Is Team Recovery Inc Calling You?*

Here’s What You Need to Know

Debt levels have been growing at a more rapid rate than take-home pay for most people today.

Current figures estimate that indebted households have a revolving credit card balance of at least $15,000, with some people paying as much as 9% of their annual income on interest rates alone.

When even minimum payments become impossible due to job loss or a financial crisis like automobile breakdown or divorce, creditors will eventually turn the outstanding accounts over to debt collectors, many of whom use harassment and deception to coerce payments.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

In 1977 Congress passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, to protect indebted consumers from unethical and predatory debt collectors.

Since then, it has been illegal for a collection agency to use methods like the following while attempting to collect a debt:

• Use profane or obscene language
• Call at inconvenient times, usually before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m.
• Call someone at work after they’ve been advised that such calls are not allowed
• Fail or refuse to identify themselves as debt collectors in every communication
• Use the phone to harass someone: for example, calling and hanging up
• Demand amounts not supported by law or the original creditor agreement

Company Profile: Team Recovery Inc

Team Recovery Inc is a collection agency headquartered in Stow, Ohio. It was established in 1999, has fewer than 10 employees, and is managed by owner Leslie Engel.

A review of records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that Team Recovery Inc has been sued for allegedly violating the rights of consumers under the FDCPA.

Alleged Violations by Team Recovery Inc

Leroy Miller vs. Team Recovery Inc

In or around July of 2014, Ohio resident Leroy Miller received a voicemail message from a Team Recovery Inc representative who identified herself as “Mrs. Hansford”.

In the message, this representative allegedly failed to disclose the name of her company placing the call, the fact that the call was being placed by a debt collector, or that the call was being placed to collect an alleged debt.

Another collector, “Steve Williams” left a message asking Mr. Miller to call him at 330-916-7030, a number belonging to Team Recovery Inc.

Mr. Miller hired a consumer attorney and filed a lawsuit against the company for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

• Placing collection calls without meaningful disclosure of the caller’s identity
• Using false, deceptive or misleading representations or means to collect the debt
• Failing to disclose that each communication was from a debt collector

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone number for Team Recovery Inc is 1-330-916-7030. If it appears on your caller ID, a debt collector may be attempting to contact you about an account it has been assigned to collect.

If representatives leave voice messages that do not disclose their company or the purpose of their call, hire a consumer attorney.

Your attorney can help you defend your rights in court, where Team Recovery Inc could be ordered to pay you $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. The law gives you rights that you should never hesitate to act on.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 5:14-cv-02791-JRA from United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division

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 Team Recovery Inc, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.