Lighthouse Recovery Associates

Snowgirl, you are the second person to post about them this morning....from what I have read they are a CA for pay day loans, the posts were on ripoff report in reference to collecting for MTE. Did you have a loan with them or one of their companies. Also, if they threatened legal action, MTE (and their d/b/a's) is not licensed anywhere. Those threats are just that and they are trying to scare you into paying.

Here is the other thread I posted information to for you to look at.

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/paydayloan/about49835.html#388568

*content removed by moderator.

Did they borrow the money from you? NO so go back to your corner and stop judging people for you know nothing about them.

To the LRA associate above - validate the debt allegedly owed, then we can debate the morality of debt repayment. If you cannot validate, we don't pay debts because LRA says so.

Merry Christmas - hope to see you in court in 2009!

THIS COMPANY IS NOTHING BUT A SCAM

why is it the moderators on here always remove the collectors side of the conversation. we validate every single debt we have when its requested...and what do the borrowers do when they receive it,,,they magically stop answering their phone and and wont respond to any attempts to reach them...talk about scams..this whole web site is a scam...its one sided because you remove the opposing view anytime its posted and your telling people who borrowed money and (Did receive it) not to pay back what they took..i'll never understand that point of view..By the way the economy is in turmoil..why? because borrowers getting in over their head...hmmm maybe because they have people telling them how to avoid their obligations...just a thought..but this wont be up do to biased moderators..lol..what a joke
[samebox:7c156fb907="paulmergel"]the only joke is humanoids coming on like we care what you think.[/samebox:7c156fb907]

Get a real job, collector.

And the economy is not in turmoil because of this you moron.

Tex, while you may not agree with Collector's point, he does have a real job, trying to collect debt. What consitutes as a real job is up to the person who is doing it (not you or anyone else for that matter)

As to Collector's point, have you gone through any of these posts? alot of them the collectors have failed to repsond to debit validation letters, inflate the amount owed to some "made up amount" or not even their debt to begin with. You may validate debts propertly but there are collectors out there, that use scare tactics, as well as false information. That's what we're here to help with.

Now, what consitutes as a validated debt? We can have a discussion till the cows come home and each of us would have a different answer, that is until the law is revised as such to include that.

how is it that a company can legally sell your information and you the customer not sue them? Everyones contracts says that they will not sell your information but they sell it over to the collection agency. Now the collection agency has your number and info and they call you like you owe them something.. when in fact you have never done business with them.

this should be illegal.

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I have a question ... I have read so many things regarding this particular company that I am not sure what to believe. Can someone help with these questions? If a CA is NOT located in your state, can they sue you? If they refuse to give you any validation on the debt you owe how do you know how to proceed? Don't they have to work with you ... I mean if you can only afford $50.00 a month don't they have to accept it since you are making the initiative? And why do they have to be so rude and mean, honestly, we are all in the same boat here there is no need to be rude. If you tell them to stop calling you at work and then don't, then what? And finally, can't you claim your debt under Bankruptcy?

Thanks!

A CA not located in your state most certainly CAN sue you. They have to sue you in your county however. They simply get a lawyer in your area. (Though some purposely try to sue you outside your county, but that is easily fixed if you catch it.)

If they refuse to validate then there is a few ways you can go. You can ignore them, or you can go after them legally. If they can't prove you owe the debt then they are reporting information falsely on your credit report and they must remove it. If they sue you without validating, you demand the documentation in discovery and make mention that you requested validation and they did not provide it. You may also be able to countersue them for violations depending upon how they handled it.

They DO NOT have to work with you at all. They do not have to agree to any payment arrangements. Now, there is some states that has laws if you send them a payment and they refuse it, then they have just lost the right to collect upon the debt. I don't know which states do this, you will have to read your state laws on the matter.

The reason they are so mean is they are banking on your not being aware of your rights and the laws they must abide by. They try to force and cajole a payment out of you with strong arm tactics, shame and even threats. They are hoping you cave in and pay them without a fuss.

You need to send a cease communication letter to them certified mail, informing them that you are not allowed to recieve calls at your place of employment. If they call you after that, then that is a violation and you can sue them.

Yes. You can claim your debt in bankruptcy and there is not much they can do about it. Once it is in bankruptcy they are not allowed to attempt to collect from you. I am not sure if they can report the debt..I think they can if they list it as being discharged in bankruptcy, but I am not sure on this.

Thank you for your answers goldenbast! I appreciate it.

I just received a call from LRA collecting a payday loan I had. I told the person I would like to make arrangements and because I could not make a payment today she told me that she would foward it to "Legal" and that my employer would be notified. My question is can they contact my empoyer legally and harass and try to emabarass me at work or can I do something to stop this?

I have been receiving calls from LRA and them saying they are going to contact my employer and take the money from my paycheck. Can they do this? From what I am reading, they cannot.

No!

Contacting your employer would be third-party disclosure. That's illegal. Threatening to attach wages or other property without a valid judgement in hand is likewise illegal. You might want to start recording their calls. Those recordings might just come in handy when you sue their asses for their willful violations of FDCPA. Go here to check the recording laws for your state.

these people are absolutely 100% horrible first they wouldn't provide me with a debt consolidation letter they called my job within a 15 minute time span threatening to embarass me and get everyone they could to help accomplish this .The lady that has been calling me is Patty Smith (if thats her real name) 866-520-1240 at ext 7550 she is the most unprofessional debt collector their is. She stated the debt validation letter was null and void and that they didn't need to provide it to me even though she admitted to sending it. O have since filed a complaint with the BBB and the attorney generals office ,these people need to be put out of business.

I think it's unfortunate a collection agency respond at all in a forum such as this one. There is not much that can be done to overcome the stigma associated with debt collection, no matter how compliant the agency tends to be with the FDCPA and local laws. I am appalled at the post calling someone a moron, and I can probably assume that debt collector rarely complies with honest and lawful debt collection. It is debt collectors such as this who create the stigma and make it more difficult for those of us doing an honest job. I agree consumers should repay their debts, but the fact they are in debt makes them no less human than the collectors dialing their number. Plus, in my experience, most debt collectors are in debt themselves, and ALWAYS fight the system when dunned for their debts. I could go on an on, but that is all I have to say. I collect debt for a living. Whatever debt collector is on here posting rude comments as if you are a "god" in this business should spend your precious time collecting from those who are willing to pay voluntarily, and let an attorney handle the rest.

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You guys who are complaining about this company are just a bunch of low life individuals who have nothing better to do with their time than to get payday loans then complain cuz they can't pay them back...u guys all suck and obviously can't get loans through banks cuz ur credits are just f***ed and i just feel bad for u ppl that all u can do is just complain about not being able to pay back ur own bills...good look, u guys need it.

You can't spell and don't have periods, just like your chick,,,,yes the baby is mine.

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Okay, I had a pdl that I wasnt able to pay. Lighthouse Recovery requested information from my HR which prompted me to actually do something about it. I admit that I was wrong in not paying.. having said that, I validated that i did indeed owe money. I requested, in writing from them what I owe and what arrangements we made to pay this debt. Lighthouse, after you talk to them are REALLY helpful. I really cant believe Im saying this. I do not work for them, Im just stating the truth. I owed $400.00. I've agreed to pay a downpayment of $150 and then $75.00 thereafter, interest free until it was paid in full. The letter states all of this information. Having said that, because i've been good for all the payments so far, I spoke with my rep, named Cliff Cundiff, and he agreed to waiver that last $75.00 of my payment and settle for $75 less than the original amount. For the most part, collecters suck, but I do got to say that LRA at least gives you the time of day to listen, work with you, and even give you a break. I will NEVER get myself caught up in the payday loan headache ever again... it may be the worst thing you can do. Live and learn I guess.

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I hate to say this Paul but his last sentence says it all. Cliff Cundiff, and he agreed to waiver that last $75.00 of my payment and settle for $75 less than the original amount.

Unless that agreement was in writing, I see him getting more calls and more collection letters for the $75 plus a huge interest fee. I highly doubt it is over for that poster.

[QUOTE=pokertramp;519029]I hate to say this Paul but his last sentence says it all. Cliff Cundiff, and he agreed to waiver that last $75.00 of my payment and settle for $75 less than the original amount.

Unless that agreement was in writing, I see him getting more calls and more collection letters for the $75 plus a huge interest fee. I highly doubt it is over for that poster.[/QUOTE]

after reading the post over again.i do believe the term shill comes to mind.they would never do payments much less waive the last one.thanks for bringing that up pokertramp.proof of a shill.

Like I said, I requested in writing all this. I have all documentation to cover myself. LRA does have a positive BBB rating, and Cliff is really not a prick so long as you keep to your word. I guess after I pay my last payment, we'll see what happens. but at least I have all documentation in writing and receipts with confirmation numbers as well as debit card transactions should I ever be continually harrassed going forward. And because I was so paranoid about them debiting my checking account, I actually just bought a green dot debit card and ONLY put in whats due every month. If you guys want his information, I will be happy to let you know..or you can ask for him directly. For the most part collectors are bottom feeders... and he even admits that, but what he also said was, so long as the other person validates the debt and is willing to make a conscientious effort to settle, that they are more than willing to work with those in financial hardship.

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I dont know why I need to defend myself, but the fact that an adjective such as "shill" comes into play really bothers me... Like i said, if you want to get in touch with me, leave me your email addy and I will personally contact you proving that I DO NOT work for these people. Nor would I ever want to. I cant stand debt collectors...Im just letting you know that these guys actually agreed to a payment plan with me so long as I kept to my word.

I cant speak for all the collectors that work for LRA... Im sure there are pricks there.. probably most of them are. But in my experience, Mr. Cundiff was very helpful. If you need proof that Im not being "shill" i can show you, you can call me at my company phone proving I dont work for them, Im not a friend of Mr. Cundiff... etc... I live in Chicago. They are in Colorado. I was embarrassed and pissed cause they faxed my company directly asking for verification of employment of me. Thats why I said, "i need to stop putting this off"

Im not here to bad mouth anyone falling behind on bills cause Im the poster child for that... All Im saying is that of the creditors that I've heard from/dealt with, Mr. Cundiff was by far the MOST understanding. Hands down.

Trust me, Im probably the most cynical person in the world. Im not better than anyone here. Im just saying, there are actually people that are willing to help and listen if you just reason with these folks.

Okay, well in my case, because i knew that the debt was real.. and I did apply for the loan and got money... and I did admit to not paying it, maybe thats why they were helpful...I screwed up and didnt pay the loan as I agreed to...

if the scenario is that someone never took the loan out, then for sure...FOR SURE they shouldnt deal with these people and report them. But I know that I owed this money and I was willing to take care of it.

I can imagine how hard it must be to hide from phone calls to your job,home,realitives,friends and references..I mean I am a collector and a good one.But you the consumers are the real Scam artist..You get in over your head and exspect the companies that helped you out to take care of you for additional years..You run scarred cuss us out file bogus complaints try to get us fired because you are not working.I really hate the ones that blame us for the calls..You opened the door for us to contact everyone you know..So my advise is to pay your bill or make arrangments to do so.

I received a voicemail this morning as well as an email, stating that I started paying off a loan amount bu have not finished. The loan was taken out on 7/2008 and pay no later than 10/17/08. Now here it is almost 2 years later and there responding by saying I still owe. Not possible.

And do you realize Mr. Cundiff is on parole freshly released from prison for forgery? Don't trust what those slimeball bill collectors say. I used to work there and they break alot of laws, the owner 'Mike' is the cheesiest of them all!

http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-reviews/collection-agencies/lighthouse-recovery-associates-in-centennial-co-90007534
I find thier emails and calls comical, I filed a chapter 7, thanks for the harrassment now I can sue them.
Thanks Lighthouse, I love it when collections companies owe me money!
ching ching

[QUOTE=Anonymous;433905]why is it the moderators on here always remove the collectors side of the conversation. we validate every single debt we have when its requested...and what do the borrowers do when they receive it,,,they magically stop answering their phone and and wont respond to any attempts to reach them...talk about scams..this whole web site is a scam...its one sided because you remove the opposing view anytime its posted and your telling people who borrowed money and (Did receive it) not to pay back what they took..i'll never understand that point of view..By the way the economy is in turmoil..why? because borrowers getting in over their head...hmmm maybe because they have people telling them how to avoid their obligations...just a thought..but this wont be up do to biased moderators..lol..what a joke
[samebox:7c156fb907="paulmergel"]the only joke is humanoids coming on like we care what you think.[/samebox:7c156fb907][/QUOTE]


If you validate every loan, then make sure you are harassing the CORRECT person. I receive phone calls every day from Lighthouse Recovery Associates for some lady who DOES NOT live here. I do not know her and never met her. I ask them to quit calling, they tell me not to answer the phone. No, I have the right to have peace from harassment. Two supervisors hung up on me and say they can not remove my phone number because their system is frozen, but they magically know who to ask for when my phone number appears on their caller ID. Go figure!!!

We only remove posts that belittle people. We encourage collectors to post their views, but only when they post stuff that is NOT ILLEGAL...like oh..."opening the door for us to call everyone you know". The only door that opens up is the door to that person suing that collector because it is against the law for a collector to call ANYONE else once they know where the debtor is...even if said debtor avoids the collector. Oh and further, we only advocate not speaking to a collector when said collector abuses the debtors rights by making illegal threats and acting in a completely illegal fashion.

Well I guess I was another one duped by this company. I now know why there are so many complaints listed witht he BBB regarding their tactics. Well you can bet I won't fall for one of these threats again.