Is Helvey & Associates, Inc. Harassing You?

Helvey & Associates, Inc. is a debt collection agency doing business in Warsaw, Indiana. The agency has been in business since 1955 and collects on many types of consumer accounts and maintains call centers and payment solution services across the Midwest.

Contact Information:

1029 E Center St

Warsaw, IN 46580-3420

(574) 269-1726

http://www.hlv.com/

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have received over 40 complaints against Helvey & Associates, Inc. in the last four years. The company has been accused of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in several different ways, including:

• Failing to provide verification of debt
• Attempting to collect on debt that was paid or does not belong to the consumer
• Providing false information to credit reporting agencies

A large number of the complaints filed with the BBB and CFPB concern the original creditor, Duke Energy, who most of the consumers allege they did not owe any money to when the account was apparently turned over to Helvey & Associates, Inc. A majority of the consumers also state in their complaint that they were never contacted by the collection agency, or Duke Energy, about the bills and knew nothing of the outstanding debt until they saw the agencies name on their credit report. Complaints also allege that the company promises to remove negative information from credit reports once the debt is paid, and then refuses to do so. Helvey & Associates, Inc.’s common response to complaints that it refuses to remove negative information from consumer’s credit reports when the account is either paid or does not belong to the consumer is:

“Presently, there is no evidence regarding incomplete or inaccurate information explaining the reason for the request that we remove the information from the credit file. If the consumer has additional information for us to consider with regard to the request we will be happy to review it. We have reported all information accurately as required of data furnishers by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.”

The response is verbatim, each time, as if the consumer’s complaint and file were never read or reviewed by Helvey & Associates before the company offered it.

The collection agency’s website says that it is ethical and strictly adheres to applicable laws, however, the company has been sued a handful of times for violations of the FDCPA, and  

the number and nature of complaints filed against it with the BBB and CFPB would seem to indicate otherwise. The company’s website also displays a “BBB Accredited Business” graphic, when the BBB clearly lists it as NOT accredited.

If Helvey & Associates is attempting to collect on a debt you do not believe you owe, refusing to send you verification of the debt, or reporting false information to the credit reporting bureaus, it is time they are held accountable for their actions. For a free, no obligation case review, please call our office at 1-800-219-3577.