Capital Recovery Systems Inc or CRS is a third-party collection agency based in Ohio that specializes in collecting delinquent debts for government agencies. CRS has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including illegal communication tactics and attempting to collect debts not owed. If you have been contacted by Capital Recovery Systems, make sure you understand your rights before responding
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the BBB, Capital Recovery Systems, Inc. was founded and incorporated in 1997. The BBB established a profile page for CRS in 1998. CRS is listed as a collection agency. Buzzfile estimates CRS’s annual revenue at $6.8 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 4 employees.
According to its website, Capital Recovery Systems “is a collection agency, exclusively serving government municipal and county clients.” CRS “offers a customizable solution with recovery rates that average 2.5 times better than the industry norm.” CRS cites its recovery rates and client testimonials as evidence of its professionalism. CRS’s mission is to “provide…clients the most effective and technologically sound methods of collecting their delinquent receivables, while maintaining and preserving the relationship with their constituents.”
Capital Recovery Systems is “primarily focused on local government collections, with a specialty in collecting delinquent court cases, parking tickets, and taxes.” CRS offers a “No Cost Court Collection Program in any state which has a statute that allows a court to add CRS’s collection fee to the current balance of any delinquent case assigned to CRS. CRS also takes zero commission until the case has been collected in full.”
CRS’s exclusive focus “allows…for constant improvement of…services,” and strives to act as “more of a ‘customer support and service center’ for local governments than we are a collection agency.” In addition, Capital Recovery Systems “management and staff are well educated on laws that govern third-party debt collections” and do not tolerate or condone “violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) or other applicable federal or state guidelines.” CRS claims to have a “record of never having been sued, sanctioned, or fined for any violation in 15 years.”
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
The BBB has closed 10 complaints against Capital Recovery Systems in the past three years, with 2 complaints closed in the past 12 months. All of those complaints allege problems with billing and collections. Since July 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 3 complaints against CRS. Justia lists at least 6 cases of civil litigation involving Capital Recovery Systems.
Capital Recovery Systems, Inc.
750 Cross Pointe Rd., Ste. S
Gahanna, OH 43230-6693
Telephone: (614) 575-0590
Website: http://www.caprecsys.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Capital Recovery Systems would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here are some Sample Complaints:
In November 2017, a complainant indicated she had received a collection notice from Capital Recovery Systems for an alleged parking violation. The complainant indicated the letter was “likely computer generated and so poorly written that it appears to be a scam.” The notice did not provide any information on the alleged violation, such as “the vehicle, the date of…the violation, infraction code, license plate number, or where the … violation occurred.” The notice identified the creditor as “BINGHMAMTON PARKING,” but the complainant indicated she had not “set foot in any city by this name or anything similar to it in over 30 years.” In addition, she described the letter as “intimidating and threatening, and did not provide any factual substance, assuming ‘guilt.’” The complainant described CRS as “a debt collection business that does not even try to find the actual alleged debtor, but preys on unsuspecting parties.” She indicated the letter came “across as a scam to strong-arm small amounts of payment from duped victims, who will pay without objection, without looking into the allegation,” and indicated her intent to take legal action if she discovers the tactics she was subjected to are common.
CRS’s response began with a fairly lengthy preamble that provided information about the company using a somewhat defensive tone that cited many of their strengths, such as taking “great pride in doing our best to comply with all laws and because of that we very rarely receive a complaint.” Next, the Capital Recovery Systems representative indicated that he had investigated the complaint. He confirmed that the “City of Binghamton is a longtime client… and that the cases it sends…involve outstanding parking violations.” The parking violation that was the subject of the complaint was sent to CRS in November 2015 for a violation that occurred in December 2007. “According to the limited information provided” to CRS, the license plate was registered in New York, and CRS initially sent a letter to the address of record. The letter was returned to Capital Recovery Systems, with a new address in New Jersey indicated on the return-to-sender notification. Capital Recovery Systems re-sent the letter to the New Jersey address, and the CRS representative indicated that this “must be the letter that the complainant received.” The CRS representative then began to dispute the complainant’s version of events, indicating she “was upset and said she didn’t know where Binghamton was and demanded we remove this account from collections.” CRS indicated they were unable to comply with the request “simply because someone made that request.” Regardless, CRS placed a “Dispute” and a “Hold” on the account. Although the client subsequently confirmed that the letter had been sent to the complainant in error and advised CRS to close the account and return it to them, the CRS representative nonetheless concluded by lecturing the complainant about her comments that CSR tries to strong-arm duped victims. The representative stressed to her the importance of understanding that Capital Recovery Systems is “here to help,” then gave her detailed contact information for further assistance.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“As we discussed on the phone earlier today, this settlement is perfectly okay to me. I need to thank you and all of your cohorts at Lemberg Law to get a project handled so professionally. Please allow Amy, the first person who contacted me from Lemberg, know how much I appreciate her efforts, kindness, and professionalism.”
“I won’t be afraid to contact you or recommend your services to others for applicable legal issues. Please keep up the outstanding work you do, and again, thank you for helping me through this challenging time. I’m most grateful. I can not say thank you enough!”
“I received outstanding professionalism from the own staff. I had a horrible experience when trying to solve a debt. 1 debt collector associate said she would speak to the prosecutor’s office and another representative told me that when I called the office back he would call the police and have me arrested. I had been insulted, mocked, and threatened, and feared that the police would appear at my door any given moment.”
“I just wanted to let you know we received the check from your office on now and I wanted to take some time to inform you that we really appreciate all of your efforts in this matter.”
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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It’s ridiculously how these companies call and harasse ppl, they don’t know what kind of health you’re in or anything. They had me so stressed out i started hyperventilating, i am a cancer patient and a single woman i pay enough bills by myself. How do they expect a person to pay all their bills at home and pay 3 or 4 different hospital bills aint nobody making that kind of money in mississippi.
my complaint is the people that answer the phone are very unprofessional , mr harris, and if i didnt have to pay my bill i would gladly never speak to one of your asshole employees ,,,your company sucks ,,,wanted to pay via american express and was told i cant ,,when i asked why i cant and explained that i buy/pay for many things with that card ,,was told ,,ok, go pay it at the court
I received a call this morning from CRS stating that I have a civil lawsuit against me from a credit card company. Amber is the person handling my so called case. She stated that I am being sued with a civil lawsuit and that I needed to pay $1650.00. I told her that I have never heard of the loan company and that I have not taken out any loans or even had a credit card. I also told her I have never received anything by mail and she actually became hostile stating that they have sent numerous letters informing me of this matter. They even had the last 4 digits of my SSN # and that really scared me because I do not give my SSN # to anyone unless it involves my healthcare. I told her to send me everything she has regarding this civil suit and she stated that she could only send the information via email. I told her that I needed it in writing and again she stated that she could only send it through email. I questioned her about the company who supposedly loaned me money and I knew I had not received any loans or credit from them or anyone. The more I questioned the more hostile she became. At this point my son, who heard me talking to this person, asked me what was going on. I told him and he took the phone and told Amber not to call my number again. He also told her if there was a civil lawsuit that I would have received notices in the mail and not via phone. He then hung up and Googled the number she had called from and saw all the complaints regarding the phone number as well at the company. The phone number she called from is 844-211-6728. I know that I do not owe anything to any company relating to loans or credit cards. This has caused me so much stress and anxiety that I had a panic attack. I am in very poor health and cannot deal with stress like this at all. I am glad that my son stepped in even though I was not going to give them a dime no matter what she said. I am very upset by this and I want to know what can be done to make them stop calling me and threatening me with a civil lawsuit.
CRS collection agency. They left a number so I called them back and ending up speaking with Stephanie and after she told me what company she was collecting for. I vvaguely remember the company name. So I was willing to make some type of paymemts. I explain to her that I was retired and could only pay a certain amount. Well they point blank told me that they did not accept Discover debt cards nor were they willing to debt my checking account and at that point I ask to speak to a manager. I spoke with Anthony and he threaten me with lawsuits after I asked if he had a number for the company that I owed the money to. When I did that he became very hostile even after that I asked if I could call back after speaking with the company. He begin to yell and scream telling me they was not going to talk to me and I told him if they don’t I would call them back the next day. He flat out told me don’t brother calling them tomorrow but he was sending the information to the courts and hung up the phone.