Letter from Collection Company ACA Recovery Inc.
Complaint
Sally
Country: United States
Received letter from ACA Recovery in todays mail, called them and they indicated I had an overdue statement with Go Yellow Pages Online.com. Since I do not advertise with dot.com companies as so many of them are scams I told Ms. Young it was not my bill. She indicated that a statement was sent out in December. I did not receive a statement. I began looking up this company, nothing but complaints about it and it's so called collection company. They have my company listed, phone number is wrong, no email address and no website. Now if I had actually worked with someone to advertise, wouldn't I have put my phone number, website and email? SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM. ACA sent me the statement that was not legible. Got the phone number online. No one will pick up the phone at Go Yellow Pages Online. I am sending a certified letter demanding a zero balance and copying the State Attorney Generals Office and their Local BBB office.
Comments
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/qctkW871IAAh_QjMbnbe6Q
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/ocbgPRSIQAD4ogjMKixQeg
As you have probably already found out, goyellowpages has numerous complaints alleging fraudulent marketing of rheir "business listings", including deceptive telemarketing and fraudulent billing, using edited or doctored recordings. The pattern of complaints is a common one with "business directory" scams, which have used doctored recordings created from "information verification" calls for years. FTC has shut down a number of them.
Numerous complaints allege ACA Recovery is collecting on "accounts" for goyellowpages, as well as another similar company that has settled with several Attorneys General regarding similar allegations.
Some reports indicate ACA has claimed to have a "recording", yet backed down when confronted. Since complaints of fraudulent collection and invoicing have been going on for several months, presumably ACA is fully aware of the fraudulent nature of the "debts" they are collecting on, from the disputes and complaints they are receiving.
File complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, NJ Attorney General, www.ic3.gov, and the FBI, since they handle white collar crime and telemarketing fraud.
Since they apparently knowingly mailed you an invoice for an unowed "debt", file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
As the owner, I called the company to speak with her. I told her that I never authorized this Local US Pages transaction, and she replied that one of my employees did. She asked me if I wanted to hear my employee agree to the terms. When she played me the tape, all the 'yes' answers sounded exactly the same to me. Was it doctored? As if my employee said 'yes' to one thing and they kept repeating these answers.
Would you authorize us to charge you XX dollars? "Yes"
Do you have the authorization to make this charge? "Yes"
I told her that the whole thing was just wrong, and she replied that she would consider the charge 'under dispute.' I said to her that I reported her to the FTC, and she replied, "That's your opinion," and hung up the phone.
I have since sent them a cease and desist letter. I hope my story helps educate others out there.
I have tried and tried to call Go Yellow Pages Online and get a busy signal everytime. As ACA did not call me back on Friday, I called them this AM and spoke with Ms. Young asking for a better phone number to contact the company. She did not have one, and if her supervisor did, they would not be able to release it. Ms. Young did indicate that my account was in dispute and that it was now up to the Go Yellow Pages Online to decide to proceed or seek legal action. I indicated that after speaking with BBB and Attorney General's offices that I was proceeding with my Certified Mailings of dispute.
I have the benefit of having a sister that is a collector (one of the few nice ones out there) and she told me to write the Cease and Desist letter indicating to not contact me by phone or mail, making sure to indicate that this issue was not to affect my credit reports or my Brad and Dunstreet and that any other contact must be through my attorney.
I will be copying Attorney General for Florida, Idaho, NJ, BBB of Florida that gave Go Yellow Pages Online a 'F' and see if I cannot make some trouble for these looooosers.
Not sure I would mention anything that would let them believe they have a way of pressuring you, since you are dealing with a con game, both from the "original creditor" and from their partner "debt collector".
The key thing to include in your dispute is that the alleged "invoice" is fraudulent, that you dispute it in its entirety, that you have filed complaints with the above agencies, and that further contact must be through your attorney.
Unless you actually want to take them to court, by giving them the opportunity to continue their fraudulent activities so that you can document them, your strongest play is to report all illegal actions, and let them know that is what they are doing. You are not responding to their threats like they want you to, you are not going to pay off regardless of what they say, and you might cost them.
If they call and harass you, tell them you are recording (do so), don't respond, make notes, and let them keep talking. Let them hang themselves. Treat them like any other obscene caller.
"Do you feel lucky, punk?"
As for credit reporting agencies, or D&B, you can deal with that if they actually do it. So far these bozos appear to be bluff and threat, having to both threaten small businesses to extort their payments while not having too high a profile to avoid prosecution. D&B or the CRAs probably don't want a reputation of aiding and abetting a fraudulent telemarketing scam, and their blind "assistance" and deep pockets might actually make a class action lawsuit profitable.
Harassing calls, threats and use of obscene language can pressurize you to the edge and moreover, a collector may embarrass you by contacting your employer or even be pursued to disburse for a debt that is not rightfully yours.
There are limits on how far telemarketers can go, that is why we provide information on how to put an end to telemarketer calls and more efficiently, how to correspond with them about your account and/or to dispute a collection action and can teach you what are your rights in terms of privacy.
You can find out more information on our website: www.spgconsultants.com
By informing each other, we protect each other
File complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, NJ Attorney General, www.ic3.gov, and the FBI, since they handle white collar crime and telemarketing fraud.
Since they apparently knowingly mailed you an invoice for an unowed "debt", file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
In addition, contact FTC to file a fraud complaint.
One of ACA Recovery's other "phony listing" clients, known as Regional Yellow Pages Online, or Thompson Hill Publishing, was sued by FTC, and has been subject to a permanent injuction since earlier this year, yet ACA Recovery is still collecting on their bogus "debts".
www.regionalyellowpagesonline.com/ RegionalYP.com
Newest campaign.
Registering a 3rd party business that does the recordings. This new campaign is being offered to other Fraudulent Telemarketers in Montreal.
I am staying in Coimbatore. I request you do some major changes in Coimbatore city. Coimbatore is the Manchester of India. It is a developing city. The roads in Coimbatore is very worst except Avinsashi Road.
The Mettupalyam Road from Flower market(cbe) to Mettupalayam is facing worst condition. It is a four lane highway road. But the road is very worst. Kindly do some changes in that areas.
2.) The North Coimbatore flyover is very famous. But in that too, the roads are very worst. No street lights, No route board and in the underground it is very dangerous. No light and very dirty.
3.) The North Coimbatore Railway station has to be developed and a road which is too near railway track(LORRY STAND) going to Murugan mill has to be developed by putting some good thar roads.
4.) Maruthamalai is India's most popular temple situated near Bharathiyar University. There, a bus dippo has to come for parking. Because at present the bus stand is very bumpy and uncomfortable.
Kindly see through this places and kindly do the need full. Please and I am really sorry for my bad english.
Thanking you
I asked who this company was, we do NOT adverise or do business with YellowPagesExpress..We had never even heard of them, or received information about them, much less any bill! First I talked to Linda Banks, who was so abrupt and rude, she wouldn't give me any information, told me I had to write a dispute letter, and hung up on me! I called back spoke to Lisa, she would NOT give me any information, said she would fax me a "copy of an invoice"! I received the fax, barely can make it out, so small! It looks like anyone could make this up! It's very amaturish! I called back and spoke to Jessica, I told her I found this web-site, she was at least nice enough to speak to me in a conversational tone, instead of abrupt, talking over, and rude comments! She told me that she would put the account in dispute, mark it closed and send it back to YellowpagesExpress! This is pure and simple SCAM!! Please don't pay this company ANYTHING!
1) They will send you a bill under Yellow Pages. If you fell for it, and paid... they will try and get you again under Go Yellow Pages, Yellow Pages Express, Regional Yellow Pages or Yellow Pages.com
-they target the smaller company that doesn't want bad credit history, and will pay the
6-7hundred to keep good credit, because it's creeper than paying a few grand to a
lawyer
2) Being full aware that it's a scam, they fear the letter from the Attorney General's office and will instantly close your account upon receiving a letter from Attorney General of your state.
-If it's against the law to send fraudulent bills/collection letters thru the US Postal
service, then I'm sure they fear contact from US Postal Inspector too.
3) The easiest way to get it to stop is by sending a letter disputing the charges (fax or mail). By law they then have to send it back to "Yellow Pages Express, .com, or wherever... And it's up to the Yellow to send you proof.
-Which I'm sure they WONT. The recordings can be fixed, and there is no written
Contracts, or even a signature on your final approval of your add.
4)And after embarrassing calls to your place of work and to your friends, after being insulted & lied to by very rude people; don't even bother trying to talk to owner, or a manager. All they do is give the phone to the co-worker next to them. The co-worker acts like there management, and your problem is never resolved.
It is sad that a company like this can prey on the hard working small business man and suffer no reprimand. After having made so many people's life very difficult, for a time, and even damaging there credit. A.C.A Recovery, and other companies will just continue to do it...