To call in the complaint.
Director of operations Daniel Waters direct line.
Office of Finance & Regulation.
407-245-0606.

THIS IS WHO YOU NEED TO VENT TO. EVENTUALLY THEY WILL STOP, ONLY IF EVERYONE IS WILLING TO CALL. THEY SCARE PEOPLE IN TO PAYING THERE OLD BILL. IF NOTHING ELSE HANG UP AND IGNORE THEM.

THEY BUY OLD DEBT FOR FRACTIONS OF A PENNY TOO THE DOLLAR.

who gives a crap azz about grammar you stupid idiot

If you paid them, you are stupid. and that's the bottom line, and if your so Holier than thou, then why didn't you pay the original creditor and not a bottomfeeder junk debt collection company.

hahahhahahhaha

I agree, actually you don't owe a collection company, cause you never signed a contract wtih them so I would never pay a debt collection company anything. and of course debt collectors don't like these types of forums because it educates people of their rights.

DEBT COLLECTORS ARE SCAMMERS AND RETARDS

If I were you, I would pay my utilities, groceries, rent and medical before I sent these fools anything. Don't be stupid, take care of yoursef and let them call you all they want, change your phone number and listen if they sue you, all you have to tell the judge is your sick and on disability and you can pay them 2 bucks a month, and then they have to leave you alone....Try it, it works
I had a friend that a debt collection sued her for a loan, she got cancer, lost her job and lost both breast, lost her home, car and everything, they took her to court and she told the judge she only received 600 bucks a month and it went for her meds and he asked her if she could pay the company something and she said I barely have a quarter after I buy my meds, the judge said, 25cents per month and told them to leave her alone. you should have seen their faces.  So a law suit ain't that bad, cause they can't get blood out of a turnip,

you stupid idiot, this is a forum for complaints, the USA is in debt, our country owes China, so much money its insane, and for you to come on here and tell people not to listen to what debtors say, you need to crawl back under the rock where you reside, i can't stand people like you, you think cause someone owes money they are loosers, never even knowing that they may have a debt because they got sick and couldn't work or were in an accident or were victims of hurricanes and tornadoes, when you've lost your job and your home and everything, who in the hell would pay a debt collector, have you lost your mind.AND YES VANDERBILT IS a scam, pondscum...wHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE GET SOME REAL JOBS AND STOP HARASSING FOLKS, CAUSE THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULD PAY IF THEY HAD THE MONEY.

YOU MAKE ME SICK IDIOT

They are scammers. Ask for their address and they won't give it. They call with different company names and phone numbers but they're the same people.

Fake debt collectors - http://www.fdcpa.me/fake-process-server-injunction/

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-248-7281/8

You can file a complaint online with the FTC and attorney general.

http://www.naag.org/  

http://www.ftc.gov/

http://www.flofr.com/StaticPages/FileAComplaint.htm

I have receceived a message every day regarding my sister.  The message that was left is exactly word for word as the previous comment.  I've tried to call them back and left messages to let them know this is not me and to stop calling!

This is what I have received via cell over 3 days, 3 times a day.  Always a recorded message...

"This message is for SO&SO (whom I don't know).  This is Vanderbilt & Associates who have been hired to do an asset and liability investigation on SO&SO.  Please contact the office pre-legal department to resolve prior to litigation at (877)248-7281 in reference to file number 34***94.  This is a time sensitive issue that needs to be resolved."

BBB has rated them an F.

Another thing to keep in mind with debt collectors, although they use tactics to Getty you to admit to the debt, they will remain professional IF they legit. If they are yelling, cussing etc at you, most likely they are a scan. At the very best they are a very poor collection company. Just keep in mind, don't give them any info, if your are being harassed don't pick the phone up but keep a log of the calls.like the above poster said, contact the authorities.

Please,

Everyone who is experiencing the same problems with this group as I am, Take some time and fill out the complaint form on this website. It is our best chance to get these fools shut down.

http://www.flofr.com/StaticPages/documents/OFR-CCA-103.pdf

They have wasted a solid 6-8 hours of my time investigating them, and now I am done with this silly mess. Help me shut these crooks down by filing this form as well, I assume the FLOFL uses this form to rank the numbers of occurrences it receives. If you are currently paying this group, I would advise contacting a lawyer to see if you can somehow retrieve any of your money. These guys are obviously crooks.
Caller: Vanderbilt & Associates

They also aren't licensed to practice in the state of Florida. According to Florida Code, consumer collections agencies need to licence with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (FLOFR). Buchanan Capital, which is listed as the management group for Vanderbilt has a status of expired, and Vanderbilt has a status of denied. Visit FLOFR to file a complaint and to check their licence status yourself

http://www.flofr.com/StaticPages/VerifyALicense.htm

I was contacted by this group for a possible "Civil Suit" and "Litigation". Well they actually contacted my mother in law, and my wife. They both contacted me, and I called them up. They brought up a bank account that was closed a year and a half ago and said that I owe 800 ish dollars, but if I paid 500 ish dollars they would relieve my debt. The guy said that he didn't want this to go to court, and that he wanted to see if I would pay it before then. They never once said that they were attempting to collect a debt, the whole time I thought they were a law office because they brought up litigation and all of that. I told the guy that I had no outstanding balances owed to said bank, and he said "well I wouldn't be contacting you if that were the case". He then tried to persuade me to pay the money to avoid trial etc. I told him that I wasn't going to blindly pay him money without knowing what the debt is for, and that I would contact the bank. I told him that if the bank had any issues, they would have contacted me, especially because I have my mortgage through them etc. He said "yeah, well they won't have any records of it, and since it looks like you haven't had any judgements against you, and your house doesn't appear to be in foreclosure YET, I will make you a deal"

I looked up this company, today and found through public records that:

Merrill Miller is involved (either president or vice) in the following Companies all located in a small dumpy plaza called Cheney Plaza, on Old Cheney Hwy in Orlando. You should google street view it..... what a dump.

Niagra Capital Management
ALM aquisitions
Five M Financial
Mendenhall & Associates
Buchannan Capital Management
KAM Financials
Rite Cost Financial
Vanderbilt & Associates
Levine & Cohen and Associates
Rosenthall & Associates
E & M and Associates

Business Partners Include:
Jacob Adamo: who works for Buchanan Capital Management, and is signed with Merrill Miller for Niagra      Capital Management, Buchanan Capital Mgmt., and who runs Knox Financial Services.

Rick Pugh: Who is signed with Merrill Miller on Mendenhall & Associates and Rite Coast.

Most were started and dissolved withing months.

Miller and Adamo's personal address' were also listed in the incorporations (Nice houses with a significant pool). Interestingly enough, both houses for these two have some asian name listed as the owners.

And then...there's this gem:

Regulatory Sanctions
On November 16, 2012, the Division of Consumer Finance issued a final order against Kam Financials, Inc., E & M and Associates, Inc. d/b/a Rite Coast Financials, Inc., Five M. Financial, Inc. d/b/a Levine & Cohen and Associates, Merrill Miller, Mendenhall & Associates, Inc., and Richard Pugh (each collectively referred to as ?Respondents?). The final order adopts a stipulation and consent agreement whereby Respondents agree to cease engaging in prohibited business practices by attempting to enforce illegitimate debt or nonexistent legal rights, utilizing communication simulating a legal or judicial process, giving the false impression of attorney affiliation, and failure to provide adequate identification as a debt collector to consumers. Respondents agreed to implement corrective actions and were assessed an administrative fine in the amount of $40,000.

http://www.flofr.com/staticpages/documents/112112Report.pdf

I hope this helps people out, I am not paying it yet and still following the legal channels by putting a fraud alert on my credit reports, and mailing a debt validation letter requiring signature.

These collections companies are buying up old debt and attempting to run a scam to scare people into paying for debts older than the statue of collection.  They also use skip chase methods to contact anyone previously connected.  I am getting calls trying to find my Ex husband (who I divorced 25 years ago) and his wife.  I have had to threaten them with filing a complaint for unfair collection practices.  For every call made to you after the complaint is filed they can be fined up to $1000 per call.

1st off its a script of course it is the same thing over and over again. just to let you know when banks charge off that is how much you owe at that time. there is interest under state usury laws that allow up to 18% while it sits . Creditors dont sue - they sell to people who do sue.  If we don't recover the accounts then taxes go up - who do you think pays bailouts. And to let you know they are forgoing the collection process now a days. Why waste money on asking someone to pay the bill when everyone needs to be sued and you have to decide whether you pay for collection effort or suit. If you owe money you get to pay for what every they spend to get it back.  And nowadays they are willing to take 50 a month through the courts - sue 1200 accounts @ 50 per account and you now have 60k rolling through your door every month for 2-3 years. Simply put, dont think that bills dont need to be paid.  If your employer only gave you half of your paycheck and blamed it on the person not paying the bill you'd be pissed. Stop making excuses and stop being mad that someone needs to cal everyday to try to get  you to man up.

Report them to your state attorney general's office.

Unfortunately, it is doubtful that you will get any of your money back.  :(

Yes, it is a scam, verifiable through Florida's public records.

Vanderbilt & Associates LLC was formed using Buchanan Capital Management LLC as the registrant, to hide the identities of Jacob J. Adamo and Merril T. Miller.

Vanderbilt has no business license recorded, much less the Credit Collection Agency license required by Florida laws.

If you look up the business license they will try to give you (CCA9902590) you will see it is registered to Buchanan Capital Management LLC. Further research will prove that neither Buchanan nor Vanderbilt have registered Fictitious Names.

A word of warning. It is apparent that there are people looking for these forums and posting false messages about the legitimacy of Vanderbilt & Associates LLC.  Look up the info for yourself on the Florida governmental websites!

They had all my information so i figuerd it was legit, now i try to contact them  and the number does not work, they said if i fail to complete the agreement i will owe the full amount, they i had paid it down from 7100.00 and there was still an outstanding balance, now i read these emails saying this is a scam, what do i do, can they really take me to civil court if i dont honor the agreement, is this a real company.

I had This # call my parents house saying I was in pre litigation for a debt. I called the # back and the lady screamed "YES" in my hear like she had just won the jackpot!  Real professional!  Then when I asked her if she could email me a copy of this supposed bill she said it was considered a stall tactic and their firm would not do it.  I told her I refused to make any kind of "payment" until I knew what it was I was making arrangements to pay for. She then proceed to read me the riot act on all the legal action her firm could bring against me. I told her to go ahead I'd see her in court and that maybe then I would she a copy of this "bill"!!!!!!!!!!

I have 15+ years in the financial industry this information is valid for all debts. If you have a creditor that you legitimately owe, DON'T ignore their calls thinking you'll take care of it later. In house collections is MUCH better to deal with than a collection agency. The in house collections is typically that companies employees making the attempt to get you to pay. You can in MOST situations make payment arrangements with them. If you ignore them, they will send you to an outside agency that is VERY aggressive. That is who this company is. They actually purchase debts from creditors. So if you owe $500 they may pay $75 and what they collect is their profit. When this happens though your ORIGINAL creditor MAY keep your ENTIRE amount on your credit report as a debt still owed, but partially paid in an agreement. This does show on your report to future lenders. Yes you made the agreed upon payment, but you defaulted on your original agreement.  

These collection calls are become more and more frequent. These MAY have been or MAY be legitimate debts at some time in the past. HOWEVER you have rights you don't just have to pay because someone calls you and threatens you.

Here's what you should keep in mind when you are dealing with collectors. They are people JUST like you. Trying to make a living, it's just a job. Take the emotions out of your dealings with them. They are trained, to do their job. Their job is to get you to pay this "debt" whether it is valid or not. The validity of the debt is NOT their job, it's just to get your payment.

Don't resort to derogatory comments to the collector, even if they are provoking you. This is a tactic, to get you emotional so you slip up and incriminate yourself. They record their calls, if you admit to the debt your "debt collection clock" starts over.

Each state has a different time frame in which collectors are allowed to legally collect, this doesn't mean others may not try to later, but you may not be legally bound to pay. UNLESS you admit to the debt. This includes making payment arrangements, even if you don't pay.

The best way to deal with this company is to tell them as LITTLE as possible. Get their address. Send them a certified letter stating you have no knowledge of this debt and demand proof of the debt. They have a limited amount of time to get you that proof. If they don't you are under NO obligation to pay!!!

Ignoring them, yelling at them, etc... will NOT make them go away. It's their job, it's not a hobby in tormenting you. If they refuse to provide you proof of payment, then you have a legitimate paper trail if you pursue legal action against them or report them.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS keep detailed notes, dates, times and with whom you spoke to, the number you dialed to get them etc... They are keeping notes to use against you, you need to keep notes for your proof. Confusion and misdirection is another tactic they use, stay calm, level headed. You can yell once you hang up! :)

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give out ANY information to them. (Accept your address if you are asking for proof of payment, obviously they have to have that to send it to you.) NO updated phone numbers, NO NO NO account numbers, NO debit/credit card numbers, NOTHING other than your address. They don't have access to your bank account unless you give it to them!!!

Lastly, and this sounds strange but sometimes it's NOT in your best interest to pay long past debts. A family member of mine had their ATM card stolen at one point and someone made a bunch of charges. This family member at the time was not hanging with the best crowd and didn't want to turn in his buddy to the police. The bank that the card was from wasn't terribly helpful, which a lot of banks aren't anymore, but that's a different story and I digress. He just "ignored" the bank account and credit card. Which if you have ever done that, you will go to chexsystems and collections. Chexsystems stays on your record for 5 years now. Regardless if you pay the bank back. He lives in California and debtors can collect up to 7 years.

They tried for 2 years aggresivly, his mom finally said she had no contact with him that he could be dead for all she knew (true, he was out and about God knows where) Anyway, he's cleaned up his act and it's in the last year of the 7th year. His credit score now is in the low 800's!!!! This "debt" they are trying to collect on isn't even showing on his credit report. The bank forgot to send him to chexsystems so he still has a bank account and is completely uneffected by this debt. IF he paid it... THEN it would show on his credit report.. Not great incentive to pay right? lol.

Hope this helps you and good luck!

They took a dollar from my account.

Please everyone remember one simple rule :
NEVER give out your credit /atm, checking account number over the phone unless you are absolutely sure that the company is legitimate!  Example : electric company, phone,  etc.  This vanderbit calls with different numbers 8-12 times per day on my cell for my son.  He does not live with me.  He is in another town and has been for years!  I finally just put all of their numbers to go straight to voicemail. Please protect yourselfs.

I received a call from Vanderbilt and Associates in late July/early August, and they left a message. When I returned their call, I spoke with a gentleman named Benjamin Baez (called from 888-342-0623 ext. 0152) who stated that I owed a debt and if I did not pay, I would be sued, and for me to contact my attorney because a civil suit would be filed. I am usually on point with such scams, but this time I thought this was legit, because I did owe a debt for the company they were stating. In turn, and in good faith on my behalf to resolve this debt, I set up payment arrangements, and allowed these thieves to debit my account for a portion of the debt that I owed. Needless to say, when I tried repeatedly to call this number back to inform them of a payment that was going to become due and they were getting ready to debit my account again, the above number I called was disconnected. I then came to this website where I have read numerous complaints from other people. I cannot believe that I fell for this crap, but I will make sure that these thieves pay for their crime.

They keep calling for my brother I keep telling them its the wrong number. They use the number 1-877-248-7281

1-877-248-7281 is the number they are using now.  they keep calling for my daughter in law.  I keep telling them they are calling the wrong number and to stop calling me.  they flat refuse to comply.  And their communication skills isn't as it should be at all.  Very vague and never using legal talk at all.  Only using big words to sound like they are from a law firm.  watch out.

I have been getting phone calls for my son, from Vanderbilt & Associates of Orlando, Fl.,my son  does not live with me, about a dept and a threat that a warrant will be served if he does not pay up.  They state in the phone call that this is a civil matter.    They ask for a social security number, which I did not give, they ask for  a birth date, which I did give.  They stated that information is correct and accepted that.  
Can any one give information to just anybody other than the named?  I did agree to start payment in the amount of $216.19, by credit card on September 17, 2012, then received a letter from Vanderbily & Associates about the agreement to pay in 4 payment for this amount.
I can not find any thing about Vanderbilt & Associated is licensed to do work inTennessee.

I am afraid this is a scam.  If so, what recourse do I have to recup my money.

they called me and i agreed to pay them 103 a month on a debt owed 5 years ago they harrassed me til i agreed im on disability and living on 1000 a month but they would not take no for an answer i live in pa so i dont know the limitations here but they are still bugging asking when i can pay the full amount the first payment was made roday,

Just came across your reply...HA!HA!HA!...DO YOU Even have an idea what the Federal Trade Commission is and does in the United States of America?  Thought not...try breaking the Codes of Federal Regulations...one ends up paying a penalty/fine and in Federal Prisions.  Oh, by the way the calls have stopped.  Good evening.

A job I use to work is getting these calls about 3-4 times a week and my brother who has a minute phone received a called from this same number 877-248-7281.  I called the number back tonight and when I pushed numbers to be connected to someone the phone would go dead.  I called back again with the samething happenin, so  I hung up the phone and within minutes my phone was ringing back.  The lady on the phone stated a called was missed from this number and as I gave her the number they called she informed me of a debt I owed from 2006.  The original amount I owed was $900 but they would settle for $600 and I asked for the name of company I owed, she said Bank of Delaware on a mastercard.  I asked for the name of the card and company I owed, she couldn't give me any information on the company that I'm suppose to have orignally owed.  As of right now I'm still waiting to recieve an e-mail from them since nothing could be mailed to me.  They also told my brother a civil suit had been filed against me in my city.

I keep getting calls for some other family member saying its regarding a civil matter.  I have not spoke to this family member in years and not sure how these people got my number but I will NOT return their call.  If they are too stupid to know who they are calling I refuse to indulge them. They use a new number  877-248-7281