Is the debt collection agency Radius Global Solutions, LLC harassing you?

LOCATION:

Headquarters: 50 West Skippack Pike, Ambler, PA 19002

Telephone number: (267) 419-1111

CEO: Michael Barrist 

Website: https://www.radiusgs.com/

Radius Global Solutions, LLC (also known as RadiusGS) is a large multinational company that performs a variety of services including debt collection. Although its headquarters is located in Pennsylvania, RadiusGS operates through large sections of the US as well as Jamaica, Panama and India.

In its capacity as a debt collector, Radius primarily serves the interests of the healthcare, financial services, retail, utilities, education and the hospitality/entertainment industries. RadiusGS claims to offer “debt collection solutions to those in the healthcare industry and all other industries where prompt payment is essential.”

CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AGAINST RADIUS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, LLC:

RadiusGS suffers from one of the worst track records in the debt collection industry, based on complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Complaints 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a department of the US government with a stated goal of protecting consumers from “unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices.” To this end, it accepts and compiles consumer complaints against businesses such as debt collection companies. CFPB records show over 1,000 complaints with the CFPB over the past five years.927 of these complaints arose from debt collection issues.

THE MOST COMMON COMPLAINTS WERE:

• The company attempted to collect a debt that was not owed, sometimes with great persistence. In some cases the debt was never owed by the target; in other cases it had already been paid, was discharged in bankruptcy, or was generated through identity theft.
• The company issued a faulty written debt notification. It may have, for example, omitted the information that you have the right to dispute the debt.
• The company used unfair, harassing, threatening or abusive communication tactics, or called early in the morning or late at night.
• The company attempted to collect an inflated amount.
• The company’s required disclosure did not give the debtor enough information to verify the debt.

BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU COMPLAINTS:

The RadiusGS Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile might seem contradictory at first glance — the company maintains an A+ BBB Rating, yet rates only one of five stars based on “Customer Reviews and Complaints.” Nearly 150 complaints have been registered to date. The resolution of this apparent paradox is simple — a BBB rating means little or nothing anymore. If you want to investigate the quality of a company, look at the customer reviews

Debtor complaints against RadiusGS include the following actions which, if true, would violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:

• Arbitrarily increasing the amount owed under a repayment agreement;
• Using threatening language (threatening legal action that the debt collector is willing and able to take is not illegal, however).
•  Calling four times a day for a credit card debt, starting six years after the statute of limitations deadline expired.
• Placing false debt defaults on peoples’ credit records.

WATCH OUT FOR THIS TRICK!

RadiusGS has been accused of another tactic that is unethical, although it is not illegal. Because of its counterintuitive nature, however, you should know how it works. It is true that the statute of limitations can protect you from legal liability for a debt. If a creditor fails to sue you before the statute of limitation deadline (let’s assume, for example, that it’s seven years), they cannot file a lawsuit against you over the same debt — unless you revalidate the debt.

You can revalidate an expired debt by paying anything at all, even a dollar, to a collection agency for the debt. The reasoning is that by paying even a small amount, you are acknowledging that you still owe the money. If you do this, your legal liability for the debt could be revived and you could be sued on the debt even after the statute of limitations deadline has expired. Never agree to pay anything on an expired debt!

LAWSUITS AGAINST RADIUSGS AND ITS ASSOCIATED/AFFILIATED COMPANIES:

RadiusGS, as well as its affiliates and associates (subsidiaries, etc.) have been defendants in quite a number of lawsuits, with mixed results. Following is a small sampling:

Henry v. Radius Global Solutions, LLC, (January 18, 2019, US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania). A class action lawsuit filed under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act concerning a debtor’s right to dispute a debt orally in the absence of a clear statement that any dispute must be in writing.

Selou v. Integrity Solution Services, Inc. (October 19, 2015.) United States District Court, E.D. Michigan, Southern Division. Civil Case No. 15-10927. A lawsuit that alleged violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as well as Michigan’s Occupational Code and Regulation of Collection Practices Act.

Cox v. Hilco Receivables, LLC. and Central Credit Services, Inc. (November 24, 2010.) United States District Court, N.D. Texas, Dallas Division. No. 3:09-CV-897-M.. A lawsuit that alleged several violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Daugherty v. Central Credit Services (June 23, 2009.) US District Court, E.D. Missouri, Eastern Division. Case No. 4:08CV1967 CDP.. A lawsuit that alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, as well as negligent infliction of emotional distress. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What legal weapons are available for use against debt collectors?

Below is a list of the main federal and state statutes that you can use against rogue debt collectors:

• The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, for example, lists acts that debt collectors are forbidden from committing, such as calling you before 8 am or after 9 pm; threatening legal action that the debt collector is either unable or unwilling to take; impersonating a lawyer; making threats; and many other prohibitions.
• The California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which expands the protections available under the federal FDCPA.
   
•  The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) protects you against robocalls.
•  The federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) protects you from unauthorized deductions from your bank account.
• The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) helps you ensure the accuracy of your credit report.

CAN I SUE RADIUS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, LLC FOR MONEY DAMAGES?

Yes. You can receive up to $1,000, plus court costs and attorney’s fees, for each violation of the FDCPA; up to $500 for each robocall you receive from a debt collector; and perhaps additional amounts for damages such as emotional distress.

CAN RADIUS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS, LLC GARNISH MY WAGES?

Not unless they already have a judgment against you. If they have not even sued you on the debt, it is illegal for them to even threaten to garnish your wages. Be sure to check, however, whether a default judgment may have been entered against you.