Columbia Collection Service is an Oregon full service collection agency founded in 1985. The company specializes in the collection of debt in a number of industries, including the health care industry, consumer retail accounts, insurance judgments and NSF check recovery. They boast a “national reach” and claim to recover over 40% on health-related debt, well above the national average of 6% to 7%.
Columbia Collection Service uses a combination of demand letters, repeated telephone calls and legal action in their attempts to recover debts for a wide variety of clients. They are a third-party debt collection agency collecting debt for other parties. Because Columbia Collection Service operates on a contingency basis – they get paid a percentage of the amount they collect for the client – they may be motivated to push the boundaries of accepted debt collection practices as set forth in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Columbia Collection Service uses a digital phone service which places automated telephone calls along with skip-tracing services and “asset identification” to assist their clients with debt collection activities. Historically, call automation often results in repeated telephone calls, often to people who have no connection with the original debtor, as well as to family members and neighbors of the original debtor.
The Better Business Bureau notes that Columbia Collection Service is not an accredited member of the BBB and lists multiple complaints filed against the company. Most of the complaints filed against Columbia Collection Service allege improper collection activities.
Stop Columbia Collection Service Harassment
If you are receiving collection calls from Columbia Collection Service, you can stop the harassment by following some simple steps.
First, do not make an agreement to pay or pay any amount to Columbia Collection Service over the telephone. You have a right to receive “validation of debt” from Columbia Collection Service before agreeing to any payments. Inform the collection that you want to see validation of the debt and ask for complete contact information from the company so that you can send a certified letter disputing the debt or send a cease and desist letter. Once you’ve sent a cease and desist letter, Columbia Collection Service may not contact you again, except to tell you that they are ceasing collection attempts or that they are pursing legal action. In many cases, this is enough to stop the collection calls entirely.
The FDCPA also states that the debt collector must give you his or her real name, except in states that allow agents to use a pseudonym. Even in those states, the agent must give you a name by which they can be identified. Always get the collector’s name whenever you are speaking with someone from Columbia Collection Service, and take notes while you are on the phone with them so that you have records of your interactions with the company.
In addition, always write down the time and date of all telephone contacts with Columbia Collection Service to ensure that they are compliant with FDCPA regulations designed to limit harassment. In most cases, bill collectors may not call you before 8 A.M. or after 9 P.M. in your time zone.
If you believe you are being harassed by Columbia Collection Service, you may be able to bring suit against the company or file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Columbia Collection Service Contact Information
Columbia Collection Service
22400 SE Freeman Way, Suite 202
Milwaukie, OR 97222
800-807-3476
How to Stop the Harassment Now
Complete the form to the right for a FREE evaluation, or call Toll-Free . The legal team at Lemberg & Associates is committed to holding debt collectors accountable, and will fight for your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Note to Readers
The Information on this website is assembled using many public online and offline sources, such as debt collection agency websites, BBB data, regulatory agency reports and websites, and data available through Pacer. It neither is nor is intended to be the full or complete description of any company's business. To the extent any portion of the website is non-factual in nature, it constitutes our opinion only. We ask that you not rely on any information here in deciding whether or not to do business with any company mentioned on this website. Nothing here constitutes or is intended to constitute legal advice. If any reader or user of this website has a question about specific sources for any information used here, click here to submit an inquiry.
If you have been the victim of harassment or illegal or unfair debt collection practices, contact the Fair Debt Attorneys at Lemberg & Associates immediately to discuss your options and protect your rights. When you owe creditors money, you are protected by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as well as other federal and state laws. If a debt collector has violated your rights, you may be entitled to up to $1000 in damages, and they may even have to pay your attorney fees. Sergei Lemberg, and the attorneys at Lemberg & Associates have helped countless people to assert their legal rights with debt collectors. Don't be intimidated by illegal debt collection practices. For more information, contact
Lemberg & Associates
today at .
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