CSO Financial Inc is a debt collection agency, which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for debt harassment. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
CSO Financial , Inc. (CSO) is a third-party collection agency based in Oregon. CSO has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), including attempting to collect debts not owed and improper contact or sharing of information. If this debt collector has contacted you about past due collection items, make sure you know your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), CSO Financial, Inc. is a legitimate agency founded and incorporated in 1956. The BBB established a profile page for CSO in 1991. CSO is listed as a collection agency, billing service, credit reporting agency, and employment background checking service. CSO uses the alternate business names, Credit Services Northwest; Credit Services of Oregon; Kency Credit Service; Medical Services; and Receivables Management.
According to its website, CSO “is a regional company offering business, municipal, and private clients… a wide range of financial recovery services using state-of-the art communications and technical systems.”CSO’s “products and services are diverse, including billing and collection services, tenant-screening reports, criminal history and background checks, employment reports, and trained paralegal staff.” Their Collections page states that CSO employs “professional collectors who know the proper tools and are experienced in the negotiation techniques that work best to get paid.” CSO “handles sending multiple letters, making repeated phone calls, locating current addresses and phone numbers, tracking the progress of legal claims, and reporting…debts to…credit bureaus.”
CSO also offers billing services with “billing professionals…trained” in understanding “governmental legislation, patient demands, and the ever-increasing complexities of medical insurance.” In addition, CSO’s receivables management division “provides follow-up billing for commercial accounts…. for an array of commercial financial services to assist businesses in maintaining a smooth flow of receivables.” CSO’s credit reporting services include “tenant, employment and credit screening, such as credit reports, criminal searches, eviction searches, employment reports, and business reports.”
CSO offers its services to business from several industries, including medical and healthcare providers; government agencies; businesses such as financial institutions, athletic clubs, grocery chains, retail and consumer services, and hardware and feed stores; and professional offices such as law firms.
CSO is an active member of the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals (ACA International).CSO’s Consumer Resources page includes a link to the Ask Dr. Debt website “created by the ACA International Education Foundation to provide free and unbiased answers to consumers’ debt questions.”
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 9 complaints against CSO in the past 3 years, with 1 complaint closed in the previous 12 months. Almost all of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections.Since September 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 8 complaints against CSO. Justia lists at least 1 case of civil litigation involving CSO.
CSO Financial, Inc.
1229 SE Stephens St.
Roseburg, OR 97470-4823
Telephone: (800) 888-6597
Website: http://www.paycso.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely CSO 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. Here are some Sample Complaints
Complaints against CSO Financial commonly cite problems resulting from aggressive collection tactics. In January 2017, a complainant indicated she had been reviewing her credit reports to clear up any outstanding debts. Although CSO did not appear on any of her reports, a few weeks after checking them, she received from CSO an “Affidavit and Writ of Garnishment (Continuing Lien of Earnings) that her job was served. The debt originated back sometime approximately 2008 when she co-signed an account for her son at a business with whom she also had an account.” She stated that she had “no issue with paying her debt,” but did not understand why CSO had “not contacted her in writing giving her the opportunity to work out a payment plan before a garnishment.” In the past, she had communicated with collection agencies who had contacted her to make payment arrangements. When she made an effort to speak with a representative at CSO subsequent to the garnishment, she offered to settle the debt for $5,000, but the representative “informed her that… she wouldn’t waste her managers time to bring that to her attention, and that only $7,000.00 would she take to her managers desk!” The complainant stated that the “debt originally was approx. $4,000.00”; that she couldn’t “come up with a lump sum for years if ever”; and that she “asked to settle with monthly payments.” Allegedly, CSO responded to her request by stating “that they refuse to do so, all the while… collecting 12% interest!” The complainant concluded by stating that “other collection agencies…have settled with… monthly amounts, but CSO … demanded a total due in their office of approx. $10,000.00 with all the fees & interest.” The complainant stated it was unconscionable that a company can do this!”
In response, CSO posted a record of their correspondence with the complainant, which indicated they had sent collection notices and a validation notice to the complainant prior to issuing the writ of garnishment. They also stated that during their initial phone contact with the complainant, CSO had stated they would not accept a settlement offer of less than $7,000 for a judgment balance of $8,811.80. CSO confirmed that they would not release “the writ of garnishment for partial payments.” They also stated that the item was not reported to the credit reporting agencies because “the original debt is from 2009 and is past the federal credit reporting statute of limitations.” The complainant rejected the attempted resolution, restating her position that CSO was being unreasonable, especially since the complainant was currently unemployed and made a good faith offer to settle the account, but CSO remained inflexible.
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).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These 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…
“To anybody who has a problem with a debt collector, I highly suggest Lemberg Law. I obtained attentive, personalized service and obtained resolution within three months.”
“I could not have stopped the collection calls myself.
“Thank you Lemberg Law!!! Harassed non-stop by rude collectors. My attorney was speedy and polite, really knew what she was doing. They took my call, asked what was going on, never interrupted, and were extremely patient. I knew what was going on every step of the way. They got the calls to stop and sent me a check in the mail as promised. I even paid off my debt with the settlement! Ha!.”
“Thank you for standing with me Lemberg Law. I was so afraid I could lose my job because of a caller who called my job number 4 hours straight back to back. He not only harassed and threatened me but also abused workmates who received the call when I wasn’t around. Since I solicited for your services, I’ve had a peace of mind, and I’m happy because of the few dollars I got as a settlement.”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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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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I received a second garnishment yesterday where they took 100% of my money which is my financial aid for school. I read that legally they can’t take all your wages at once?? They took $800 a year ago. They also got me after an old bill was expunged, it was 11 years old and they called me and contacted me and got me to get it rolling again. I so wish I knew my rights before that. Is that even legal?
CSO FINANCIAL INC IS GARNISHING MY Wages I have no problem paying them but I have no idea what my balance is or anything g there taking over three hundred bucks every two weeks I’m a single mom making 17 bucks an hour with rent alone takes one paycheck is there anything g I can do to lower my payments
I have over 20 calls emails and all from CSO financial