Is Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc. Calling You?*

Is Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc. calling you?* Here’s what you need to know.

ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, once stated that every year debt collectors make over a billion contacts with indebted consumers. Some of those encounters, unfortunately, witness unscrupulous debt collectors going way over the line.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) makes it illegal for third-party debt collectors to use unethical methods to collect money from consumers. Examples of prohibited activities include:

• Using profane and abusive language
• Calling you outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Threatening legal action they have no intention of taking or cannot legally take
• Discussing the debt with your friends and family
• Demanding more money than the law or original credit agreement support
• Claiming to be law enforcement officers to scare you into paying

Company Profile: Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc.

Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc. is a debt collection agency located in Milford, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1997, has 20 to 49 employees, and is managed by its President, Robert Terisi. A review of records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc. has been accused of violating the FDCPA while collecting consumer debts.

Alleged Violations against Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc.

In 2015 a New Hampshire resident received a voicemail that stated, “Hello, this is a message for [name]. This is not a sales or marketing phone call. Please press the 1 key now to speak with a representative or call us back at 508-381-5332. Thank you.”

Several similar voicemails allegedly followed, so she traced the number. When she realized that collection agency was calling, she hired a consumer attorney and sued Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
• Engaging in harassing and abusive conduct
• Leaving messages that did not meaningfully disclose the caller‘s name or purpose of the call

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc. are:

• 1-508-473-6661
• 1-508-381-5332
• 1-888-473-6661

If your phone rings and either number appears on your caller ID, a debt collector is on the line, likely about a debt it has been assigned to collect from you. If they leave voicemail messages that do not identify them as collection agency employees, hire an attorney. If you go to court, a judge could order Peter Roberts & Associates, Inc. to pay you $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. It`s a stern reminder that indebted consumers have rights no matter how much you owe.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 1:16-cv-00031-JL from United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire

Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Peter Roberts & Associates, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.