Valentine & Kebartas review: Awful experience 25

This company is rude, threatening and uses illegal and unethical collecting practices. FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THEM WITH THE FTC. TAKE THE fight to them. The co owner BOBBY KEBARTAS is especially rude.

Here is my story...

I have been out of work for 10-1/2 months, and prior to that, I paid all my bills on time. One of my creditors is Dell Financial (all my other creditors have been very sympathetic). They recently assigned my account to Valentine & Kebartas back in July. They call me 10 times a day, and I find it best to just answer their first phone call and let them know that nothing has changed since the last time we spoke. They then proceed to call me back several more times during the day, which I was under the impression they could only contact you once a day between the hours of 8 a.m to 8 p.m. When I call them, on this, they act stupid, and tell me they have no record of me speaking to anyone from their office. I finally started documenting all phone calls from this agency. I have spoken to a Lisa, Ms. Scott, and various others folks there. Last week Jerome called me and demanded the computer I bought. I had purchased it for my son, and no longer have it in my possession. He called me a liar and told me that I had bought it and turned around and sold it to make more money. I hung up on him. Then Friday, 8/20 I discovered they had pulled $80 dollars from my account without my authorization or permission. I contacted my bank, they reversed the charges, and they are disputing them. I contacted Dell and when I put in my account information, which their automated service demands then my call was forwarded over to Valentine & Kebartas. Therefore, I absolutely got nowhere. Friday I told them I would contact an attorney because what they are doing is illegal. Is there someone out there that can help me please? I am not a deadbeat trying to get out of paying my bills I am unemployed and have lost everything including my condo. Valentine and Kebartas is not a law firm either. They want you to think they are from their name, but I have done research on this agency.

THEY ARE KNOWN LIARS. They buy people credit information, look for lates and then call you, pretending to be collecting for that account. They threten and curse. At one point one of their people pretended to actually be from the card company trying to work out a settlement! I have recorded their every call and phone numbers, etc. I then called the card company to complain and was told that the card company NEVER assigned me to any collection account! They said they have heard about V&K doing this to others. They wanted all my info so they could consider taking action against Valentine. You should all do the same---call the place for which Valentine claims to be collecting and see if its true.

When they call, tell them you have just turned them in for breaking the law, laugh in their face and hang up.

As a former employee I can tell you that VKI is just straight up GHETTO! Now I find out that they they just hired a "Child Molester" who is now the assistant to the VP of client relations...Go figure! Yes people a CHILD MOLESTER..IF YOU SEE THIS WOMAN YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS SHE WAS JUST THAT! WOW! Im embarresed at the fact that I even worked there... And you know what's sad! That everybody there knows this so-call woman is a CHILD MOLESTER who preys on younger BOYS! YOUR A SICK'O "FS" YOU NEED SOME COUNSELING and SOME JAIL TIME!

They called me and left a message stating that they needed to send someone out to "INSPECT THE EQUIPMENT". What do they have working for them repo guys or something. They are more and welcome to come and inspect my equipment...a 9mm.

Has anyone had a judgement from them?

just saw a guy on the news who's suing them or something.
hopefully now people will see how much they suck.

Don't put up with these guys. Read this article:

http://voidmaster.org/VoidianHall/Abuses/CreditCardRebellion.shtml

To begin with Valentine & Kebartas records all calls . They have a compliance department if you truly where treated in this manor all you had to do is call and complain to one of there VP's they actually fire people that violate FDCPA.

so if you are not just some dead beat trying to get out of paying your bill call their office and complain they will work with you and punish unfair treatment

They called MY NEIGHBOR and told her they are a LAW FIRM & left a message for me with her! I am really pissed about this (and I guess that was their intention) but I still dont have any$$ to pay them.

I just googled valentine kebartas to see who these people are. They show up as having inquired as to my credit for "permissable purposes".

I do have outstanding debts... But, I have never heard from these people. So, the poster who said they attempt to collect on debts they don't actually hold, by checking credit records... gets a little more credibility.

I just found these postings, as I looked them up on line because they just called me today. Message on my answering machine said the name of the company and most of the rest of the message so rapid-fire, sounded like the fembot was talking East German or something...played it back 6 times, could not make sense of it. I returned the call, got her v-mail, and simply said essentially, 'hey, got your message, know you must have a call quota for the day! Can't understand who you are or what you're calling about, but I'm NOT calling you back!"

ANY TIME ANYONE GETS A CALL FROM A COLLECTIONS AGENCY,
all you have to do is call your creditor DIRECTLY.

NO MATTER WHAT THE COLLECTIONS PEOPLE MAY SAY,
your creditor will almost always prefer to negotiate payments with you DIRECTLY!

Why?
Very simply 1st+foremost: SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY A 3rd-party COLLECTIONS account to recoup some of their losses--out of their own coffers--OF COURSE!

BETTER NEWS YET for you?
It's always-
-yes, that's right-
A L W A Y S !

BETTER
for your credit record!

& you can check that with ANY credit councilor.

JUST HANG UP THE PHONE NEXT TIME.
There's NO WAY any legitimate debt collections agency issues ULTIMATUMS?
On the first contact?

'Pay this much TODAY or we're gonna repo your house?'
Get real.
If only it were THAT easy for them...
...nearly 1/2 of America would be homeless already!

1st they have to fly it by a judge BEFORE they can legally touch a penny!
& that's what defense attorneys are for.
If it ever came to that, call a REPUTABLE credit councilor.

They really caught you off guard, and I'm very sorry you felt cornered.
But let that be a reminder in future business dealings especially:

"There's just something REALLY WRONG with this picture?"
You have a reasonably GOOD credit rating otherwise?
You even had YOUR OWN RECORDS OF PAYMENT IN FULL to your creditor?

Why on earth didn't you consider just calling them yourself to verify the status of your account? What could you possibly have to fear of asking them for that very simple and OBVIOUS confirmation? & THEN you could have alerted them directly of this obvious SCAM situation! IF your fully paid-off creditor isn't on your side, then perhaps you innately believe you really live in some kind of Orwellian nightmare state?

My profoundest bafflement indeed.
But that's exactly the kind of unquestioningly fearful cooperation these (so-called;) people are counting on. One cannot so easily subjugate a free spirit and an independent mind!

So take heart, madam(sel?)
and let this be a wake call to reinvesting more in your own personal brand of unphase-able soulfulness, will you?

Step one?
A little sense of humor goes a long way?
The GREAT sense of humor laughs without compunction at the gaping void...
...and so much the more heartily in the face of such boorishly juvenile evil-doings and ineptly desperate sadistic manipulators.

& you can take that to the karma bank, wise investors!

most of everything you said is not accurate.

Please stop leading people down the garden path you are wrong in your advice...

here is some simple advice... If you owe a debt and collection agency calls you...answer the phone... work out payment terms... if you can not afford to pay a large sum send in something every month this will stop multiple phone calls...

they also have a blanket settlement amount in every debt negotiate the discount just ask them what they will settle for.

The last thing i'll add the creditor does not want to deal directly with you after they turn your account over to the 3rd party...period why ...once it is turned over to the 2rd party they pay them either way...

I know how annoying it is when collection companies call you ... to begin with if you could have paid the debt you would have... now you have someone reminding you everyday that you are in a bad place...It does not get better by ignoring the calls ...or blaming the company that called you...

just pick up the phone speak to them ...if they treat you badly report them to their supervisor...if you can't work anything out with them payment wise ...SEND in a monthly payment of your choosing no matter how small ...period then move on.

Mica1755:

Please don't give advice that is blatantly incorrect.

Wage garnishment is illegal in many states. If a collector threatens to do so in some states, you can sue them for a lot of money.

"Good faith payment" is not a legal term, and has no basis in any law. You should NEVER pay a collection agency a dime unless and until they have provided you, in writing, proof they are legally able to cllect the debt, and that the original creditor authorized them to do so. Even then, you can still refuse to deal with the collection agency, and only deal with the original creditor or other owner of the debt.

Wow, so much misinformation from so many "educated" people. I have made my attempts to honor my creditors generous settlement offers and unfortunately could not. The time allowed for a debt to mature to the point of selling to a collection agency may vary from state to state and contracted agreement, it is usually as long as 7 months. Once it is beyond the predefined limit established by your patient creditor, they automatically sell the debt to a collections agency for pennies on the dollar and write off the lose. At this point they have nothing at all to do with your debt...it's been sold and becomes the note of another less considerate entity ( Valentine & Kebartus in this case.) They have the right to collect every cent of the debt from you, but know that it's in their best interest to reduce you debt to something that is somewhat appealing and yet profitable to them. A $10, 000 debt my be reduced to $7, 000. They probably only paid $[protected] for your debt but it's their note to negotiate as they please. Though it true that they can be write and told not to contact you by phone, it is their legal right to send you mail. Ultimately, the debt must be high enough for them to pursue litigation or it's a waste of time. If it's a small amount then they will threaten you with all kinds of things because they know it's not worth the time and money to pursue beyond threats. Most collection agency bid on large debt so they can cover overhead if action is required, although, some law firms are playing the collection game to and can afford the litigation as it is what they do. There is a 7 year statue of limitation (usually) of the pursue of debt if no contact is made for that time period. Any contact with them will restart the 7 year limitation and they'll bagger you for another 7 years. Advise... If it can go to settlement, usually you will get the best offer prior to a court decision. This happens when you refuse to pay their offer for whatever reason, unemployed, too poor, not your debt, it doesn't matter...then when you arrive at court, you are usually approached with a final offer. If you can't honor the agreement then another court date will be set and you won't be offered a second chance. If you can proove it's not your debt, you probably won't need to go beyond proving it to the Collector.

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about a collection agency that I have been dealing with. It's name is "VKI", I believe it stands for Valentine and Kabartus.

Here is the situation... when I decided to join a debt counseling service I had to contact VKI and let them know that I had to cancel the current plan I had made with them and set up a new one because I was trying to pay ALL my creditors back at once (because I found that trying to do it all on my own wasn't working) and this is what happened...

On the first call to them I explained to the woman who answered that I had to cancel the current plan I had to make a new one and she transfered me to a "manager" then I had a rude man pick up the line and say "What"? he did not say hello or give his name, he just knew that I was calling to cancel the current plan for a new one so he was rude.
I ended up having to end the phone call before the current plan was canceled because he had me in tears by the way he was speaking to me, like I was a piece of trash. All I was trying to do was pay EVERYONE and try to be responsible. ( I explained during this conversation that I was in fact going to pay them just in a different manner!)

SO, the next day I toughened up and I called back, I told the lady who answered that I needed to cancel the current plan because I was entering a debt counseling program and she replied with " I have to transfer you to the manager". I then explained to her what had happened the prior day and that I could NOT talk to the same man who put me in tears and she (almost in a giggle) said "let me see what I can do" and then she transfered me to THE SAME RUDE MAN who answered like this "I thought we went over this yesterday" (in a yell) again, I got no hello or my name is...just a rude answer! So, I simply said "I need to cancel" and he then YELLED "you are refusing to pay" and when I tried to respond and defend myself he HUNG UP!

At that point I was SO relieved that I did not have to talk to him anymore that I let it go for a little while UNTIL VKI debited my account anyways.
These people are so unproffessional that they put a women in tears and they don't listen to anything that you are trying to say! They just CUT YOU OFF mid sentence so that they sound like the right one and they treat you like garbage.
Thanks to them debiting my account, I had a negative balance and had to pay overdraft fees. I wish I had been recording the conversation because you WOULD NOT believe the way this man was talking to me!

And I just want to make something clear, I was in no way REFUSING to pay. As a matter of fact the whole reason I joined a debt counseling service is to re-pay ALL my creditors.

But the problem with the conversation I had with VKI is this...they were recording the conversation and when the rude man said "YOU ARE REFUSING TO PAY" and then he HUNG UP on me, this didn't give me a chance to defend myself and say that I AM going to pay!

I am going to contact the Federal Trade Commission and also if they have the audacity to call me again I will let them know that they are in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act!
I have been doing my research because of their inappropriate behavior and because they debited my checking account without my permission!
I hope they get shut down! They are in violation of fair practices acts and should NOT be allowed to keep treating people this way.
I made all my own mistakes that put me in debt BUT I am trying to be responsible and repay everyone now.

Wait until you get a call from Mark Star, his mannerisms are to threaten not only a law suit but also to get the amount owed and "then more".. meaning to imply his company can sue for additional sums of money. Best to file a complaint and then sue them.

@ John E. you sir are an idiot to think that anyone would believe that line of B.S. Seriously? You must be a rep for the so called firm... /URL removed/ check the link and stop trying to mislead people with you're gestapo tatics that only serve to line your own pockets.

@Mica 1775, Although I agree that a judgment can be achieved thru a court of law(did not mean to imply otherwise) I am simply stating that nobody is going to jail over such a situation. I have been sefl employed for 25 yrs. now, It is all I know in the sense of employment. I used to make a comfortable $120k plus(before expences) however I have lived to see that dwindle to less than $7500 in todays economy. I have lost my house, had my bank accounts closed ( at little loss to me) over banks taking debits first and deposits second in the same business day which in turn caused a spiraling increase in OD fees resulting in a chain reaction. I have seen our govt. approve free riegn and little action against creditors who adjust the interest rates on revolving charge accts.to a point of burrying the debtor into a blizzard of debt they will never get out of. I have seen people get approved for a loan who never should have just to be consumed by the greed of creditors.
In sort my life has been downsized to a point of very little income of which a can barely support a means of living. I have sold most of my tools of trade and I acchieve shelter by utilizing my skills to remodel vacant homes in lieu of rent... bouncing around from place to place. Yes, I know, a little "Gypsy" like if you will. Thats ok for me, I am strong willed, resourcefull, and free of burden in the sense of family. I have nothing left to take. So the CA or creditor gets a judment and I go on my way. However not all people are that fortunate. They have families, children, mouths to feed, clothes, books, school supplies etc. How many families do we disrupt, how many children do we uproot from friends and schools, howmany marraiges do we end in divorce and howmany lifes do we teardown... before society, buisiness and government realise that they need to restructure the standards of "Truth in Lending" or "Collection Practices". Is it really fair to the "People" that we are allowed to raise someones interest rate based on their credit score.. and that which of course goes down everytime a creditor or CA looks at that persons credit profile which hence causes the interest rate to climb somemore. Its a vicious cycle that screws everyone. Now contemplate this... After you socalled Collectors and greedy creditors are done screwing the American people out of all their money, homes, assets etc. and the National Deficet is sent into a miserable decline... Who then will pay your wages? And will you be able to afford insurances? Because I am sure those rates will fly out of this world too... do to the crime rates going up... from people stealing everything that you greedy [censor] own in order to be able to feed their families. I hope that you can rest at night, knowing that you drove somene to killing themselves or another as a result of feeling hopeless, or the fact that someone lost their job because the side effects of the anti-depressants and the stress alone has made it impossible to do their job or even cope with daily tasks. Sleep well my friend.

i worked for VKI and i was 1 of the fair and good collectors. this company had many unfair practices BUT there is a few people who are there to help you find some sort of resolution to your debt. i have had people send me flowers and 'thank you' cards for helping them so much with clearing up an old debt that had them stuck, all while working at VKI! i was a faithful employee there for a many years, i watched many, many collectors get fired for unfair FDCPA practices, however we are there to do a job and our clients are owed money and thats, that. we will work with you, always! there isnt a collector i have met that will not take a payment from you and put your account back in good standings, you must however call and be not come at the collector like someone who is trying to argue or disagree with the situation. i mean, it is what it is! if the acctount was paid the original creditor would NOT have spent money to get an agency to collect that money. so truth be told, if your not a "dead beat" and your have money problems, call and im sure a collector will help you, if not then i would call a manager or a VP and get them involved for what solution you want. sitting here complaining isnt going to pay your debt !

I have a friend that is currently receiveing calls from V&K. He's had a host of medical issues, in addition to being the only support for a family of 2. Due to these issues, I stepped in to help as I worked in financial services for 15+ years and am in the know on these matters. One issue that lies at the core of this is how to know whether the C/A has been assigned this account. It would seem to me that evidence of transfer should be presented before making any "arrangements". There are many scammers out there that can obtain consumers information on account statuses from disreputalble sources. Therefore, a recommended first step would be to send a letter requestiing that the debt be validated. You can find free form letters online, from various legal firms. If you are unfamiliar with or unsure of your rights, seek counseel. www.avvo.com is a new "free" resource, with trained and qualitied professionals to answer questions at no cost to you. Note: I do not work for any of the aforementioned firms, but was doing reaserch for my friend and saw an opportunity to help. I do agree with the last person who claims to have worked at the firm. Do not avoid it. If you know you owe, explore your options to repay it in a reasonable/affordable manner. If you cannot afford to, consider Bankruptcy. No one needs more stress in their lives, but there are certainly lessons to be learned from experience. All the best.

Wow, just read this post:

" 2nd of Dec, 2010 by John E. 0 Votes
Valentine & Kebartas is a full service law firm. They are attorneys and I was sued by them for my unpaid Chase account. After ignoring their attempts to reach me by phone or by mail they sent me a summons. I didn't know how much trouble I was in. They sent a sheriff to my job and had me handcuffed and brought to court where I was held until my bill was paid plus their attorney fees. DO NOT PLAY GAMES WITH THEM, JUST PAY THEM or you'll learn like I did. "

This person must be some kind of 'effing' idiot. What a fictional story!

I HAVE THE MOST RESPECT FOR THEM AS A COMPANY, THEY ARE HONEST AND HAVE HELPED ME WHEN OTHER COLLECTION AGENCIES JUST BLEW ME OFF. I FELT THEY REALLY WORKED WITH ME. I APPRECIATE DELL FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR USING THEM, THEY ARE AN ASSET TO DELL