Professional Placement Services, LLC (PPS) is a third-party collection agency based in Wisconsin. PPS has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) such as failure to provide verification of debts and attempting to collect debts not owed. If you have been contacted by PPS, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Professional Placement Services, LLC is a legitimate collection agency founded and incorporated in 1998. The BBB established its profile page in 2004.PPS is listed as a collection agency “specializing in government, retail and medical industry collections, and commercial accounts receivable.” Buzzfile estimates PPS’ annual revenue at $4.3 million and the size of its headquarters staff at 36 people.
According to its website, PPS is “built on a foundation that cannot be beaten in recoveries and client services,” and is “nationally licensed and strives to provide superior receivables management services.” PPS’ business practices are based on “client requirements… with a staff…trained to assist debtors in satisfying their debt and keeping any related hassles away from the client.”
As a full-service collection agency, PPS provides clients with “direct telephone contacts; address verification/updates; technologically-advanced skip tracing procedures; customized, laser-printed letters; credit bureau reporting; unlimited reporting capabilities; voice recording technology; and extended business office services.”
Professional Placement Services accepts collection accounts from government agencies, including circuit courts, municipal courts, municipal debt, city debt, sheriff’s departments, health and human services departments, student loans, and departments of the State of Wisconsin; healthcare providers; and other industries such as retail and banking, commercial, and automotive, telecom, and utilities.
Professional Placement Services cites membership in several professional organizations, including ACA International; the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management – Wisconsin Chapter; Experian Credit Bureau Reporting; the Municipal Treasurers Association of Wisconsin; the National Association for Court Management; Trans Union Credit Bureau Reporting; the Great Lakes Credit & Collection Association; and the Wisconsin Sheriffs’ & Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. However, their website does not provide 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.
As of November 2017, the BBB has closed 14 complaints against Professional Placement Services in the past three years, with 7 closed in the past 12 months. Since May 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 15 complaints about PPS. Justia lists at least 5 cases of civil litigation involvingPPS.
Professional Placement Services, LLC
272 N. 12th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Telephone: (414) 220-4110
Website: http://paypps.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely PPS 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. Here are some Sample Cases
Complaints against Professional Placement Services frequently cite problems resulting from alleged inaccuracies in PPS’ reports to the credit reporting agencies. In March 2016, a complainant indicated that PPS had begun contacting him regarding an outstanding medical bill from a local healthcare provider. The complainant indicated he had been disputing the bill for an extended period of time. Allegedly, the healthcare provider had made an insurance billing error that had resulted in denial of payment to the healthcare provider. The healthcare provider’s attempt to re-bill the procedure had exceeded a 3-month time limit for insurance re-billing. As a result, the complainant conceded that the bill had aged, but maintained it was the result of the billing error rather than his refusal to pay. Regardless, he ultimately abandoned his effort to have the error corrected and agreed to pay the bill in full just to get resolution and to have the item removed from his credit report.
The March 2016 complaint resulted from the complainant’s review of his credit report. The disputed item still appeared on his report. Although it appeared as a paid item, the complainant insisted that he had informed Professional Placement Services he was paying the item in full to have it removed from his report, not to have it placed as a paid item. He indicated the he felt he was being punished not only for the healthcare provider’s billing error, but also because he was a member of a low-income demographic. In response, Professional Placement Services indicated they had reviewed all the calls associated with his complaint and could not find a specific request to remove the account from his credit report. They insisted further that they are bound by rules and cannot “just delete an account… from the bureau because someone pays off or asks us to.” Nonetheless, they concluded by saying they would “have this account deleted due to the dispute involved with the client,” and requested that the complainant “allow a week or so for this to work through the system.”
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.
Your debt harassment checklist:
“When I first contacted Lemberg Law, I was at my wit’s end, not knowing what to do or how to protect myself against the collection agencies. I felt like I was sinking. After sending in my case evaluation, Lemberg Law quickly threw me a lifeline and turned the tide.”
“Thanks to the staff at Lemberg Law, I have peace of mind again. They worked quickly to find the harassing calls ended and were super considerate when I spoke together. I love the hard work!”
“I am so blessed that during this dreadful, frightening encounter, your company was there to help me. I can not thank you enough.”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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 have about 9 reports on my credit score from these people. Everyone is above 300 dollars, no explanation on any dollar amount on why I owe this. I looked up all my records that I been paying and nothing of the 9 reports show up with any of those amounts they are asking for. Company will not give me an explanation but demands money on the spot.
I made a 1 time payment to Professional Placement Services LLC on Apr 20 2016 00:15:13 for the amount of $281.94. I have a screen shot of the transaction confirmation but I don’t know whether this was for a medical bill I had or a department store credit card (Synchrony Bank/ Gap or Kohls Department store).