Dorsey Thornton & Associates in $15M settlement

Dorsey Thornton & Associates in $15M settlement

Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection said it investigated a series of reports from consumers that Dorsey Thornton & Associates harassed and deceived consumers in several ways:

Debt collection agency Dorsey Thornton & Associates LLC and its principal officers Wyteria Dorsey and Michael Thornton agreed to a $15.5 million settlement with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection after an investigation into alleged harassment and deception of consumers.

The Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection said it investigated a series of reports from consumers that the debt collector harassed and deceived consumers in several ways:

Threatening consumers with arrest or imprisonment if they did not pay the debt.
Refusing to send consumers written proof of the debt owed.

Identifying themselves as investigators rather than disclosing they were debt collectors attempting to collect a debt.

Contacting third parties and divulging information about the debtor’s account.

Calling consumers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

Continuing to contact consumers even after they told the company to stop calling them.

Following the investigation, Dorsey Thornton & Associates denied the allegations but agreed to forego collection of 31,433 accounts, representing a total of $15.5 million in consumer debt. It also will pay an undisclosed civil penalty and reimburse OCP for investigative and legal expenses.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2012/ ... tes-in-15m.html

I begin to think there is not a cage big enough in Georgia to hold its population of lawbreaking debt collectors. Here's the slightly different press release from the state's Office of Consumer Protection:

http://ocp.ga.gov/atd_pressreleases/atd_press ... umer-protection

Here are samples of the sales copy appearing on various business directory sites:

"... at Dorsey Thornton and Associates, we’re attempting to change the face of the collection industry simply by doing what we do best: treating people better."

"Our primary responsibility has always been to preserve the valuable and trusting relationship between our clients and their customers, so we treat every debtor with the highest levels of respect and dignity. By utilizing outbound telephone calls we’ve been able to provide customers with personalized advice and compassionate customer service that generates better return results for our clients."

My, my, can this be the same agency? They sound like soothing angels of mercy. Let's see what DTA's own website has to say:
http://dorseythornton.com/default.aspx

banner in all caps on each clip photo-decorated page:
"NO DEBT TO [sic] BIG OR SMALL, WE COLLECT THEM ALL!"

home page opening line:
"Our collection agents specilize [sic] in collecting your outstanding payday loan receivables."

They "specilize"? How is that pronounced? Now from the complaint form page:

"Here at DTA we strive to keep a professional repoir [sic] with debtors during this very difficult time in their lives. With the stress of this case we want to give the debtor all information that we are legally allowed to give and treat the debtor with respect and understanding. If you have been treated in a unprofessinal [sic] manner and need to file a complaint .....  
**All complaints are forwared [sic] to the BBB for follow up [sic] so please fill out form completly. [sic]"

Is "repoir" a French word for "illegal bullying"? Which is "this case", I wonder .... the one which prompted them to slap up this lip service toward legal compliance on a coffee break? All "legally allowed" information is actually quite skimpy, until these grade school dropouts are pressed for it, assuming any debt claim "proof" exists.

The remainder of the site is more in line with its opening statement's tenor:
"We will relentlessly pursue our clients interests until each case is resolved. Your bad check writers can not run or hide from us."

The mystery call site threads speak more to the hostility and fraud echoed in this civil action. One of them, to come full circle, was started by Alfalfa a bit over two years ago.

quote:"...agreed to forego collection of 31,433 accounts,"

Great, but does that also forbid their selling these same accounts to some other zombie debt collector?

Once again the fraudsters are getting away with the equivalent of a slap on the hand. Money talks.

I had the same thought. Some of the details are secret for some reason. Extinguishing all of those debts right at DTA's doorstep would go a longer way toward making it "pay a steep price", as the OCP Admin put it.

In the case of regulators, it is often a case of "PR Talks".  If you can work out a deal that lets you make an announcement with a big sounding number, it doesn't matter so much it you aren't really getting anything.

These clowns started to call me on 02/27. I have received calls from multiple Georgia area code numbers. They leave threating messages.  One of the callers  tried to hide their number by adding more digits to it. I have formally filed a complaint against them with the GA Consumer Protection Office. An investigator has already been assigned to my complaint.Can complaints be filed to the business office in GA?

Hmmm, did Defective Ronnie Mullethead work for DTA?