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you will do just fine , if you dont try commiting fraud like the con artists at moreno and woods tried to do to me. They wont serve me a warrant because i would be able to expose them and prove in court a credit card never existed , even the credit card company confirmed it. I will continue to warn people of these ex-convict muslim scumbags. There are the professional collectors , then there is moreno and woods. Go ahead Donna, make my day.

Does not matter names. Dont deal with them at all. Dont give them anything, money or information. The people at moreno and woods read these posts. Hi there Lisa. Be careful working around some of the people you work with. Some there are really bad people. I know you are not one of them. Why do you want to work around these people.

so your just making up lies....there are no names.......

Credit Cards > Credit Card News > Debt collectors to debtors: Let's make a deal


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Email Struggling debt collectors to debtors: Let's make a deal
Collectors, recovering less, become quicker to settle, quicker to sue
By Connie Prater

As credit card and other debt delinquencies have risen over the past six months, collecting on overdue and bad debt has declined sharply, industry observers say. The economic downturn and job losses have forced many debt collectors to try new tactics for getting money from cash-strapped debtors.

Among the new strategies:

Accepting down payments on amounts owed instead of demanding payment in full.
Stretching out payments over several months to give debtors a chance to pay off their debts slowly.
Negotiating to receive a fraction of the amount owed if paid within a week or 10 days.
Offering to report the debt -- if paid quickly -- as "paid in full" on the credit report instead of as a settlement, which remains on a debtor's record for seven years.  
Not every new strategy is easy on debtors: Rather than waiting for debtors to come up with payments, many debt collection agencies report they are taking legal action sooner and filing lawsuits to get court judgments upfront -- a step that typically comes as a last resort after other efforts have failed.

Industry struggling to collect
Debt collectors say their industry is struggling just like the rest of the economy. In an odd twist, the debt collection business is booming when you look at the number of new debt collection referrals that have arisen because more consumers can't pay their credit card and other bills. But, because more consumers can't pay their bills, debt collectors are often coming up empty-handed on collections.

"If people aren't working, they're not paying off their debts," says Patrick Lunsford, senior editor at insideARM.com, a collection industry newsletter. According to a survey conducted by his parent company, Kaulkin Ginsberg Co., a Rockville, Md., accounts receivable management industry consulting firm, nearly nine out of 10 debt collection agency representatives indicated they are very or somewhat likely to change their collection strategies because of the economy. The survey was conducted Sept. 30 through Oct. 21 and included 752 responses from banks, credit issuers, debt collection agencies, debt buyers and vendors.  

"We've got a lot more to work with, but it's harder to collect," says Bethellen Keefe, owner of Alpine-BAK Collections, Inc., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., debt collection agency. "We're a lot more willing to take a good faith payment and check back with them or get small increments."

'Some money now'
An old-school tradition in the debt collection business -- demanding all or nothing in payment -- has fallen. "During the good times, the mantra was 'settlement in full,' " says Lunsford. "They wanted the entire amount settled upfront in cash right now. Now they're saying, 'Give us some money now and give us six monthly payments.' "  

Keefe says she assesses debtors' ability to pay and their financial status."The biggest excuse I'm hearing is that people are out of work. We start by asking for the full balance, then I try half. Then the most I can go is four months. If it's a larger balance, the max we offer is six months to pay it off in full."  

Adds Lunsford: "A steady flow from a debtor is better than nothing. Now they're just a lot more agreeeable to payment plans."

Debt collectors are interested in trying to help people work their way out of these financial problems.  

-- Rozanne Andersen    
Debt collection trade group    
Rozanne Andersen, executive vice president and general counsel of ACA International, the largest debt collection industry trade group, says her members are working harder to collect what they can. "They're trying to identify other sources of money that the consumer may be able to tap into, particularly in the health care debt market. Maybe charity care funds or a secondary insurance policy are available. They're working hard to find ways to make it possible for consumers to pay even a portion of the bad debt."

Another industry change: More traditional debt collection agencies are being hired by creditors to handle billing operations. "Creditors are finding that the entire accounts receivable end of their business is very expensive to run," Andersen says. "Debt collectors are finding that businesses want them to help even earlier in the collection process -- even before the consumer defaults on one of their payments."

Michelle Dunn, CEO of Michelle Dunn's Credit and Collections Association, a collection agency trade group, says she is getting more calls from business owners wanting advice about how to collect from nonpaying customers. "They are asking me things like, 'If my customers have credit from me and they lose their homes or their jobs, what should they do?' Business owners just don't know how to respond to that or how to work something out to get paid."

Her advice to business owners:

Get paid at the time of service.
Change payment terms so due dates are earlier.
Offer early payment discounts to customers who pay early such as 1 percent or 2 percent off the bill if paid within 10 days.
When an account reaches 30 days, take action.
Don't extend credit blindly.  
"In some cases, you just can't collect anything from the person. They've lost their job or their home," says Dunn. "I've heard of people living in a car. If someone is in that situation, you really can't set up a payment plan with them. They don't have $5 to give. You can't get blood from a stone."

The legal route
Lunsford, from insideARM, says some creditors, especially debt buyers, are taking the legal route more often and filing lawsuits to collect money owed to them. If successful in winning court judgments, creditors may be able to garnish wages or freeze debtors' bank accounts. One collection agency in the Kaulkin survey indicated they had a 30 percent increase in accounts sent to litigation. Lunsford notes collectors believe many consumers may be hoarding their cash -- saving up for what could be difficult economic times ahead. They may tell debt collectors they have no money. "When consumers say they don't have cash right now, they do. They're kind of holding on to it. Once they get a judgment, they get access to the money."  

Even if debtors don't currently have money to pay debts, the judgment "secures the right to obtain the money at some later date when the consumer is able to pay," Andersen says.

Across the industry, there has been consolidation and mergers of larger companies with smaller agencies, Lunsford and Andersen say. Although the cost of debt has gone down some 30 percent to 50 percent over the past 12 to 18 months, Lunsford says the credit crunch has dried up a lot of financing needed to purchase large debt portfolios.

Adds Andersen: "We're hearing -- whether they are small agencies or large collection agencies or debt buyers -- they are experiencing a decrease in their recoveries. They are taking steps to diversify a bit, expand the services they offer and establish new methods of communicating with consumers. They're trying to ride this out."

The difficult business climate has forced many collectors to pare down their operations (there have been layoffs at smaller agencies) and tackle the burgeoning load of cases more efficiently. Lunsford says that means "going after the most collectible accounts upfront and trying to get that really, really quickly. If you have more placements, you're going to have more low-hanging fruit."

Andersen says cash-strapped consumers are making choices about which bills to pay and which to put off given their limited resources. "They definitely would pay a utility bill to prevent their heat from being turned off or their cell phone or car first before the debt."

Her advice to consumers with unpaid debts: "If it is your obligation to pay, face it and then work out a payment arrangement. They are willing to work with people. The debt collectors are interested in trying to help people work their way out of these financial problems."  

To comment on this article, write to: Editors@CreditCards.com.

See related: State by state statute of limitations on debt, Deep in Debt? Try to get a better settlement deal, Debt collection goes virtual, Bankruptcies creeping upward as economy sours, Debt collection sample letters, Capital One must repay $340,000 to bankrupt debtors, 11 tips for dealing with debt collection, collectors, Take these steps to avoid wage garnishment, 6 bad reasons debtors reaffirm debt  

 


Published: November 21, 2008
Comments or questions, Story archive

Hello there donna,  lisa from moreno and woods. I hope you have a happy and safe thanksgiving. Well again it seems that one of your coworkers at moreno and woods was arrested two days ago. They claim they are not breaking the law by harassing people on the phone for payments. But you know that is a lie. Nobody needs or has to pay you anything. By the way lisa, why wont you contact me anymore about my bad debt, that never existed.  That was a lie also, wasn't it. Find another job sweetie before the job ends there.

Hey donna, why dont you people at moreno and woods show a true picture of the people working at you business on your web site. Nobody wears suits or looks professional where you work. Your desks and whole office are filthy. Put your real faces in the picture. Lisa is a very attractive person and should be on the web page, not the phony faces and other pictures of so called employees that really dont exist there. Donna, cut back on the turkey and pie this holiday season. Fat ugly and ignorant is no way to go through life.

you keep saying people are getting arrested but you wont let us know who they are.  I think you are lying.  Until you give us a name we will think that you are just as big of a liar as moreno and woods.

I think you used to work at moreno and woods (xxx).  you probably got fired.  Is that lisa writing or feliccia harrington.

People dont get fired there, they leave because they get tired of trying to scam people , or end up in prison again. Nice try freddie boy. Hi sweeitie pie my lisa and donna.

It has been a year since i started warning people about moreno and woods . I have learned alot from them. They are scamming people. They tried to scam me with false information that did not even exist. The FBI will not do anything to them. So it is our job to warn people about moreno and woods scare tactics. Thats all it is. THEY CANT AND WONT TAKE YOU TO COURT OR SERVE YOU WARRANTS OR OTHER PAPERS. With my experience i can say they are a fake and a fraud. And yet they wont serve me any papers calling them this because i have the proof. They cant afford to be exposed to law enforcement. Their web site is totally different from what they really are . There is no business there. It is a UPS box while a person comes and picks up their mail there.  I will continue to harass them until they stop. Which they wont. If you owe a credit company pay the credit company, not moreno and woods. You would be supporting exconvicts and other scumbags. Sorry donna, to put you in that class. Anything you read about people saying they were served with papers from them is a LIE. That is people from moreno and woods on this web sit trying to scare you. Ther are trying to terrorize you. So remember, they cant do anything to you. If they call just tell them to stop calling and also tell them you will pay them nothing. Then hang up, dont even give them a chance to verbally abuse you like they do everybody.

Watcher...

Has anyone ever told you that typing in all upper case is equal to shouting??? Be that as it is, typing in all upper case isn't going to get your point across any better...

That having been said...

It's been ~very well documented and proven~ these vermin who call themselves Moreno And Woods routinely try collecting on debt that is not valid...

And they use cheap dime-store strong-arm tactics to accomplish thier objective, which is to get you to pay up. They don't give a rat's xxx if the debt is not valid...

However if the debt is valid and the person does owe said debt, then hey, be adult and step up and deal with it...

But if it ~is not valid~ and these vermin are strong-arming you, call their bluff! Tell then either put up or shut up...

As I have said here before ... the reason why Moreno And Woods is getting their sorry xxx raked over the fire is because they do not follow the law and go by the rules governing collection agencies...

Tell us ... where is it written that it says impersonating law enforcement, or impersonating a lawyer, or threatening a person with arrest and imprisonment is legal???

Moreno And Wooods has done that, and as has been previously stated, very well documented and proven. For all we know,m they would try to impersonate God or The Pope if they could get away with it...

A legitimate collection agency would not uyse the tactics these vermin at Moreno And Woods use...

Watcher...

As far as cutting into your profits ... do you honestly for a New York minute think anyone on this forum really gives a xxxx???

i got the same call telling me they will take me and my husband to court i do owe some money and moved several times so my bad.  I have about 10 mins to call back i dont kknow what to do i will pay the money owed thats not a problem but after seeing this site I dont know what to do

Hello Lisa at moreno and woods, merry christmas.  Do yourself a favor. Stop working there . Just so you know there was another employee arrested on christmas eve day. Beware of the scum working around you. In a one block radius there are 12 people convicted as sexual offenders. There are better jobs. WARNING to everyone, if these people from moreno and woods call, just hang up . Give them nothing...

If you want to file a complaint with a BBB go to upstateny.bbb.org.  They have an unsatisfactory rating. Other websites state people working at moreno and woods as dope smoking ex-convicts. Sorry my Lisa.

WHAT is wrong with you scumbags at moreno and woods. I think you are missing someone aren't you. HE was arrested Jan 6 . He wont be back. Bail denied. THIRD STRIKE !!!  Two other employees are on their second. Who next.

good try No one is missing but u feliccia

Hello jimbo, welcome to class. Now sit down and listen. Your response shows that you know nothing. What did this person feliccia do to you? Must be a disgrunteled employee or someone that you tried to scam . You dont need to worry about her. I am the one you have a problem with. I will be the one that exposes you at the right time. But i am not interested in you. You are nothing to me. Just a little fish. These people at moreno and woods are trying to scam people . Give them nothing.

It actually tickles me that the telemarketing losers of the world are getting uppity and self-righteous as if they have some right to their existence. I understand how difficult it must be to try and get gainful employment without a high school diploma or GED, but there really are a lot of great service jobs in the world without becoming part of this kind of grey-market service. Enjoy being an hourly wage slave until you die...

My mother got a call from Moreno and Woods today and I came very very close to falling for it. I called back the number and they stated that I have a debt from 1995 that was "reopened" in 2006 although I had gone through a financial fitness program that should have taken care of the said debt.  I asked the person on the phone (a woman I don't remember her name though) to fax me the information tomorrow morning.  After calling several people tonight I was advised to get an attorney to see if the debt is even legit and not to dare give them any account information.