Looking For Debt Collector Horror Stories!!

[jdsnewsman]

I am a journaist looking for confirmable stories of overly aggressive U.S. debt collectors who have harrassed and/or threatened you. I am particularly interested in those incidents which occurred around the holidays. Please post replies with an email address where you can be reached. Again, I will not be able to take stories on your word and will need to -- at some point -- have access to some kind of documentation or individual that corroborates your story.

[grumpier]

I reside in California. I am not a debtor but a family member of a debtor who has not resided in my residence in over eighteen months.

Copy of a letter sent to Mr. Keith Dickstein, of Academy Collection Services, 10965 Decatur Road, Philadelphia, CA. 19154.

Mr. Dickstein:

Please be advised I received telephone calls from your agency on several dates, (January 3rd and 5th) though I do not owe any debts. Your agency was seeking someone else and was told they do not live at my residence.

On the first telephone call, the person hung up on my husband after he was unable to give the person the information they requested.

We called your company and asked to speak to someone. We were told nobody was available within the management realm. We were put through to a "legal telephone number" that nobody answered. A voice mail was left. No call was ever returned. This was the second contact with your company in which the person was told the individual you were attempting to contact did not live at our residence. I asked to speak to the President of your company, which I was told was a "Mr. Andrews." This was a lie, as I researched your company and found it to be Keith Dickstein.

On the second occasion, today, there was a very rude telephone call, left on my voice mail system. I again called to complain. I asked to speak to the legal department, was referred to voice mail again. I asked to speak to a manager. I was put through to a voice mail. I asked for that person's supervisor, again, another voice mail. All together, I was put through to approximately ten voice mails, having to call back continually. The complaint desks did not have representatives either, simply voice message systems.

All together, I received voice mail for Eddie Ashman, the secretary of Eddie Ashman, Alan Preston, David Hallmark, Mark, Cathy and various others. Not one individual on a management basis appeared to be available to resolve the matter of annoying and harassing telephone calls from the public.

Finally, I was put through to the telephone of an Edward Jones. Mr. Jones stated he was the Vice President of the Company and that Alan Preston (contacted above, when asked for a supervisor) was a collector, not a supervisor. (Clearly the Collections floor was playing games.) "If he was rude to you I will fire him." "Oh, I see I have to write up a lot of people." Mr. Jones was unable to understand the telephone number, asking me to repeat it many times and very slowly, though he stated he had the file of the person they had been seeking in front of him (with the phone number upon it.) I could hear laughter. When I researched the company, I didn't see the person listed anywhere as a Vice-President.

I called back asking to speak to Mr. Keith Dickstein. I was put through to the voice mail of Eddie Ashman once more. I pressed zero, advised the operator I was an investigator and wished to speak to Mr. Dickstein.

This time, I was put through to an individual named "Mr. Wright" who stated "What's your problem? He advised he was a supervisor. I told him we had annoying and harassing telephone calls and wished to speak to Mr. Dickstein." He stated Mr. Dickstein didn't take phone calls from "people like you." I stated, "people like you?" "Yeah" he stated. "That's good, I'm going to write that one down." He said, "Quote it up."

I advised him I was an investigator and wished to speak to Mr. Dickstein before I contacted regulatory agencies. "Oh really, you're an investigator." I advised him I was. I asked to speak to his supervisor. He stated he didn't have one, he was his own supervisor. He stated he didn't know what the problem was. I told him I needed to speak to Mr. Dickstein before I called the Better Business Bureau and the State Attorney General's Office for harassment and I wanted his company to cease calling my residence.

Now the clencher......he began to berate me for calling his company, angry I was contacting them. Then he stated, "You've been calling here and the first person took your number out of the system." I was there when the person took the call." He accused ME of playing games with his company.

Clearly, the supervisor was aware of the very first telephone call and all subsequent telephone calls. After that first initial call, I was put through to approximately ten voice mail messages, lied to and told I could not speak to a manager. I was put through to individual collectors, not supervisors. And, the "supervisor" above, was present during the entire time.

This evidences the harassment of people who do not owe debts to your company and the unprofessionality of your collectors. It also evidences and substantiates the basis and intent to annoy and harass. These actions are illegal and in violation of state and federal law.

Please be advised I expect Mr. Dickstein to call me with a personal apology.

[DerbyGirl]

Hmmmm - how about real live abuse of credit stories?
Funny/weird/oddball excuses debtors give?
Things people buy on credit & never pay for?

I think that would be a good story

Just my $.02 though...

Regards,
DG

[waterparkchick]

I reside in CA, but the problem is in TX.

I posted my issue on another thread, but I was harrassed into paying 700 dollars I did not owe. Now, I cannot get it back. I have several emails and other documentation, as well.

waterparkchick at hotmail com