What is West Asset Management, and why are they contacting you?
West Asset Management is a large debt collection agency that purchases delinquent accounts and collects on behalf of original creditors in healthcare, telecom, credit card, student loan, government, and utility industries.
Before we dive into any details about West Asset Management, it’s essential to understand that you have rights. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) protects you from abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices. In this article, we will cover your rights, what West Asset Management has been known to do, and how you can take action against them.
Full Name: West Asset Management, Inc. (operates under the names West Asset Collection Agency and Global Receivables Solutions, Inc.)
Company Type: Debt collection agency, debt buyer
Parent Company: West Technology Group, LLC (formerly known as West Corporation), which is owned by Apollo Global Management
Headquarters: 2253 Northwest Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30067
Industry Verticals: Medical, telecom, credit card, student loan, government, utilities
Size: West Asset Management operates a nationwide organization with 21 locations, although in the past, the company employed over 1,800 people across 14 U.S. sites and international offices in the Philippines, Jamaica, and Mexico.
BBB Rating: A- (not accredited)
Their Record Speaks Volumes
It’s crucial that you know West Asset Management is no ordinary collection agency. In March 2011, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged West Asset Management with a $2.8 million civil penalty, which, at the time, was the largest civil penalty the FTC had ever obtained in a debt collection case.
According to the FTC, West Asset Management called consumers repeatedly, sometimes multiple times per day, even after being told that they were calling the wrong person or that the consumer did not owe the debt. They also ignored written requests from consumers to stop calling.
West Asset Management has been sued in federal court over 600 times for violating consumer’s rights under the FDCPA and had its contracts with the U.S. Department of Education terminated after a review found that they were providing an “unacceptably high” number of misinformation responses.
These actions are not one-off incidents but reflect a broader pattern of conduct.
Why Are They Calling You from 888-843-0014?
They might not even have the right person. One of the most critical pieces of information you need to know about West Asset Management is that they have a history of contacting the wrong person. In one detailed review left on Yelp, an attorney reported that he sent a debt validation letter to West Asset Management on behalf of a client.
Four months later, West Asset Management responded with a promissory note for a person with a similar-sounding name but clearly not the client. The note was for a student loan that had been originated when the client was three years old.
When the attorney called the company to clarify, the representative confirmed that West Asset Management sends blanket collection letters to individuals with similar-sounding names, hoping they’ve got the right debtor.
This admission alone should tell any consumer who gets a call from 888-843-0014 to question whether the debt is genuinely owed.
The Types of Debt They Collect On
West Asset Management reports that it collects on over 24 million accounts, including medical bills, telecom charges, credit card accounts, student loans, utility bills, and government debts.
West Asset Management operates as both a third-party debt collector and a debt buyer, purchasing portfolios of delinquent debt from the original creditor at a discount.
When debt buyers like West Asset Management purchase debt portfolios, they often receive incomplete, outdated, or wholly inaccurate documentation about the underlying accounts. It’s their burden to prove that the debt is valid and that you’re the person responsible for paying it.
Do not engage with them until you’ve received written validation of the debt.
What People Are Saying about 888-843-0014
Robocalls and Hang-Ups
The consumer complaint website 800notes lists 888-843-0014 as a phone number used by West Asset Management.
One consumer reported receiving automated calls on their home phone every day, sometimes back to back. She’d changed her home number six months prior to avoid another debt collector only to start getting harassment calls from West Asset Management on her new number.
A second consumer posting on EveryCaller reported getting four or more calls per day from 888-843-0014. When they answered, the caller would hang up immediately. This is a common pattern when debt collectors use predictive dialing technology that dials more calls than they have available agents to staff.
This has been reported on five different consumer complaint platforms about this phone number.
Calls to Your Workplace and Requests for Information
Numerous consumers have reported that West Asset Management called them at work, leaving messages saying they needed to talk about an important business matter.
One consumer reported calling 888-843-0014 back and being hung up on three times when they wouldn’t provide their address and Social Security number. It wasn’t until the fourth time they called that the representative identified the company.
This is why it’s so dangerous to communicate with a collection agency over the phone. Not only is there no paper trail, but collectors will use any opportunity to get you to provide more information.
Every piece of information you voluntarily provide gives them leverage they can use to track down assets, verify your identity, or build a case against you.
Never give out information over the phone unless you understand why it’s being requested and what strategic advantage it provides the other party.
Know Your Rights
The Right to Written Validation
Under the FDCPA, you have the right to request written validation of any debt a collector is trying to collect from you. Within five days of the initial communication, they must send you a written notice that includes the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor, and a statement of your right to dispute the debt.
If you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of receiving the notice, the collector must cease all collection activities until they’ve provided verification of the debt.
This makes them prove that the debt is valid, that the amount is correct, and that they have the legal right to collect it.
Given West Asset Management’s history of pursuing debts owed by the wrong person, this is an essential step.
The Right to Tell Them to Stop Calling
Under federal law, you also have the right to send a cease-and-desist letter to a debt collector, telling them to stop contacting you altogether.
Once they receive it, they can only contact you once more, either to confirm receipt of your letter or to notify you of some specific legal action they’re taking.
However, as part of its 2011 enforcement action, the FTC specifically found that West Asset Management ignored cease-and-desist letters, a direct violation of the FDCPA.
That’s why it’s so important to do everything in writing and send it via certified mail with return receipt requested. The return receipt is your proof, and proof is the difference between consumers who win their disputes and those who remain trapped in the debt collection cycle.
What Not to Do When 888-843-0014 Calls
Don’t Answer the Phone to Negotiate
The temptation to pick up the phone and try to negotiate your way out of the situation is understandable, but it’s almost always a mistake.
Debt collectors are professional negotiators whose questions are designed to extract as much information as possible to use as leverage: where you work, how much you make, whether you have bank accounts, whether you admit that you owe the debt, etc.
In some states, acknowledging that you owe a debt over the phone can reset the clock on the statute of limitations, turning an old debt that’s too late to collect into one that’s suddenly current again.
The statute of limitations is a powerful silent ally for consumers with older debts. As time goes by, the collector’s ability to file a lawsuit against you diminishes. Most collection agencies will never file a lawsuit against you.
Don’t give them a reason to.
Don’t Waste Your Time with a Goodwill Letter
Some websites suggest that you should try writing a goodwill letter to the collection agency, asking them to remove the account from your credit report as a courtesy.
This approach almost never works. West Asset Management has either purchased or been assigned your debt for the purpose of collecting money from you.
Asking them to voluntarily remove the account from your credit report for goodwill is asking them to abandon their business model.
A much more effective strategy is to dispute the account through the proper legal channels, challenging the accuracy and completeness of the information they’re reporting.
That forces them to verify your debt under penalty of law rather than relying on their goodwill.
How to Make the Calls from 888-843-0014 Stop for Good
Dispute the Account on Your Credit Report
The single best way to deal with West Asset Management is not to call them or try to negotiate over the phone. Instead, dispute the account directly on your credit report.
Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to challenge any information on your credit report that’s inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable.
When you file a dispute, the credit reporting agency must investigate within 30 days. They’ll contact the collection agency and ask them to verify the account.
If West Asset Management can’t provide adequate verification, the account must be deleted. Given the volume of accounts they handle and their history of pursuing the wrong person’s debt, that’s more common than you think.
A credit report dispute completely shifts the dynamic. Instead of you calling them to try and convince them that their information is wrong, they must defend the accuracy of what they’re reporting to the credit bureaus.
That’s the position you want to be in.
Let FightCollections.com Help You
If you’re getting calls from 888-843-0014, you don’t have to go through this process alone.
At FightCollections.com, we specialize in disputing collection accounts on people’s credit reports, using federal laws like the FDCPA and FCRA to hold companies like West Asset Management accountable.
We understand how they operate, what documentation they’re likely missing, and how to use the dispute process to force them to respond.
You have the right to accurate credit reporting and the right to be free of harassment. Visit FightCollections.com today to find out how we can help you take back control of your credit report and your peace of mind.
