OMG... like seriously... OMG

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Investigation: Debt Collectors, the N-Word and Bank of America
Bank Fires Collection Agency After Operators Caught Using Racist, Obscene Phone Calls to Collect Debts

Two days after being confronted by ABC News, Bank of America has fired a debt collection agency after several of its operators were caught using racist and obscene phone calls to collect debts from bank customers.

"What's up, you f---ing n---r?" said one of the collection agents in a message to 32-year old Allen Jones of Dallas, who owed $81 on his Bank of America credit card.

"This is your f---ing wake up call, man," the debt collector said in a message left at Jones' home at 6:30 a.m.

In a message left a few minutes later, the debt collection agent told Jones, "You little, lazy ass bitch, get your mother f---ing ass up and go pick some mother f---ing cotton fields, bitch."

. . .

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/investigation-debt-collectors-word-bank-america/story?id=11719972

[LiberalLoner]

1. This is disgusting. K&R

We just seem to be getting meaner and meaner as a nation. :(

[bobburgster]

32. It is disgusting., and as far as I'm concerned....

they should have been arrested for making harassing phone calls.

It's sad, but it certainly seems our nation is getting meaner and meaner.

[Pharaoh]

58. The corporations are

getting meaner and meaner..........

[merqz]

65. Considering that there was exceptionally offensive name calling

but that was it, I am glad they were not arrested for making harassing phone calls. At least in my jurisdiction, such a charge requires more than name calling, even using so called "fighting words" since the fighting words doctrine does not apply when there isn't an in person confrontation. Generally it requires either true threats, or a repeated pattern of such phone calls. They should have been fired and were. Suing is entirely appropriate and that action was taken.

[bobburgster]

80. I understand what you are saying....

it crossed my mind while typing my post. Guess it was an easy quick way to display my intense disgust.

[Enthusiast]

76. So mean she couldn't grow no lips.

So mean that social justice is seen as a bad thing to some.

[Solly Mack]

2. Damn

[indepat]

26. Hopefully such as this violates the niceties required by Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or

whatever Federal law might address these practices. And I would bet a humongous bundle BofA never had even a glimmer of an idea such obscene practices were being practiced in their behalf. ;)

[JJ]

53. But if they did they wouldn't care,

only results count.

[TheMadMonk]

61. The words used no. The basic practices, they almost certainly knew...

...or could surmise was going on.

As it says at the end of the article, the bottom line is that threats work to get results. Callers will have been told to get in peoples faces, to be intimidating. The difference in language is pretty much down to whether they have a gutter, or college education.

[malaise]

3. K & R for your evolving

subject line. :evilgrin:

The racists are coming out of their closets.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

5. I quickly realized that

the original headline "$81" might imply that there was some sum of money that could justify the nature of the calls.

[malaise]

15. LOL

:D

[comtec]

4. *sniff sniff sniff* I smell LAWSUIT!

I hope that guy sues BofA and that agency and that asshole for every penny he can get!

that kind of abuse from these vampires is completely unacceptable!

[Swede]

6. He did and got $1.5 million

[sarge43]

7. Excellent.

And over $81.00. BOA needs an enema.

[polmaven]

55. Not anywhere NEAR enough!

A jury in Texas found the both the debt collectors and the corporation responsible and awarded Jones more than $l.5 million.

$1.5 is a fraction of what this company should pay to Mr. Jones. and I'm sure this isnd't the only case like this. I hope this collection company has plenty of money!

[newtothegame]

73. If the money goes to charity...

Noone should become a hundred millionaire for being offended.

[jobycom]

74. You think that's just offensive?

You don't consider that an assault?

The reason lawsuit proceeds go to the plaintiff--assuming anyone actually pays--is because of the risk and danger of the whole process. More than likely when you open a lawsuit like that, it will be tossed out at great expense to the plaintiff. The plaintiff has to first have the courage to push a suit, second organize the effort and pick the right attorney, and third take the time off work and life to pursue what will likely be a fruitless effort. I'm not saying that his efforts and expenses equaled the amount of the payoff, but if the money just goes to charity, what incentive does anyone have to take on large corporations with unlimited legal funds?

Obviously the penalty needs to be huge to punish the company and discourage others in the industry from doing the same thing.

So I've got no issue with the assault victim in this case living out the rest of his or her life in luxury on a private island, if that's what happened. Unlike most stock investors, real estate speculators, and business brokers, they've actually done something to make the world a better place. You and I are now less likely to be assaulted like that. I can live with that.

[SemperEadem]

78. eff that...

he was not only offended, but he verbally and maliciously attacked for no good reason.

All that needed to be said was "you owe $81. When we gon' see our money?". Period. End of story.

There are laws against what that goon did.

Therefore, yes, he does deserve every penny of that more than $1.5 mil for being offended.

[newtothegame]

84. The poster I replied to wasn't saying $1.5m.

They said that was a FRACTION of what this one person should get for this incident. So they're saying what? $100 million? $500 million?

Imagine what money like that could do for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

ed for sp

[polmaven]

83. This is much more

than being "offended". This was verbal assault, and was racially abusive.

[Fire1]

8. Damn! Why doesn't anything like that happen to me!! Some

folks have all the luck!

[Edweird]

9. Fuck Bank of America.

[Mopar151]

10. Not even with your junk........n/t

[Bitwit1234]

11. We got a letter from a company called AFNI addressed to

the people who lived here five years ago. I put on the outside that they were not here. But being curious I went to the net to see who AFNI was. It was a collection agency that went around buying up old debts, and in some of the lawsuits filed against them they debts were mostly telephone ones and over 15 years old. One person was upset that they never owned that telephone number and did not owe a bill. but the caller and letter writer AFNI would not let up. They said if THEY paid the bill they would settle for half. Half of 700 dollars. So the person said they filed a lawsuit.

I don't understand how these companies can get away with this. A 15 year old debt to someone who never had it. And still they harassed him three or four times a day. What in the world is the Do Not Call Program doing to stop this type of thing.

I used to constantly get calls from some company wanting to sell me a policy for my 2002 jeep. I don't own a jeep and I don't drive how in the hell did they get the telephone number to call me. Then I put it on Do Not Call. I was harassed for about six more months. I sent an email to Do No Call and told them I had reported this company to them numerous times they could check and if I got one more call I would send a letter to the president and ask why this department was allowed to exist if they didn't do their job. anyway I did send an email to the FCC and asked they why the Do Not Call Department was existing when they did not protect the public. The calls finally stopped. But it took six months. I have caller ID and did not answer the phone, but I was recovering from an operation and was afraid not to go to the phone because it might have been the doctor or some information I needed. So it was very annoying anyway.

[mahina]

13. What has worked for me is to tell them the following:

"If you call one more time I am reporting you and your company to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs".

period. Click.

[Occulus]

82. I just had some fun

Someone from an Allied Collection Group just called for someone else and claimed it was a "personal matter", which was a lie per a simple Google of the number (do these people not know about called ID and Google?). The caller did not disclose to me, the account holder of the line, that it was an attempt to collect a debt.

I called back, gave them MY name, and told the guy that a) I knew he lied to me, the account holder of the line, b) that I did not and DO not consent to being recorded, and c) that "If you call one more time I am reporting you and your company to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs".

Click.

And damn, but that felt good!

[Greyhound]

19. How do they get away with it? Simple, laws require enforcement and there is no practical

way to force the government to enforce a law they don't want to. Fair debt collection practices are in the same category as fair lending laws, labor laws, and the Sherman Act, all widely ignored by the industries they are supposed to protect us from because they know they will not enforced. Pick any company that has seen huge increases in it's "profits" over the last couple decades and you can find a thousand cases against them that were just dropped because "our" government refused to prosecute.

[spooky3]

52. exactly

[xxqqqzme]

36. That's good to know.

I'm dealing w/ these asshats over $164 they think I owe Directv from October 2005. House was sold, satellite was removed. Phone calls & letters to cancel service were ignored. When my son was going to sign up w/ Directv last year, they asked if he was going to pay my outstanding balance! (He is aware of the hassel). He said, 'No'. So they refused service!

[tammywammy]

48. I had a land line a few years ago

I needed it for internet. Anywho, I actually hooked a phone up to it and I immediately started getting phone calls for someone with my same name for debt collections. I kept telling them it wasn't me they were looking for. Eventually I just took the phone down, because I was tired of the calls.

[spooky3]

51. I received dozens of calls from them and from two other companies

calling for a person whose name is similar but not identical to mine. Nothing stopped them except a certified letter telling them I've recorded the calls and they were violating the law.

Ignoring the calls only leads to letters like the one you got (I got them too). I wrote "refused--no one at this address with that name" and put it back in the mail per instructions from my postal carrier.

Even then one of them started up again about a year later, requiring another certified letter.

This weekend I started getting calls for someone whose name is NOTHING like mine.

The Do Not Call list focuses on telemarketers so we need to have one for collection agencies, who don't even bother to ensure that they have the right name and number for the person they are after.

It's an incredible waste of time of innocent people, and they couldn't care less.

[aikoaiko]

12. Well, that certainly resets the bar for sleazy bill collectors.

damn.

[madmax]

14. Geez, are we shocked?

Rascism is alive and well.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

27. Well, I'm shocked

It's not shocking that racism is alive and well.

It is, however, shocking that one of the five largest banks would kept using this outfit even after becoming aware of these sorts of calls and paying out a seven figure settlement.

I'm shocked that they were not shocked.

[madmax]

29. lol n/t

[Beaverhausen]

16. BofA didn't even stop using the company after the $1.5M lawsuit?

and only did so when the ABC news reporter showed a transcript of a call to their CEO?

OMG indeed!

[Cassandra]

17. You're assuming they give a damn?

They only cared about the money and the bad publicity.

[Posteritatis]

23. $1.5M is beer night to a major bank. I dunno if they'd even notice that. (nt)

[LiberalArkie]

50. Most CEO's do not want any hastle. It stopped because the CEO found out.

I will bet that there are some job openings in the department that works with debt collectors.

[BadgerKid]

18. F'ing with debt collectors

I had starting getting voice messages to return a phone call to a certain company at a certain extension. I looked up the company on the web to see it was a known debt collection agency. Fine, I thought...not only did they NOT say whom they were looking for, but as far as I knew, I was on time with all my debts. So I assumed they were not looking for me. I had let this game go on for at least three, maybe six, months. One day I returned their all to see why they were pestering me for so long. "Hi, you keep calling this number and I don't have any debts," I said. (Here i was being careful not to give them free personal information.) "Are you so-and-so?" they asked. "No." "Thank you," and they hung up. That was that.

[Rex]

20. Have fun in the unemployment line!

Assholes.

[1monster]

21. This is nothing new. I wasn't paying a hospital bill fast enough eighteen years ago

and I was called all kinds of names by a debt collector (I was paying on the bill, but the hospital turned it over to the debt collector when I was only able to pay $25-30 per month).

While there was no racism in the collector's nasty little screeds, I was called names and threatened and otherwise verbally abused.

I complained to the hospital who offered me a deal of 75% off the abundantly padded bill to settle my complaint and the bill...

Don't ever put up with collectors abusing you. There are laws against it.

[PBS Poll-435]

22. 'This call may be recorded and/or monitored to ensure quality customer service'

:rofl:

[laughingliberal]

46. That works both ways. When dealing with bill collectors, I always tell them I'm recording the call.

They're very nice after that. One said they wouldn't talk to me if I was recording the calls and I said, "Good. You may assume anytime you call, I am recording and I suggest you communicate by mail from now on." Heh. They won't put any of their illegal harassment crap in writing, either. :)

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. wow. I hope the bank wipes out the debt of the victims

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. oh good. Victim was awarded 1.5 million.

[Generic Other]

28. These people are unreal

I recall once when a relative of mine (not one whose debts I was in any way responsible for) had a debt problem and a credit agency got my number somehow. A message was left on my phone screaming at me to commit suicide! I was pretty astonished.

[flyarm]

30. OMG is an understatement! eom

[DeSwiss]

31. K&R

- And we continue to swirl the drain on our way down. But you can't fix what was broke to start with......

[suffragette]

33. Appalling

They should be charged with harassment.

[DesertFlower]

34. i don't like B of A, but we just applied

for a 1% cashback visa from them. we have one from chase. they are so screwed up the way they do things.

bottom line. banks are evil.

[underpants]

35. He has to produce or lose his job and face collection calls

not an excuse but desperate times... and all that...

[derby378]

39. Then he shouldn't have become a debt collection agent

I'm sure he could have found another job more suited to his demeanor and attitude.

[lolly]

40. True, but is this the best way to produce?

Does talking to people this way make them more or less likely to cough up the debt? It doesn't sound like a good way to make people cooperative.

[TheMadMonk]

62. According to the last para of the article, yes it does work.

It's intimidating and it's will sapping. It's bullying. People pay to make it go away.

[tblue37]

42. My guess is that he did lose that job over this. nt

[grahamhgreen]

72. Why not just cut to waterboarding? Most people are decent, these institutions are indecent. NT

[myrna minx]

37. K&R n/t

[ThatsMyBarack]

38. OMG, indeed! This has to STOP!

Any ONE of us could get a threatening call like this someday....:hide:

[valerief]

41. The nonstop glorification of the Tea Party is nonstop glorification of racism.

That's how racists are grown.

[deaniac21]

The Tea Party is responsible for Bank of America's collection

agency? I'm not sure I'm following your thought correctly.

[deaniac21]

43. The Tea Party is responsible for Bank of America's collection

agency? I'm not sure I'm following your thought correctly.

[lame54]

44. Dr. Laura's new gig?

[laylah]

45. OH MY!

I am stunned...and I get collection calls on a regular basis (another story). This is beyond the pale! I hope this person owns them! What a horrible thing to say!

I have my own issues with BOA (attorney attending); however, I must say, I have never, ever, EVER been abused like this! My best wishes to the victim...may they prevail!

Jenn

[davidhilton]

47. Anyone else unsurprised by this?

[caraher]

49. Too bad he didn't get more <nt>

[TK421]

54. Good post, but lets not limit this slime to Bank of America...Capital One engages

in some slimy collection practices as well. They are probably as arrogant ( or more so ) than Bank of America, and I've had my run-ins with those bastards as well.

Someone needs to bring the fucking hammer down on these fucking shitstains and fast

[colorado_ufo]

56. So glad this man was awarded damages!

Husband and I have several credit cards that we are paying off as fast as possible, and BOA is the first to go! I think they are guilty of every last one of the unethical practices that the new credit rules seek to correct. It was not a BOA card when I got it, but BOA bought them out.

Grim, just grim.

[MindPilot]

57. And the real culprits walk free...

Yeah, the bank paid the victim and the employees were fired, but things like this never happen in a vacuum. There has to be a culture that allows or encourages such abhorrent behavior in the quest to produce results. There were managers and supervisors who either turned a deaf ear or encouraged it who also, are probably either still on the job or have moved on to the next boiler room.

[AzNick]

59. B Of A added photos of their customers to their cards for a reason

What do you think? It's illegal to collect demographic information such as race or shape.

Not only B Of A keeps these photos in their files, they distribute them to their contractors.

In this case, the caller saw the client's photo and of course learned of his ethnicity.

I would not be surprised if the agency is not a prison shop.

Yeah, nothing like letting white supremacists with nazi tats call your minority clients.

Of course I am probably wrong!!!

[tammywammy]

66. The supervisor is the news clip is Hispanic.

I doubt he's joining th KKK any time soon.

[AsahinaKimi]

60. Welcome to

The future of the Tea Party Nation..
:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

[bullwinkle428]

63. Debt collectors are the fucking slime of the universe.

[Hannah Bell]

64. bank of america owns half the us. every foreclosed property in my neighborhood, at least.

[Ticonderoga]

67. Moral of the story

If a Teabagger calls asking for money, just hang up.

[earcandle]

68. Kick people out when they badmouth our brothers and sisters. We are united states and we love us!

[AllyCat]

69. I continue to get phone calls and mailings from some outfit that represents AMEX

I have not had an account with American Express in over 10 years. They say they will settle my balance for 50%...except I don't have a balance!! Paid this off and closed over a decade ago and they keep saying they will report me if I don't agree to this offer. I finally called my credit union who looked at my credit report and did some research. They said not to pay them anything. The account is paid and this is likely some scam.

The phone calls continue...always a computer with no option to talk to a real person...

however, I have NEVER been called awful names...this OP story is beyond the pale.

[scarface2004]

70. F#$%$ing debt collectors...F*&#! them

they should be outlawed...if a company is stupid enough to extend somebody credit who can't pay...then they can take the loss!!

[grahamhgreen]

71. It was a huge mistake to bail out these scumbag banks. They must be broken up. Nt

[DesertDiamond]

75. O! M! F! G!!!

[Dorian Gray]

77. Wow.

Reprehensible.

Debt Collection agencies are thugs.

[Wednesdays]

79. K&R

:kick:

[on point]

81. But it's not us!! We outsourced! We're not responsible...