Transcript of Call between Robert Paisola, The CEO and President of Western Capital and American Recovery ( ARSI ) who said that they WERE NOT a collection Agency for American Express / Ameriprise Financial on the 27th of September 2006 .
THE CALL IS NOW LIVE AND TRANSCRIBED!
PART ONE
PART TWO
This is Robert Paisola with Western Capital resuming an inbound phone call from Ameriprise Financial dialing 1-800-661-2774, extension 1077 with a lady named Esther.
Today is the September 27, 2006.
This call will now be on hold.
Ameriprise Financial.
Robert Paisola: Yes, I need to speak to…
Donna: This is Donna. How may I help you?
Robert Paisola: Good afternoon, Donna. May I speak to Esther, extension 1077.
Donna: Sir, who may I tell is calling?
Robert Paisola: This is Robert Paisola returning her call.
Donna: Just a moment please.
Robert Paisola: Thank you.
Esther: Hello, this is Esther.
Robert Paisola: Hello, Esther. How are you today?
Esther: I am fine, Robert. How you doing?
Robert Paisola: I am doing just fine. Okay, how can I help you today?
Esther: Okay, I am calling from Ameriprise Financial.
Robert Paisola: You are actually with Ameriprise.
Esther: Yeah.
Robert Paisola: Okay, go ahead.
Esther: And we are basically looking at past your account and I am looking at your account.
Robert Paisola: Past the account with what. I do not even have an account with Ameriprise.
Esther: Okay, it used to be American Express.
Robert Paisola: Okay, what account are you talking about?
Esther: The account number is 8002691916.
Robert Paisola: What kind of account was that, Esther?
Esther: It was American Express. That is all I can tell you.
Robert Paisola: Okay, are you with American Express or you?
Esther: I am with Ameriprise Financial. Ameriprise Financial took over from American Express.
Robert Paisola: So you are not with a collection agency, is that correct?
Esther: Yes. Well, it is a courtesy call. It is not there yet.
Robert Paisola: Okay, so are you with the collection agency?
Esther: Not yet.
Robert Paisola: Okay, you work with American Express very clearly? You know I am based in Salt Lake City, so I wanted to be very clear on that. So what you are telling me is you are calling me as a courtesy on an account for $20,000 that you say that I owe. Well, let us talk about that. Tell me about it.
Esther: Well that is all I can tell you. It is just that __________ amount and you are 167 days late with line of credit and it was a 31099C.
Robert Paisola: What is that?
Esther: That is our account ____________.
Robert Paisola: Okay.
Esther: And are you still at 758, Muslims Mill?
Robert Paisola: Well, no that is the address that I guess that you have, but that is not leading to myself. So, help me. Let’s go a little deeper into this Esther because I want to make sure we were clear. You are collecting an account for American Express which is now Ameriprise.
Esther: Right.
Robert Paisola: And you are saying the balance is $20,000.
Esther: Hmm.
Robert Paisola: You are saying the account starts with 600, but you do not know.
Esther: Not 6, 8.
Robert Paisola: 800. Is it a business account or is it a personal account?
Esther: They did not tell me that, sir.
Robert Paisola: They did not tell you that either? So…
Esther: No, okay, we can go into a conference call and then these people could tell you more and get more into detail with you.
Robert Paisola: Well, if you are in Ameriprise, so who we will be calling for and saying this?
Esther: With customer service of Ameriprise?
Robert Paisola: I think that will probably be a really good idea to find out the facts before we start making demands for $20,000.
Esther: But Sir, I am not demanding. I am just giving you a courtesy call, sir.
Robert Paisola: Sure and I appreciate that Esther, but for your sake and my sake, I think we should do a conference call then and lets get all the facts.
Esther: Okay. We can do that. Hold on please.
Robert Paisola: Sounds good.
This is Robert Paisola with Western Capital. This is an inbound call coming from a collector named, Esther, who represents herself as a collector for Ameriprise Financial dialing 1-800-661-2774, extension 1077.
Esther: Hello.
Robert Paisola: Yes, good afternoon.
Esther: Yes, good afternoon.
Robert Paisola: Is this Esther?
Esther: Yes it is.
Robert Paisola: Okay Esther, go ahead.
Esther: Hello.
Robert Paisola: Yes, I am here, go ahead, I can hear you perfectly.
Esther: Okay, is this is Mr. Paisola?
Robert Paisola: Yeah, yeah, Esther I can hear you perfectly. We can hear you, go ahead. You were in the process of going to bring somebody from American Express on the line.
Esther: That is correct. Okay. Here this and okay. One moment, I will go ahead in conference again.
Robert Paisola: That will be fine. Thank you.
Esther: Okay thanks.
Esther: WT5. Hi, just one moment. I am having a little difficulty, just bear with, thank you.
Robert Paisola: That will be fine.
Esther: Thanks.
Robert Paisola: One thing we want to mention is that you will notice that Ashley called and made the demand for the money. She did not have any fax, she did not have any data, she did not have any information whatsoever other than the fact that it was simply a call to make a demand to pay. Well, how many times do you receive calls demanding that you may pay __________ something you have no idea what it is, so I will record this.
Esther: Sorry, ____________ be on the line. __________ for my questions about this bill, please. Sir, are you there?
Robert Paisola: Yes, I am.
Esther: Madam.
Robert Paisola: Yes, I am here.
Esther: Okay. To madam, are you there? Hello, madam.
Robert Paisola: Okay, Esther are you there?
Esther: Yeah, I am here, I must get her, I do not know what happened to that lady.
Robert Paisola: But why don’t you escalate it to a senior manager for me then.
Esther: You want to get the manager? Let me get the manager for you?
Robert Paisola: Well, that probably will be better. They have more information than you would, I think. Do not you think?
Esther: Well, that is why I did a conference, Sir.
Robert Paisola: Yeah.
Esther: They were to answer your questions, but I don’t know what happened to her.
Robert Paisola: Okay.
Esther: Hold on. Let me connect you to the manager.
Robert Paisola: Which call center are you in Esther?
Esther: I am sorry.
Robert Paisola: Which call center are you based in?
Esther: My call center, I….
Robert Paisola: Which location?
Esther: I am in Thousand Oaks.
Robert Paisola: You are in Thousand Oaks? Okay. For Ameriprise?
Esther: No, it is ARSI.
Robert Paisola: ARSI, okay. Now ARSI. What is ARSI?
Esther: It is a database for customer services.
Esther: Courtesy calls.
Robert Paisola: Okay, but it is also a collection agency, isn’t it?
Esther: Well, well they are collection agency. We just do courtesy calls.
Robert Paisola: Hanh, hanh.
Esther: Before you go up to collection.
Robert Paisola: Yeah, yeah, I get that. I think you ought to transfer this call as high as you can transfer it because I want you to know that you are talking to Robert Paisola and I am the CEO of www.mycollector.com and it is very important. I lost my voice because I just finished a collection training seminar.
Esther: Okay.
Robert Paisola: And it is probably important that I speak to somebody who is in-charge.
Esther: Okay. Hold on. Okay. Yes, I will. Hold on.
Robert Paisola: Thank you.
Robert Paisola: Well, we have ____________ for now because we were told that this was Ameriprise Financial and it is really ARSI, complete violation of the FDCPA. And of course, the phone just rings and rings and rings.
Michelle: Hai, Robert.
Robert Paisola: This is Robert Paisola.
Michelle: This is Michelle. What can I do for you?
Robert Paisola: Michelle, I have got a problem.
Michelle: Okay.
Robert Paisola: You are with ARSI, correct?
Michelle: Yeah, but we were Ameriprise Financial.
Robert Paisola: No, you are not. You are with the ARSI at Thousand Oaks. An ARSI is a collection company.
Michelle: Right, both we and Ameriprise are working as a part of American recovery.
Robert Paisola: Okay. I understand that. However, we have got a problem. Are you a senior manager there?
Michelle: Yes, I am.
Robert Paisola: Okay. I am going to put you, if you can hear me okay?
Michelle: I can hear you fine.
Robert Paisola: Okay, I am going to let you listen to something for a second.
Michelle: Okay.
Robert Paisola: And I will come back on, okay.
Michelle: Okay.
Robert Paisola: So, bear with me one moment.
Robert Paisola: We are now on hold. This call will now be placed speaking with ARSI in Thousand Oaks. We are now on hold.
(Mr. Paisola plays the Recording of the ARSI American Recovery Collector in Full to Michelle)
Robert Paisola: Okay, this is Robert again. I am back on the line. Thank You. We were on leave for a while, so I apologize for the delay, but I did want you to hear that since you are a senior manager with ARSI.
Michelle: Okay.
Robert Paisola: Do you have any comment regarding what you heard?
Michelle: Robert, she didn’t say that… She did not demand the payment. She was giving you a courtesy to let you that know Ameriprise shows that the balance is due. And I understand that she tried to conference you and twice and for whatever reason it wasn’t going through.
Robert Paisola: Okay, did you hear the conversation now?
Michelle: Yes I did.
Robert Paisola: Okay, did you hear the questions that were asked off your collector?
Michelle: She is not a collector. She is a customer service representative for Ameriprise. She does not work for ARSI. So we are going to ____________ being at the ARSI, but she is outsourced from Ameriprise Financial.
Robert Paisola: So the paycheck comes directly from…
Michelle: No, Robert. I am not going to get into the personal logistics with you.
Robert Paisola: Oh, I know you certainly would not want to and I certainly would not if I were you either. As a matter of fact you probably want to hang up the phone.
Michelle: No, not at all.
Robert Paisola: Okay, great.
Michelle: I know you are with Western Capital Collections and I have no problem with that.
Robert Paisola: Then great.
Michelle: Basically, she was doing a courtesy call from Ameriprise letting you know that they show you have a balance due and you want to get into other things that they have been saying, okay. You know, you paid it or you didn’t or it is in the mail and you know as well as I do when it comes to Ameriprise or American Express that we are not going to give you all the information over the phone.
Robert Paisola: Okay, but you also understand that she is in clear violation of the FDCPA.
Michelle: No, she is not because it is first party.
Robert Paisola: Okay.
Michelle: And Robert what is it that you would like me to do?
Robert Paisola: Well, you have already done everything I needed you to do.
Michelle: Okay, you have a good day.
Robert Paisola: No, I mean I will give you one more chance if you hang up the phone that will be the last time you will ever hear from me.
Michelle: That is fine.
Robert Paisola: Other than when it is…
Michelle: Is there is something else that we need to discuss?
Robert Paisola: Well there is, there is.
Michelle: There is not.
Robert Paisola: Well, excuse me ____________ my voice, but it is extremely important to a 100,000 listeners a day to find out why she represented herself a customer service agent.
Michelle: Because she is.
Robert Paisola: But she works for ARSI!
Michelle: It does not matter.
Robert Paisola: It does matter under the law. There is a clear distinction in this case law. That is what we do every single day. She called and laid down a message that was very, very important.
Michelle: And she represented Ameriprise?
Robert Paisola: She said, I am with Ameriprise.
Michelle: That is right, she is.
Robert Paisola: And the question is she with ARSI or Ameriprise.
Michelle: Robert.
Robert Paisola: Yes madam, this is very important.
Michelle: You know as well as I do. I know what you are trying to dig into.
Robert Paisola: Madam, I am not…
Michelle: ____________ play it with you.
Robert Paisola: Madam, I do not try, I do not try to….
Michelle: I am going to terminate this call because I choose not to discuss it with you at this point.
Robert Paisola: I am sure you would….
Michelle: You do what you need to do.
Robert Paisola: Okay.
Michelle: I am sure you are very well aware of __________ as well as I am.
Robert Paisola: Absolutely, so do you want to transfer this or not and escalate this ____________.
Michelle: No, no, no. I will take your information down and I will contact Ameriprise on my contact and they will be in discussion with you.
Robert Paisola: Absolutely.
Michelle: But, I choose not to go any further with you.
Robert Paisola: Okay, you are hanging up the call and you are asking me not to hang up the call.
Michelle: I am terminating the call sir and have a good day. Did you get that?
Robert Paisola: Very well. Thank You.
Michelle: Okay.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Robert Paisola with Western Capital.
What you just heard is a manager of ARSI who literally has hung up
on us. Now you will notice as we record this and as we transcribe
this call that the information is extremely clear as to what
happened, but again my question is this, how many hundreds of
thousands of people are being called per day on autodialers
representing themselves as being from Ameriprise Financial. Well,
regardless of whether I have lost my voice or not, the fact still
remains. They have broken the law. So, what we are going to do
now is we will have this transcribed and we will post it to our
website and again why do we do this? We do this for you. We do
this because we demand justice in the system. We do this
because we demand that collection agencies be accountable and it
does not matter whether it is __________ Collection Agency in
Lincoln, Nebraska or if it is American Express or Ameriprise
Financial or ARSI in Thousand Oaks, California. The law is the law.
We invite your comments to investigations@mycollector.com Any
media inquiries should be sent to media@mycollector.com
For Western Capital, this is Robert Paisola.
