xmcp123

Ok. So I'm absolutely fuming right now. This company is a fucking rip off, and I hope they enjoyed their recent bankruptcy filing.

Here's the rundown of what happened:
I took out an ad with SuperPages back in March of 2008. One ad. This ad had a few customization options on it.(bold, colors, etc) The traffic wasn't backing out, so I paused the ad, made sure my account was caught up billing-wise and never looked back.

Fast forward to today: I no longer live at my old address, (and hence didn't get any letters; the account was dead in my mind) and get awoken this morning by a mother fucking collection agency that they apparently sent my way.

I thought to myself, "surely, there must be a mistake...I had my billing caught up". Well, it turns out those bastards decided that although the ad itself was not active, they were still charging me for the customization options
So they've been charging me for the formatting choices on an ad that hasn't gotten a single impression in over year. Because it's mother fucking paused.

I called their customer support today to try and get it handled. The first few times, the person I needed to contact wasn't there. Then he was in a meeting. Then he wasn't there again. Then I got a different lady on the phone who tried to convince me that this kind of BS is the industry standard, and there's no way to handle the bill other than paying what they decided to charge me for a fucking paused ad.

I've got a bit of a temper, and I'm not fucking paying. Even though it's not very much money. I mean, how the fuck do you charge for a formatting option on an ad that didn't get a single fucking impression AND WAS PAUSED.

So let's hear it guys: Am I out of line?

PS: Right now I'm just refusing to pay on the basis that I didn't get anything for it, and I paused the fucker. I've never spent a nickel I don't have, so I've never dealt with a collection agency before, and I'm a bit unsure if I have any recourse here.

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tainted

How much is the amount? Sometimes it's easier to pay than deal with the hassle and move on with life. Where do you live? Collection agencies can be bastards. Which agency was it?

nvanprooyen

Personally, I would fight them tooth and nail out of pure principal even if it was for $20 or something. That's probably not the right call if the money is small, but I've got a bit of a temper when it comes to stupid shit like this. I don't think I would let it go or "let them win". Bad advice, but it's what I would likely do.

xmcp123

It's not very much. But I can be a bit of a contemptuous bastard, so it's kind of beside the point for me (maybe I'll think differently when I cool down).

As for the agency:
It's Allied Interstate. They're so ghetto they want me to send the money to a POBOX at the damn airport.
It's a part of a larger organization based out of New York called IRMC (it appears).

I'm considering tracking down the names/phone numbers of some of the higher ups at the collection agency, and calling them in the wee hours of morning like their employees did me(Once again, a notion that may disappear with my temper, but who knows)

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Bofu2U

I'm with ya man. Not on yellowpages, but I got a collections letter from the power company of my apartment 2 years ago when they had my debit info to pull the funds (and I was on direct debit anyway). Sigh.

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tainted

Look man I don't know where you're at, but from where I come from collection agencies are a thing to be feared. Most are just jumped up mafia thugs trying to do something with their lives. And they've been in this biz for years. They've probably seen tougher nuts than you to crack and collected. Their specialty is collecting money from people. It's just not worth the hassle.

Calm down and just fork over the cash. You make lots from what I gather, so just blow it off quickly and move on with life. You have bigger shit to worry about than these little money grubbing apes.

AdExhibitJason

Pay it, Then go for recourse. Maybe small claims and sue for defamation, I guess depends on what was outlined in the TOS though.

TLott

Your best bet is certainly to try to get SuperPages to call off collection efforts. Escalate the issue to the top if you have to.

If nothing works, I'd pay it.

xmcp123

Yeah, I'm much the same way.
There is definitely logic in what you say.
What could they actually do to me(the collection company)?
I have access to mail at the address they have(my old one), but don't live there.
To dive into my credit score or something like that what would they need?
I feel like once it goes through, I lose any leverage I had...

Ugh.

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Pr0xyhub

are you out of line?

no fucking way. thats the most retarded thing ive ever heard.

LotsOfZeros

You might want to fact check yourself but any collection account less than $100 no longer effects your FICO score - I thought I read that when the new scoring model was introduced last year but check for yourself.

Allied Interstate has been a collection agency for a long time. They are a larger well established outfit, which usually means you will get that one call and your file will be sent to never-never land (they got bigger fish to fry). The collector you spoke with was their ghetto-front-line-first-day-on-the-job-lacky for sure, especially if the balance was so low.

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"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty" ~ Ronald Reagan

nvanprooyen

Parent company is called I Qor, Inc and they are in Columbus, OH. Here is a list of all the executive names and titles. Have fun.

tainted

They can do all sorts of illegal things. And I just googled Allied Interstate, seems like they're the worst of the worst. Things that have happened to a family member of mine before is that they would come to your house and physically confront you. They'd push you, start swearing at you and tell you you better get the money. They will also do the same to and of your family members they can track down, call you at work and do the same. They will call your house multiple times a day every day. They will phone harass your family members as well. They will ignore C&D orders and any calls for them to refer to your attorney.

To dive into your credit score they don't need anything, not your consent, no nothing. They've probably already gotten it and are wondering what to do with it now, along with your SSN and any other personal pieces of info. You have your congressmen to blame for that.

imaginaxion

This crap happened to my Dad's business. They totally screwed up on the Ad and my dad canceled the ad. They billed him anyway, and he didn't know about it for two years. We moved during this period.

A collection agency sent a letter out of the blue asking for $4K. We sent letters off to the BBB and escalated as far as we could. They gave us a "generous" 50% discount for their screw up.

There was so much other stuff they f'ed up on. But, we decided it wasn't worth wasting our time. We are paying them in monthly increments of 20 dollars for a decade.

They also messed up my dad's credit score so he can't get a loan for a home. They are frickin punks...

nvanprooyen

If you want to talk to the head office of Allied Interstate, they are in Minneapolis. Here are the execs that run that:



This is what their structure looks like:

thuxen

On the topic of Yellow Pages the book, I paid $1500 for a qtr page ad a few years ago.

In the whole year guess how many calls i got... 2!

LotsOfZeros

Fear-monger much?

I could only wish a collection agency licensed to operate in the U.S. would abuse me so. Google "FDCPA violations" and you'll see what I am sayin.

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"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty" ~ Ronald Reagan

tainted

Google Allied Interstate and you'll see how much they care about your precious FDCPA.

oziman

amigo -
1. Go to FatWallet and page someone in the finance section named codename47 , do some searches there and you'll find everything you need to know about debt collectors.
2. Once you've done that, follow the steps to validate the debt, if they don't agree you can win a nice chunk of change in court.

ping me if you need anything

nvanprooyen

Yep. Exactly.

Here is the list of what they can, can't do. Class action lawsuit if they do.

15 FDCPA Violations - What Debt Collectors Can't Do

zimok

You have every right to be pissed, that's a fucking scam no matter which way you look at it.

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You can't effectively ride two horses at once.

Bofu2U

Don't confuse people on here with regular people. Call our work? What work? Most people on here aren't exactly your work-for-35K-a-year type people with no connections. I can get the same information about the people contacting me as they can of me.

Don't get me wrong - they have determination and harassment is basically their full time job. I wouldn't mind snagging a redbull and calling his house/cell phone at 3-6AM every night as well. From a temp number, of course.

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tainted

You willing to drag your family into this crap? I know I wouldn't be. Just pay them off and enjoy your life.

nvanprooyen

9. Illegally inform a third party about your alleged debt

Unless you have expressly given permision, collectors are not allowed to inform anyone about your debt except:

• your attorney
• the creditor
• the creditor's attorney
• a credit reporting agency
• your spouse
• your parent (if you are a minor)

I don't think you're hearing me tainted. If they do any of this stuff, you can sue the crap out of them. It's Federal Law.

mereo

If you do decide to fight it, the very first thing you should do is send a letter to both the collection agency and SuperPages.

Send it certified with return receipt and explain to them that you have not received any written correspondence from them detailing the amount they are trying to collect.

Give them a current, valid address to contact you at and let them know that any other address they have is invalid.

Then, tell them that you dispute the facts of and the amount of the debt.

Legally, if you dispute the debt, the collection agency has to go back to the original company and get proof of the debt and then provide you with a copy of that proof.

It varies from state to state, but in some states you can only dispute the debt for 30 days after they send you a written notice, which is why you want to stress in your letter that they have called you but they haven't provided anything in writing.

You may also have some luck by adding a clause that says something along the lines of "This debt is invalid. If you believe otherwise, please respond within 30 days with complete documentation and justification for the debt. If you fail to respond within 30 days, you are hereby agreeing that the debt is invalid and the matter has been settled". They'll probably laught it off, but a clause like that saved me once.

I'm not a lawyer, but long ago I switched from Nextel to Sprint, before the two merged. It was right after number porting began and Nextel really f'ed up the whole process. They never contacted me themselves but a year later, I received a demand letter from a collection agency for a couple of hundred dollars. I sent a letter in response to Nextel and the collection agency, basically saying wtf and asking for proof of the debt. I didn't hear anything back, but I did get another collection letter. That's when I responded and pointed out that they hadn't sent me any proof of the debt and included the "if you don't respond within 30 days with proof" clause I mentioned above. I never heard from Netel or that collection agency.

Over the years, Nextel sold the debt to three different collection agencies. The last one did finally put it on my credit report, so I disputed it with all 3 of the credit reporting agencies and included a copy of my original "if you don't respond within 30 days with proof" letter and told the credit reporting agencies that, through that letter, I had settled the debt with Nextel years before.

I was kinda surprised, but it actually worked. All 3 agencies removed the item from my report, and I never heard about it again.

Oh, and at this point, if the collection agency is one of the sleezier agencies, they may still put it on your credit report, even if you pay. They can put it on your report, then immediately mark it as paid and it'll do some damage. Not as much as an unpaid collection item, but it still hurts, and it's completely legal.

It comes down to how pissed off you are and how much they're going after - is it worth it (the prinicple of the issue + the actual cash) to spend your time on it? I started to wonder after the 3rd collection agency contacted me about my deal with Nextel (which, by the way, no one was ever able to tell me wtf that was even about, since I had paid my account in full after the port/cancellation and I was out of contract) if I would have just been better off paying the first agency that contacted me. In the end, though, I was glad that I didn't, since it just would've pissed me off even more.

If you are going to fight it, keep copies of everything and send everything certified with return receipt. You never know when you might need it a year or two later, unfortunately. Oh, and if you are going to fight it, PM me and I'll send you the full text of the letters I used in my fight if you're interested.

Oh, and I agree with what LotsofZeroes said - read up on the Fair Debt Collection Practices act as well as any debt collection agency regulations your state has. There's a lot of laws regulating debt collection these days and chances are, that agency has already broken at least one of them.

nvanprooyen

@tainted

Rolling over and playing dead to these people, is why they prey on the weak. Typically the people they are talking to don't understand the law or their rights, so they can get away with it. Taking it in the ass is exactly what they expect you to do.

tainted

And I don't think you heard me. They don't give a fuck about Federal Law. You want to sue them? Go ahead. Be the man, stand up against the tyranny. Props to you. Me? I got bigger fish to fry. The fuck I care about the $1000 I give them when I make that back in a day.

subigo

Do what I do... throw the letter away, write a few negative reviews online, and forget about it.

/you'd be surprised how many times companies offered me cash/settlements to take down bad reviews.

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Rage9

Since Super Pages has already passed this off to the thugs no reason to send Super Pages a letter.

Technically they can get away with not sending it as long as their company has standard practices of sending them out. They are also not required to have proof that the letter was ever mailed or delivered.

Although technically your right, doesn't mean their going to do it (which will allow you to sue). If their real scum buckets they may still keep trying to collect.

You have the 30 day right to dispute in all states as it's a federal law.

-----

The first thing you should do is try to make them prove your debt, stop the phone calls and make them communicate only by mail.

Here's the sample letter I have used in the past when contacted by CA's (collection agencies): Sample Leter 9 - Request to a collection agency to validate a debt

This is all you have to do right now. You could possibly stop the phone calls by actually telling the collection agent that you are disputing the debt and would like to only communicate by mail. This might not work, so tape record it and use it as evidence later if you have to take legal action.

Get that out in the mail ASAP with confirmation and return receipt. Sit back and wait.

If you need more help feel free to PM me.

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stoxup

Vikas Kapoor, President & CEO
Randy Christofferson, Chairman of the Board
Norman Merritt, CFO
ALLIED INTERSTATE, INC.(BAD REPUTATION!)
Jeff Swedberg, President
Jim Pond, Senior Vice President

55 N. Arizona Place, #505
Chandler, AZ 85225
Phone: (480) 722-7810
Fax: (480) 782-7001

5062 N 19th Ave Ste 102
Phoenix, AZ 85015-3225
Phone: (602) 841-4332
Fax: (602) 841-7388

31229 Cedar Valley Dr
Westlake Village, CA 91362-4036
Phone: (818) 575-5400

3111 S Dixie Hwy Ste 101
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-1520
Phone: (561) 671-2121
Fax: (561) 671-2165

340 Interstate North Pkwy SE
Ste 140
Atlanta, GA 30339-2201
Phone: (770) 989-5700
Fax: (770) 989-5724

7103 Chancellor Dr., Suite 100
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: (561) 671-2152
Fax: (561) 671-2165

5910 Shingle Creek Pkwy.
Brooklyn Cntr, MN 55430-2322
Phone: (763) 503-6595
Fax: (763) 585-7881

435 Ford Rd Ste 800
Minneapolis, MN 55426-1066
Phone: (952) 546-6600
Fax: (952) 595-2311

13777 Ballantyne Corporate Pl
Ste 200
Ballantyne Corporate Pk.
Charlotte, NC 28277-3425
Phone: (704) 943-1000
Fax: (704) 943-1053

3200 Northline Ave Ste 135
Greensboro, NC 27408-7616
Phone: (336) 333-3100
Fax: (336) 373-4442

15 Hazelwood Dr., Suite 102
Amherst, NY 14228
Phone: (716) 691-1320
Fax: (716) 691-3534

1979 Marcus Ave Ste 100
New Hyde Park, NY 11042-1002
Phone: (516) 437-0800
Fax: (516) 437-6121

3070 Lawson Blvd
Oceanside, NY 11572-2711
Phone: (516) 561-6552
Fax: (516) 561-6548

3000 Corporate Exchange Dr.
Columbus, OH 43231
Phone: (614) 901-7988
Fax: (614) 901-7794

12655 N Central Expy, Suite 925
Dallas, TX 75243-1700
Phone: (972) 934-8448
Fax: (972) 404-1611

14550 Torrey Chase, Suite 550
Houston, TX 77014
Phone: (281) 580-2000
Fax: (281) 580-0396

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nachoninja

twitter it

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Rage9

Goldmine bitches nearly everything you want to know about these bastards:
Bud Hibbs Helps America Hold Debt Collectors to the Law!

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MadPPC.com - PPC, PHP, and other Affiliate Marketing tips. It's OK to be MAD!

AdHustler

ive had issues with them too

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AdHustler

great fuckin idea....i won with Wells Fargo stealing a few grand from me by twittering it. Ask bofu

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Rage9

"This company is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. Sloppy record keeping, failure to validate at every level, under-trained, uneducated collectors SEVERELY lacking in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act training. "

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MadPPC.com - PPC, PHP, and other Affiliate Marketing tips. It's OK to be MAD!

alexb

Buy a taser. If they come to your house, use it.

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barman

completely agree that these fucks are a huge scam. Doesn't matter which company (yellow pages, book, brick of shit), this is how they make their money.

I'm down to cause a social media shit storm if you are SlightyShady.

Anyways, I posted my story before, but basically they were going to take me to court (they skipped the collections part) for $1600 plus, and we just settled for $900 to get them off my case.

Imagine the worst rebill you can think of and their whole operation is 50 times worse.

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Where Affiliate Marketers go for News. and Weed.

xmcp123

Ah holy crap. Thanks for the information everyone.
Got a guy on twitter who works at Idearc helping me who seems like a cool guy.
We'll see where it goes

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Skippy McGee

Sorry to hear about the BS.

Makes we want to work on some scraper sites. That'll show 'em!

LogicFlux

Wow that is some scammy shit there.

jelf

I want an update!

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if you need help just hit me up.. Discount Sunglasses

rawbones

YellowBook SuperPages etc.. All fucking bullshit. Those Fuckpukes hire Indian boilerrooms and pound small businesses. My brick and Morter businesses get 20 calls a week from those bastards. When my sec'y yells in the phone "EAT A COCK" I know who called..

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iztoogoodtobetrubro

xmcp123

Ok guys. Got an update.
The guy that messaged me on twitter came through completely.
He was so much better than anyone else I dealt with.
Thanks for the help again though everyone. I learned a crapload from all this.

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Roundabout

xmcp - make sure the company removes your bad credit listing (if it's there). chances if you're in collections they've reported the incident to the big 3 credit bureaus... only they can get it removed, and any settlement on your part (or theirs) should be contingent on them removing the bad report, otherwise you'll walk away from this thinking it worked out with a happy ending until 6 months later you're in a car dealership ready to buy and the salesman walks toward you from his office, your report in hand, shaking his head...

AdHustler

Twitter fuckin rocks for this shit. I am the hugest twitter bully.

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andyt

that is really bullshit that they are trying to charge for this, but hopefully the guy from twitter will help. good luck

jdomaha

Whatever you do, do not pay anything towards an invalid debt. You paying them gives them the "proof" they need to attach the negative item to your credit report.

Follow Mereo's advice.

domaingamer

I bought a company one time and had to inherit $60,000 of phone book advertising which translated into 75 calls over the course of the year. I tried getting out of the contract and had very little luck (they're customer support is excellent at stonewalling and doing nothing) and ended up paying a lot of the tab I owed them. Didn't end up paying everything as that business will be going under shortly, so wouldn't be surprised if we get turned over to collections for our remaining amount.

I can't think of any business I hate more with a passion. They are the rebill from hell and they deliver nothing of value. If you need anything and/or want any help, I'm here to give what ever assistance I can.

CCLIND

Just kinda skimmed through, so forgive me if this has been said. FDCPA is your friend. From what I can gather since you moved you didn't get the 1st notice letter which gives you 30 days to dispute in writing. Best bet now is file a dispute with the 3 credit bureaus. Once a dispute is filed they have 30 days to verify. If they don't verify it is automatically removed. The only problem besides the dispute part (the bureaus are a PITA to deal with) is how long they pick up on each others info.

Also any payment made to them resets the 7 year statue of limitations, as a payment is validation of said debt. So do not pay them a dime!!