I had them call me today and an incredibly rude lady by the name of Ashia was telling me that my reason for not handing over credit card details then and there - of being a single mum and needing to work out my budget for it first, was "not good enough. So why aren't you going to pay today. You are liable and that's that." I was also very nervous about giving my personal details including DOB and then credit card over the phone but did it (except the latter).

I told her that I was not going to go around in circles with her (honestly it's embarrassing enough having left a domestic violence situation where I lost everything and then to be a single mum due to this on top of it - it's a tough thing to have to admit that you are struggling). She then hung up on me. I called right back and as soon as she picked up the phone, she just talked right over the top of me and was SO aggressive it was disgusting - she even denied hanging up on me saying that I was one who hung up and that I was talking over her. Own your bloody attitude your rude lady! I'm going to make a complaint about her conduct as it was so bad however, reading the reviews on the company above, it sounds like it will fall on deaf ears.

How dare she sit on her high horse telling me it wasn't good enough and I've had long enough to sort it out. If you want to negotiate a payment arrangement with me... you just blew it sweetheart. Fortunately I asked to be put through to a manager and was put on hold for almost 15 minutes. Bini then took the call and was completely the opposite - calm, understanding and was happy for me to wait for paperwork of the debt proof to arrive and work out a payment option later. THIS is how it should have been done in the first place. Absolutely awful way to conduct business.

I'm on the disability pension and they won't leave me alone they swear I have a debt with them

They called at 8pm and demanded all sorts of details including home address, my personal situation, email, in debth financial details.
I told him I would not be giving such personal details over the phone to a number I didn't call and don't recognise.
Why call so late at night? Very strange.

I have been harrassed by both. Over 10 calls a day. And yes i know it will look bad on my credit but i am not being bullied into paying amounts i cant afford. The amount of times i say i can oay a certain amount and they say its not good enough so i now just ignore the calls

This Is actual Legal harassment and cyber stalking what you have done here ( and no I do not know any of these people ). Truly vile and not at all normal to do this. Please seek help!

Im struggling depressed with what this debt collector is doing to me they took money straight from my work n im talking about more than 60% i didnt sign any agreements they said courtcase already been made everything by phone nothing on papers so im putting a complete stop to it i have every right they dont

A word of warning nobody has the right to put a default against your name least of all a third party who you do not have a contract with. Nothing is proven and remains an allegation until proven in a Court of Law.

Hi , after reading this I will warn every person who has trouble with a debt collector especially one who buys a debt THIS IS ILLEGAL as no-one can buy your debt from another company and you do not have to deal with them as you do not have a contract with them. I will also give you all another tip no company can make or force you to pay via direct debit or credit card and you will find this for yourself under the Australian Currency Act 1965 where it clearly states that gold and silver coin is the only legal tender in Australia no promissory notes, EFT, cheques or credit card payments. It also clearly states under the Australian Constitution section 115 The only form of legal tender is gold and silver coinage,. So next time someone tries to tell you differently state the law to them, you are not expected to deviate from your journey or go to a place out of your way to pay that is their loss and negligence on their part and it is not your problem. Do not be bullied by these people stand your ground, you have the law behind you. This also applies to Toll Charges.

I just read most of the posts in this forum and to me they sound dodgy as hell !!!!
To those that posted from other collection agencies?
WTH!!!!!!
Yes there are some that are sh*t with their finances.. Fact of life! and also part of the risk with your business.
Whinging like a bitch on social media to a bunch of people who hate you and your industry????
Visa moment:) PRICELESS!!!
Not so smart
Also... Not everyone is sh*t with their money ... Just down on their luck. In between jobs, made redundant, just had a baby..... Whatever.
But your company treats EVERY SINGLE ONE of US.... Like we are criminals and dead beats.
Not on Jan:(
End of the day?
Your company needs to get your sh*t together.
I know for a fact if u call me? I'll f*cking fight you all the way to the bank.

FU*K OFF

Well then the law sucks in this day and age of identity theft they need to rethink what they are doing..........

I was in the same boat as you. I could not have hated and loathed a job more than what I did when I was working there. I hated being on the auto dialler and pretty much being forced to ask people with little to no cash to spare to cough up. Trust me, I know what it's like to be living on the bare minimum as I too have been on centrelink benefits whilst studying uni then being unemployed for 8months after graduating. Indeed they do listen to every word the poor debt collectors have to say to the debtors on the other end. If you don't appear to be firm, you are raked over the coals and questioned why you didn't get a payment. Even those on the incoming calls had some conscious, it's not fun to be screamed at, but everyone in that centre is made to be a hardass or you don't survive. I guess that's why they always have a high turnover of employees.

Received letter 21/4/16 claiming I owe $1600 to Telstra. I have never had a Telstra phone, cable or service in my name. How do I find out what's going on.

Well done mate

I am wondering if anyone knows the real legal position in relation to the prosecution of any stated "debt" that Panthera Finance or similar are apparently chasing.

The reason I ask is that I had a letter from them some years ago in relation to a claimed Origin Energy debt. I don't believe I even had a debt with Origin, the dates they stated for the debt don't make any sense, etc.

However, it seems that by trying to act in good faith and contact them to resolve what I assumed was an error on their part, that I have opened the door to what has now been over 2 years of calls and letters, basically as what clearly is a process of harassment that they undertake which I guess results in a percentage of these fictitious debts being paid. I assume that they actually have no legal recourse to prosecute the debt because if they did, they would. By this, I mean that all they have is a spreadsheet that they bought at a point in time from someone with balances on it but they have no documentary evidence of the debt and therefore nothing to prosecute.

I have and continue to block their numbers as I find them and just ignore everything I get from them. I wonder at what point I can begin to start taking action against them? And then what action I could take

I found they don't research the claims they chase thoroughly enough as I have them chase me for a debt due to the company lieing and after much painstacking arguments, sent an email confirming what I had said and them stopping their harassment of me, but NO apology what so ever.
They are rude and aggressive and don't want to hear anything that you have to say except you giving in and paying up, In my case they were wrong and I proved it after months of harassment and finally getting an email address for them to confirm what I was trying for so long to tell and explain to them!

thry keep ringing my num even after I have told them at least 90 times I am not the person there looking for

"Hi Joshua, please call 1300 722 974 regarding an important matter or go to www.pantherafinance.com.au/customers with your reference no: 5518-5687 and DOB"

What grubs.

These ppl have been calling me non stop every day since october last year.. We are April in 2016 now. Its a finance/recovery agency. OK sure i owe them a few bucks but guess what?.. since i wont answer the calls, theyve now resorted to texting ALL of my personal info back to me, quoting my D.O.B, address, and Full name. They say .. (for example)... Jane Smith 1/1/ 88 of 123 blue street Suburbia... call us back and quote ref no: 2323434343234.your account is overdue and needs to be attended to. Tell me if im wrong, but isnt that breaking all the confidentiality laws?.. What if i have lent my phone to my dad to use while his is getting fixed, and im using my other. Is that not breaking the "confo code"?

Ignore them. Deny owing anything. Their trick is to gain an admission that can waive any rights you may have or worse still, revive debts that are statute barred after 6 years. Never admit anything and never pay anything.

Making a demand for payment without any basis is prohibited by the Australian Consumer Law, something that applies where the original creditor breached contract with crappy services or breached statutory warranties.

Better still, tell them due to the Privacy Act you can't discuss any individual matter. Their weakness is that they have to provide proof the the alleged underlying debt and take it subject to any disputes from the original creditor.

If you do want to pay, get a third party to pay in return for an executed deed before payment that also forces them to remove any credit bureau listing at their expense within 14 days as a condition precedent. That is because if you pay it, it does not cancel the debt, a peculiar quirk of the law. Payment by someone else creates a new binding contract for consideration.

Remember, drive up their costs and deny everything. Keep repeating "I deny any debt owed to you or anyone, and don't call me again".