866-808-7286

I find it interesting that people tend to assume that everyone who receives these calls are deadbeats.  That isn't the case.  Things happen for example job loss or major medical or may the person with the loan graduated and in this current economy is still searching daily for a job.  Those who are so judgemental and refuse to look deeper more than likely will one day experience job loss or major medical, then suddenly, they will want help and have to deal with someone like them.  Others will end up like some of the corporate leaders who are under investigation and indicted because of their unethical and illegal acts.  My to all that are trying to stop the harassment, whether or not it is your debt, someone you know or total stranger is to file the  FTC, FCC, BBB, State Attorney General Complaints complaints. If they represent another business send a copy of those letters to that business.  Also write the President, US Attorney General, US Senators and Representatives, as well as your State Senators and Representatives.  Don't stop there, also join any class action law suits agains the offender.  Locate online petitions you can sign regarding the issue.  If you are over 50 write the Council on Aging and AARP.  Don't send just one letter, keep sending them.  Give them dates and names of who called (company, first and last if possible) and time of calls. If you can record each call.  If you answer the call let the offender know you are regarding each call.  Also write Cease and Desist letters the offender and send certified mail.   This is time consuming, but it will pay off in the long run. It is how change is made.  Ask your friends and relatives to sign the petition and write letters also stating their support of change that will make it illegal for this type of harassment and for greater enforcement.   I didn't note what type of loans/debt were involved, but make sure you ask for support of loan forgiveness as part of economic stimulation.  Keep in mind it doesn't have to be forgiveness of the full amount.  Also ask for income based repayment programs to be implemented, if not already.  Secondly, if these collection agencies have government contracts ask that these contracts not be renewed and that the government stop outsourcing to third party agencies who only add fees to the initial cost.  Keep posting to this and other sites.  There a number of support, lobby, action groups on Facebook and similar sites.  Keep the letters factual and keep personal comments about the character of individuals with these agencies out of the letter.  You can state they were uncooperative, coercive, intimidating, rude, repetative and such, but you can't call them sharks or scumbags.   I am one of these people impacted by medical costs that are more than a 1/3 of my income each month.  I tried to work with one such agency and got  no where, but I have made headway using the above method.  What is sad, is my loan was turned over not because I was not paying, but because I was paying in their mind too small of an amount.   There are actually IRS guidelines that these collection agencies and the companies they represent should be using when attempting to collect as to what constitute reasonable living expenses when calculating repayment.  But MOST OF THESE AGENCIES DO NOT FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES AND THEY DO NOT COMPLY WITH CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS.  

Be sure that you obtain the name (first and last if possible) of who you speak with at the agency/company that holds the debt and making collection efforts.  You want to provide these names.

Want a laugh??

Visit Premiere Credit's employment page .... http://www.mypremierejobs.com/positions.aspx

Please note how the "big brains" of the corrupt management operate, as they fill their chairs, and headsets, with the low IQ collectors:

They proudly portray that their collectors earn $70k. .... True to form, it's very misleading, and likely an outright lie.

Here's what they are really saying (and these numbers are, no doubt, very questionable) ... Their collectors earn from $20k - $120k, with a MEDIAN salary of $70k.

The "median" is the average of 2 numbers ... the highest & lowest. $20k plus $120k divided by 2.

20 + 120 = 140
140 / 2 = 70

Premiere may have one collector who "hit their equivalent of a  lottery" and earned $120k in a recent year, although I really doubt it.

Without a doubt Premiere has no shortage of low IQ collectors earning $20k, or less ... This is probably 95%+ of their collector work force.

If you took an "average" wage for Premiere debt collectors, it would be much closer to $20k. Here's what it likely looks like ...

~100 collectors @ $20k
1 collector @ $120k (if you even want to believe that)

Bottom Line .... This scumbag operation is corrupt & misleading from top to bottom, in all their practices.

Who aspires to be a debt collector, eh, .... WHO????

Folks,

If you haven't already, start logging all the illegal, and "borderline", activity.

- dates & times of all "suspected" calls from Premiere

- area codes & numbers of suspect spoofed phone calls

- names, dates, and queries these scumbags made of neighbors, relatives, employers, etc

- calls to your workplace, etc

These A$$wipe violate the FDCPA every hour of every day, and they know it ....

 http://fdcpaviolations.com/fdcpa.htm

What reason do they have to call several of your neighbors regarding a "bogus reference check" when they already know where you live / work ... and already have your phone number??? Why would they ask your neighbors if they know your cell phone number, if they are doing a "reference check".

As has been stated many times, the debt collection business is populated, for the most part, by very low IQ losers of questionable morals. The founders of this mess of an operation are a couple of A$$wipes who couldn't find anything better than debt collector's jobs when they got out of college, managed to get fired from those lousy jobs, and begged Wolfe's ugly wife's mother for money to start their own debt collection operation.

Start logging, my friends. You will no doubt be able to show a pattern, and generally accepted Premiere "operating procedures" of harassment, abuse, and the intent of annoying debtors .... ALL VIOLATIONS of the FDCPA!

Although Premiere is already liable for $1,000 for each documented violation, you will be able to get much more when you can demonstrate personal damages they have caused you. PLUS attorney's fees.

Here's a link to attorneys who will sue the scum for the fees the court awards them.

http://fdcpaviolations.com/fdcpa.htm

Like I said ... log, log, log. When you've had enough, contact an attorney. Everything you have logged will be verified from Premiere's call logs during discovery.

What business does a collection agency have talking to your neighbors, when the only legit reason they can, is to "locate" you??

Get this ... if they are calling your neighbors with the "reference check" ploy ... by definition, they already know where you are. Hell, they are calling your neighbors. How did they know who your neighbor was, if they didn't already know where you were.

This is a FDCPA violation, subject to a $1,000 award, plus attorney fees.

It's, plain & simple, harassment.

Squish these Premiere Credit A$$wipes ... flood ED, the FTC, & FCC with complaints about their illegal tactics!

next ...

The reason Premier Credit of North America spends so much time harassing those with goverment jobs or income such as social security is that they are easy to find. No effort to find these people and easy to verify and collect on through use of coercive tactics.  Sadly, you will find that many people with this low income don't know they have recourse and give up.  July 2009 an income based repayment program goes into effect. Go to the IRS Collection guidelines and then locate the hardship form on the Dept of ED site.  Apply for both.  This pushes your debt back to the US Dept of ED and "might" get some or all of it forgiven.   It isn't expensive to email or write the President, US and State Reps/Senators, Dept of ED, AARP, Council on Agency and other like them, as well as FTC, FCC and BBB.  or to sign petitions.  If you don't have a computer at home, then take time at work (set up hotmail or yahoo account) and do from work or go to the library to do this.  There are more of us than them.  Also check out groups such as those on FaceBook that are organizing for change as well.  The more complaints and awareness the more likely these changes will occur.  If our government can bailout banks and big industry and they constantly, then they can give relief to the citizens from student loans, whether is is total or partial loan forgiveness. This does take time, but it is worth it.  You cannot live on $800 per month.  Our government acknowledges this with the development of the IRS collection standards posted on the irs.gov site.   The more letters and petitions the more likely change will come.  Phone calls the those I listed work as well.  Just remain calm, stay factual and don't be disparging, just factual.   If you can record every converstation you have with the collection agencies.  When you start the conversation, say I want to make you aware that I am recording this call.  I find that 90% of the time they hang up on me, but guess what, I have that on tape.  It is very telling.  I even have the latest conversation I had with Kyle Baker at Premier  Collections on tape. I played it for the rep I spoke with at Dept of ED who was shocked and asked that I make a copy of it and mail it to them.  It takes time and effort, but it does pay off.

Poetic justice is within those like Kyle Baker at Premier experience cuts or job loss in the current recession or experience major medical.  I bet they start dancing to a different drummer the tables are turned.  Will I feel sorry for them.  No, because what goes round comes round.  They reaped what they sow.  

For of us we need to ask for change, not just for us, but our families, friends and the future generations.

Start reporting the A$$wipes' illegal tactics to ED!
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Department of Education currently contracts with several collection agencies to administer many of the collection activities of our accounts. Only those accounts which fail to establish and adhere to a repayment arrangement are subject to assignment to a collection agency by the Department's Debt Collection Service. Those accounts assigned to a collection agency are assessed additional collection costs.

Collection agency employees are trained to comply with the terms of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act which governs collection practices by debt collectors.

When Debt Collection Service is notified in writing of complaints concerning our collection agencies, we review the evidence and take the necessary action to correct the situation.

MIKE VENTIMIGLIA...YOU ARE AN IDIOT...WHEN YOU SPOKE TO A REP AND TOOK THEIR WORD FOR IT ALL YOU MADE THE MISTAKE...THERE WERE NO LIES TOLD TO YOU...IT WAS SIMPLY A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY...ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TELL THEM THAT THEY HAVE THE WRONG PERSON AND VERIFY THE LAST FOUR OF YOUR SOCIAL AND DATE OF BIRTH AND THEY WILL TAKE YOUR NUMBER OUT...IF YOU MAKE ARRANGEMENTS, NO QUESTIONS ASKED, IT IS YOUR PROBLEM.  YOU HAVE THE BURDEN OF PROOF AND YOU COULD HAVE AVOIDED EVERYTHING BY THINKING AND NOT PANICKING!  SURELY, YOU DON'T THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE COUNTRY WITH THAT NAME...

ok listen up...i have worked as a collector in the past and have also defaulted on a loan that i had a while ago, so i know both ends of this equation.
what many debtors dont realize is that yes, collectors CAN call you, your spouse, your parents, your neighbors, etc. unless told otherwise. what they are trying to do is get in touch with you so they can get your loan out of default! i cant begin to tell you how many times i helped people get back their credit and their life turned around so their loan isnt dragging them down anymore. you all can yell and scream and complain and whine all you want, but you fail to realize that this is NOT a scam, this is real life. you do owe the debt until proven otherwise! if they took your word for it every time they heard that "i dont owe anything" nothing would get done. if it is a legitimate dispute then it will be investigated by the client and proper steps will be taken, but the vast majority of the time it is just people trying to get out of paying. you have to have a healthy bit of cynacism with the job.
while yes, it may not be the best experience (i know i personally had to beg borrow and steal to keep up my payments) in the end it is the best option. your other options are much worse believe me. there is tax withholding, administrative wage garnishment, social security and disability garnishment, and unemployment too...and you will end up paying much more at the end of the day.
you have to understand that you did sign a contract to pay back the loan, and you didnt do it. there are plenty of options out there, but they cant help you if all you do is yell and be verbally abusive. imagine getting yelled and cussed at all day every day. collectors are people too, they are just doing their job. if you dont like it, thats too bad.
its like everything else in life, if you treat people the way that you would prefer to be treated, then things will work out much better.
there are options out there for you, and collectors know what they are and can help you get your loan taken care of, but if you expect it to just go away, youre mistaken. there is no statute of limitations on student loan debt, nor is it dischargable, and any lawyer who tells you different is just lying to you. im not kidding. i got so mad at lawyers to fed people a line 10 years ago and they thought that their loan was taken care of and it wasnt, i saw it every day. you can look it up on the internet if you dont believe me.
i realize it may be scary, and more than likely you will have to tighten your belt a little. but the alternatives are much worse, believe me, i had it happen to me. at the end of the day, you got yourself in this position, and you have to take the responsibility to get yourself out. collectors can help you do that.

do you guys not understand that you agreed to pay back every cent that you were loaned? thats how loans work! ask yourself if it is fair for you to go to school on the taxpayers dime and then not pay it back. and then you look for handouts and loan forgivness???? do you realize that all the loans that are in default are preventing kids from getting financial aid? every dollar that is in default is a dollar that cant be used to help a kid get through school. do you think that the government is going to screw over future generations by giving you a free pass? even if you pay a dollar a day, pay it back. dont screw over your kids and grandkids, because that is exactly what you are doing by not paying back what you promied you would pay.

To Rep:  

If you had read in my earlier post I am making payments, but "less" than what the Dept of Educ/Collection deemed appropriate.   Which is more than the $1 a day you mention in your post, yet I was turned over as a default to a really nasty collection agency who does not follow the "basic" rules/laws for collection.  Even though I am still attempting to get the Dept of Educ who still has my collection agency for one or more of the following: (1) hardship (because my medical is more than 1/3 of my income and my cost of living is within the IRS guidelines, yet I live in an area with a high cost of living). (2) I work full time for government entity (municipality) that is a non profit which should qualify me for the forgiveness under this program.  (3) the new income based repayment program.    The issue is that the collection agency doesn't appear to acknowledge these programs (see the Dept of Education website for more info on all three I listed).   I have been and continue to make monthly payments even if they aren't the full amount. I have not been avoiding my obligation to pay or work with the Dept of Educ to repay.   The Dept of Education and collection agency are bound by the rules, policies and procedures the and our officials created that surround collection practices and the programs for relief they have chosen to offer up.  The problem is that if you leave it to the represenative on the phone at Dept of ED or collection agency to tell you this they often don't.  The rep at the Dept of Ed, I have no clue why really except that the interest on these loans looks good to them, the collection agencies attach high fees to the accounts turned over to them.  The fee they added to my account was about $8000.  That is nice chunk of money and gives the collection agency incentive to not present these relief programs.  Also, name calling, call and hangups, calling friends, family and neighbors continually or when you already have the contact info and location (such as in my case) is harassment.   You see Mr. Collector, my address is on my check that goes to the Dept of Educ. I refuse to send to the collector. That info has not changed for a number of years now.  I work for a government entity, so my info is already in the dept of educ data base.  I put my contact info, work information and location on my applications for hardship and the two forgiveness programs.   This is just my case.  Many others are defaulting because of job loss, which means no income coming in so no money to use for payments.   The Dept of Educ needs to at the very least forgive the fees that collection agency attach and the interests, which by the way there is a class action lawsuit against the Dept of Education for this interest all ready in the works.  Dept of Educ or private lending companies made these loans to us not collection agencies.  Many (not all) of those who have these debts are trying to work with the lender to resolve these issues by using the programs offered up.   Pay attention to Senator Kennedy and legislation he is trying to push through that will also prevent some of the shady tactics used by private lenders.  www.thepetitionsite.com/.../Real-Economic-Stimulus-Forgive-Student-Loans also pay attention to   http://apps.facebook.com/causes/271251/14808354?m=7638c73a.  Every person who has a student loan or knows of someone who has a student loan whether or not they are struggling to repay should sign this petition, and write letters to they State and U.S. representatives.

Report all complaints on Premiere Credit to US Dept Of Education (800)433-3243 or if it's not student loans, the original client.  The more complaints they get, the more trouble the company will be in.  These need to be Fair Debt Collection & Practices Act (FDCPA) complaints such as: calling at the place of employment after being advised not to, disclosing information to a third party, using abusive language, misrepresentation, etc.  Google FDCPA to see if any of your rights were violated.

I agree that the Dept of Educ or original creditor should be informed of Premier Credits violations, but my experience has been that the original creditor (Dept of Educ) doesn't really care or at least their reps don't.  So to get around those representatives and get high enough in the organization with your complaint this is where the filing a complaint with law enforcement by using the *57 feature on your phone or calling them directly. They need documenation which where *57 comes in.  Also, file a complaint with the FTC.org each time they violate your rights.  Also, file a complaint with your State Attorney General and also their State Attorney General.  The more likely action will be taken.  Last, but not least write the President, your State and U.S. senators and representatives.  Also, make a note of who you speak with at the Dept of Educ and if they "tell you that you still must work with Premier" make sure to provide that information in your complaints.   Because if you don't the Dept of Educ will continue to ignore that the problem is not just Premier, but the fact that they are enabling Premier by ignoring and not taking action to continue their abuse.

We hire from the bottom of the barrel here at Premiere. ...

Please welcome Derrick, Jamal, Derron, Latisha, Lil' Blue, Jones, & Chasity - our newest & brightest employees!

Think about it folks ... we work on a commission basis. This is why we do what we do. No collecto ... no payo!

We know that 99% of the illegal tactics we use will never be reported to anyone. This is why we continue to operate as we do.

I am just happy that there are people we can bully. Most don't realize they can tell us to F/O ... and there are no consequences.

BTW folks ... the worst thing you can do for your credit is to begin to pay back a defaulted student loan. In case you didn't realize it, it's off your credit report after 7 years of no activity. If you begin to pay on it ... bingo, the defaulted loan shows up on your credit report again.

Very bad for your credit score.

Is it true the employee lounge at Premiere Credit is a functional gay bar?

Hmmmm is this not a Premiere Credit founder / senior exec.

Does the Department of Education know what kind of scum they are giving contracts to????

http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/02180802jgb.pdf

bob van cleave said he had important business with me-please call back..

Eat [***] and die premier>>>

If you have received a  'reference' call from Premiere Credit of North America, you should file a class action law suite against this company. The FDCPA states, it is against the law ask about the borrower's spouses work place, income, how many kids they have, do they own or rent, have they held steady employment for the past 12 months, do you know anyone else that can serve as a reference so they can get a better score....Ect, and then when you truly do not know this person 'and they have told you' that you have an X amount of time to replace you with a better one, or down right tell you they will not remove your number, because your hidding something 'liar'....or they our calling you because the borrower listed you as a 'reference' all lies. The reference script is against the law, you are only allowed to ask location...ect employment, phone number, place of employment....and not that this person has applied for credit, or application process. they also like to scramble numbers 'anie'. This company termenates employees that have gone to Managment to tell them these practices are unethical,and against the law.

PEOPLE ARE REALLY CRAZY!!!! IF ITS NOT YOU HOW HARD IS IT TO ANSWER THE PHONE AND TELL THEM TO MARK YOUR NUMBER DO NOT CALL!!!! IF YOU JUST TAKE THE TIME TO ANSWER THE PHONE AND GET IT TAKEN CARE OF YOU WONT GET ANY MORE CALL DUH!!!

Premier Credit - looking for debt collection....I don't have any debt.