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Merchants Credit Guide / Ken Hughes Non Stop Harassment of elderly, Would like help, Ripoff Chicago Illinois
For the last 4 months my mother (in her 70's) has been getting phone calls at all hours of the day and night, mostly around the same time each day. Whoever is calling never stays on long enough for the phone machine to answer (3-4 rings). Sometimes the display states just "Unknown Caller" with no phone number listed and sometimes it states "Unknown Caller with the phone number 312-895-3406.
Finally after 4 months of this, someone named Ken Hughes left a message ORDERING he be called and left an "888" toll free number to call. This man was demanding and mean, and left no info as to he was. This is how I found this web site... by typing the 312 phone number into a search engine and you wonderful people came up. Bless each of you.
I am concerned for my mother and a few of the things that I have read regarding this. My mother has always prided herself on her credit and we cannot understand why a company that is supposedly debt related is attempting to reach her. We have also wondered if this is a mistake, if these people have had the wrong phone number all along, or even if they are targeting my mother because they know she is elderly.
I do not want, nor does my mother, wish to call these to attempt to see what it is that they want. If contact is made, then Federal laws say they have the right to continue to attempt business with us.
Does anyone have any idea how to deal with these people? Has anyone been successful in getting rid of them without major ta-do? I want these people to stop harrassing my mom.
Thank you for any assistance, and again, thank you for this fantastic website.
Skippy
City, California
U.S.A.
11 Updates & Rebuttals
Jerry
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
UPDATE on "Good 'ol Ken"...
#12Consumer Comment
Sat, March 11, 2006
I have turned this over the news department, CBS5 (KPHO, Phoenix) and they've accepted it for their futures file.
As long as Ripoff permits, I'll keep everyone in this forum up-to-date.
BTW, "Good 'ol Ken" has called me back three times since my last post. Not related to my giving out the phone number. That never happened.
Most companies would've at the least, sent a letter by now.
Teresa
Charlotte,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
thanx you
#12Consumer Comment
Thu, March 09, 2006
I got a call from Ken Hughes today myself. He had a sense of urgency in his voice. He didn't give a company name so I usually just try and do a reverse number look up and thank goodness I did.
I am thankful for Ripoffreport.com for the information it and the people who responded have provided.
Teresa
Charlotte,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
thanx you
#12Consumer Comment
Thu, March 09, 2006
I got a call from Ken Hughes today myself. He had a sense of urgency in his voice. He didn't give a company name so I usually just try and do a reverse number look up and thank goodness I did.
I am thankful for Ripoffreport.com for the information it and the people who responded have provided.
Teresa
Charlotte,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
thanx you
#12Consumer Comment
Thu, March 09, 2006
I got a call from Ken Hughes today myself. He had a sense of urgency in his voice. He didn't give a company name so I usually just try and do a reverse number look up and thank goodness I did.
I am thankful for Ripoffreport.com for the information it and the people who responded have provided.
Teresa
Charlotte,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
thanx you
#12Consumer Comment
Thu, March 09, 2006
I got a call from Ken Hughes today myself. He had a sense of urgency in his voice. He didn't give a company name so I usually just try and do a reverse number look up and thank goodness I did.
I am thankful for Ripoffreport.com for the information it and the people who responded have provided.
Jace
Chicago,Illinois,
U.S.A.
more media-related info - news station does an expose on Boyajian's less than reputable tactics
#12Consumer Comment
Sat, February 18, 2006
Click on this link concerning Boyajian and Assoc., another junk debt collector:
http://www.cleburnenews.com/news/2005/cn-local-0623-wruple-5f24k5912.htm
A news station does an expose on Boyajian's less than reputable tactics (which all started when a station employee received a notice from Boyajian concerning a 14-year old debt which was 100% fabricated), and he threatens them with a libel suit! Brilliant! Wouldn't it be hilarious for this to go before a jury, with the station's elaborately simple defense being "our information came from 13 state attorneys general and the Better Business Bureau, who are investigating Boyajian for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act." No judge/jury in the country is going to view this as libelous. CASE CLOSED.
Best of luck on your expose of Ken Harris. He's a cockroach who will no doubt scurry back under his rock once the hot lights are turned on.
Robert
Marblehead,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Bringing news media down on Merchants' Credit Guide Co,
#12Consumer Suggestion
Sat, February 18, 2006
Jerry, I hope you're able to get your TV news station interested: I believe this is how we can eventually put enough heat on the politicians and law enforcement officals to finally act to halt this scam. Though I've contacted a number of attorneys general, and have received assistance especially from Illinois AG Lisa Madigan's office, which got MCGC to drop its fraudulent pursuit of me, following through is important to me, until this scam is exposed.
Joe Bergantino, lead investigative reporter for Boston's CBS4 "I-Team" just left here. After reviewing my documentation, he's interested in looking into the Merchants' Credit Guide Co. scam. (Joe came to do an interview with my girlfriend on another issue we're working on, and I jumped on him while I had the opportunity!)
I received a message from another MCGC victim, "Debra" of Wisconsin, recently. She'd received a call from "Laura McAnn (Migan, Miccan? not sure)" of CBS2, the Chicago CBS-TV affiliate. I called CBS2 on Tuesday and left a message with an assistant for Laura, but haven't heard anything back yet. Joe told me he's worked with his network's affiliate in Chicago in the past and will find and speak with Laura, then get back to me.
Joe was especially interested that Merchants' has some sort of branch office here in Massachusetts, in Weymouth, so it has a good local angle.
See my documentation here
http://chipford.com/ripoff/merchants.htm
Jerry
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Good ol' Ken has started calling me.
#12Consumer Comment
Thu, February 02, 2006
Called last week with the message requesting that I call him back.
I originally ignored the call.
He didn't call me by name nor did he mention the business of the call. That's just rude.
He calls again last night and I returned the call, mostly out of curiousity.
Anyway, I call the number and am advised that "agents are busy with other customers. Please leave a name and number, someone will call back".
Red flags are now flying.
I left my name and number (bad move, I know).
Fortunately, I called from my work number.
I work at a TV News station.
I'm turning this over to the news department and maybe something can be uncovered. From looking at the complaints at Badbusinessbureau dot com and here at Ripoff, someone needs to be drawn in, quickly.
If this loser is moving into Arizona, he going to need some "publicity".
Robert
Marblehead,Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
I've beaten Merchants' -- here's how
#12Consumer Suggestion
Sun, January 15, 2006
To update my ongoing success against Merchants' Credit Guide Co., I recently received a letter from New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer's Hauppauge office. Merchants has an office in Hauppauge too, so I cc'd Spitzer's office there as well as his Albany office when I sent out my initial letters in June 2005. I didn't hear back from the New York AG until his office's letter dated January 4, 2006 -- but AG Spitzer is very busy campaigning for governor of New York, I guess. My own state attorney general, Tom Reilly is busy campaigning for governor as well -- and I haven't yet heard a word back from his office.
Again, Merchants' response is that my file has been closed: I "will not hear from Merchants' again in reference to this debt." Excuse me, Mr. Ross, ALLEGED debt!
Note that Merchants' response to AG Spitzer is boilerplate: the same response, word for word, as that given to Illinois AG Madigan's office -- right down to citing the wrong website ("RipOff.com" not this one), again!
Don't let Merchants' Credit Guide Co. intimidate you -- fight back! You can beat this scam too!
To read all my documentation in PDF format, visit:
http://www.chipford.com/ripoff/merchants.htm
Brenda
Coleridge,Nebraska,
U.S.A.
someone might be running up bills in her name
#12Consumer Comment
Sat, December 24, 2005
might want to have your mom check her credit report. A lot of identity theft going on, and someone might be running up bills in her name.
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Solution is very easy here
#12Consumer Suggestion
Sat, December 24, 2005
Send them a cease communications request by certified mail return receipt requested, and also file an FTC complaint at www.FTC.gov.
File additional complaints each time they call.