Enhanced Recovery Company [ERC] review: Why such rudeness? 36

PS: In SOME states only ONE side of the conversation needs to know the conversation is being recorded. Check with your state District Attorney to determine your status in this regard. Some will even give you written dispensation to record a conversation. DO NOT BREAK ANY LAWS. I'm Nick Bleeker, I got things in my background you couldn't burn off with a blowtorch. I been everywhere. http://www.brotherhoodsofdeath.com

When you call an 800 number the other end can see the number you're calling from. Then, it's easy to develop your address. Call them from a "cold" phone. Some phones systems (Qwest) will allow you to bloke certain types of incoming calls from specific numbers, and places like Radio Shack often carry similar devices. Here's a tactic: the next time they call you, you might choose to say you're the guy and you're ready to pay up--or whatever--and find out what it is they want you to do, who they think you are, and who their client is (presuming they haven't bought the debt outright). With that information, find a cheap attorney and ask him to put a stop to it. Some might decide to complain to the client, etc. You can use the many information services available online to check public record, develop information about the calling entity, it's officers, and so on. Then you can use the same sources to develop additional public records data and use it in a lawful manner. Check to see if your state allows lawful recording of such conversations, or if they will give you written permission to record same. Then go to a lawyer for lawful use of same. You may want to use the information you develop to locate the actual real guy. It's a fact that the more posts on the internet about--whatever--from many different sources, the more prominent that topic will become. So, if I had a complaint about something, I'd post it EVERYWHERE. I could write about investigations and investigating people all night, but if you do a little research, I'm sure you'll find what you need in the way of Creative investigation and lawful use of the resultant. I'm Nick Bleeker, Nazi SS, [protected], http://www.brotherhoodsofdeath.com , what I've seen and done you don't need to know. I'll be back here again.

My boyfriend just got a collection letter from ERC (Enhanced Recovery Corporation) claiming he owes over $13,000. This is the first time he's heard of owing this money. They claim the original creditor is "Maryland National Bank." I did some digging around and found that "Maryland National" was the same as MBNA (recently bought by Bank of America), the largest issuer of all those store credit cards.

My boyfriend had also previously owned a Spiegel credit card, but according to his credit report that account was always paid in full. However, the report did show that a separate account belonging to some "bank" that charged off an unpaid debt to a collection agency. This was sometime around 2003/2004.

I now have a suspicion that this may somehow be related to his Spiegel account. When he tried to call Spiegel to close that old credit card, they couldn't locate his account (probably b/c it had been sold off when they went bankrupt).

Our first course of action is to write a letter back to ERC disputing that he owes the debt and DEMANDING validation. We also plan to send a copy of the complaint to the IL Attorney General.

I found several other stories online of people who previously had a Spiegel card who are now facing similar collection issues. It's starting to look like this might warrant some kind of group legal action...

Janet, their behavior apparently continues. I have recently had a similar issue with this company.

Spiegel / Newport News — 4 years later, rec'd collection on paid acc't.!

I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON A RECENT COMPLAINT, I WAS NOT AT ALL HAPPY UNTIL I MANAGED TO REACH THE COMPANY PRESIDENT. HE SPOKE WITH ME ON THE PHONE, AND I RECIVED A LETTER SAYING HOW SORRY THE MGR WAS THAT HAD SPOKEN WITH ME, THEY DID SEND A FAX AS I REQUESTED WITH THE AGREMENT. SO EVEN THOUGH THINGS WENT WRONG, ONCE I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE RIGHT PERSON THEY WERE CORRECTED.

As a former employee of Enhanced Recovery Corporation, and also as somewhat of an expert regarding every collections State Law applicable to North America, I'll have you know that most of the "research" tips you give on the Complaints Board is completely false. The reason that the fines for breaking any of the state laws are so steep is because every employee there has been trained not to break them. Every phone call is completely legal, every word we say is part of a strict guide, and every rebuttal is completely within the guidelines of the FDCPA laws (since you don't accurately complete your research, I'll just let you know that that stands for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.) You can look that up.

As for the "unjust" phone calls that have repeatedly been deemed "harassing" are also completely legit. After three months of ignoring your Credit Card statements (which are actually a luxury, not required by law and should be accepted as such) and the proceeding three months that ERC holds rights to these accounts, I do believe that these "victims" have had plenty of time to come to terms with the reality of how bills work. You take someone's money, then cry when this person after six months asks for their money back? Not to mention that all of the collection steps are clearly stated on the Credit Card application that these innocent people are so eager to sign. My suggestion: If you don't readily have $10, 000, don't accept a credit card claiming you can pay someone that amount of money. Is that not common sense?

The term "Cold Call" is laughable at best, considering that all of the information given to us by Discover, MasterCard, Visa and American Express (Can you guess where this is going?) is given to us by *gasp* The Card holder. When you fill out that attractive piece of paper that gives you all this free money, you have to supply your Name, Social, Address, ect. We are not magical. We do not ask you for your Social for our pleasure, we verify it. And I literally laughed out loud when I read your advice on pretending to be said card holder to obtain information. Well isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black? You see Nick, in America, that's called fraud. Also you cannot record our phone calls unless you have asked our permission. There is no exception to this. We only record our phone calls because we include a declaimer informing you of our intent and purpose for calling, which is given in every call. (Much like you'll hear, should you call your cell phone provider or local bank.)

So, just to educate you Mr. Bleeker, as a former collections agent we do not wake up in the morning with a mental list of all the people that we want to make cry on our telephones. We do not enjoy being called names, being lied to or being evaded. We have families and lives and feelings and we also pay our bills on time. We are not in the wrong. Personally, I have spoken with many people who have simply fallen on hard times and could not foresee what was going to happen. In which case I pull as many strings as I can find to get these people a low settlement (which is not an option by the way, with their CCD provider) If any of the people on this Complaint Board had called this company and rationally explained their situation with intent to pay (Not to mention if they had simply paid their bills in the first place) nine times out of ten they would have walked away paying MUCH less than they owed. This to me sounds like a huge favor our company is doing for them. And just to be clear, when life gets tough, you still have rent to pay and your children are still hungry. Delinquent card holders expect bills to take a few months off. Now where was the small writing on the application that said THAT would happen? Right next to the small writing that said life was going to be easy? I thought so.

Why do they call and repeatedly harrass a person who is NOT the customer, when asked to take my number out of the system..I get some crock of crap...
"we just got this account and have a right to call you anytime, day or night, to collect the money owed.There is nothing wrong with us calling you repeatedly...or at 8:30 pm, anyday of the week, since this person owes us money"
Like I care about what a person I don't know has for finacial problems ? Or that the collection agnecy can't locate them? I DO NOT GET PAID TO DO THEIR JOB !
I personally would love to find this person and tell her that the collection agencies are leaving ALL her PERSONAL information on my answering machine.They have also said they call her work.

Maybe she can sue them for brech of privacy or something ?
I have asked they, repeatedly, to PLEASE remove my # from this OTHER person's account information, since I have paid for & have a PRIVATE #. Told to them they had my permission to verify it with my phone company, even providing the phone company's toll free #...THAT would be too easy for them to do...
They reassure me I NEED to see the "logic" in them repeatedly calling & leaving ALL this other person's information on my answering machine.(name, account #, who's calling and why)
IF I am NOT that person, just to delete it? UUUUmmm I shouldn't be getting them to start with..PERIOD !
This IS HARASSMENT AGAINST ME,
since I am NOT the person they are looking for.
There are sites online where you can find anyone, anywhere...why don't they try that instead of repeatedly calling the WRONG PERSON ?

I have informed every agency that calls to remove MY # from this other lady's account...yet they keep it on, , call over & over, , then CLAIM they are a different company(or person ). Several have given me ALL the other numbers listed on this person's account.
when I explain nicely, to them they ARE HARRASSING THE WRONG PERSON .. I am going to lodge a complaint with the state's A.G. and the FTC...
they say no they aren't harassing ME (?))
They have ALL gone so far as to pull up their OWN information and state " I SEE WE HAVE left several messages on your answering machine and spoken to you about removing YOUR # from her account...BUT WE CAN STILL CALL YOU, LEGALLY SINCE SHE OWES US MONEY ! "
Talk about lying and double talk from a collection agency ? No wonder people are NOT wanting to deal with them...they say whatever they want ..."BECAUSE THEY CAN..." PS:GROW UP !
As for them having a family...who gives a crap...it's a JOB... be a PROFESSIONAL and leave your OWN PERSONAL FEELINGS OUT OF IT..or get another JOB !
I hope and pray someday THEY loose their jobs and have to go through what they put people through...even those who ARE NOT the customer they are looking for.
BTW :: Many credit card companies will NOT work with you if you do run into trouble and try to do the right thing..They immediately send your account to collections, rather than accept what you can do to repay them
..I have seen several friends go through this.When they have used my phone to call the companies...MY # gets listed as a contact #. NOW I get to be HARASSED, sworn at, threatened and been told "well, go tell your friend they owe us money or help them pay the bill and THEN we will STOP HARASSING YOU...
YES.. they even admit THEY ARE HARASSING me...lol.. DUH !
My bills are ALL PAID up to date...yet I am stressed out and repeatedly HARASSED, by an agnecies that can't figure out I am NOT the person they are looking for.
I was told to call another agnecy to get my # removed from their system...I did that...the other agency said "they have no affliation with the one who's HARASSING me"

With a SSI # being given by the person who opens the account...they should be more than able to find out I AM NOT THAT PERSON...I have even given them MY own SSI#, to make it easy for them to verify it.
People need to report these agencies to their state's A.G. and the FTC...maybe someday they will be under a law to STOP them from harassing others and giving the wrong person's # to "another agengy" so THEY can call and HARASS innocent people too...

I have been receiving calls from this number for over 7 months now, shortly after I moved and was given my home phone number by the telephone company. The caller asks for an individual that does not live here, has not and will not live here... I explained to everyone that would talk with me on this line and have asked them to remove my number from their calling list. I have been caring for my Mom who just passed away from Colon Cancer... I have been called at all hours day and night by this company! When I called back and asked to speak with a supervisor or someone in charge I was rudely hung up on. I called back and was put on hold for 24 minutes until I had to take another call - I have yet to speak with anyone to have my number removed from the calling list, to make known once and for all that the person and or persons they are calling for are not at this number, I hate to go through the trouble of changing my home number but at this point I really don't have a choice if this company does not stop calling here. If anyone can help I would be greatly appreciative.
In Mourning over the loss of my Mom,
Joye
Caller ID: UNAVAILABLE
Caller: UNAVAILABLE

PS
A woman called on the 12th, and again this morn at 9 am, my husband told the man on the other end to stop calling here - we just built this house and was given this number by the phone company. The man hung up on him. I think at this point we will seek an attorney to stop the harassment.

I have been getting these harazzing phone call from "Enhanced" for what seems the past two years. They keep leaving messages for a Sharon Snell and the calls originally had a caller on the line, now these calls just leave a recording. I did loose my temper today and gave the poor young individual an ear full and told them they had the wrong number. This number is my business line, etc. I know I will have to complaint to Jerry Brown, here in California, a number of times before something is done. But this is what happens when we allow our elected representitives to represent big business interest and not ours.

Please help to locate the phonenumber of enhance recovery corp which they have a bill on my credit report and i have no idea so please help me

Not everyone is dogding a debt, but ERC will just not listen.
ERC called to collect a debt. I always pay my bills. So I called ERC and asked what the debt was for. It was for an overdrawn checking account in my name, but not my SSN. My name is very common and I told them this was not my SSN and they could do everything and any thing they wanted to collect from that SSN. No skin off my nose. But to stop calling and harassing my home number. Did that work? Nope. So I called again. And again I told them they had the wrong SSN and wrong person. They apologized and said they would take my number off the list. Did they stop calling? Nope. What does it take to get these unscrupulous people to wake up and realize that they have the wrong number and SSN and nothing they do will make me pay someone else's debt. I have received 2 calls a day for 2 months, I have called them 3 times including the very first day they called and told them they have the wrong person.
I have read a lot of complaints here, but does any one have an actual solution? Can I file a small claims suit? What will it take?
All of their info is on their website:
https://www.erccollections.com/

same crap over here. this company, as well as others dont care. the loser who wrote that is now out of a job and probably wishes he can retract. they dont care, they wont work with you and they dont have families like stated. they are all ex-cons and ex/current drug users, it has been proven. are you willing to give your information to them knowing this?

they wont close the account once you have paid and paid and paid. they just keep billing you and now they insist on direct access from your account so they can take the money out without your knowledge. they are required to notify you in writing, and this hoser likes to tell you they dont have to. most states, less three dont require you to tell them that you are recording them. so record them. give this to an attorney, have them contact them. if they persist, they pay you a harassment fine. also, if you decide to settle, get the lawyer to have them sign a release. they wont do it cause they want to keep charging you.

Soooooo, I just started searching out this "company" and found this board. All I can say is "WOW". First, the ex-employee sure has some cajones! I just got a call about 15 minutes ago, a "robot recording" telling me to stay on the line for an important call". Then it hung up on me. So, I called the number back. I told them that they had just called my number, and their pre-recorded message to "hold" hung up on me and asked what they wanted. They said who they were looking for (me of course), so I said (verbatim, in a "I don't give a ###" voice) "She isn't at this number anymore". The lady was a snot and YELLED at me and said "Where is she?" I told her I didn't know, she wanted to know if I could get ahold of "her", or how to get ahold of "her", told her I didn't know and didn't care. She proceeds to give me a reference number and the phone number to call (uh, duh, ###, I just called it!). She asked for my name, so I just made up a name. Then I called back again a few minutes ago. This time I questioned them about random crap that had nothing to do with debts, or finding "me". The way I see it, they're trying to collect on a bill that's been paid for two years now and I'm not dealing with their crap, so if they want to harrass me by calling twice a day every day, I'll call them and waste their time, AND, if you call their 800 numbers, they're charged for the call...WoooHooo, so keep calling them, it'll just add to THEIR bills. Do they not know we're in a freakin' RECESSION and headed for a DEPRESSION and NO ONE has money? The LAST thing I would be paying right now is credit card bill (if I had one)...Rent, food, electricity...those get paid first, sorry ERC!

By the way, it's fun to screw with them on the phone if you call them and waste their time. Start off talking about the debt, then just start rambling on about politics, the recession and totally IGNORE what they are saying. Time to go give them another call and talk about the fine art of making fudge LOL!

Please people, read the Fair Debt Collection Act. It's not difficult to read. Installment credit debt EXPIRES after so many years, depending on the State where the supposed debt occurred. Usually the debt is someone else's or made up altogether. Always ask for Debt Verification. That usually shuts them up because they know they don't usually have it. Collection agencies are in the business of fishing for gullible people using things like ID theft. They operate at the margins of the law, most don't care about the law. They basically buy old unrecoverable accounts for pennies on the dollar and start punding away, keeping any moneys they make from trusting souls. Don't be a fool. Ask for verification, in writing.

Note for Whitney; The call is not dialed by a live person - if you happen to answer there is not a person on the calling end. There are federal laws agains automated dialing of cell phone numbers. (I get these calls on my cell - not my home phone). I have been a victim of Identity Loss so I have credit monitoring and nothing is on my record as being delinquent. So what is the basis that I should receive monthly calls to my cell phone that are just a recording. I have never used my cell phone on credit applications and the number has changed in the past several years (to try to stop these types of call).

Nancy's reply is the reason when I got a series of calls regarding an account I had never had, and the person -- with an attitude much like Nancy's -- grew increasingly snide and arrogant, I took matters to another level.

I tracked down the office from which the bozo was calling and met him in the parking lot. We had words, pointed words. His choice was simple: He could leave me alone, or the next time we met there wouldn't be any talking, just some killing.

I wasn't bothered by this again.

First of all, ERC is a junk debt buyer. They buy debt that isn't legally collectable. That means that the Statute of Limitations to sue has run out. As for the statement that everything they say and do is legal, HAHAHAHA. All JDB's get sued and they usually lose. There are lawyers who make a practice off of just suing collectors. And guess what, they don't charge a fee. Why? Because they win all the time. For example, in the letter above the person asked for something in the mail. By law, they have to send a letter within 5 days of phone contact. If they don't, they can be sued and they will lose. I agree that you should pay your bills and pay the people you owe. But you don't owe ERC anything! They bought this debt for pennies on the dollar. If you owed $1, 000 then they probably paid $200 for it. Then they get you to settle for $500 and bang, instant profit on a debt that wasn't collectible. Oh, and you think you are doing the right thing and it will help your credit score, etc. A paid collection is just as bad on your credit rating as an unpaid one. And by paying, you may be extending the amount of time it stays on your credit...

Oh and to get them to quit calling, you send a limited cease and desist letter. It just has to say that phone calls at home or at work are inconvenient. All contact must be made in writing.

Ok the idiot that wrote this above is wrong.. ERC does not buy debt they work for the company's that do by debt .. which is called clients .. we work for them for a % of what we make, for example if the fee is 26% we would get $260 for a $1000 that we collected... And if we have the wrong # all you have to say is you have the wrong please remove it and we will.. Why would we want to call a wrong # when we cant make any money? ummm... And for all of you that owe money and have collection agencies call you, just answer the phone and tell them what you can do to make arrangements on the account... If you cant pay it all at once we understand.. That's why you can settle your debts and make payment arrangements.. ERC that is, i cant speak for anybody else... And the worst thing to do is not answer your phone to work with us.. We are trained to be more customer service then other collection agencies.. Sooo yea that guy is WRONG!

I am a current bill collector. I'm so tired of hearing you debtors complain about us calling you and sending letters. If you would not have ignored your credit card company for more than 3 months then you wouldnt be in the situation from beginning. The letters and calls are not harrasment. The definition of harrasment is a repeated action without intent. WAKE UP ! This is an and attempt to collect a debt...THERE YOU GO THERE IS MY INTENT! And I hate when you debtors call in for a settlement did you forget that you ran up the bill NOT US AND MOST CERTAINLY NOT THE COMPANY... So debtors take a look in the mirror and honestly think about what you say before you speak. You people wonder why our economy is so messed up well lets start with billions of dollars in credit cards that gets turned into collections every year. So people wake up get off your high horses and pay your bills.

As a former employee you do not even know how bad this company is and Chase choses to use them ..Hmmmm.. I have to tell you most of the employees are actually ill from the abuse of the management . I witnessed repeated abuse of the consumers and co-workers . It is sad because alot of the employees lack the ability to go elsewhere or they suffer from extreme freed and don't mind scareing the consumer . I really feel this company needs to be stopped .

No actually the person that said ERC buys junk debt is absolutely correct. They have contacted me on a debt I owed 13 years ago! I talked to them about three years ago and realized they were talking about an old credit card so from that point I ignored them. The people that work for ERC that post on here are doing what all junk debt buyers do they're trying to scare you. Once the statute of limitations on a debt is up in your state the only thing they can do is call you and threaten you. Of course they have illegal tactics but if you ignore them and don't answer the lousy phone they have nothing they can do. And by the way it's not a bunch of deadbeats not paying their bills it's people like me that have been laid off FIVE times and companies won't work with you and they turn the account over to a collection company and years down the road idiots like ERC buy the debt in the hopes that they can collect. If they had worked out a payment plan back when I needed help and was out of a job they probably would have been paid. Don't tell people to pay their bills when they're more interested in putting food on the table for their kids and making sure the electricity stays on. Can't wait till you lose your job and are in the same boat as many on this web site. "We are trained to be more customer service"? That's the kinds of ###s these junk debt companies hire!

Any employee who posts here saying these companies don't harass is lying out their ###. I moved into this house 3 years ago and got a new phone number. Apparently the person who had the phone number before I did has terrible credit, as we started getting collection calls within the first two months for someone I've never heard of, seen, or otherwise been in contact with. Upon returning the call to tell the company that they had the wrong number and I had no idea who that person was, I would either be hung up on, yelled at, or solicited to give them MY personal information so they could verify this. The last company I dealt with in this regard took TWO MONTHS to get them to stop calling me. BBB report, phone calls, letters, nothing worked, until two months later I called them from my cell phone, which is NOT a number they had in their database, and told them to remove my home phone from their calling list. Which they did, and promptly too. However, I should not have to deal with this for two months before action is taken. Don't tell me they don't harass people and act rudely. I've dealt with 5 companies now, and 4 out of the 5 were rude and hung up when I tell them they have the wrong number.

Well, whaddaya know, I'm getting calls from this company now, in regards to that SAME PERSON that I have never known in my life. This is number 6! Did you know that it is the responsibility of the Debt Collection agency to verify that the information they have is correct before they attempt to contact a person in regards to a debt? It's part of the FDCPA! Apparently these companies refuse to disassociate my number with this person, or even bother to look in the phone book and see that this number doesn't belong to him/her anymore. I'm going to give this company one chance, and one chance only to deal with this in a polite and proper manner. If they hang up on me, treat me rudely, or refuse to remove the number, I'm going straight the BBB and the AG. This is purely ridiculous. I should not be punished for some other person's bad debt. My credit score is over 700, with no late payments or anything.

I will not pay to have these numbers blocked. Why should I have to pay to NOT be contacted in regards to someone else's bad debt? I'm not going to put that telemarketing block on my phone either. That's not fair to the friends and family that call my house. The only telemarketing calls I get are in regards to this person's bad debt anyway.

xntricone - To start off, you're n idiot. The ONLY state with cell phone laws is Texas, we are not legally permitted to auto-dial cell phones there, as for any other state, we have free range unless the debtor specifically says to not list that number anymore.

Rogimore - What you did was pretty immature and an idiotic thing to do. Legally the company CAN and SHOULD have pressed charges as well as the collector could have filed a civil suit against you and had you arrested and COULD have gotten money from emotion. You could have handled the call and confrontation a better way, but who seriously has the time/effort/money to track down the company calling to collect HIS debt to fight the person who called him. Honestly you could have used the money to pay it off, and put effort to clearing up your current credit.

Jesus, I am glad there are collectors who actually have some morals and know their ###. Seeing all these 'complaints' look like a crock pot of lies to me and honestly make me hate the consumers. People if you honestly think you know your laws, LOOK THEM UP. FDCPA and State Laws, they WILL help you when you file a complaint and help you weed out the bad collectors from the ones who do their job on a moral and ethical basis. Yeah so what we have all these commodities, we also have families and YOU not paying your bills doesn't mean we wont get paid at the end of the day. I can assure you ERC employees do not go past their legal limits, nor would they if they could. We are trained professionals and if you don't understand that every phone call IS recorded and monitored for yours and our quality and legal reasons then you really are stupid on all matters. To the person who said that we get charged when the consumer calls in, you're wrong. Sorry.

Hey pinky bones shut the hell up! Your a complete f n idiot, you just work for one of these junk collectors and dont know ###! You say to the person who said we get charged when the consumer calls in YOUR WRONG. No actually he is right you [censored], do think its actually a free call paid by my employer. A 1-800 # isnt free to everyone you [censored]! Its free to the consumer not YOU! Your company DOES get charged! So keep calling these turds about the fine art of fudge making! LOL LMAO Trained professionals ROTFLMAO! You have no place in society, your bottom feeders that make 7 bucks an hour! LOL

Oh, tiny tim-
PS: you're comment about our hourly wages... you're a fool. $7/hr is a McDonalds cashiers pay. Know this, we make well over 10$/hr; And yes, our jobs will NEVER go away, and also, we DO make damn good money, so go back to working your dumb little clerk job making ... hmm, maybe 10$/hr LESS than myself. Have fun, ma'am.

Dear Debt Collectors,
I have no issue paying a legit debt. I do have an issue being screwed over by a bank and subsequently placed into collections. I was with US bank, made a CASH deposit to my checking account at the ATM every Friday at 8PM. The ATM would generate a receipt that $100 was available immediately and the remainder would be available Monday after 2PM. Imagine my surprise 11 months after being with the bank to all the sudden find bounced checks instaed of a positive balance. Long story short, US Bank bounced cash. Their reasoning was that my money had not cleared, therefore the $100 I was used to having Friday evening bounced. I had written 3 checks that totaled $96. # bounces with fees of $35 ea, plus the 96 all the sudden put my acct $201.

I continued to write checks not knowing I was negative. By the time I made my next deposit, I found my receipt said my account was negative $740. Everything bounced from the initial $100. I had to wait until Monday to talk with anyone. By this time, after fees, my account was now overdrawn $850. To shorten the story, after several phone calls, getting nowhere, I tried to close my account. Oooops, sorry, can't do that with a negative balance and to help you out even more, we are charging your account a daily fee of $3.00 for being negative. It will close itself after being negative for 60 days I am told. Plus we will charge you a monthly maintenance fee.

So, here we are 3 years later, my name is on chex systems list for bounced checks so I can't open another bank account (which I did the following week of this fiasco before my name was listed). I have these ###s calling me twice a week trying to collect a debt I refuse to pay and wish we would go to court so I could expose this for what it is, a sham. The idiot that keeps calling me keeps saying, "why did you set out to defraud US Bank?" I just call him stupid and laugh at him. He gets pissed and hangs up but call back like clock work 3 days later, offering me a deal and eventually asks the same stupid questions, where again I laugh at him and call him an idiot. What gets me is it's pretty obvious these clowns have no clue. If you want to read the paperwork you might actually see what happened. Secondly, I always laugh and ask these guys, why so intense? You act like I owe YOU money personally. All you are is a voice, I owe YOU nothing. The more intimidating they try and get, the more insulting I get and the more I laugh. I love to piss them off. Save the scare tactics for some little old widow, or some weak kneed wimp that buys all your bluster. You can't do crap but take me to court, which rarely happens. In which this case, I wish you would so I can smear your face in it.

@ERC - What do you do when they've already been informed that you're on welfare and can't pay? They continue to call me everyday just to hear that I'm on welfare and can't pay them.

@Nancy G. - I see they also trained you to be a rude you-know-what.

@IntheknowinNC - the law doesn't say you have to give a reason. I've taken this directly from the FDCPA. It simply says that if you write them a letter and tell them you don't want to be contacted anymore about the debt, they have to stop. They can let you know what they're final remedy is and that they're ceasing communication, but anything other than that is a violation of the law. @Nancy G. again - How's that for research, sweetie? :)

Section 805 (c)
CEASING COMMUNICATION. If a consumer notifies a debt collector in writing that the consumer refuses to pay a debt or that the consumer wishes the debt collector to cease further communication with the consumer, the debt collector shall not communicate further with the consumer with respect to such debt, except—
(1) to advise the consumer that the debt collector’s further efforts are being terminated;
(2) to notify the consumer that the debt collector or creditor may invoke specified remedies which are ordinarily invoked by such debt collector or creditor; or
(3) where applicable, to notify the consumer that the debt collector or creditor intends to invoke a specified remedy.
If such notice from the consumer is made by mail, notification shall be complete upon receipt.

I've been a Collections Representative for a few years now, as long as DEBTORS, DELINQUENTS, and any NON PAYING CONSUMER continue to evade your responsibilities and go back on your word that you agreed to when you just had to have that T.V, Purse, or EXTRA $$, ill always have a Paycheck.

Just a few things to address,

1. When consumers obtain Credit Cards from Banks/Companies, and fall behind on a payment, your account is immediately sent to internal collections...as in minute 1 of day1. So stating they just sent to a collections company after they wouldnt work with you is bogus because those nice people that call you with a Courtesy Reminder are...COLLECTORS...shocker!

2. Before giving all you personal information on an application for Lines of Credit, try just maybe one time, really thoroughly, reading through the contract. Take off the blinders and check the fine print. Maybe then when you fall behind and find yourselves in hardship situations you'll be better prepared for the "UNEXPECTED". And, please understand that these things dont just "Go Away" or "Placed on Hold", YOU CHARGE, THEN YOU OWE...It's Simple. :)

3. If your receiving calls from one or multiple companies for someone you DONT KNOW, you can always request your phone company change your number at no cost because your receiving multiple phone calls for someone else. Or, answering and stating i dont know this person and MAGIC WORD!ding!...PLEASE remove my number. Now, do you have to say Please? No. Does it sound better than, "Stop calling me [censor]"? Yes! Just try it, sometimes it just works, crazy thought huh?

4. No Collections Representative wakes up thinking, "Cant wait to go and call 100 people who have no accounts with us and ask for the same person"...they might as well say, "Cant wait to go to work and make no money and just maybe lose my paycheck". Oh Joy!

5. Calling the collections company to "harrass" them because you feel harrassed, does..umm..nothing. Why? you ask...because A. We can hang up...CLICK!, B. Shows you have No Life, No Job, and apparently need a friend to talk to. and C. DOESNT MAKE YOUR DEBT GO AWAY!

AND...

6. Im a huge believer in a little thing called Karma, I understand you dont really care and for the sarcastic ones who are taking the time to read this, you can stop. But with the attitude exhibited with these replies for collectors to lose money and jobs, it just shows that your a very bitter person, whose had a bad experience with some, and you obviously have an issue with people succeding if your not, HOW DARE THEY HAVE JOBS AND YOU WERE LAID OFF! (Sarcasm for the ones still reading). Instead of wishing bad on people who ALSO have families to feed and rents to pay, look back at your previous situation when you assumed you had money to take on this extra expense, maybe it was this same attitude that got you in this situation in the first place...Go On, Ill wait while you reflect...

Thanks for Reading..

Sincerely,

A LEGAL, MORAL, and ETHICAL, CONSUMER/DEBTOR ADVOCATE.

I agree totally about rudeness and not willing to make arrangements that people can afford. My parents have been making payments on a debt that ERC obtained. They agreed on a certain amount to be paid per month "a hardship payment", which is all they have left each month, and they now want to more than double this. It was explained that there was "example" $130.00 left each month and will send that amount until it is paid off. The rep handling the account said it was not enough per month anymore and threatened legal action. She kept insisting and making my mom feel as though she had no choice but to agree to an increase ."there was no way it could be paid due to not enough money in the month" When she told me I told her she needed to call them and tell them there was no way she could pay over the amount she had left each month. Again the rep began to insist and make threats about legal action. It was asked to speak to her supervisor and after a long while he agreed to "example" $130.00 left each month . BUT not 10 minutes later the rep handling the account calls to say the agreement she felt forced into was broken and the account was not in good standing. I am very upset with this entire situation. My father has dementia and my mother has a bad heart. Shes had one heart attack and every time she gets off the phone with ERC she is stressed, crying and I am scared shes going to have a heart attack over this company not wanting to accept the amount that can be paid.
When people are actually saying yes this is my debt and I want to pay it, why not let them pay? Why not accept the amount until it is paid off as long as no payments are missed?

My father has alzheimer's disease but is able to live on his own (so far). I take care of his bills, medication, groceries, home repairs, etc. He received a call from ERC and they placed him on hold and called me. My father's number showed up on my caller ID and I answered. The man was very rude and became irate when I told him that I would not do a check by phone for ten dollars. I asked if I could mail a check and suprise, "They do not accept checks." I asked why he said he did not know. After I thought about it probaby because they were afraid it would bounce. Anyway after I argued with him and he berated me over the ten dollars my father owed Dish Network I agreed to send him a money order. The man still wanted to do a check by phone so that my dad's Dish could be turned on immediately. I told him I would contact the satellite company if that is what my dad wanted. He replied, "WELL, SINCE YOU ARE MAKING ALL THE DECISIONS FOR YOUR FATHER I WILL LET YOU GO." and hung up on me. I cannot believe this man would insult me like this. I never do checks by phone unless I know the company. I cannot believe he had the nerve to make me feel bad for handling my father's affairs because he has alzeheimer's. Just for a measely $10.

Taken from ERC's web site, under Company Information:

In August 2010, we accepted a new private equity investor into our business. The name of the firm is RLJ Equity Partners. With the investment of RLJ Equity Partners, we are now the largest minority owned collection agency in the country. RLJ was formed by Robert Johnson through a strategic alliance with The Carlyle Group in 2006. Prior to forming the RLJ Companies, Mr. Johnson was Founder and Chairman of Black Entertainment Television (BET) which became the first African American owned company publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2007, Mr. Johnson was named by USA Today as one of the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years. The Carlyle Group is one of the world’s largest private equity firms, with more than $85 billion under management. We are truly fortunate to be partnered with such an extraordinary group of business leaders.

These Black [censor] think this is the way they are going to get rich by fleecing the Whites!

I have the best cure for people like this when you are receiving phone calls for people that are NOT at the phone number they are calling. Tell the caller you want their full name is it is on their social security card, the last 4 digits of their social security number and their physical location.

If this has worked for you Steve...then you have been dealing with idiots. There is no chance, A: Someone will actually get that info from me. That is the job they do. They already have every piece of info. You confirming portions of it won't make difference. Chances are if your in collections then they don't want to abuse YOUR credit anyway. B: Like that would make any decent collector stop collection attempts. Umm no, get real. That is the job . Take a second and think why they do that, and if they didn't.

*all legalities and disclosure read before info is given out*
Me: Hi, Steve.
You: grrr...Whos calling? (I'm pretty sure youll have mr. grumpy face on)
Me: Steve...Smith? Hi :)
You: GrRRr...who's this? Where are you from? How'd you get my name and number?
Me: Blahh Blahh I'm with ... And my name is ... This is regards to personal matter. Before I can proceed, may you please verify the last four of SSN? (I can see how it's strange)
You: NooooOooooo (I imagine you spitting fire)
Me: we'll how about your dob?
You: NoooOoooooo (now acid rain has started to pour out)
Me: Mr. Difficult guy ( that's you Steve), what I could I possibly do with your dob? Please tell me. That is information most people have no problem sharing when asked. (that's what I would've said :))
You: I don't know who you are...rawwwrrr...or for all know you could be trying to steal my identity.
Me: no Steve..( please read in SUPER sarcastic tone, one that makes you look like an idiot) I'm not trying to steal your identity. If you would take a few moments I could explain the reason for my call. Or you can continue to yell, we get nowhere, and your credit remains as tarnished as the day before.
You: what does this have to do with my credit? Whoa whoa what?!
Me: oh no I'm very sorry, Steve was it? I'm unable to disclose that personal information until I confirm I am speaking with the correct person. SSN or dob? :)
You: ahhhhh...(I imagine somewhat of a protruding blood vessel coming from your forehead)
Me: (please picture me sitting in my relaxing chair in from of my computer with a hands free headset, eating some sort of snack and drinking a delicious beverage In a AC filled building. Mmmm :))
Well, Debtor, you owe $$. (key reason why I don't want your identity or credit) how would you like to pay or would you like to argue with me again. (ps...we aren't listening to your ###, lol were human not gods. I can barely take my own whining, you think I want to heart you Steve. Lol not!

Stop being difficult and it would be much easier and less painful to deal with. Aduh!

I work for this company. People pay and want that debt removed from their credit and the company only sends an UPDATE LETTER TO EXPERION, if that. Most of these people pay over the phone and are charged up to $12.95 per payment transaction and have the hardest time getting a Paid In Full Letter from the company which is really bad considering they never received a letter, only a phone call for collections. I know for a fact that they will get accounts from companies and try to collect on not only OLD accounts but accounts that have already been paid on. CenturyLink sent over a load of old accounts that should not have been collected on and the company sent out letters to those people for the money and COLLECTED MONEY THAT WAS ALREADY PAID. It works because THE PEOPLE PAY! Most of the time people pay just to have the phone calls stop or because they care about their credit and don't like owing anything. If they would say "STOP CALLING ME", that stops all phone calls to that phone number. Better yet, they can say "DISPUTE THIS" and that will stop all phone calls and letters. This is a private collections company so they pretty much do what they want. Only a hand full of the workers there are NOT ghetto and rude, even the management is rude...and GHETTO. I inform people on what their rights are and they greatly appreciate it. But I know the company doesn't. I refuse to help someone STEAL. If I feel something isn't right then I act on it. "If you don't stand for something, you WILL FALL for anything" so this stand my get me fired and if it does then at least I won't have any regrets. Its not a good feeling being ashamed of where you work because you have morals. I would rather work somewhere for far less money and still have peace of mind. Just remember if this company calls you or sends letters to you, DO NOT PAY THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE A WHOLE IN THE WALL SCAM! They have employees smoking weed and snorting coke on their breaks and the managers know about it and some of them are the managers. They even have meetings and once talked about how they are not a part of the "Illuminati" or whatever cult. This is a very unprofessional "LLC" and don't let them intimidate you. The trainer on has a high school education and pretty much just controls a slide show to inform new employees about state laws. Thats all they are concerned about. If its not breaking a law, they do it. They may fool others but don't you be fooled. I can't tell people all of this when they call and I just feel like people have a right to know. I would want to know and want someone to tell my parent or child.

They are ###'S They Don't care I told the ### head I had a letter from A T&T saying ( We apologize for any inconvience this has caused You . You think they would let Me E-Mail them a copy, but no They do not want to hear it )