518-694-5465

I haven't spoken to them yet, but I have received two calls from them in the last 2 weeks.  After what I am reading here I bet I will see more.  They are calling my cell.  It doesn't show Caller ID, just the number 518-482-1596
Though this afternoons showed a double zero before the 518?  They advertise all over their website for Colwell and sal that they are for marketing and research.  I do research myself, and how came upon that and all this.  I did a phone reverse search on the number.  I am behind in bills as most Americans right now, so I am sure they are calling on one of my accounts.  Though I can't think which one because in truth I am in communication with all of them and have arrangements set up.  And the one I do not have arranged yet I know wouldn't have gone to this company to collect- their not rich enough.
But since I am seeing some are mentioning CD and Book clubs, not as I think about it I just had just returned a bill that was forwarded to me for books?  An old address of mine that I lived at years ago, someone I am assuming ordered books under my name.  Junk mail still goes to old addresses with our names on it sometimes- I really hate that about junk mail!  Anyway, I noticed the address and that this looked from last year.  So I sent it backa nd told them to get their facts straight- I didn't order any books and I haven't lived there in years, so if they are smart they should find that out first before bothering me!  FInd out who lived there when the books were ordered and I am sure you will find your culprit.  Now Obama is in office, they need to pass a bill against these types of companies... especially if they can't speak English well!  How annoying is that?!  Please!  How can we take you even serious, idiots!

Oh and yes... I think this story should be shared.  Many do not knwo this yet, but there is a scam being pulled by professional every day running collection companies; particularly NCO.  
A few months ago I received a bill from one of my old credit cards that I knew I owed on- Capital One.  It closed with me owing $500.  It went bad last year since I got laid off and hadn't been ablet o keep up between the late fee, over the limit fee, 17% interest rate and I know there was one more fee because I always think 4 fees.  But either way, a credit card once charged off is NOT suppose to incure interest.  How do I know this... once it is charged off it means someone else has bought the debt.  YOU did not sign a contract with this collection agency.  They can only legally collect on what is owed,and most times if they are good they settle- because they bought it for less than what you owe in the first place.  So they can afford to settle.  But I get this bill, which I had not received one from this collection company yet, and there was almost $600 in interest occured because the interest was almost 30%.  No joke!  Their interest, not Capital One.  I almost fainted!  I called right way! This was insane!  Of course I went round and round with the girl I spoke to, but once I got her to hear me out and I made sense to her, she said she would get her supervisor because only he could ammend what I was mentioning. (They all spoke English good.) So this man gets on the phone and instead of being logical with me and mature, he starts "bullying" me.  I recognized right away what he was doing. I corrected him and asked him if he could show me a contract that shows they have right to charge interest on a charged off account?  He said they did with the Capital One accounts.  So I asked why, and he said its in my contract- I signed with Capital One when I first got it.  I laughed then and to his surprise I STILL had it (most people fail to keep them, shame) but I had mine and said where because I was looking at mine and seen this no where.  Seen there was no place stating that if went to 3rd party collections the interest not only is allowed to keep going but be increased.  He said he didn't have my contract with him but all Capital One contracts state this.  Hmm?  I asked him to still prove it.  He demanded I pay first, and I said no- prove it first.  And he started yelling "Ok, we have a refusal to pay! Put her in as a refusal to pay!" Of course his immaturity irritated me but I corrected him and asked him to please stop yelling, and accomidate my right.  He said I lost my right once I went delinquent. I had it then. Told him fine, I would contact BBB and continue to investigate this (I do research and investigative journalism.) I told him what my career was and he just messed with the wrong person. So he said fine and that this would ruin my credit and the payment would get bigger. And that BBB can do nothing, and I am wasting my time.
Let's just say within 3 weeks later BBB got back to me with a letter straight from NCO that not only did they close my account, they personally contacted each credit reporting agency and reported my debt paid in full. I recently received my updated report, and sure enough... its not even there!  NONE OF IT!  I guess I caught them? And my report and evidence to BBB probably scared them that some of us do keep every little paper we sign and agree to.  They wanted me gone I guess.
This was NCO everyone; one of the biggest collection agengies out there.  Imagine if they are doing this, what other collection agengies are getting away with???  Think about it everyone!  Don't be bullying!  Chances are you have more rights then they are leading on. And I truly think this phone harressment stuff must end now!  I am still investigating NCO and a few other collection agengies, and finding more stories where they are tircking and bullying.  People are paying more then they need and paying on debts that are not even theirs.  Please, spread the word we all do have rights.  Don't let them make you think otherwise.

Received several messages from this number - calling themselves the Packard Group and that it was imperative that we call them back.  I googled the number and never called them once I saw many people were being harassed by people from this phone number.  Thank you.

the phone number i get for these colwell and sal is 1/518/694/5401 about 3 times a day, just some guy who keeps saying hello on my machine like he dont understand the concept of that answering machine wont talk back to him. i tried the number back and its dead air, wont even make a connection.

This is a collection agency calling for someone not me.  Here is the information I got from them:

Takhar Group of Services
1623 Military Rd Suite 537
Niagara Falls, NY 14304
(518) 694-5464

It seems that everyone there is related, or they use a pseudonym.  I spoke with a front-line supervisor "Matt Taylor" who hung up on me when I asked for their business address.  I called back and spoke with a "Xavier Taylor" who removed me from their list as well as gave me their business address.  They will be getting a Cease & Desist from me, certified mail, with a note referencing the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.  This is about the only way to get them to stop them from calling you.  But you also need to address any affiliated organizations such as parent organizations or subsidiaries.

These people have the Asian-Indian accent and sound and act like another company I dealt with recently, so I think they rotate names.  It's time to look them up with the Better Business Bureau in NY and track them down by their registered number(s).

Updated information for all to see.  I followed a couple cross references in this discussion and here is what I've seen so far.

Other names:
TGC\TCS\Takhar Collection Services
Packard Group
Colwell & Salmon Communications

Gerald Hastingshome

Other related numbers:
888-375-0275
866-408-8299
800-898-4426
877-466-5701
800-433-1914

Here is the BBB link I found regarding Takhar Collection Services Ltd:
http://search.buffalo.bbb.org/codbrep.html?ID=132246569

Takhar Collection Services Ltd
hsingh@takhargroup.com
Primary Contact: Hardy S Takhar (President)
Other Contacts:  Suhi S Takhar  (CFO)

Alternate Business Names
Takhar Group
TCS Collection Services

In the above link, I highly advice following down to the "Industry Tips" section.  It is extremely informative on what they can and cannot do.  Please educate yourself and know your rights.

I received a call at work, number blocked, could not understand the woman hardly at all, did finally understand that she was confirming she could take 150$ from my bank account today...i told her i never told anyone they could do that... I told her i needed her number she gave me this one. Im hoping i heard her right and she said the last four of my bank account wrong i tried to call back and i cant understand who the answering machine says ive reached...then it just hangs up after sayin they are connecting me with the next "we pee sunt a teve".

tHEY KEEP CALLING AND ASKING FOR MY WIFE AND WON'T TELL ME WHO THEY ARE?
i'M NOT GOING TO LET THEM HAVE HER WORK NUMBER

this company contacted me and my wife saying they were from my mortgage company. And they were apart of that mortgage company's documentation group. They said they called to inform me that I did not get the loan and they were missing a 4506T form which authorizes another party to virew one's tax transcript. I told they they were mistaking and that I was already approved for my loan. So I dont know how they knew vaguely that I had recently applied for a loan but they were trying to get more information out of me. I will be reporting them.

Worked for Colwell and Salmon for a couple years, laid off recently due to cut backs.

Only calling we did was debt collections a few other companies, past-due balance calling on accounts for the North American Membership Group, and occasionally they'd call for schools like st johns university to hand out scholarships, do alumni awareness calling (save-the-date kind of stuff), and annual donations.

Nothing in the office was cold calling, you HAVE to be affiliated for them to call you.

So pick up and say "please place me on your personal do not call list"- or face the consequences of their new automated dialer system. If they don't talk to the person they're calling for, they WILL call you back. It's just how their computer codes work.


無知な愚か者.