Allied Interstate called did not clarify who they were other than company name would not answer my questions, but proceeded to push questions my direction. Who answers personal questions on initial phone calls from strangers? Even less likely to happen when that stranger only offers a first name and proceeds with questions without confirming the purpose or the call or the client they represent. They refused to answer the simplest questions to verify who they were or why they were calling, yet continued to push questions at me in an accusatory manner. They would not even give a CORRECT web address for the company - when I used the call return feature it was answered by individual who said he was one of 300 people 0 yet the background noise was not of an office environment - nor could they identify the call to my number or locate who had called me. Their sleazy tactics and evasive practices are even professional in their line of commerce.

I just now received a phone call from some dumb women, that thought she call here and disrespect my home, get abusive, and then hang up on me...

This Allied Interstate Co. is a Very UNPROFFESIONAL GROUP...If I get one more phone call from them, I will file a complaint, and a Law Suit...I’m really tired of the disrespectfulness, and rudeness I, or my wife get from theses people from Interstate. I would love for some one else to also report this company, because, I believe if they can choose to speak to me or my wife in that matter then they do it to every one...

Look I'm going to make this simple, and I expect a torrent of shout downs from Allied because they know it's true but don't want you to know the facts about collection agencies.

First, they’re a collection agency, they can't sue you for one simple reason. They weren't a party to the original agreement between you and the original creditor.

The original creditor can sue you and has every right up to the time limits of your state.

The collector claims to be an agent but an agent is still not a party to the original debt. If you do somehow end up in court simply demand the signed document that shows you and the collection agency have an agreement. That will end their case abruptly because there is never any such document.

This process is called discovery and if the plaintiff can't produce evidence of their claim it's dead.

The one exception to the above...If you actually enter into a payment agreement with a collector. Now you have made them a party to the debt (actually a new debt since they have no relationship to the original debt) In that case you've made a business relationship with them and you're bound by whatever terms you agreed to with them.

So what's the solution, simple, don't respond to them at all. You won't get a fair deal, they won't stop bothering you and you'll never stop paying them if you enter into an agreement. There will always be an additional charge, fee or adjustment to keep you paying.

Also if they go as far as to try to bring you to court (which is laughable) make sure you never accept service. You are not under any obligation to identify yourself to anyone but a police officer. A process server is just a working stiff making minimum wage delivering court papers when they're not delivering pizzas. Also know that police officers are never off duty. That means any police officer performing process service for a civil matter is in direct conflict with his position. Criminal matters are a different area. The conflict stems from the state being barred from being a party to a private legal action to which they have no interest or participation.

If somebody strange walks up to you and asks if you're such and such just say no. If they can't serve you they can't sue you. There must be proper service for any civil action brought against you.

Finally, know that Allied is just one of many such operations all of which employ the same tactics. They're hoping to trick you into giving them money and holding you to an unfair contract.

Make sure to watch your credit reports too. Equifax is famous for siding with collection agencies and leaving negative information on your report. Keep filing challenges anyway. Make sure that the collection agency is allowed to show up as a creditor on your collection report. This is a common tactic to drive down your FICO score. They file a fraudulent claim as a creditor then claim delinquency on the account. Again if you don't enter into any agreements with the collection agency they have no legal basis to touch your credit report. These tactics have been successfully litigated in California and Equifax has been named as a party in many of these law suits. In every case I've looked at, the collection agency and Equifax lost the case and were forced to pay damages.

Plain and simple, you're in control, don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

Last summer Allied Interstate began calling my phone number, listed under J. D. Smith, leaving messages for John L. Smith. The calls became more persistent, the messages nastier. Until finally I called the number and explained they were calling Jane D. Smith, not John L. Smith, although a John Doe did used to live in my neighbourhood, but moved I know not where. The woman was very polite. Said thanks for calling. My number would be removed. Bye. A few weeks passed with no calls. Then they started again. Same woman calling. I spoke to her again. This is Jane D. Smith. Not related to John L. Smith. She insisted I must be.

Off and on this has been happening.

This week the calls have started again. My elderly father answered the phone and I hear him saying, this is John Smith. No, I'm not on Fifth Street! This isn't even Georgia! You apologize to me! And then he hung up. I looked at the number. It was Allied Interstate.

I called them and said, you've got the wrong number. They said, sorry, you'll be removed and hung up. I called back and said, no look, you always say that but you keep calling. And she said, it takes 24 hours, and hung up. I called back, and she got very very nasty and said, would you quit calling me. Stop calling this number. I said, all I want is some kind of assurance that a week from now or two months from now they wouldn't start calling my number again.

She told me to stop calling this number and hung up on me.

Somehow I feel I've accomplished something having a bill collector yelling at me to stop calling their number.

To sum it up: Allied Interstate has been harassing me off and on for a year for a debt that is not mine, nor is it a member of my family. I unfortunately have the same first initial and last name of the person whose debt they are trying to collect. My father unfortunately has the same first name, but different middle initial, so I doubt they ever will really stop calling.

This has got to be the rudest collection agency I have ever come across. They have done everything from calling over and over in a day, to saying harassing things, to actually calling me before 8 AM and telling me I am wrong it is 8 AM. Duh, I think I know what time it is, and when every clock in my house, including the computer and the cable company say it's before 8 AM, I wonder who is right here. The rudest they have ever been to me was over a 24 dollar fee from a storage unit that I left a few days after the first, literally. Somehow, though maybe not logical, I didn't want to send 24 dollars to someone that was talking to me like I am the bowel movements of a dog lying on a sidewalk. Somehow it left a bad taste in my mouth. And that silly lying piece of comment that was left by a "supposed" employee was so fake and so moronic I can't even justify speaking more on it! What kind of person takes a job that constitutes them being rude and uncaring and obnoxious every day? Geez.