800-773-5322

Bill collector from "Allen, Lewis &  Associates"

1185 Lane Ave
Suite 5
Jacksonville, FL 32205

Oliver Winslow--Keeps calling my work and will not give out any information--called x2 on 6/6/08 and 5/22/08--

he has also called me and didnt identify himself or the firm that they were trying to collect a debt, was asking improper questions, this is a weird one!   very rude people.  would not give me address or who he was calling on behalf.

Also rcvd a call from this # for someone I had not seen in 15 yrs. A Bruce Washington x104

These people called 3 times to speak with me, left very rude messages with my children saying I was going to jail that I better call. My kids called me at work worried to death. This was over a musical instrument that was returned almost 7 years ago!!! They wouldnt even talk to me, said I was stupid and unresponsible and charges will be filed against me. I said I will see you in court. Very awful and rude people they said they were from a lawfirm.

BTW, all agencies and creditors are required to sent out letters. Which they do, they go to whatever address the client provides to the collection agency. Which means if it's an old address they give to the agency, and they send it. That's all they are required to do by law. Debtors may have rights, but the client has more. Maybe you should learn the collections laws, instead of talking smack to someone else about crap you don't know anything about. As far as verification of debt goes, they provide you with whatever they have. If you can't keep a paper trail of your own finances, than you're the fail. BACK TO FAIL BLOG WITH YOU KIDDO.

The truly sad thing about all of this, why these debtors cry. It's not because it's a scumbag business. IT's the nature of the beast. People don't like it when you tell them they owe money, and people don't like it when you prove it to them. So they make up stories on the internet to make themselves feel better. IT'S NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE, IT'S COLLECTIONS. THE ONLY CUSTOMER THEY SERVE IS THE PERSON YOU ORIGINALLY OWE MONEY TOO.

And as far as getting a verification of the debt sent to your "new" address, you can do that, just ask. If they decline, then call back and speak with someone else. Any idiot could tell you that. My fault, any idiot off line.

This is in fact, Allen, Lewis & Associate.  They claim to be a law firm, but they are NOT.  They are debt collection agency.  

They currently are violating the fair debt collections law.  It is AGAINST the law to claim to be a lawyer or claim that they are going to have you arrested.  It is also against the law from them to not send verification of the debt if you request it.  It is also against the law for them to release any information about the debt to other parties (they can call other people to try and find you but cannot release information).  

Please report this debt collection agency to your state attorney generals office as well as the the Federal Trade Commission (information is below)

https://www.FTCComplaintAssistant.gov/

If you can please record any phone calls you can from them.  Also save any voice mails you may have from them!  If they violate the debt collection laws, you can sue them!  Many lawyers will take on the cases because it can  be easy money for them.  So please keep records against them!

Also, just so everyone knows Allen, Lewis & Associates has been sued a few times in class action lawsuits.  They lost!  Clearly they are not doing the right thing.  

http://myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsrel ... 52573A100703D53

This is documentation of the suit against them.  

"An investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division revealed that the company was contracted by payday lenders and musical instrument rental companies to collect on defaulted payments. Company employees allegedly impersonated lawyers and law enforcement officers and made numerous calls to individuals at home and at work, falsely threatening criminal charges in order to collect payments. Under Florida law, such behavior is a direct violation of Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act as well as a violation of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act. "

That is a quote direction from the Attorney General's Office.  Which supports the statements made by the other posters.  

The company is required to record all outgoing calls if more than 6 people in 6 months complains against them.  So please file complaints!!!!

Just received a call from "Warren Whitehead", ext 207--I could not understand a word he said--sounded like he had marbles in his mouth--kept referring to a "breach of contract" for an instrument rented from Menchey Music----I told him that the call sounded like a scam (based on the fact that he could not articulate a word). I called Menchey and I did in fact owe a small balance--No problem, I paid over the phone to Menchey via credit card (I was not aware of balance owed)--

At the end of the call when I told him that I had to verify this information w/ Menchey--he told me that I HAD TO CALL BACK BY 5:OO TODAY--I politely told him that I would most likely get back to him tomorrow---He hung up---What an unprofessional loser! He can't even talk!

I am going to write a letter to my daughter's elementary school suggesting that they refrain from using Menchey Musics because they referred me to collections and hired a very scum-bag firm

You had a debt for an instrument you didn't pay for. How is that anyone's fault but your own? If you got a representative you can't understand, ask for someone else. I doubt you paid the OC over the phone especially if they already referred you to a CA. Even if they did somehow let you pay the bill, you paid for the collection fees at that point anyway.

Get this.  I had an instrument well actually two of them. returned one and paid the other one off.
Now one of the instuments I bought was a used, or previously owned clarinet.  Now on the other instrument I owed $60.  The used Clarinet was $500+.and since my daughter didn't play anymore I said I will give you the clarinet for the $60 balance and keep in mind if a parent is paying for an instrument and the child drops band before the instrument is paid for you can just turn the instrument back in and owe nothing (like renting) then they take the instrument and sell it again.  This guy told me that they didn't buy used instruments and only took returns on instruments that weren't paid for if the child dropped out of band. I said "What!! I will give you your clarinet that you sold me used for a $60 balance on another instrument and you don't want it."  I was dumbfounded to say the least.  $60 for something your going to make another $540 on. Couldn't figure that one out.

The have changed their name to Addison Patrick and Associates now.

No, they haven't. Their name is still Allen Lewis & Associates 1-800-773-5322.
1185 Lane Avenue, Jacksonville Florida 32215   Fax # 904-265-8168

A Warren whitehead ext207 calls everyone on my refrence list bugging important phone matter it's a damn instrument get a hold of urself stop harrassing. I am aware of the situation but seriously calling as an attorney lawyer wanting to serve me papers for court. All he is doing is making people annoyed to the point of no response back this office is a joke nit even a law office it's a collection department.

These people are RUDE! I understand that being a debt collector is not the best job in the world, but give me a break. There is no need to call to my employer and speak to my co-workers the way they do. I will call you back when you learn how to get some manners! And understand this…I am an HR Manger, so when you ( Rosevelt Johnson) call to my place of employment and give my employees information…I KNOW WHAT AND WHAT NOT CAN BE SAID!!!! Keep hanging yourself…It is quite funny!

Well let me tell of you you people whining, your all deadbeats. I happen to own a music rental company and every one of you deadbeats deserve worse. You deserve to be arrested. You are in fact commiting theft when you do not pay for or return the rental property. The collection company cannot have you arrested but the rental company sure can, and when the collection company cannot collect, thats the next step. Its one phone call and some paperwork. The police are bound to investigate it, and at that point certified mail has been sent already. Sure enough when the police show up at your door your going to say I did'nt know, Im so sorry. Which is a crock. I laugh my @ off when I get that call begging for me to drop the charges.
I make every attempt to contact and retrieve my property before doing this.
If you go to the local video store and rent a video, and do not bring it back, you get arrested!
No different when you rent an instrument.

You don't get arrested when you don't bring a video back to a video store. You get charged the full price for the video and then you own it. You don't work for a music rental company, don't lie to people. Besides any idiot with financial knowledge knows that the mark up on instruments and the fees and interest rates charged are rip offs anyway. Anyone who doesn't buy the instrument right out and doesn't read the fine print, I will agree deserves the [***] time they receive afterwards. Anybody posting on here defending collections is obviously working for the company or a similar one.

Mr. Roosvelt Johnson, I have asked you on your message machine, to mail  me the information your calling me about. I have asked you nicely to do this, but you fail to do this. I need a copy of this information your calling me about for my records. Please mail this information with your name on it so I know what this about. I will not talk ever on the phone. So, your wasting your time calling me. I need this information from you by mail, with Allen Lewis @ associates and the name Roosvelt Johnson on it. You have my address for I have given to you several times on the message machine Signed James Sullens. Email Address jrsullens@yahoo.com I am 71 years old and drawing Social Security from the State of Missouri

Are you 12? You think you get arrested when you don't return a video to a video store? Wow.....

You cannot be arrested for owing a debt. If you wrote a check and that BOUNCED, then yes, you can get arrested for check fraud or a worthless check count. However, just a simple owing a debt -- no, you have to go to civil court. The police don't "show up at your door" to arrest you because you owed $60 bucks or something on a musical instrument. You clearly do not own a music rental company, because you would know all this already, and it's quite comical you're giving a "I laugh my ass off hen I get a call begging for me to drop the charges."....sure, maybe a lawsuit, but you're not having people arrested because you CANT.

Apparenly this company has never been FDCPA ceritifed and I believe they still aren't. Don't quote me on this but if you get enough people complaining to the SA of Florida about this company have having FDCPA guidelines or following them, they could be shut down.