ARA Inc Mark Farmer - You have solutions to ARA's illegal collections - Villa Park Illinois

ARA contacted me by phone and then mail to collect on an old bank credit card account.  I made a complaint to the Illinois Better Business Bureau, as follows:

Consumer's Original Complaint :

ARA Inc employees are using illegal tactics in an attempt to collect a disputed debt which is no longer collectible and the statute of limitations ran many years ago.  ARA Inc has no legal recourse against me yet their employees have threatened to contact my employer, threatened to sue me, and threatened to ruin my credit.  ARA Inc employees have also using foul, abusive language including cursing and screaming, and repeated telephone calls.  I was told that attorney Mark Farmer would be suing me concerning a [xxx] account # [xxxx], with reference to ARA File # [xxxx]. 

Consumer's Desired Resolution:

ARA Inc cease any efforts to contact me and cease any efforts to collect any thing from me, including efforts to access my credit, ruin my credit, contacting my employer, and sending letters to my home.

AND HERE IS THE RESPONSE FROM ARA VIA BBB's resolution service [what I care about is just the boldfaced/underlined portion]:

            The account in question was a [xxx] bank account that Mr. X opened and kept active for quite some time until several months of non-payment prompted the original creditor to render it closed in October of 2000. The original creditor then placed the account with outside collection agencies for recovery of the full balance, at the time totaling $969.22. Of all the agencies to do so, it was noted that all efforts were exhausted and none were able to obtain any form of payment from Mr. X. Eventually, the original creditor was forced to sell the account in a last-ditch effort to recoup a small portion of the losses they sustained. ARA Inc. purchased the file as part of a larger portfolio of defaulted accounts. 

            I thoroughly reviewed the file as well as interviewed Mr. Fox, the representative with whom Mr. X spoke. Mr. Fox states that on April 1, 2015 at around 10:49 A.M. CST, he contacted Mr. X in order to seek resolution on his outstanding balance. Mr. Fox states that following identity verification, he relayed the pertinent details of his account. Mr. Fox states that before he could offer Mr. X a settlement offer, he stated that the debt was old and ended the call.

            To address the alleged behavior of our representative, I must state that after checking his personnel file for any indication of previous similar behavior, it would be highly unlikely from him. Regardless, I have placed him on a supervisory period lasting no less than 30 days as a precautionary measure. This includes random monitoring and weekly administrative reviews.

            It seems as though Mr. X believes that because the debt has accumulated age that he is no longer liable to pay it, I must state we believe him to be mistaken. When Mr. X signed the contract to open up this credit card, he agreed that he would pay it back in full regardless of the possibility of legal enforcement. It should be stressed that a debt shall be due until it is either paid, proven fraudulent, included in a bankruptcy or the consumer is deceased. Since Mr. X's account meets none of the criteria for a discharged debt, we must assume it remains just and due.

            Although my administrators believe Mr. X's debt is nothing other than a valid one, it is with respect to your office that they have instructed me to render his file closed. All associated contact information has been purged and it shall not be subject to transfer or sale.

            Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter.

            Sincerely,

            Jessica Starling

            Compliance Manager 

IN A NUT SHELL: Make a complaint to the Illinois BBB, you'll get some resolution.  FYI, I also made online complaints to my state attorney general (CA) and to the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.