CHARLESTON, W.Wa. -- West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw has sued to enjoin Illinois attorney Robert K. Lock, Jr., New York attorney Philip M. Manger, and their company CCDN, LLC, d/b/a Credit Collections Defense Network, from practicing law in West Virginia and to stop their unfair and deceptive debt settlement business.
Through the eyes of the Better Business Bureau, there are only four types of businesses: Standard, Monitored, Inherent Problem and Illegal/Scam. Regardless of what your business actually does, the BBB is going to classify your business as one of these four types. The reality of this is that if your business is classified by the BBB to be either one with inherent problems or of an illegal/scam nature, the highest Better Business Bureau Grade you can earn is an "F."
One of our original points of contention with the Better Business Bureau had to do with their complaint process. We felt then, and feel now, that it serves no real purpose to the consumer, is poorly managed, and from first hand experience it appears to be rigged.
Because of legal loopholes concerning certain non-profit whistleblowing organizations, courts have not been able to compel the BBB to be truthful and accurate in its reliability reports. To date, BBBs are basically exempt from the same libel and slander laws that apply to others in the business community. And the BBB has milked these legal loopholes for all they are worth.
GET PRO-ACTIVE: If you are frustrated with the BBB and their lack of response to what you consider to be unfair treatment of your business by their grading system; if you are mad as hell and are seeking some sort of recourse from what you consider to be unethical practices by the BBB, then please email me at editor@bbbroundup.com. Let me know what city you live in. We have plans to make the BBB sit up and take notice.
Consumer protection has two sides: preventing harm and helping consumers. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s proposed bill, the Illinois Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, would actually hurt consumers by eliminating an industry that provides a valuable service to those in financial straits during these tough economic times. That fact was not made clear in The State Journal-Register’s recent editorial (“Put curbs on debt settlement companies,” Sunday).
A BEB original, this document assists the reformation of the BBB into an institution we all can live with.
As a "living document", it will be changed and updated according to the collective wisdom of the marketplace. It will note any changes the BBB makes to correct the underlying concerns in an acceptable way.
If the BBB doesn't move to address these issues on its own, this document will serve as a blueprint for legislation to curb BBB-style slander and libel of business reputations.
Consumer protection has two sides: preventing harm and helping consumers. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s proposed bill, the Illinois Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, would actually hurt consumers by eliminating an industry that provides a valuable service to those in financial straits during these tough economic times. That fact was not made clear in The State Journal-Register’s recent editorial (“Put curbs on debt settlement companies,” Sunday).
With straightforward majority reasoning of "ignorance of the law is no excuse" and a dissent that included fears of plaintiffs' attorneys run amok, the ruling has something for everyone. But an ARM legal expert notes that the impact will be immediate and burdensome for collection lawyers.
The United States Supreme Court Wednesday handed down a ruling that severely complicates the bona fide error defense under the FDCPA for ARM companies involved in litigation.
In a 7-2 ruling, the Court said that collection law firms could not use misinterpretations of the law in a bona fide error defense under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC), the debt settlement industry’s regulatory body, recently responded to misleading comments and inaccurate information released by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Chicago Sun-Times. TASC claims that debt settlement is a legitimate industry that has saved thousands of consumers from bankruptcy in addition to collecting millions of dollars in unsecured debt for creditors. So is debt settlement a legitimate industry?
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) April 22, 2010 -- The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC), the debt settlement industry’s regulatory body, recently responded to misleading comments and inaccurate information released by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 16, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Robby H. Birnbaum, partner at the full-service business law firm of Greenspoon Marder, P.A., has been named president of The Association of Settlement Companies (TASC). Birnbaum, a regulatory compliance and defense attorney, will focus on promoting best practices in the debt settlement industry and protecting the interests of consumer debtors, through a series of TASC initiatives designed to heighten industry standards and promote better state and federal laws.
