a barrel on this one, so I asked the rep if there was any way that I could work out a payment plan or something, since I didn't have an extra $3500 laying around. She just rudely told me that either I pay the bill, or they will report it to the credit bureaus.

At this point I was furious, and told her and ATT to %$#@ off and slammed the phone down.

Next thing I know, I'm getting these obsessive phone calls and letters from Palisades Collection. So, I explain the situation to them and I got the same response. "Either you pay the bill, or we will file a judgement against you." They were also not willing to work out a payment plan. So, I refused and decided to just let them do whatever.....I was fed up and just didn't care anymore.

So within about 2 mos I get served with court papers. Palisades is now trying to put a judgement against me for $5000! They are claiming interest and fees in addition to the $3500. Next thing I know, they are hitting my bank accounts and taking every penny they can get their hands on.

I call them again, and ask for a payment arrangement. They refused, but told me that they would settle the account for $1700. I didn't have that kind of money available, so I had to decline the "all or nothing" offer.

In todays economy I've heard that these collection agencies are more willing to work with you than ever before. So, I'm going to call again today and see if they will settle the account for a lower amount. I've got a few bucks saved, so maybe I'll be lucky. Wish me luck!!!!

Have you asked for written verrification of the Debt from Palisades? Don't do anything until you receive that from them!

Well, I negotiated a "deal" with Palisades today. The original ATT debt was for $3500, and after Palisades tacked on their fees and interest, they were trying to ding me for $5000.

We reached an agreement of a $2300 final payoff. I demanded that they fax me a signed agreement before I would give them any credit card information.

I received the signed document on my fax machine within about 30 minutes, so I called them back and made the final payment. They claim that they will be sending me a document in the mail that states that this debt has been fully satisfied.

Trust me, I'll be hanging on to every single piece of paper regarding this "deal". I don't trust them, and I surely don't need them to pop back up in a few years stating that I owe them a single penny.

I'm looking forward to my credit rating getting better so that I can buy a house and refinance my car at a better interest rate. (I'm paying 17% interest right now!) I'm really crossing my fingers that this is the last of it.

I feel bad for anyone who ever has to deal with ATT or Palisades.

I would never again do business with AT&T nor any other company who uses Palisades or is affiliated with them simply because of how they treat people. Yes, there really ARE good, honest debt collectors, but Palisades is NOT one of them.

I'm not sure if this thread is still open, but I pulled my credit report a few minutes ago and noticed that I've got Palisades Collection LLC on there for a collection from a Verizon phone I had while I was stationed in CA. Then there are two more entries for the same account from midland credit management... I was wondering if anyone could tell me why there are three entries on my credit report for one bill? I understand that one sold it to the other, but the date opened on MCM (both) was 03/2006, and Palisades 08/2006. The totals are 694 from MCM and 560 from Palisades. Never heard from Palisades, but MCM has been annoying me for a while.

Any suggestions?

I got my credit report and I too have palisades on mine. It is 100.00 and I have never had at&t, what should I do?

I got my credit report and I too have palisades on mine. It is 100.00 and I have never had at&t, what should I do?

I wrote the collection agencies and disputed a Palisades Collection account entry on my credit reports but all 3 CR's wrote me back stating that Palisades claimed that debt was valid. It's really weird because they collected the same exact amount from me 3 yrs ago but now are calling it BankFirst instead of AT&T. And, they have not called or written me regarding this entry. I've been advised to seek legal advice because I'm trying to purchase a home. Should I send the letters myself or just get the Lawyers to do it? I have a legal plan benefit from my employer.

I was shocked when I went to my mail box today to see that I got a hearing notice from a place I have never heard of. I typed in the name to find out who is palisades and to read these complaints even more shocking. I have to go to court for something I know nothing about. Most of the notices have to do with AT&T if thats the case why do I still have an account with them and several wireless accounts since cingular switched. I don't know what to do court is not my thing nor is it anyplace I want to go. Can anyone help me any advice as to what i should do.

First off call the court house to make sure it is a real lawsuit. Second, who is the attorney representing Palisades? What state do you live in?

Cerified Letters are better evidence than a fax confirmation, but it is false to say that a dated letter sent by fax and a fax confirmation are not acceptable proof of the letter in court. Copies of letters and faxes are all evidence. As the Act only permits damages for technical violations of up to $1000, you are looking at Small Claims Court and arbitratration (which has much less strict rules regarding evidence). I have had twoBS claims sold to collection companies by phone companies. The "verification" process results in a print-out showing AT&T or another phone company sold a claim for that amount and maybe an account number and address. It will not have the details of the basis for the charge. I called the collection agency, disputed the charges over the phone and explained why I was not responsible for them (this was a pointless exercise in terms of making progress toward the agency removing the items). Then I wrote a detailed letter explaining why the charges were not mine and explaining the technical violations of the Act (failure to provide the address of the original claimant, the basis of the charge, etc. I cited to the specific sections of the act as well. Then I conclude with a demand that the agency remove the item from my credit report and drop their claim or I would proceed with a claim under the act for the maximum of $1000. I mailed the letters and immediately filed a suit in Small Claims for the $1000 (you may have to go to the secretary of state's website to learn where to serve the claim if the agency doesn't have a physical presence in your state). In both instances I received a phone call from the attorney for the agency apoligizing and agreeing to remove the claim from my credit report if I agreed to dismiss my lawsuit. This is the ONLY way I've found to get anything done. I also then have to repeatedly mail/fax the agency letter to the credit agencies and argue with them to actual remove the reconrd, but that's a story for another post.

David, I read your notes and I am taking your advice, I'll keep you and the rest of this board updated

ATT years ago decided to stick me with $52.66 in charges when I switched to t-mobile (t-mobile has great cust srv btw)

It was like ATT saying "hey I bet if we stick this guy with $52 in charges he'll pay it rather than deal with credit agencies

I pay my bills in full each month but refuse to let them stick a gun to my head b@stards!!

Now after Pallisades sold my bad commercial paper to a company in NYC called Law Offices of Mitchell NK 7 Penn Plaza NYC 10001


Phone: (800) 509 1074

I called and spoke to the swami in India

After I very politely told them I'd not be paying over the phone they then instantly dropped my bill "to completely remove the charge from my credit" immediately from $52 to $26, I again politely refused (notice $52 / 2 = $26 food for thought) and countered with I'll give you $5 just to save the hassle of mailing the letter

My old girlfriend used to buy and sell commercial paper (bad debts) and she told me she'd routinely collect only about 30% of the debt owed meaning some paid in full other paid partial or nothing .....again food for thought, you might consider just offering a partial payment for the full amount if you just want to settle, it's like this whole credit scandal we're in now with the bad mortgages, the lenders will sell off the loans and new credit agencies will collect what they can each paying less and less for the bad accumulated debts

I imagine Pallisades bought my bad credit for 15 to 30 cents on the dollar from ATT or whomever ATT passed it along to

BUT NEVER PAY THE FULL AMOUNT BEFORE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE IT DOWN!!

You're gonna love this....they are calling my house and asking for a person who I have never heard of. I listened to message today and even picked up. The recording kept going and giving a case number. The jokes on them. How much of a group of idiots are they. They have the wrong person and WRONG number. I will not call them back!!!!

You're gonna love this....they are calling my house and asking for a person who I have never heard of. I listened to message today and even picked up. The recording kept going and giving a case number. The jokes on them. How much of a group of idiots are they. They have the wrong person and WRONG number. I will not call them back!!!!

If they are asking for someone who you do not know, they probably just have a wrong number. If it was me, I would answer and tell them exactly that, that they are not calling the right place and that you have no knowledge of the person they are looking for. But do not give them any information, make them tell you what name and address, date of birth etc that they are looking for, and you can tell them yes or no. You don't want them to plug your info into their system.

I'm writing about (Powersafe Collections AKA Palisades Collection LLC).

What they are doing [buying null and void or already paid off debt for pennies on the dollar and then trying to collect using harrassment and intimidation] is illegal. [Hence the lawsuit - which Im sure is only one of many]

I May of 2008 I became part of a class action suit against Palisades [07-1398, Bettye Barker and others -vs- Palisades Collection L.L.C]. in May of 2008. It is not legal for them to even TRY and contact me. I have reported them to the Federal Trade Commision with the above information and suggest everyone does the same. It is very quick and easy.

I have found a way of blocking their number using "Selective Caller Rejection", you might do an internet search on that and adding your mobile or telco to see if you have that feature available to you. Usually it is *60 (wait for tone) and then 866-230-8075.

Thanks for your website!!

The people do not cooperate period.

They purchase old debt which is null and void or which has been paid off to another unscrupulous collection agency (who didn't clear their books in order to resell the debt). It is a scam that you think could only happen in 3rd world countries.

Contact the Federal Trade Commission via their website and file a complaint. There are many complaints against them and adding yours can only help!

Palisades aka Powersafe aka Powellstate (all the same - funny how they make the names sound similar) are in the middle of several lawsuits. Google their phone number 866-230-8075 for more stories.

I have no idea why our government is allowing this to happen! Especially in this economy.

You may contact the United States District Court Clerk, Michael Milby and reference lawsuit 07-1398, Bettye Baker on behalf of herself and others -vs- Palisade Collection LLC. and see what can be done.

Holy cow, do not pay them AT ALL!
It is likely your debt is old and non-collectible or paid off. contact the FTC.

[quote]What they are doing [buying null and void or already paid off debt for pennies on the dollar and then trying to collect using harrassment and intimidation] is illegal. [/quote]

How is it illegal? What makes it null and void? An unpaid debt is an unpaid debt. Collection on an unpaid debt is not illegal unless there is a federal stay of Bankruptcy or you live in one of the 2 states that have a Statute of Repose (MS & WI) which extinguishes the debt when the SOL expires. If they are violating the fdcpa, sue them yourself, forget class action.

Legal? Apparently they don't care and no one is in our government is will to follow through.

"Palisades was a key player in a long-running scheme with a multi-convicted criminal named Orazio Lembo. He would pay bank employees from Bank of America, Commerce Bank, Wachovia, PNC and several others for personal information, including the social security numbers, of account holders. There were more than 675,000 names in all. Palisades, aka Asta Funding, disguised as a New Jersey law firm named Pressler & Pressler, bought the stolen information, along with several other collection firms, and then used it to harass these people for outdated debts"

Google the first sentence of the above article to find the full news story link

What makes a debt null and void? When it is fradulent, paid off, or they are harrassing you when you are in litigation with them... If you are sticking up for Palisades you're on the wrong team buddy! They are proven criminals with lawsuits pending in most states. I spoke with the Federal Trade Commission last Friday and they are re-opening old complaints due to the amount of recent ones.

They are called "junk debts" and certain bottom feeders buy them to collect on. Most of this paper debt is worthless because it is manufactured, missing vital data, or past the SOL. Most collection agencies are legit and don't need BUY DEBT to make money. That said there are a few like Palisades who are the scum of collection agents, using harrassment and intimidation to collect debt illegally. I am hoping when the FTC and the news media broadcast these claims (and there are a group of us trying hard). No company in their right mind will want to touch them for fear of bad Public Relations and Palisades, Powersafe, etc will die in this tough economy. I urge everyone to post their experieces with this company everywhere they can on the web. Its a tool that won an election, it can do much more than you realize! (contacting the FTC and filing a complaint on line will help us all of us as well)

Collection of an unpaid debt is illegal when the collector/employee uses harassment and intimidation to collect a debt. If you are contacted, do not make any payment arrangements over the phone! Do not give out any information such as address, social security number, etc. Always resond to them via 'registed receipt requested', first class, U.S. mail. Remember they must prove you are the owner of the debt, you do not have to prove anything if they cannot come forward with true, unadultered, original copies. Instead, get their address and send them a "Request for validation, made pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act asking for these copies. Please note that you are requesting "validation"; that is competent evidence bearing something with your signature, showing that you have some contractual obligation to pay them. Most likely your contracts will be with the original debt holder and they will not have these if they are junk debt buyers. Also note in the letter that it is not a refusal to pay, but a notice that your claim is disputed. Good Luck and God Speed.