The harassing company pays our fees.
Louisiana Recovery Services or LRS is third-party collection agency that specializes in healthcare collections. LRS has received complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including attempting to collect debts not owed and improper contact or sharing of information. If you have been contacted by Louisiana Recovery Services, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Louisiana Recovery Services, Inc. was founded in 1990 and incorporated in 1998. The BBB established a profile page for LRS in 1990. LRS is listed as a collection agency that uses the alternate business name, Credit Bureau of Lafayette. Buzzfile estimates LRS’s annual revenue at $500,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 16 employees.
According to its website, Louisiana Recovery Services “specializes in the collection of delinquent accounts, as well as other debt and collection-related services.” LRS’s mission is to “approach every new collection case and client project with a professional and ambitious energy” so their clients can “have a more profitable business and strengthen their bottom line.”
Louisiana Recovery Services is a full-service collection agency and offers a variety of business services, including business consulting, employee productivity monitoring, corporate internet usage monitoring, customized programs, receivables management, client training, an early-out program, a pre-collect program, a payment monitoring program, NSF recovery, credit consulting, skip-tracing, bankruptcy services, account forwarding, and a legal department. Their collections division consists of a bad debt recovery team and a re-collect team that specializes in delinquent debts that have been re-assigned to LRS by the original creditor.
According to its Clients page, Louisiana Recovery Services collectors work exclusively in the healthcare field. Their client list includes hospitals and clinics throughout the Lafayette, LA region. The LRS website includes a compliance page that provides links to information pages about the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This page also includes LRS’s “Collector Pledge” and a link to their Business Associate agreement, which HIPAA requires for all businesses who process healthcare-related information. In addition, LRS’s home page contains a “Red Flags Rule” link that leads to a consumer information page on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website. However, their Contact page does not contain a legal disclaimer identifying them as a bill collector.
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 36 complaints against Louisiana Recovery Services in the past three years, with 17 complaints closed in the past 12 months. Most of those complaints allege problems with billing and collections. Since April 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has closed 30 complaints against LRS. Justia lists at least 1 case of civil litigation involving Louisiana Recovery Services.
Absolutely. Here are some Sample Cases against Louisiana Recovery Services Inc
Many of the complaints about Louisiana Recovery Services result from consumers’ concerns about the accuracy of information appearing on their credit reports, including LRS’ policy of charging a fee for expedited removal of negative credit information. In July 2017, a complainant indicated that he had discovered information about unpaid debts while gathering information for a refinance loan. The complainant contacted an LRS representative to discuss the delinquency and how he might be able to have it removed from his credit report. According to the complainant, Louisiana Recovery Services was unwilling to negotiate a settlement for a lesser amount, but the complainant had not disputed the debt, so he did not object. However, a conflict ensued when the complainant attempted to secure a written guarantee from LRS that the information would be removed from his credit report once he paid the bill. The LRS representative indicated that there is a standard waiting period of 45 to 60 days before credit information is updated, but that he could have it deleted within a week for an $11.00 fee. The complainant agreed, but insisted that he receive a written agreement that the information would be deleted within a week. The LRS representative stated that it was not their policy to issue such agreements, but that federal laws and the fact that the call had been recorded should be enough of a guarantee that LRS would honor the agreement. The complainant told the Louisiana Recovery Services representative that he wanted to consult with an attorney before moving forward. The complainant’s attorney advised him to insist on a written agreement, but when the complainant placed a return call to LRS, the Louisiana Recovery Services representative continued to resist and informed him there would be an additional $7.00 transaction fee. The complainant continued to argue with the LRS representative, who replied only by repeating the disclosure statement that “this is a call from a debt collector and is being recorded.” The complainant became increasingly uncomfortable and was unable to reach a resolution. When he called back the next day in a conference call with his attorney, the LRS representative refused to take calls from either his phone or his wife’s phone. As a result, the complainant notified the Louisiana Recovery Services representative that he would be pursuing other options, beginning with complaints to the BBB and the CFPB.
Louisiana Recovery Services, Inc.
1304 Bertrand Drive, Suite F-4
Lafayette, LA 70506
Telephone: (877) 277-6300
Website: http://www.lrshelp.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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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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A call from (337)235-8982 asked for an immediate payment. Neither the lady caller would identify herself, nor the collection agency. They called early in the morning and threatened a bad report on my credit. Searching online I found this is the number for the Louisiana Recovery Services (LRS).
Louisiana Recovery Services has posted a derogatory complaint against my Equifax file for a $38 debt I have not incurred
I am trying to recover from a divorce that will one year old on Valentine’s day and this is not helping