Asset Recovery Associates

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I am not contacting them, they have already threatened by dad and his name is [redacted] If they cannot find my file by my name then they need to quit calling my dad, his # is [redacted] Sincerely, [redacted]

Dear Revdex.com, The account in question was a Metris Card that Ms [redacted] opened and kept active for nearly five years until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in July of Following this default, the original creditor placed the account with many outside collection agencies for recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $8,Of the six agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Ms [redacted] Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts I thoroughly reviewed Ms [redacted] ’s account as well as interviewed the representative with whom she spoke, Ms***Ms [redacted] states that on January 29, she contacted Ms [redacted] to seek resolution on her defaulted accountShe states that following identity verification, she relayed the pertinent details of Ms [redacted] ’s accountMs [redacted] states that Ms [redacted] did not recall the account, and demanded why something had not been sent in writingMs [redacted] state that she indicated a letter had been sent out to her residence but Ms [redacted] became agitated and ended the call Although I cannot speak to Ms [redacted] ’s recollection of her debt, I can state that we believe it to be nothing other than just and dueBefore a creditor can sell an account, it must be validated within the strict regulations of the FDCPASimply put, this means that they must validate the originator of the account (Ms [redacted] ) as well as show payment history and assure that it has not been included in a Bankruptcy or cited as fraudulentThe account was deemed valid within these regulations and an Affidavit of Assignment was provided as verificationAdditionally, in the seven years this was listed to her creditor report, there have been no indications of any disputes from Ms [redacted] It should be noted that is not uncommon for a consumer to not easily remember a long-neglected debt and to be irritated by the mere mention of its existenceOur intention in contacting Ms [redacted] was to notify her of her outstanding balance and attempt to offer her a reduced settlement in accordance with her financial abilities I have presented this matter to my administrators for their considerationDue to the involvement of your office, they have instructed me to render Ms [redacted] ’s account closedAll associated contact information has been erased and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter Sincerely, Ben [redacted] Compliance Manager

Dear Revdex.com, The account in question was a [redacted] Bank account that Ms [redacted] opened and kept active for quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in June of Shortly following this default, the original creditor placed the account with several collection agencies for recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $2,Of the four agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Ms [redacted] Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts We understand that Ms [redacted] does not believe she is liable for this debtHowever, although I cannot speak her memory of her debt, I can speak to its validityIt should be noted that before a creditor can sell an account, it must first be validated within the strict regulations of the FDCPAThis means that the original creditor must evidence the originator of the account (Ms [redacted] ) as well as the social security number in which it was openedAdditionally, they must report the matter to the consumer’s credit report as well as show payment history, and ensure that it was not included in a Bankruptcy or cited as fraudulentSince Ms [redacted] ’s account was deemed valid within these regulations and has no indication of any disputes for this account in the seven years it was listed to her credit report, we must assume it remains just and due It should be noted that we deal with the difficult practice of attempting to collect long-neglected debts from consumers who are often unhappy with the mention of a debt that might have been forgotten over the yearsHowever, our attempt in contacting consumers is merely to offer a highly reduced settlement to close out the account To address Ms [redacted] ’s assertion that she entered into a settlement agreement pertaining to this account, I must state that I am at somewhat of a lossI have checked Ms [redacted] ’s account as well as interviewed Ms [redacted] the representative with whom she spoke, and can find no indication that a payment plan settlement was reachedFurthermore, there is no settlement or payment information of any kind on her file Due to the involvement of your office, my administrators have instructed me to render Ms [redacted] ’s file closedAll associated contact information has been purged and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Manager

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 11014616, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.Based upon the company's response stating the account has been closed and will not be resold in the future, we are completely satisfied with the outcome Sincerely, John [redacted]

Dear BBB,The account in question was a Union Acceptance Auto Loan that Mr. [redacted] took out in September of 1998 and paid on for nearly three years until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in October of 2001. Shortly following this default, the original... creditor placed the account with an external collection agency for recovery of the full balance, then totaling $11,077.52. The agency, along with others to follow, noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Mr. [redacted] . Eventually, the original creditor was forced do sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustained. ARA Inc. purchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts.I thoroughly reviewed Mr. [redacted] ’s account to better address the situation and interviewed Ms. ***, the representative with whom he spoke. Ms. [redacted] states that on October 27, 2016 she contacted Mr. [redacted] in order to seek resolution on his defaulted account. Ms. [redacted] states that following identity verification, she relayed the pertinent details of his account. Ms. [redacted] states that Mr. [redacted] did recall the account. Ms. [redacted] states she then offered him a highly reduced settlement of $4,108.62 to satisfy his overdue obligation. She states that Mr. [redacted] stated he would consider the offer and call back at a later time. Ms. [redacted] states when she did not receive a call back from Mr. [redacted] , she attempted to contact him once more as a follow up call, but he could not be reached.We understand that Mr. [redacted] ’s debt has accumulated significant age. However, that fact alone does not render his debt invalid. When Mr. [redacted] signed the contract to receive his loan, he agreed to pay all incurred debt on said loan. The age of a debt alone does not alter the moment in time in which it was created.Nonetheless, due to the involvement of your office, I have rendered Mr. [redacted] ’s account fully closed. All associated contact information has been purged and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale. Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] ***Compliance ManagerTell us why here...

Revdex.com: As I said in my original complaint, ARA Incis a junk debt collector with a reputation for using harassment techniques to attempt collecting debts that either do not exist or have long since passed any statute of limitations for legal collection practicesThey insinuated that my research on them and their reputation came from untrustworthy sources, however, I would like to point out that your own organization, the Revdex.com, gives ARA Inca 95% unacceptable rating and a grade of 'F'I think of all the sources available, the Revdex.com is just about as trustworthy a source as anyone can getI believe that their records are erroneous, as I have no recollection of this account and do not believe it to be a legitimate debtIf however, the account in question was truly closed for collection in 1997, then it would CLEARLY be well beyond any statute of limitations in ANY state in the USThis just proves my point that they are not only willing to collect on debts that never existed, they are also willing to attempt collecting debts that are not legally enforceableI'm happy that they have agreed to drop the matter without further incident, as I would not hesitate to sue them in court if they caused any damage to myself or my reputation by continuing their illegal collection activitiesI have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and although I still contend that their business practices are suspect at best, I find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Sincerely, [redacted]

Dear Revdex.com, The account in question was a Household Bank account that Ms [redacted] opened and kept active for quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in March of Following this default, the original creditor placed the account with many outside collection agencies for recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $1,Of the three agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Ms [redacted] Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts Our records show that one letter was sent out to Ms [redacted] notifying her of her outstanding balance as well as indicating a highly reduced settlement offer would be available to her to close out her accountAlthough I cannot speak to Ms [redacted] ’s recollection of her account, I can state that we believe it to be nothing other than just and dueIt should be stressed that when a creditor sells an account, it must first be validated within the strict regulations of the FDCPASimply put, they must evidence the name and social security number of the originator of the account as well as show payment history and prove that it wasn’t included in a Bankruptcy or cited as fraudulentThe account was deemed valid within these regulations It is not uncommon for consumers to not easily remember a long-neglected debt and to become irritated by the mere mention of said, debt whether it a letter or a callOur intention in sending Ms [redacted] correspondence was to inform her that we would be willing to accept a settlement of her account to in accordance to her finances It is with the involvement of your office that my administrators have instructed me to render Ms [redacted] ’s account closedAll associated contact information has been erased and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter Sincerely, Ben [redacted] Compliance Manager

Dear Revdex.com, The account in question was a Chase Bank account that Mr [redacted] opened and kept active for quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in January of Following this default, the original creditor placed the account with numerous outside collection agencies for recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $7,Of the four agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Mr [redacted] Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accountsI reviewed Mr [redacted] file as well as interviewed Ms [redacted] the representative with whom Ms [redacted] spokeMs [redacted] states that on March 21, at around 9:A.M CST, Ms [redacted] contacted her to inquire about a letter that was sent to Mr [redacted] Ms [redacted] states Ms [redacted] explained that she was Mr [redacted] caretakerMs [redacted] states that she relayed the pertinent details of Mr [redacted] account and stated that a letter was sent to Mr [redacted] to notify him of his outstanding balance as well as attempt to seek resolutionMs [redacted] states that Ms [redacted] stated that Mr [redacted] relayed that he could not afford any form of payment for the account, as he had medical bills to payMs [redacted] stated she explained to Ms [redacted] that if Mr [redacted] decided he wished to settle his account later on, he could contact her and they ended the callAs for the Mr [redacted] assertion that this debt does not belong to him, I must state that we find him to be mistakenIt should be stated that in order for a creditor to sell an account, it must be validated within the strict regulations of the FDCPAThis means that the creditor must evidence the originator of the account (Mr [redacted] ) as well as report the matter to the consumers credit report, show payment history and ensure that it has not been included in a Bankruptcy or cited as fraudulentSince the account was deemed valid within these regulations, we must assume it remains just and dueHowever, I have appealed to my administrators regarding this matterDue to the involvement of your office, they have instructed me to render Mr [redacted] account closedAll associated contact information has been purged and it shall not be subject to transfer or saleThank you very much for your assistance in this matterSincerely, [redacted] Compliance Manager

Dear Revdex.com, Ms [redacted] does not appear in our systemUpon review of her complaint, she cites a message being left for her by a representative named ***It should be noted that we do not have anyone named [redacted] under our employThis leads me to believe that Ms [redacted] has mistaken us with another companyWe regret the confusionThank you very much for your assistance in this matterSincerely, [redacted] Compliance Manager

Dear Revdex.com, The account in question was a Citibank account that Ms [redacted] opened and kept active for quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in October of Following this default, the original creditor placed the account with many outside collection agencies for recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $3,Of the four agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Ms***Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts It seems as though Ms [redacted] believes because her debt has accumulated significant age, it is therefore rendered invalidI must state that we believe that to be a impressionWhen Ms [redacted] signed the contract to open up this account, she agreed to pay back in full the balance that was incurredA debt shall be due until it is either paid, the debtor is deceased, was included in a Bankruptcy or cited as fraudulentAlthough I cannot speak to Ms***’s claims of identity theft as there are no records of such, it should be noted that in the seven years this was listed to her credit report, there have been no records of any disputes from Ms [redacted] regarding this account However, due to the involvement of your office, my administrators have instructed me to render Ms***’s file closedAll associated contact information has been purged and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Manager

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Sincerely, [redacted] ***

Dear Ms***,The account in question
was a *** credit card that Ms*** opened and kept active for quite
some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to
render it closed in April of Following this default, the original
creditor placed the account
with many outside collection agencies for recovery
of the full balance, at the time totaling $Of all the agencies to do
so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain
any form of payment from Ms***Eventually, the original creditor was
forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of
the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger
portfolio of defaulted accountsI reviewed Ms***’s
account as well as interviewed the representative with whom her daughter spoke
Ms*** states that October 13, she contacted Ms*** in regards
to her outstanding balanceMs*** states that Ms*** gave her
daughter permission to speak on her behalf as she was illMs*** relayed
the pertinent details of the debt’s creation to Ms***’s daughterMs
*** states that Ms***’s daughter stated her mother had no
recollection of the account and would pay itMs*** states she attempted
to explain the debt in further detail to refresh Ms***’s memoryMs
*** states Ms***’s daughter stated she would not give money to a
voice over the phone at which point Ms*** offered to send something in
writingMs*** states Ms***’s daughter refused, becoming irate
before ending the call.Although I cannot speak to
Ms***’s memory of her debt, I must state that we believe there to be no
error in contacting her on this neglected debtIt should be noted that in
order for a creditor (FCNB Bank) to sell an account, they must validate it
within the strict regulations of the FDCPAThis means that they must evidence
the name and social security number of the originator of the account (Ms
***) as well as report the matter to the consumer’s credit report, show
payment history on the account, and ensure the account was not included in a
Bankruptcy or cited as fraudulentThe account was deemed valid within these
regulations and an Affidavit of Assignment was issued as verification
Additionally, in the seven years this was listed to her credit report, there
are no records of any form of dispute from Ms***This leads us to the
conclusion that her account remains just and due.That being stated, it is
due to the involvement of your office that my administrators have instructed me
to render Ms***’s file closedAll associated contact information has
been purged and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale.Thank you very much for
your assistance in this matter.Sincerely,Ben ***Compliance Manager

Also wanted Revdex.com know these company is representing itself as a Revdex.com member see link: ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID *** and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

Dear Revdex.com, We were unable to locate the file in questionIf Ms*** could provide us with more pertinent information, such as an ARA file number or the original account number, we could adequately pinpoint her file and properly address her concerns Thank you very much for your
assistance in this matter Sincerely, *** *** Compliance Manager

I told you that any information about any alleged debt disclosed publicly in your reply violates the Fair Debt Consumer Protection ActIn regard to the debt, it's from a stolen credit card, for which I am not liableLearn the law. Additionally, the statute of limitations expired on this in Again, learn the law.Now, instead of reading the requested resolution, you filled out your form letter response that you use for every single Revdex.com complaint, and broke the law -- again.As for placing "him" on an administrative leave, I spoke with a woman, which I fully described in my complaintFurther, she called again after I filed this report, and after I faxed your company to stop calling meWhen she called, I told her to stop calling and that I faxed a letter telling you to stop calling me, and she called me a liarI hung up on her and she called me again! And, I have all of this recorded.I then blocked your main number from getting through on my phone line and faxed your company TIMES IN A ROW, the same letter, and your company STILL called me from a different numberI told the man I spoke with that the call was being recorded, and he said, "Have a good day." and hung up.You break the law, repeatedly, and did exactly what I warned you not to do, so off to court we go, just as I promised

Dear Revdex.com, The account in question was a Goodyear account that Mr*** opened and kept active for quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in August of Following this default, the original creditor placed the account
with outside collection agencies to recover the full balance, at the time totaling $1,Of the three agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Mr***Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts I reviewed MrScholsser’s file as well interviewed MrBrice, the representative with whom he spokeMrBrice states that he did leave a message for Mr*** stating that he had a matter to discuss with him and left a phone number on which he could be reachedMrBrice states that on Febuary 18, he received a call from Mr*** inquiring about the message that was initially left for himMrBrice states that following identity information, he relayed the pertinent details Mr***’s accountMrBrice states that Mr*** did not recall the account and proceeded to become agitated at the mention that he held an outstanding balance to GoodyearHe states that Mr*** indicated he would not be paying the bill and ended the call As for the alleged behavior of MrBrice, I have placed him on a supervisory period lasting no less than daysThis includes random monitoring and weekly administrative reviews as precautionary measure to ensure that no incident similar in nature does occur in the future To address Mr***’s assertion that we operate a less than legitimate enterprise, I must state that we believe that to be a impressionIt should be noted that we have been a licensee business for over a decadeHowever, we deal with the sometimes unpleasant task of prompting the memory of consumer’s outstanding debts that often times are otherwise forgottenIt is not uncommon for consumer to not easily recall a debt that has been neglected for so longHowever, our intent in contacting the consumer is merely to recall their outstanding obligation and attempt to offer a reduced settlement to seek a fair resolution Although we firmly believe Mr***’s file to be nothing other than just and due, it is with the involvement of your office that my administrators have instructed me to render his file closedAll associated contact information has been erased and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter Sincerely, Ben Ward Compliance Manager

Dear Ms***Mr*** does not appear in our systemMr*** states that he was contacted by an employee named *** ***We do not have anyone by the name of *** *** under our employFurthermore, it should be noted that this is the second time we have received a complaint
from Mr*** regarding another companyWe vehemently believe Mr*** has mistaken us with another companyThank you very much for your assistance in this matterSincerely, *** *** Compliance Manager

Dear Ms***,The account in question
was a Providian National Bank account that Mr*** opened and kept active for
quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original
creditor to render it closed in November of Following this default, the
original creditor placed
the account with many outside collection agencies for
recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $1,Of the three
agencies to pursue recovery, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and
none were able to obtain any form of payment from Mr***Eventually, the
original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to
recoup a small portion of the losses they sustainedARA Incpurchased the
file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accountsTo address the alleged
behavior of our representative, Mr***, I thoroughly searched his
personal record and could find no note of any previous infractionsWhile we
couldn't validate the disputes of Mr***’s claim, we have placed Mr***
on a probationary period to last no more than days as a precautionary
measureAs to Mr***’s
assertion that because his debt has accumulated significant age it is therefore
rendered invalid, I must state that we vehemently disagreeIt should be noted
that a debt shall be due until it is either paid, regardless of the possibility
of legal enforcementWhen Mr*** accepted the terms on the contract when
applying for his credit card, he ensured that all debts incurred thereafter
would be satisfiedA search yielded no results of Mr*** filing for
Bankruptcy and in the seven years this was listed to his credit report, there
are no records of a dispute on this debtHowever, out of respect
for your office, I have rendered Mr***’s file closedAll associated
contact information has been erased and it shall not be subject to transfer or
sale.Thank you very much for
your assistance in this matter.Sincerely,Ben ***Compliance Manager

Dear Revdex.com, We were unable to locate the file in questionIf Mr*** could provide us with more pertinent information, such as a file number given or an alternative phone number he was reached at, we could properly pinpoint his file and adequately address his concernsThank you very much for
your assistance in this matterSincerely, *** *** Compliance Manager