Helvey & Associates or H&A is a third-party collection agency based in Indiana. H&A has received complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including failure to verify debts and attempting to collect debts not owed. If you have been contacted by Helvey & Associates, understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Helvey & Associates, Inc. is a legitimate collection agency, founded in 1955 and incorporated in 1966. The BBB established a profile page for H&A in 2004. Buzzfile estimates H&A’s annual revenue at $7.3 million and the size of its staff at 85 employees.
According to its website, H&A “is a leader in providing business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions to…clients, with a focus on accounts receivable management and contact center services.” H&A’s mission is “to create and deliver professional and long-term advantages for clients, employees, and all the people we serve.”
Helvey & Associates does not provide specific details about the types of clients for whom they collect delinquent debts. However, their Services page indicates they offer collection services and call center services. Their collection services division offers bad debt collection “for primary, secondary and tertiary placements.” They provide a full range of additional third-party collection services, including “dunning letters, skip tracing services…credit bureau reporting, automated account follow-up, and flexible payment options.” In addition, Helvey & Associates provides clients with early-out and pre-collect first-party billing; insurance follow-up and verification for healthcare providers; and training and consulting. H&A’s call center services provide customer service outsourcing, inbound and outbound calling campaigns, and payment portal services for a wide variety of businesses.
Helvey & Associates claims to be an industry leader, with business practices based in extensive experience, performance standards, high quality customer service, flexibility, innovation, and advanced technology. However, its Resources page contains information exclusively for potential clients. Their website does not provide any links or references 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.
The BBB has closed 26 complaints against Helvey & Associates in the past three years, with 10 closed in the past 12 months. Almost all of the complaints allege problems with advertising and sales. As of March 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 20 complaints against H&A. Justia lists at least 8 cases of civil litigation involving H&A.
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely H&A. 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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Absolutely. Here are some Sample Cases
Complaints against Helvey & Associates commonly cite disputes about verification of debts and the accuracy of information provided to credit reporting agencies. For example, in January 2018, a complainant indicated he had discovered two collection accounts from H&A on his credit report. Allegedly, H&A. “had an incorrect address for the complainant and he never received any written letters. H&A did not have a specific unit number and sent the letter to a general commercial address, so the complainant did not receive any written correspondence from them.” He indicated that he paid both delinquencies as soon as they were brought to his attention, with H&A’s assurance that the items would subsequently be removed from his credit reports. After paying the items, however, both items continued to appear on the complainant’s credit report, lowering his score by 90 points and disqualifying him for a home loan.
Similarly, in September 2017, a complainant indicated he had received notification that one of his delinquent debts had been assigned to Helvey & Associates. Although H&A never sent him any written notification of the debt, the delinquent items soon appeared on his credit report. After contacting H&A, he discovered that the address they had on file for him was incorrect and that any letters sent to that address should have been returned to H&A as undeliverable. After he was informed of the delinquency, he settled the debt. Although Helvey & Associates promised to remove the delinquent item from his credit report, the negative information has continued to appear for several years.
A third complainant in July 2017 indicated that he had received a letter from Helvey & Associates for a delinquent debt he claims not to have owed. When he called them to dispute the debt, the representatives were allegedly “rude and hostile towards him in flagrant violation of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.”
H&A responded to all of these complaints by indicating either that they believed they had acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law, or that they disputed the facts of the complaint.
Helvey & Associates, Inc.
1029 East Center Street
Warsaw, IN 46580
Telephone: (855) 804-5704
Website: http://www.hlv.com/
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.
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“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
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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 would like to file a lawsuit against Helvey Associates for harassment. Also they cannot tell me what account are when an account was taken out by me are anything. Im currently working on my credit, finishing up school to provide a better life for me and my kids. I am trying to purchase my home in 2019 and my credit is something I was working on toward my goal. However this company comes along with no proof are anything and shoots my credit score down for some collection. Im tired of being taking advantage of and it stops here.