[N/A] Luebke Baker & Associates Collections

inav8r

inav8r

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Mike B.
[N/A] Luebke Baker & Associates Collections - Help!

I'm so furious right now I don't know if I can type or not.

This morning as my wife and I were getting ready for work a gentleman from a company by the name of Luebke Baker & Associates (located in Peoria, IL) called us on the phone to inform us of a debt from 2001 where we apparently agreed to buying subscriptions to magazines.

First off, I wasn't married to my wife yet at that time, and 2nd off we *never* subscribe to magazines. We just don't have the time or desire to get them.

They say we (or she) signed up for the magazines through a company called "Diversified Marketing". My wife doesn't recall ever doing this and in 2001 she was in such financial dire straights I doubt she would have done it; the fact is I believe her. I did a web search on this company (DM) and apparently they were shut down in several states for running magazine subscription scams.

I did a web search on Luebke Baker and found lots of stuff on ripoffreport.com - but I'm not sure where to go next. They say they can't tell us anything about the debt until we give them certain information - which they'll then turn around and use to try to collect the debt, I'm sure. I don't want to tell them ANYTHING about us.

I just don't know what to do next other than advise them to contact my attorney in writing if they wish to have any further contact with us.

Any suggestions? I sure could use the help.
 
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Tell them not to call you again. That is in plain terms, "Remove this name and phone number from your contact list." Give them NO information. If they really put something on your credit report you can file a dispute right next to it. Call the Illinois Attorney General and file a complaint.

You can always have Bruce pay them a personal visit. :mad:
 
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Mike:

You have specified rights under the Consumer Debt Collection laws; one of which is to have them produce evidence that you agreed to this. Don't provide them with any information.

My first response would be please send us a copy of our written agreement to subscribe. If it goes down hill from there, do what has been said; tell them to remove you from the list. If you can, and it's legal there, tape the call.

My next step would be to tell them to contact my attorney. Things should just go away after that unless they can produce some bona fide information showing you agreed to this. From there, I would send a written complaint as has been said above. I usually include more agencies: attorney general; BBB, chamber of commerce and any appropriate regulatory agency.

Best,

Dave
 
my dad just had an incident where all of a sudden he was subscribed to all these magazines. i wonder if it is related. yours sounds like it dates back a while though.

good luck.
 
Mike: DO NOT I repeat DO NOT give them any information. From your post I can't tell if they are a magazine subscription company or a collection agency. If they are a subscription company then in my opinion they are trying to run a scam. If they are a collection agency , in my opinion they have ( based upon your post) already violated the Federal Fair Debt Collection Law. I can think of just a few violations off the top of my head. If they are found to have violated the FDCPA then they may acutually owe you money.

Collection companys settle these violations all the time by paying the statutory penalty to the offened person ( you) and any attorneys fees. They must figure that the penaltys are just a cost of doing business. If they call back just tell them that " you want confirmation of the debt" and tell them to mail it. If they don't have your address DON'T GIVE TO THEM. End of Story. Don't fall for any crap don't even tell them what the weather is like.
 
WRT old accounts. A favored tactic is to send your account to collections where it sits acruing fees and penalties until some year in the distant future they come after you. Of course, by then the $$$ is big enough to make it worthwhile.

WRT magazine subscriptions, the clearinghouses (sellers) had it worked out that a subscriber had to mail in a cancellation. To not do so was tacit acceptance of their unsolicited offer of a new subscription. I don't know if that underhanded nefarious practice is still on the books but I know it was that way up until 5 years or so ago. The USPS would not forward that subscription to a new address so it would be possible the sellers were sending the mag but if you had moved you would never know. Most often, the sellers would cancel the subscription in response to a USPS notification yet would continue to bill for the subscription.

The ball is in your court. As previously mentioned, DO NOT contact them again and DO NOT provide them any further information. Make them prove their case. Odds are they don't have a case and are on the scam for easy money gotten by applying duress to folks like yourself.

FYI: The BBB is a fee-based membership org. That means they have jurisdiction only on their active members. And the BBB is a locally-owned franchise which means you have to contact the correct BBB for the complaint to stick. Besides, that complaint is of little consequence, ie, a waste of your time. Kind of like a consumer complaint made to the ABA.

Meanwhile, notify the AG, local police, and USPS. Each agency has a fraud dept who love this stuff. They'll rip 'em to shreds.
I find it very telling that of a very small segment (POA posters) of the total population there are several 1st person accounts contained here. Extrapolating that is evidence there must be a HUGE business in fraudulent magazine subscriptions.
 
Well, you might be interested that this business is physically in a 50 x 120 pole building with lots of phone lines. Little more than people crammed into a box with an angle on sales?
 
bbchien said:
Well, you might be interested that this business is physically in a 50 x 120 pole building with lots of phone lines. Little more than people crammed into a box with an angle on sales?
Click to expand...
There ya go, Mike. Send them those pictures and tell 'em you're waiting out front.
 
mikea said:
There ya go, Mike. Send them those pictures and tell 'em you're waiting out front.
Click to expand...

Thats funny.

I'll help you out, I'll meet you there, I am 6'7" 285lbs not real mean but very ugly, now if we can get another large volunteer to meet us that works great.

I do a sercurity gard thing for a friend who is a jewlery wholesaleman and travels with lots of money and cash. Sunglasses and a frown , a nice suite.

So any way find another volunteer and we'll do it. No other takers we will still do it.

This would all be some more of that YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK???
 
mikea said:
There ya go, Mike. Send them those pictures and tell 'em you're waiting out front.
Click to expand...

Thats funny.

I'll help you out, I'll meet you there, I am 6'7" 285lbs not real mean but very ugly, now if we can get another large volunteer to meet us that works great.

I do a security guard thing for a friend who is in jewlery wholesales and travels with lots of money and cash. Sunglasses and a frown , a nice suite.

So any way find another volunteer and we'll do it. No other takers we will still do it.

This would all be some more of that YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK???
 
Hahaha, thanks for the pics Bruce!

On the phone we denied everything we could. I wouldn't give them any information. The only mistake I think I made was in saying that perhaps her ex-husband signed her up for them.

When I asked the agency for proof all they said was that they had received the debt from the magazine company and were trying to collect it. After I repeatedly denied ever receiving or agreeing to any magazine subscription he said he was going to send the debt back to the company and have them contact us... Since then they stopped calling.

I will hear from them again soon, I can feel it.
 
bbchien said:
Well, you might be interested that this business is physically in a 50 x 120 pole building with lots of phone lines. Little more than people crammed into a box with an angle on sales?
Click to expand...
Notice the fish on the sign? Hypocrites.
 
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