607-748-4686

Received mulitple calls from International Credit recovery, inc stating that I ordered environmental compliance alert back in April and did not cancel within the 30 days. I told them I did not order it and they said that they have my birth date. told them to stop calling me or I would report them to the BBB. They said ok and will send it to collections. After the call I googled the name and found this website, wish I had this before the call.

Scammers.

We were called by the same company and told we had an outstanding invoice from Progressive,
I was expecting the call since they called two others at the company with the same story.
I had been to this site last week and saw the posts-
After getting off the call I was upset, did another Google search and found this site again. I too am upset and ask why can't this company be stopped!

I just settled a case with them you need to place a complaint with the New York BBB.
November 17, 2009

Better Business Bureau, Inc.
100 Bryant Woods South
Amherst, NY 14228


re: International Credit Recovery Inc.  (complaint ID #F22D3-6592E-344AF-EBD24-CD759-2344B-1A)


Dear Director of engineering :

The BBB has processed your complaint against the above referenced company and enclosed is a copy of their response.

Your complaint has been closed as "assumed satisfied." This means we have received an answer from the company which seems to offer a resolution we feel may be satisfactory to the consumer. To complete our file on your complaint, we ask that you check off the appropriate space(s) below, and return the letter to us. If the company has made an offer to resolve your dispute, please allow sufficient time for them to make any adjustments before you respond to us. If the company has made the promised adjustment, the claim will be changed to resolved.

( ) Complaint Adjusted
( ) Complaint NOT Adjusted - Explain on separate sheet of paper.

Your complaint will remain in the company file and will be reported to the public for the next three years.

If this message contains a PDF file you will need Adobe Reader software to open it. If you do not currently have Adobe Reader installed on your pc, you can obtain it by visiting www.adobe.com and clicking on the Get Adobe Reader button. If you do not wish to load this software onto your pc, please respond with a request for the correspondence to be sent to you via regular mail. The BBB is not responsible for any problems that you may incur while downloading software onto your pc.



Terry Hodgson
Trade Practice Consultant
thodgson@upstatenybbb.org

I too just received a called from Cynthia Thomas and thanks to this web site I will be giving her an ear full.  I dealt with Progressive Publications years ago when they kept sending bills to our Acct Dept. After letting them know they will be receiving a letter from our lawyers, I stopped hearing from them until now.

Thanks for the info.

I HAD GOT A CALL FROM CATHY WHO WORKS WITH ICR ( INTERNATIONAL CREDIT RECOVERY) STATING THAT MY COMPANY OWED $177.84 FOR A MAGAZINE "SELLING ADVANTAGE" AND THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT ME AND SEND TO COLLECTIONS. SHE DID NOT WANT TO GIVE ME THE NUMBER FOR SELLING ADVANTAGE AS SHE MENTIONED IT GONE BEYOND THE TIME FRAME BUT I GOOGLED AND FOUND THEIR NUMBER AND THEY HAD APPLOGISED AND ZEROED MY ACCOUNT.ALL IN ALL I GUESS ICR IS A FRAUD COMPANY RATHER THAN A COLLECTION RECOVERY  COMPANY.

Our manager received multiple calls this morning from Valerie Oliver with International Credit Recovery - on her cell phone.
Back in March of this year, Progressive Business Publications called us and were offering marketing services, and my manager told them we have our own creative services team at corporate and have no need for any freebies they wanted to send us.

Fast forward to today and Valerie Oliver called my mgr stating that they sent out 5 free publications and that on those publications, it mentioned that we must cancel, or we will be billed.  We do not recall any publications - chances are if they were sent, we looked at them, assumed they were junk mail, and threw them out.
Not only that, but Valerie did not have my mgr's job title, nor the phone number to our actual office!  

She then called our branch and wanted to be put directly in touch with our CFO.  I asked to see any invoices or agreements, and she was complete uncooperative.  She kept demanding to be put in touch w/our CFO and then said she would contact our corporate accounts payable dept.  Good luck considering they won't pay invoices without our authorization.  I went ahead & emailed the Corp. AP dept and let them know, just in case they get a call, requesting $94.50 be paid.

We've received the same phone calls from International Credit Recovery Inc., and the same claim that "you ordered it and Progressive Business Publications has your birth date as proof". After the lady from International Credit Recovery threatened me with "you obviously don't know who you are dealing with" I filed a complaint against both companies through the Federal Trade Commission's website:  https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.

I received my call from a "Kathy Reemer of International Credit Recovery."  Same story, except I remember receiving a call, told them that my position didn't require that type of information.  The sales person said she would send an issue, see if it was information I could use.  If it wasn't, send an invoice marked "CANCEL."  Sounds easy, but I didn't receive a bill or an issue!!  If they don't straighten it out, it will go to the Minnesota Attorney General's office.

This is supposedly a collection agency. They have been calling every day this week (twice today) to say that we owe for a newsletter that our finance dept did not order. They say they can verify the birthday of the person who ordered it, so that's proof we owe them. I told "Cathy" today that I was aware they were trying to scam us and she was shocked; she asked my name and I told her no way was I going to tell her and start getting calls with them verifying my date of birth as proof that I ordered something. I hung up on her, so some man called back; I didn't talk to him but he left a voice mail for our CFO - I'll bet it was not a nice message, based on everything I've read here.

Same phone scam as others stated. Valerie Oliver (ICR supervisor)wanted to avoid the next step in collections by giving me the opportunity to pay. She gave me my supposed birthdate(wrong birthdate)that I gave to accept the 30 day free offer which I was supposed to cancel and never did.

I also got a call from Katie.  Said she is going to call our CFO.  Said I gave a birthdate to agree to trial offer.  I don't even accept free publications, so I would never agree to a trial for $300.

I recieved 2 calls from "Valerie" during lunch this afternoon claiming to be from International Credit Recovery.  Valerie claimed that she hadn't entered any information into 'her system' yet and therefore I would be saving money by paying her before it was entered.  She was rude and aggressive.  I called Progressive Business and was initially treated quite well until the operator realized I had no intention of paying the bill.  Valerie also called my AP department to try and get payment.  Luckily enough, nothing gets paid here without an invoice.  My ap person asked for a copy of the invoice to be faxed (which hasn't appeared yet), so I am hoping I have heard the last of them.  I have filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's Office for fraud.

We got the same scam at our non profit. I am seeing the same story over and over but what are people doing? Ignoring the calls?

Information for Filing Telemarketing complaints in Canada and the United States:

CANADA

RCMP Phone busters
Telephone toll free: 1-888-495-8501
Mon-Fri 8:30-5:20 pm (Eastern Time)
E-mail: info@phonebusters.com
RCMP Website is at: http://www.phonebusters.com  
File complaint online:  https://www.recol.ca/intro.aspx?lang=en
(Register with a password and then can continually file complaints)

Canada National Do Not Call Registry:
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
Telephone toll free to File A Complaint: 1-866-580-3625
(to withdraw a complaint is 877-249-2782)
CRTC online complaints form: https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/pfplin-fccoin-eng
that is at  www.crtc.gc.ca

Better Business Bureau, Check out a Business, find owner, contact info; file a Complaint:
http://www.bbb.org/canada/

UNITED STATES

US National Do Not Call Registry, file complaint: https://www.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx

Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov 1-877-382-4357
File complaint online: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
that is at www.ftc.gov

Federal Communications Commission
Telephone toll free:  1-888-225-5322
http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html
File complaint online: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumers.html
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
FCC Abandoned Calls Complaint form:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/1088D-R.pdf
email:  fccinfo@fcc.gov

Better Business Bureau, Check out a Business, find owner, contact info; file a Complaint:
http://www.bbb.org/us/

We received a call from Kathy today.  Again, referencing my DOB as proof of authorization for an HR magazine that I did NOT authorize OR receive.  When I wouldn't let her speak with my boss, she got nasty and said she would call him at home.  Then she threatened to ruin both his and my personal credit -- over a supposed business debt?!  It was pretty upsetting... until I googled the number.  I've filed a complaint with the NY BBB and the NY AG.
How do these people sleep at night?

Got a call from Katie Dotman same thing - harassing with owed invoice which has grown from something we never ordered. She was nasty and hung up on me when I challenged to hear the phone records and called back asking to speak to the CEO, then also threated me with my information and my birthdate - how the heck do they get that!?!? I'm glad I found this page though.  I'm going to put in my complaint now too!!! I hope they do get sued and everybody that calls us to be a$sed out.

Have the same call from a nasty and not very smart lady.. She told me I owe $200, for a magazine and that I accepted to pay because they have my dob.. she demanded to contact my supervisor, but I own this piece of business, so she lost credibility once she commented about escalating this to my upper-management (right, which one?)... she said she was going to find out the owners, good luck !...

I received a call from Tiffany Jones today and I have had enough and will be completing the paperwork for the AG in Pennsylvania (that is the state they are based out of, there address is PO Box 3019  Malvern, PA 19355-0719).  In the past she said she was from United Credit & Collections, today, she is from International Credit.

I have been telling them since 2005 to stop bugging our company, I have sent them a letter stating such and our receptionist refuses to pass them along to anyone but myself, the Controller, and they don't get anywhere with me.  

They also go by the name Institute of Business Publicatins and IOMA

2nd call from "Amanda" today, wants to know what I'm going to do about my $299 outstanding bill from Progressive. 1st call got a little heated, I knew I hadn't given my birth date to anyone as verification. I've been throwing these fictitious Progressive bills away for years, must be they needed to branch out to con more people

Like the many, many others here, I too received a collections call from International Credit regarding a Progressive Business Publications subscription that we never ordered.  I have screened the PBP telemarketing calls many times.  They are very fast talking and just want to know the name of the manager in "xyz" department so they can add them to their list for the "abc" publication. My suspicion is that they get a valid name and just start sending these mini newsletters.  Then the multitude of invoices begin.  The invoices have no phone # or web address on them, which should be the first clue.  
Their newsletters might have merit but I'll never order one because of the questionable telemarketing tactics they use.  If they are trying to build a legitimate business, this is not the way.
If you want to contact Progressive Business Publications directly here is their contact information:
http://www.pbp.com/index.asp
Customer Service 1-800-220-5000
Email: customer_service@pbp.com