WATCH OUT FOR THESE CRIMINALS....! I worked at this company and everything they do there is illegal. They purchase all of this debt and pay the collectors 20% per payment. They tell us to represent ourselves under false aliases and threaten check fraud by reciting the laws that govern the state that the debtor tive in. We used to refer to ourselves as "investigators" and pending warrants on every debtors answering machine, and threated to issue a summons by a local sheriff through the magistrate court. They are CLEARLY breaking the law. If they call you DO NOT PAY THEM...GET A RECORDER AND SUE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE WORTH!!!!
I was contacted by a Stephanie who represented herself as being an employee of a legal firm, Vandenberg, Chase, and Associates. She referred to a supposed debt I have with Ace Cash Express from 2005. I guess she didn't feel I was co-operating because she called a man to the phone who proceeded to try to browbeat me into sending them $500 immediately for a supposed debt of $230. He threatened me that they would take me to court and have the sheriff issue a summons for me. I asked for their address so I could send them a cease and desist letter. He refused to give it to me, stating his firm was not like that,that I couldn't get rid of them that easily, that they would drag me into court if I didn't pay up. He then told me I was being belitting because I repeated that I am unemployed at present. I told him he was the one who was shouting. He denied it, but he was. He kept telling me I should extort money from family and friends to send them. He also said the call was being recorded, and that it could be used in court if I was abusive to him. Yeah, right! Me, abusive. He was so belitting and abusive that I was upset for days. Finally, he said I could send him $100 or $200 within four days and he would hold off the lawsuit. I am contacting the FTC, Better Business Bureau, and making this firm and its illegal tactics public knowledge. If you are contacted by them, you should, too. We need to band together to get this business closed down asap!
I was contacted by a Stephanie who represented herself as being an employee of a legal firm, Vandenberg, Chase, and Associates. She referred to a supposed debt I have with Ace Cash Express from 2005. I guess she didn't feel I was co-operating because she called a man to the phone who proceeded to try to browbeat me into sending them $500 immediately for a supposed debt of $230. He threatened me that they would take me to court and have the sheriff issue a summons for me. I asked for their address so I could send them a cease and desist letter. He refused to give it to me, stating his firm was not like that,that I couldn't get rid of them that easily, that they would drag me into court if I didn't pay up. He then told me I was being belitting because I repeated that I am unemployed at present. I told him he was the one who was shouting. He denied it, but he was. He kept telling me I should extort money from family and friends to send them. He also said the call was being recorded, and that it could be used in court if I was abusive to him. Yeah, right! Me, abusive. He was so belitting and abusive that I was upset for days. Finally, he said I could send him $100 or $200 within four days and he would hold off the lawsuit. I am contacting the FTC, Better Business Bureau, and making this firm and its illegal tactics public knowledge. If you are contacted by them, you should, too. We need to band together to get this business closed down asap!
Guys, don't let this small time operation intimidate any of you. Under the FDCPA, you have the right to send what is called a cease and desist letter requesting that Vandenberg, Chase & Associates stop calling you. Fax it to them at: 404-249-9599 and keep a copy of your fax machine's transmission verification report. If you can't fax it to them, then send it to them via certified mail, return receipt requested to: 887 W. marietta St. NW, Ste J102, Atlanta, Georgia 30318-5266.
Once they receive your letter, all they can do is call you ONE MORE TIME to let you know that they MAY take legal action, they ARE taking legal action or they are ceasing their collection efforts. That's it! They cannont call you anymore. By the way, if they call you back after you have proof that they received a cease and desist, then call the FTC and get yourself a lawyer. Contact your State's Attorney General's office.
Don't lose any sleep over this outfit. These small time jerks don't have the funds to take you or any of us to court over such small amounts of money.
And the people who are posting here using multiple pseudonyms claiming that you should just go ahead and pay the bill are merely Vandenberg, Chase & Associates employees. These people will be out of business by the end of the year if not sooner.
Remember, if they continue to harass you after you have sent a cease and desist, record every call as evidence. Call your state's attorney general's office and report them. DO NOT LET THESE UNPROFESSIONAL P*R*I*C*K*S INTIMIDATE YOU.
I received a call from 404-682-9404, ext 3047, from a Ms. Betty who left a message on my work phone #. She stated something about "fraud" and that I should return her call. I then googled their company and found that they are not a very good company.