SMITH DEAN AND ASSOCIATES ..ATTY GENERAL COMPLAINT IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS DEBT COLLECTORS DAVID BAKER, JASON SMITH, ROBERT DAVIS WILLIAM DEAN JACKSONVILLE Florida

Smith, Dean & Associates are not lawyers. They are a collection agency, also known to to business under the name "United Processing".

If you have been contacted about an outstanding balance, the first thing you need to do is remain calm. Remain civil. There is a great chance that you do have an outstanding bill somewhere, whether you were previously aware of it or not. The collection agency (especially the one in question) will attempt to brow-beat you or scare you as best they can. They have daily, weekly, and monthly goals they are trying to meet, and you are just another account, name, and phone number in their system. Do not take it personally, and do not act like a fool. It doesn't help the situation, at all.

Ask the caller to send you documentation (if they have any) on the original debt. Often times, they can contact their client and fax or mail to you supporting documentation.

Contact the original creditor (the company or person who you made the debt with) and ask them to validate the bill, including the exact dollar amount. Also ask the original creditor to confirm that they have placed your account with a collector, or with a law firm. Ask them to give you the name of the firm. Ask them whether or not they have placed a request with the collector (or law firm) to garnish your wages. I am not sure about the law, but I think they have to disclose this information to you.

If you are being mistreated, file a claim with the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau. Contact your local goverment to see if there are any existing law suits agaist the company.

The best way to clear up the bill is to send a money order through Certified Mail. Request a "return receipt" from the post office. This means that someone at the collections office must sign for the payment letter. They cannot deny that they received your payment if they had to sign for it. (Well, they can deny it, but you and the post office know that they did receive it.)

Do not let them pressure you into any type of "Instant Payment", whether it is a credit card or bank card over the phone, Western Union, or MoneyGram. In most cases, the debtor wasn't even aware he or she had the bill, and is not financially prepared to pay it on short notice.

I hope this helps anyone else out who is having problems with this company.

I used to do collections and witnessed many illegal tactics being used on a daily basis. I also have my own set of debts that have gone to collections. The best thing you can do is read the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) and find out if the collection agency is breaking any laws. Also, know your rights as a debtor.

Try to be civil, and try to take care of the debt. If the company is not willing to work with you, you can take your chances and continue to ignore it. In most cases, the bill will be sold to another company, and another, and another, and it can continue to haunt you for a long time. It pays to pay your bills.

SMITH DEAN & ASSOCIATES MUST BE STOPPED.......they have contiously misrepresented themselves as LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS & there nothing but DEBT COLLECTORS .......there employees are using desparate tactics because they nust hit a DAILY FIGURE to keep there job and supply the OWNERS ADDICTION TO BOOZE , AND TO KEEP HER HUSBAND , who is unemployed .....thats why they are BREAKING THE LAW, THATS WHAT THEY MUST DO TO KEEP THERE JOB.......THEY MUST HIT A DAILY of $1700 A DAY TO KEEP THERE JOB......DESPARATE TIMES CALLS FOR DESPARATE MEASURES to keep a COLLECTION AGENCY OPEN THESE ARE COMPETIVE TIMES, DONT FALL VICTIM TO THERE ILLEGAL TACTICS , there is no excuse for MISREPRESENTATION .....THAY ARE DEBT COLLECTORS THEY CAN NOT HAVE YOU ARRESTED, they are just COLLECTORS trying to keep there jobs ......IF YOU DONT HAVE THE $$$$$$$ TO PAY TELL THEM TO GET IN LINE W YOUR OTHER CREDITORS .......but if they insist CALL THE FTC 202 326 3222....