I got a call from a lady who gave her name as Michelle Williams, she blocked the caller ID, and did not identify her company. The message said I was being taken to court and would have papers served to me at my home or place of business if I didn't call and make arrangements with the company holding the debt, she left a phone number. 855-282-2520
A quick 411.com search will show that the "area code" 855 is actually not an area code at all, but a new toll-free prefix. A search of the phone number will show that it is not associated with any legitimate business. Being a former telemarketer, I can tell you their phone numbers are ALL unlisted unless they need one to verify that they are indeed a "legitimate business."
So I called. 3 times. I blocked my number.
The first time the guy said his name was Ryan, he gave me the run around. When I asked him to send me "written verification of the debt", he said "You might oughtta just wait for your paperwork in the mail and go to court." and hung up. Now remember, they're not mailing it, they're coming out to serve it.
The second time, it was another lady who identified herself by the name of another famous person. She said the system was down, she couldn't find the paperwork, they closed 15 minutes ago (4:30), I should call back on Monday.in telemarketing, that means "I know they already called, there's no money here."
The third time I got an older gentleman, I told him that I called before, the guy was rude and wouldn't give me any answers. So he said he'd help me with anything he could.
I got all the information from him that I could, by asking every stupid question I could think of. (Do Not give them any information, they should have it ALL.)
He repeatedly stated that they are NOT a collection agency, they just file legal papers. I told him "I thought paralegals did that." He said "Well, we have a few on staff."
He couldn't tell me what the original amount of the debt was, just that it had been through a number of collection agencies and they each assess their own fees. He "could guess that the original amount was probably around $500. But that's just a guess." He gave me an amount higher than on the first call, then he told me he'd "go talk to the lawyer to see what we can do about this."
He came back with a "lowered amount, if it's paid within 10 days.", then offered a payment plan that would be more, but still less that the "original."
Then I sweetly told him "I know this is just your job, so I'm totally not blaming you. Here's what I want you to do: Throw my phone number away, then look up your company on usacomplaints.com."
He laughed! Then he redirected the conversation (to give himself something in common with you, be aware of this.), when he got back to business he asked what we were going to do about the issue. I told him if he sent me something in writing, I would send back a receipt showing that it was paid.
He confirmed that HE HAD the right address.
Then I hung up and told my mom (also a former telemarketer) that he was trying to keep his talk time up. He was lovely though and good at his job. If I hadn't researched anything before hand... I would have been inclined to give him my money.
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