Is Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc Calling You?*

Is Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc calling you? Here’s what you need to know.

Most of us carry some degree of personal debt. When job loss or another crisis suddenly limits cash flow, manageable debt can quickly spiral out of control and create a financial crisis. Once these accounts are delinquent by a certain number of months, your creditors will probably assign them to debt collectors for retrieval.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a consumer protection law that regulates what third-party debt collectors may say and do when attempting to collect a debt. It prohibits underhanded pressure tactics like those below.

• Using profane or obscene language
• Threatening you with lawsuits that they have no intention of initiating
• Calling you outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. your time
• Calling you at work after you tell them to stop
• Reporting false information to the credit bureaus
• Making threats they have no intention of carrying out, such as garnishing your wages

Company Profile: Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc

Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc is a debt collection agency located in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1993, has 10 to 19 employees, and is managed by owner Darrell Rose. Records retained by the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc has been accused of FDCPA violations in the past.

Alleged Violations against Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc

Adam Roush vs. Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc

According to PACER**, in April 2012 Texas resident Adam Roush began getting calls from Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc about a debt he allegedly owed to an apartment complex. He later claimed that during the first call, the agency representatives did not identify the creditor on whose behalf it sought to collect, but still threatened to sue him.

When collectors proceeded to call him repeatedly, he requested that they stop contacting him during work hours, as the calls were disruptive. Alexander-Rose allegedly ignored the request and continued to call Mr. Roush at his worksite during work hours. He also complained that on at least one occasion, collectors disclosed to the receptionist that the call was from a debt collector and that he owed a debt.

Alexander-Rose also allegedly sent letters concerning the debt to Mr. Roush’s mother’s address in Indiana, even though he had not lived there for approximately eight years. Although he provided his correct Texas address, collection letters allegedly continued to be sent to his mother.

One letter, later submitted as an exhibit, partially stated “Contact this office within 72 hours of receiving this document to stop further processing . . . contact this office with the name of your attorney or information as to the name of the party who will be paying this debt.” The 72-hour window overshadowed his right to dispute the debt within 30 days.

Mr. Roush hired a consumer attorney and sued Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Calling him at a place and time known to be inconvenient
• Calling him at his workplace after being requested to stop
• Contacting uninvolved third parties about the debt
• Using oppressive and harassing means to collect a debt
• Threatening legal action that the agency did not intend to take
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later settled.

Hire an FDCPA Attorney

The phone numbers for Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc are:

• 1-713-644-4441
• 1-800-862-4402

If you see either number on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that a collection agency is calling. If they contact you at work after being advised that you cannot talk to them there and discuss your debt with co-workers and other uninvolved third parties, hire an attorney. Such conduct is illegal, and you could be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages in a court action. When debt collectors trample on your rights, the law helps you fight back.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is (Case 4:12-cv-01856 from United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division)

*Disclaimer:

The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Alexander-Rose Associates, Inc or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.