Zenco Collections, LLC ( aka Zenco Collects ) is a third-party collection agency based in Richardson, TX. Zenco has received consumer complaints alleging serious violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), including threatening to take illegal actions in an effort to collect debts. If you have been contacted by Zenco regarding past due financial obligations, 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), Zenco Collects is headquartered in Richardson, TX and listed as a legitimate debt repayment plan company. The BBB does not indicate when Zenco was founded, but their file was opened in 2015. Buzzfile does not have a listing for Zenco.
According to its website, Zenco has “over 75 years of experience in nationwide collection services…and is a premier collection agency dedicated to improving the financial performance of its clients.” Zenco offers “a range of collection services tailored to [their client’s] industry.” Zenco claims to be “fully licensed and bonded in all necessary states,” and cites its membership in Columbia Ultimate, a computer software firm.
Zenco offers the following services: immediate collection; legal representation; comprehensive performance reporting; comprehensive status reporting; and skip tracing. Their immediate collection service includes electronic client file upload, followed by automatic letter generation, and then assignment to a collection specialist “according to federal laws and our client’s specifications.” Zenco’s “vast networking of legal representation throughout the United States,” supports litigation when necessary. Their comprehensive performance and status reports provide clients with customizable updates about their accounts. Finally, Zenco uses “numerous databases including internet search engines…to locate debtors[,] thus increasing [the] percentage of recovery for…clients.”
Zenco’s website does not contain any information about its compliance policies or its training programs. Most of Zenco’s collection efforts are managed by “Ultimate Collector System…full-service credit collection software.” Their site does not contain any references or links to consumer resources or consumer protection laws or agencies. Their online payment portal is not currently in operation.
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 70 complaints against Zenco in the past three years, with 34 closed in the past 12 months. The BBB has given Zenco a rating of F and has posted a notice alerting consumers to a pattern of complaints regarding Zenco’s marketplace behavior. Since October 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 45 complaints against Zenco. Justia lists at least 1 case of civil litigation naming Zenco as a defendant.
Zenco Collects
P.O. Box 851733
Richardson, Texas 75081
Telephone: 844-368-6626
Website: http://www.zencocollects.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Zenco 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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The BBB posted the following notice on Zenco’s profile page:
“On February 2, 2016, BBB notified Zenco Collections, LLC that BBB has identified a concerning pattern of consumer complaints regarding the company’s marketplace behavior.
“Specifically, BBB has received complaints from consumers alleging that the company uses threats of prosecution, arrest, and/or garnishment for debts to collect on debts as old as 10 years and the firm fails to validate the debts upon consumer request.
“BBB requested the firm’s voluntary cooperation in eliminating the identified patterns.
“As of February 29, 2016, Zenco Collections, LLC failed to respond to this BBB request.”
Consumer complaints support these allegations. For example, in September 2017, a complainant indicated that she had returned a call to an unknown number during her break at work and reached a secretary at Zenco who transferred her to a collections representative. When the complainant indicated she would call back in two hours when she got off work and would have more time, the collections representative told her that, “filing for court proceedings would occur if [she] ended the call without some sort of resolution or plan in place on a debt that was 10 years old.” The “fast-speaking” representative pushed “terms of settlement such as making a 2200.00 payment right then and there…They pretended to email an attorney and get another offer to try to…settle for around 1350.00.” The complainant asked additional questions, but the representative “threatened to serve a warrant…and start court proceedings and garnish…wages.”
The complainant ultimately charged that Zenco had “violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act with their vulture techniques even when the statute of limitations had expired”; and that “[d]ue to their illegal practices [the complainant] was bullied and gave [her] checking account information to set up payments of 100.00 a month.”
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…
“I was so excited when you told me about the positive outcome of the lawsuit. If the need ever arises again, I will not hesitate to call your office or recommend your law services to a friend in need.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I couldn’t be happier with all the hard work your office has done for me. I feel throughout the whole process I was kept informed, and my questions were always answered completely. The calls have stopped, I no longer have a mountain of junk bills piling up, and I owe it all to Lemberg Law.”
“I found your website. I filled out the information and much to my surprise received a call back within the hour. She listened intently and addressed each one of my concerns. She immediately forwarded me an email and advised I would not be charged for services rendered. She made me feel confident and assured, and that someone was in my corner.”
Chances are good that we can help. Call us today and we’ll explain.
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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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Received more than 30 calls over the past 4 months from a phone number I traced back to “Zenco”. I sent a letter demanding them to stop calling. They continue to leave messages threatening to “serve papers”.
I live in California. What is the maximum I can collect by law?