Quick Answer: A consumer filed a CFPB complaint against Andy Bowers & Associates LLC regarding a $600 Ohio state tax debt collection dispute. The company allegedly failed to provide a detailed payment breakdown as promised and made inappropriate comments about the consumer needing employment.
Date Received: 2017-12-27T00:00:00
Product: Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Each weekday I send one short email: one story that caught my attention, why it might matter to you, and one manageable thing you can do with it. A couple of minutes, and a dad joke.
In the latest issue (Oct 16): The check that looks like a scam may be real
Free. I sell nothing. Unsubscribe any time.
Consumer Consent Provided to Share Complaint: Consent provided
The Daily Money Brief — Free, at 10 AM
Money you may be owed, scams to dodge, and the fine print decoded — the consumer money news that affects your wallet, every weekday.
Consumer Complaint: I was contacted by a company called andy bowers & associates located in XXXX, oh at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX, XXXX, OH XXXX Phone : ( XXXX ) XXXX.
They first sent me a tax bill from the State of Ohio saying I owed almost {$8000.00}?
After talking with the state of Ohio I got everything figured out, and the amount was dropped to only {$600.00}.
Back in XX/XX/2017, I was contacted and they told me that I could do a payment plan. This was for the amount of {$20.00} per month, I agreed but with only one condition and that was they must send me a breakdown of every thing I owed.
This is when things got bad, they told me that I had to choose to get the information over the phone or mail it? I told them I wanted both, they finally agreed after I spoke with a manager, this person told me that they would send a breakdown of what I actually owed month by month. When I got the letter it just said ” you owe {$600.00} ” and no breakdown so I did nothing. Next in the month of XX/XX/XXXX they called me and said I was late on paying them money? I explained that I didn’t get a break down.
Well the gentleman on the phone informed me that I was trying to XXXX the government? then he told me that I need to go get a job so I can pay the money owed?
it gets worse they tried to tell me there was nothing I could do with the late fees and penalties. This is because I was not in business at the time and I didn’t go into the system and mark XXXX, so I owe late fees on XXXX dollars?
They did not inform me that I could apply for a tax abatement to reduce or remove the fees? I asked them if there is anything I could do and they told me no!
also accusing me of trying to scam, telling me I need to get a job, and being treated like a complete piece of garbage. I have never been treated like this in my life and The State of Ohio needs to find a different agency to handle these issues.
All you have to do is XXXX this company ‘s name and read?
lets see what others have to say Complaint # 1 ” You do not need to go through this company to pay your back taxes. Do not let them BULLY you into a payment you can not afford. I immediately called the firm to make payment arrangements upon receipt of their initial letter and XXXX would not accept the payment amount I offered based on my budget so I made my payments directly to the site without their firm. They still continued to call leaving voicemails over the past 5 months or so and I did not return the calls with no issue. I returned one call today just because their last voicemail was more threatening just to have XXXX try to tell me I am making payments but I missed a payment last month when I have NO contract for payment with this firm. He continued to act like it was his efforts that were guiding my payments and they clearly are not!! I am a responsible adult making the decisions to pay off my debt with no assistance from this firm. The attorney general really needs to work with a different firm. ” Complaint # 2 Scammers – Their operation consists of searching county online public access clerk of court websites in Ohio for people who have tax judgments/liens and attempt to scam them into payments by sending threatening letters claiming a very exaggerated amount.
They are a legit depository for the State Treasurer, but their profits rely on someone paying them the amount that is far above the actual owed amount, which the balance gets returned to them by the state. They then are responsible for proceedings to ‘refund ‘ the payee, which they do not legitimately attempt and eventually are able to pocket the unclaimed funds.
For example, I owed a {$30.00} school tax that was redacted and cancelled 3 years ago … somehow this company for the last FIVE YEARS is claiming I owe over {$4000.00}. The amount I ‘owe ‘ keeps increasing with every mailing.
If you receive a call from them, in 30 seconds you will know for sure they are not legit due to their unprofessional dialogue and abusive nature.
Their ‘owner ‘ is XXXX XXXX , a fringe real estate broker in XXXX , OH. Ironically, his real estate website has no actual listings … .only a ‘contact us ‘ area of their site. What a shock.
Complaint # 3 ” Bad. XXXX XXXX employee for XXXX XXXX calls me deadbeat and to pay my taxes. And he will see me in clourt. Good for his arrogant narcissistic personality. Im sure he will see alot of people in court. ” These all are listed on XXXX and an government agency needs to look at this.
Company: Andy Bowers & Associates LLC
State/Zip: OH 446XX
Company Response to Complaint: Closed with explanation
Was Company Response Timely: Yes
Did Consumer Dispute Company Response: N/A
Complaint ID: 2765305
The above data is from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Keep in mind that every company will get a complaint from time-to-time, even the great ones. But there are a few key data points that will give you an idea about how well the company values their customers and handles consumer issues.
Look at the item Company Response to Complaint: and Did Consumer Dispute Company Response: to get a better idea of how this was resolved. And the field Consumer Complaint: can give you some context of the issue.
In particular what you are looking for was that the company response was timely and that the consumer did not dispute it. The posting of complaints has proven to be a valuable resource for both companies and consumers.
Know Your Rights: If a debt collector is contacting you, you have legal protections. See the complete list of FDCPA violations collectors commit most often. Use the free Debt Validation Letter Generator to demand proof of the debt, or check this collector’s complaint history with the Scam-O-Meter.
Dealing With Debt? Before you pay a collector, understand all your debt relief options — including ones the collector won’t tell you about. If the debt feels unmanageable, take the 2-minute bankruptcy quiz to see if the math favors a fresh start. Federal Reserve research shows filers recover faster than those who don’t file.
