Caine & Weiner, Inc. (C&W) is a third-party debt collection agency based in California. C&W has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as using false or misleading information in an effort to collect a debt and sharing information about debts with unauthorized third parties. If C&W has contacted you about delinquent collection items, make sure you understand your rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Caine & Weiner, Inc.was founded in 1930 and incorporated in 1959. C&W has been a BBB-accredited business since 2006. The BBB lists Caine & Weiner as a collection system and collection agency. Buzzfile estimates C&W’s annual revenue at $25 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 90 employees, with an estimated 140 total employs across all locations.
According to its website, C&W “is a solution-based accounts receivable management company that provides credit and collection services to America’s leading companies.” C&W “enhances cash flow for the global business community through the creative and effective utilization of accounts receivable management systems and innovative solutions.”
Caine & Weiner’s “clients are comprised of a broad cross-section of American industry, including 20% of Fortune 500 companies.” C&W is a “full-service provider of Accounts Receivable Management services, with dedicated teams assigned specifically to” consumer, international, and commercial collection. C&W’s third-party consumer debt collection staff “utilizes integrated and automated collection technologies coupled with a powerful set of integrated industry leading business partners that aide in account segmentation, scrubbing, and location services, enabling the highest probability of successful recovery.” Their first-party outsourcing division “provides a level of support for clients to effectively manage customers in a timely manner when their account becomes past due.”
C&W’s international collections division “links together a worldwide network of partner offices… whose collaborative collection resources are combined for the benefit of … clients.” C&W also “has an unparalleled reputation for recovering commercial 3rd party debt.” Finally, C&W provides expert letter writing services and expertise in collecting insurance account delinquencies.
C&W is heavily certified in information and privacy and security practices throughout their operations and comply with “all applicable federal and state regulations,” such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Privacy Act of 1984, HIPAA, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, and Workers Compensation Case Laws. In addition, their collectors are certified by the Commercial Collection Agency Association. They cite affiliation with several professional associations, including the International Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA International) and the Receivables Management Association (RMA). They provide many links to collection industry resources, but their website is client-facing and does not include a dedicated page with links to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies.
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.
As of December 2019, the BBB has closed 109 complaints against Caine & Weiner in the preceding 3 years, with 18 complaints closed in the previous 12 months. Most of those complaints cited problems with billing and collections, although 23 complaints also cited problems with customer service. As of July 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 792 complaints involving C&W. Justia lists at least 5 cases of civil litigation involving C&W.
Caine & Weiner Co., Inc.
21210 Erwin Street
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone Number: 818-226-6000
Website: https://www.caine-weiner.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely C&W 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!
Get Free BBB A+ Attorney. Call 475-277-1600 NOW
Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector:
Caine & Weiner Company, Inc. faced a lawsuit filed by a New York man who claims the debt collector violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by failing to clearly indicate the name of his alleged creditor in a collection letter. The letter supposedly stated “Re: ANTHEM” but does not indicate whether Anthem is the creditor to whom the alleged debt is owed. The plaintiff claimed he could not confidently determine how to respond to the letter because he is unsure who the defendant represents and to whom he should write a payment check.
Also, Complaints against Caine & Weiner cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts and allegations of harassment. In August 2019, a complainant stated that C&W representatives had been calling “constantly trying to collect a debt from someone she did not know.” According to the complainant, she “told them 3 times that they have bad information.” Allegedly, the calls had started several months previously, and every day that the complainant returned home from work, there was a message from C&W looking for an individual she did not know. She said she “finally got tired of it, called them, and explained that they had the wrong number. She gave them her full name and address and asked them to check all of that info to see that she had no connection to the individual” they were looking for. She said that the C&W representative “thanked her and said they would remove her number.” However, “the calls would stop for a while,” but then continue after a short period of inactivity. On the day of the complainant, she contacted C&W and asked the representative“to listen very carefully to everything she was about to tell him.” She then “gave him her full name, told him she works for the courts, … gave him her address, and told him the phone number he has isn’t” for the individual he was looking for. The complainant said that despite her efforts, the C&W representative was only “interested in… the names of the people she supposedly spoke to in the past and said he was going to hang up if she ‘continued that line of conversation.’” She said that the “line of conversation” the C&W representative had objected to “was being given all of her pertinent information and being told to perform some due diligence and check the information.”She told him she wanted the calls to stop, “but all he did was hang up.”
In October 2019, a complainant stated that Caine & Weiner had reported “a fraudulent collection item on his credit report from an auto insurance company for” $700.00. He said he had “never received any documentation from…the insurance company or C&W,” and that “according to the FDCPA, …he was entitled to correspondence,proof, and an opportunity to clear up any dept that a company claims he owed.” The complainant stated that he did not owe either C&W nor the insurance company any money, and that C&W was colluding with the insurance company to “try… to take people’s money.” He said he had requested “written documentation from the original creditor, a full itemized summary of this fraudulent account, along with dates, and any attempted contact in regards to this alleged debt.” He accused C&W of committing “debt collection fraud and abuse” and said the item “needs to be removed from his credit history immediately.” In response, C&W stated that their “records indicate that the creditor still shows the balance as due by the consumer”; that they “do not show receiving any written correspondence from the consumer”; and that they were” unable to reach the consumer by phone.” The complainant rejected C&W’s attempted resolution.
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).
Consumers have reported this agency harassing them from the following numbers:
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…
“You, as well as your staff and office, went out of your way to be helpful, keep us updated, and handle everything to lessen the pressure on us. We are very grateful for all the help you have given us and making this so easy on us. We will definitely be recommending you to any friends who might be in a similar situation. Again, thank you so much for everything.”
”Lemberg has saved me from the endless calls, and harassing voicemails. They really do go to bat for you. I didn’t know that debt collection agencies can end up paying your legal bill. What a surprise, to receive free legal help. I’m very grateful for all the hard work they did to finally give me my life back.”
“It was a pleasure to deal with you. I would recommend this firm to anyone.”
We’ll do our best to help. Call us today and we’ll review your credit report.
Share your story
Have you had a bad experience with this agency’s debt collectors? Sound off and share your experience with other visitors in the comment box below.
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."
See more posts from Sergei Lemberg
I recently got a phone call from this company I never heard of before and they told me that I owe a tuition fee since I went to school back in 2017 and I graduated in 2018. SO I told the lady there must be a mistake because I was never aware of this when I got out of school, I was only aware of my school loan to pay for me which they made a payment plan for me and the lady said she will call me back and it took 2 weeks that they sent a letter out that I owe $5033 and when I call them first thing they ask was if I received my taxes and i thought that was way out of line to even ask for but she said she will transferred me to her manger and he said the same thing that instead of people paying back and take 5 years or more to pay off they offer a 12 month payment fee but it starts at $440 a month which I told him that it is impossible and he said well when you find a financial solution to call him back. So I call my school and they have given me a phone number to call to help with these like this
Well here we go, I just got my first huge bill EVER 6044.61 from C&W apparently from the City of LA Office of Finance…I have no clue what this is Nor will the city of LA or C&W be getting my hard-earned coins. I was going to call them today but then I saw this so ill try here first. They say I have 30 days to dispute this but I have no clue what to do with this 2-star unclaimed google listed company that has nerve to not be claimed but asking for debts. I need help like yesterday, btw not sure what the star rating is for you guys or them. so the 5star is for you and this forum <3
Legalzoom uses them to harass people. Fu legalzoom
I’m having the same issues with this company. I do not owe them anything. I asked for prove of debt owed to them and they sent me a billing status from progressive insurance.
Because I went to school, I owe money to Caine-Weiner company for the loan. I was never aware until I saw it on my credit report. When I called customer service it was at first they sounded nice and she kept Pushing me to do automatic monthly plans which I prefer to pay on the online. I offered to do that so I can be ferrsure to pay off my loan and they said I had to do payment plans which I knew it was not a good plan. If the payment did not go through I would be called non stop and left a lot voicemails. I would always call back to make sure if it came though but they wanted to be ran in a couple days and I wanted my card to be ran right away so that way the money stays in my account. I tried to call pay on the day and they refused to do it, only monthly plans. One day the lady that I’m assigned to called me and just started harassing me and I couldn’t stop crying after I talked to her. I told her this is why I wanted to do the payments on the phone rather than speak to someone and she was just threatening me that I have to pay by the end of the month. Now they just want me to call in and yet still wait 1 to 2 days for it to process, me knowing it’s still gonna go back and forth.
I’m currently litigating pro se against Caine & Weiner Inc. for violating the TCPA while attempting to collect an alleged debt. So far, all they can do is huff and puff and threaten. Not scared.
Caine and Weiner, and their in-house counsel are currently being sued for $1.2 million for legal malpractice, if that gives you an idea of what these people are about.
Caine and Weiner refuse to show proof of an auto insurance debt. I’ve asked multiple times for proof of the debt. They once gave me the number of the company and when I called the insurance company said they had no record of me ever being a client and that C&W was a scam..I called back and threatened by Vivian Tennison that I still owe them $400+. They call everyday and everyday I nicely ask for them to send me proof of my debt. They say they will mail it and never do. Today they told me they can’t legally mail me proof after all. I had enough and told them to get a real job and stop scamming people after the phone call the woman texted me that she would have a great day at her real job.
Extremely rude..even after I sent proof from Progressive confirming a zero balance they still threatened to put this account in to collections. They refuse to rectify this without setting up a payment plan..why would I pay for something twice when I can prove I had a zero balance? How can they do this to people?
Calls every day, so far from SEVEN different VOIP numbers. Very unprofessional. Who calls repeatedly using a different number every day? Who do they think they are kidding? And continually calling for someone who is medically incompetent, institutionalized, which they have been told. They continue to call every day every day every day, regardless of the FACTS of the situation. They are scum. This will be turned over to the attorneys.
This is the list of VOIP numbers they have called from SO FAR:
7542194248
7542251636
4693668024
3852651394
7312077498
2059058090
2692183559
I have never heard of Caine & Weber until I got a recent credit report alert. It is a final insurance bill for less than 100.00 from where I switched Insurance companies and which I paid said bill direct to progressive before the CR alert came up. Can C&W legally place this debt on my credit report without notifying me of the debt first?