Sentry Credit will send soldiers to make you pay your debt

I used to work for Sentry Credit inc (everett, wa) and let me tell you..this is one of THE worst run companies i’ve ever worked at. Their floor manager (John burke) may come off as professional, but when he calls in one of his “sentry soldiers” into his office and that door is clsoed behind you, this guy will not hesitate to verbally abuse you to hell and back. I have witnessed police officers coming in to pull workers out of there (no exaggeration about it, more than 50% of their employees have criminal records…criminals that have WIDE access to people’s personal information). Many of their “top collectors” use tactics that are border line to illegal (using attorney verbiage and such). They host monthly prize give-aways. Giving away big screen TVs, ipods, and such…sounds nice right? Guess again…a $1000 TV you “win” is actually deducated from your paycheck so you’re actually paying for it. They do this as a complete tax write-off and ends up cutting the employees short on their paychecks. Dont even bother complaining because they will do nothing about it. Employees have been known to do cocaine in the restrooms, smoke marijuana in the parking lot. This company may seem golden at first, think again. It is a cestpool full of ex-convicts, drug addicts, and corrupt management.

Sounds like someone wasn’t very good at their job. As another ex employee of Sentry Credit I can tell a much different story. I was a part of that company at different times since it’s inception. In the beginning there were 4 collectors, and now there are over 100. I can tell you with all confidence that they are a fair, honest, employer. Are there politics? Of course. Where is there not in the debt recovery field? You will be treated with honor, and respect, provided that you are doing your job, and not slacking off. I have NEVER seen someone be disrespected, or mistreated, unless they did something to deserve it. Where is the gain in alienating hard working, productive employees? They’re in business to make money, that would be a losing proposition. As far as the drug use, and police intervention goes, anytime you’re dealing with a company that is willing to take kids off of the street and give them an opportunity to succeed, you’re going to have those that are unwilling to help themselves. Sentry does an extensive background check on all potential employees, as a courtesy, and a service to their clients. They are a top notch organization whose results speak very well for themselves. I am an ex employee that is currently operazting my own place of business. If I can achieve half of their success with the same business model, I’ll be a very happy man. They’re a stand up organization, bottom line.

I agree with the statements of the post on December 8th, 2007. This company is the worst place to work. All statement made prior by previous employee are true and correct. I did faily well financially for a while at Sentry Credit. I doubled my annual salary from the year prior. The management encourages breaking the law “when needed” in order to get the money. Even when I was doing well I was told what a horrible job I was doing. When the job got to be too stressful at times, it was suggested by management that I take prescription drugs to cope with the stress. Drug use is rampant. It was not uncommon to work within 3 feet of an employee that was high or “tweaking”. When brought to managements attention they did nothing. Especially if that high employee was performing well and making money for the company. The owners clamp down on bonuses and create a system where they are making more money and the collectors are making less as they purchase new vehicles, homes, property. They arrive at least once a week to have a day long chess games with each other while employees watch through the office window. The old building is always cold, the bathrooms are never stocked appropriately, sickness is a constant. Employees are required to come to work ill, unless they are vomiting.
But the 2007 Christmas party costs around 40k. The bottom line is the only and most important issue with this company. They do not care that you have a life outside the company. It’s only about the bottom line end result.

I have not woked for Sentry, but have had experiences with them.

In late 2007, I received both a letter & a phone call from Sentry to attempt to collect on an old debt that was actually paid off in 2000. I had an old personal loan accountfrom American General Finance back in the early-mid ’90s that I allowed to go into default.

Eventually, AG obtained a judgement against me & soon afterwards my wages were garnished to pay this off (via a different collection agency). The debt was eventually collected in full & debt satisfied.

Flash forward to 2007, and Sentry contacts me to collect on this same PAID debt. Eventually had to obtain a copy from the county recorders office & the sherrif’s dept (who handles judgements/garnishments) to prove that this nearly 15 yr old debt was in fact satisfied.

Was contacted AGAIN by Sentry concerning this same “debt” in early 2008.

Not sure if I simply fell thru the cracks or if Sentry & it’s “unscrupulous” tactics (as others posting here have mentioned) were the case. Should I be contacted AGAIN (you never know), I am armed w/ the documentation to send them packing.

Thats why you don’t pay collectors. If you want to settle your debt, settle it with the Original Creditor. There is nothing stopping a bottom feeder from recollecting on the same debt or selling it to some other schmuck to collect on it again.

Don’t
- talk to them on the phone unless you just want to have a good time with them.
- give them a penny
- waste much time with them. give them one chance to clear any issues, if they won’t and continue to harass you, take em to small claims court. If it is an attorney be sure to file a complaint with the State BAR as well. They hate this!!

Do
- demand proof of contract proving they have the legal right to collect on behalf of the Original Creditor and that you agreed to this if you defaulted with the Original Creditor.
- follow up with a cease and desist order when they wont respond with relevant information
- read the fair credit reporting act and fair debt collection practices act
- document everything coming in and going out, including postmarked envelopes
- save voicemail messages, record telephone conversations
- check your states Statute of Limitations. When SOL has expired, you cannot be sued or garnished, but they can continue to annoy. that means, depending on your state, sol will expire 3-6 years (maybe less maybe more) after the last payment was made. If you send them a penny, SOL is renewed!
- drag them to small claims court for every FDCPA violation they have made and collect your $1000. Drag them in a separate time for each violation!!
- get copies of your credit report from all bureaus at LEAST every three months! Debt collectors like to put on erroneous information and re-age accounts so they can damage your credit further and illegally renew SOL.
- fight, fight, fight, those that keep the best records and are the most organized win. collectors don’t have either advantage.

Keep in mind, the debt has already been sold off by the Original Creditor. As far as they are concerned its over and done with.

If you want the tradeline removed from your credit report than either negotiate with the OC or fight with the credit bureaus. In either case, NEVER PAY A DEBT COLLECTOR!

It will get you know where and your credit will not get any better, its already too late once the account has been charged-off.., but it doesn’t take long for your FICO to rise or start being approved for small lines a credit.

Even if you pay it, your FICO won’t change much if at all. If paying the OC will make you feel better than do it, but don’t expect anything in return. But if your going to pay, make it on your terms. Negotiate that you will pay whatever lump sum and in return they agree to list your account as “Paid As Agreed” and nothing less. Make sure you have they have agreed to this in writing!

Just be aware that some of the advice above is questionable. If you really want to know how you should handle your debt collector, call a consumer attorney, who can help you understand your rights and make the best decision in your situation.

For one thing, the original creditor has often sold the debt to someone else, and you cannot settle the debt with the original creditor even if you want to. Look carefully at the papers you receive to find out whether this is true for your debt.

Not pay a collector? Ever? Ask the payroll or hr department in any company about garnishments that possibly could have been avoided. I won’t argue there are many a sleezy, dirtball collector out there but there are questionable individuals practicing many a trade. There are thousands, probably millions of charged off accounts out there and yes, some of them were resolved before they were charged off. And some of them were paid while in collections and then resold. As a consumer you must retain your documentation for proof that the debt has been paid…. and I’m not speaking as a collector, Im speaking as a consumer… many a convict says they are innocent and many a debtor says the bill is paid. So BFH, what makes you an expert?

sad to say the first comment is correct. criminals, and drug addicts, definately my experience as well. they pay well but john burke is a crooked manager. the top collectors 90% do drugs extensively and if you don’t party with people from the office, you will never earn resepect there. i quit promptly. they take people off of certain desks and clients that they are doing well on just so they won’t have to pay out more commissions and then fire them when they fail to hit goal.

when you start out at Sentry Credit, all the bonuses intrigue you. until you here that you have to then pay for it out of your pay check. i never won anything but $50 my last week there. though many employee there are partiers there are a small handfull who are by the book and do quite well, although not as well as those that don’t follow the book. i worked there for over 6 months and each month i was on a different client, had to learn new tactics, and each month i didn’t reach my goal. i was fired for that reason alone. i felt that if they would have left me a a client for more than a month i might have done better.
oh well i’m in a better place now in my life. the police were not an unusual sight. without getting to into it i think you should deffinatly do your research on any collection agency before you give them any sort of information.

as far as paying them and the threats that may get thrown at you hers what i have to say. the can threaten you all they want about suing you but the only ones that can is medical debts and stuff like PUD/PSE. any other account must be pulled from the client and then the client decides if it’s worth the effort. i also must tell you that if your thinking of going through a debt consolidation, DONT! i’ve had many people tell me that they thought the company they were ging through had been making payments but thats not how it works. you make payments to the debt consolidation comp until you have enough money in your account (which could take years and years) that they can offer some sort of settlement. plus as often as account are sold to different company or debt buyers that company doesn’t keep track it’s your doing to do that for them. at least this is all that i’ve heard from people.
people need to start being smarter and stop getting way over their heads in financial debt. it’s one thing to be in debt if your opening a business and it fails than it is for someone to have 5 credit cards all maxed out and can’t even afford the min payment. i was watching an episode of True Life the other day on people in debt and there was this 20yr old girl on there who had 6 or 7 credit cards all maxed out was living w/ her parents, ect. the thing that bothered my so much was that everything she bought on those cards was clothes that she still has but barley wore and she didn’t wan’t to get rid of them. so to get herself out of debt she filed banko. BANKO bothers me so much cause so many people abuse it.

It saddens me to see comments from former employees that derogatorily depict Sentry Credit. It especially hurts when someone calls me a crooked manager.

Sentry Credit is a 3rd party collection agency. That alone makes us unpopular with the general public. No one wants to be forced to deal with embarrassing and frustrating delinquencies, but we perform a vital mechanism in the business world. Every bill that goes unpaid results in higher prices, interest rates, and production costs in the future. Last year, collection agency recovery nationwide put $375 dollars back in the pockets of every American consumer.

At Sentry, we strive to embody the highest ethical standards and NEVER allow illegal talk offs to exist. To say or imply anthing else is simply a lie. We have a Compliance Officer that monitors calls and we have terminated many ‘high revenue generating’ collectors who refused to comply with the law.

Personally, I challenge myself everyday to be the best version of myself possible. I know collections backward and forward and try to share that knowledge with everyone at work. I treat everyone with the respect the I hope to be treated with. The person that said I ‘come off as professional’ but things change behind closed doors has obviously never met with me behind closed doors. I take the time and make the effort to involve myself with each employee as best I can. I want everyone to enjoy coming to work. But, this is a difficult job and not everyone is cut out for it.

The drug thing is an unfortunate reality of life in general. We battle addiction everyday, and I’ve spent countless hours sharing my experiences with employees dealing with their own demons in the hope that their life might get better.

As for the prizes being deducted, when someone wins a big screen TV as a prize, the cost of the prize is shown as income on their paycheck, which is then taxed. Uncle Sam has rules too.

As for the consumers being counseled not to talk to us, nothing could be worse. If you get a collector on the phone that is less that patient and professional, then ask to speak to a manager. We will help you.

All I know is I’ve been in the collection business for 16 years, the last 9 of which for Sentry Credit. I will never work anywhere else. I sleep good at night knowing that we do a good job and we do it the right way. I invite the former employees who blogged here to contact me and we can talk about your feelings.

I had a jovial experience with Sentry Credit. I dealt with a Mr. Ronald K. Coleman III for my account that was in breach. He is a true gentleman and a harvard scholar. He corresponds with consumers with the I’s: Integrity, Intelligence, and Intensity on the phone. I was weary of the collection process, but his professional persona over the phone helped ease any complications. He is a superior individual. I was trapped in my own oblivion in life I didnt know what do as far as my financial handicapps in life. It took that one call from the heavens above from an angel named Ron Coleman. God bless you sir. He shined the light on me, im a changed man forever, ive learned to do the behooving things for now on. Mr. Coleman convinced me to change my life with his supple voice over the phone, iam now off drugs, started working again, and im a born-again christian living life by the means of my savior and lord god, and his angel from the heavens Ronald K. Coleman III.

P.S. Give Ron a raise and better client to exceed his unlimited potential

Sincerely,

Owen

I am a former employee of Sentry Credit. If your in this industry you understand the “nature of the beast”. You understand that a large portion of the people you work with have bigger problems than your own. This industry takes alot of people who would otherswise have no learned marketable skills and teaches them to make a living for themselves. I have worked for John Burke before, and i will say ive heard alot of mixed chatter about him before working for him. However i will say he is probably one of the most caring and compassionate manager i have ever worked for. His enthusiasm and energy are needed sometimes during the daily “grind” . I have voiced my concerns and opinions about work, life, etc… and John was there to give me sound and heart-felt advice about whatever we were talking about, much appreciated John. As far a not paying a collection agency, totally understandable. But if your looking to repair your credit and get on with your life and live somewhere other than a 1 bedroom apartment with your 3 kids and live in baby momma, collection agencies are your best bet. Settle your debts. LETS MAKE A DEAL….. Get someone on the phone thats willing to listen and negotiate, if your both after the same goal you can get there twice as fast.

i AM IN AWE AT THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE HERE I AM A SENTRY SOLDIER AND I SAY THAT WITH PRIDE I STARTED OUT ROUGH AND NOT HITTING MY M/R BUT MANEGEMENT DID GIVE ME THE CHANCE AND A FAIR CHANCE AT THAT AS FOR JOHN BURKE HE IS A FAIR BUT STERN EMPLOYER AND A GREAT BOSS TO HAVE HE IS ALWAYS THERE FOR HIS PEOPLE AND PROVIDES ALOT SUPPORT I AM NOT A SO CALLED HEAVY HITTER IM NOT ON THE TOP OF THE GRAPH MONTH AFTER MONTH BUT I AM TREATED JUST LIKE I WAS AND AS HAS BEEN SED BEFORE THIS JOB IS NOT FOR EVERYONE AS FAR AS THE OWNERS THEY ARE GOOD PEOPLE WHO STAND BY THIER EMPLOYEES AND THEY TREAT US BETTER THEN ANY OTHER COMPANY I HAVE EVER WORKED FOR

Sentry Credit uses fear tactics to try and get you to pay up!
I get threatening calls from them constantly-regarding two debts from The Everett Clinic-an unlicensed medical facility here in Everett,lol…
But SCI likes to threaten and use fear of suits to get you to pay.
My advantage is that i am disabled-and have been since 1990-and since my income is from disability-they cant sue me to garnish my wages.But they try to convince me that they can.
They call daily to give me a dose of threatening BS.
If you want yo have fun with them-call and ask if any felons work there
the number is 425-257-9500-ask if they know if they are under investigation for fraud by the AGs office in Olympia-or if there is a web page dedicated to them for threatening you or me!

hey rob breisch… [ad hominem attack removed] collection agencies CAN sue you and CAN garnish you. Ive done it. And ill give you 10000 dollars if you can fnd ONE financial institution that doesnt have an AG or fraud investigation against them… [ad hominem attack removed]

In response to John Burke…this is john burke at his best. I give cudos to John for 1 thing…he’s a great speaker..an AWESOME speaker at that…which in turn makes him an awesome motivator, YET manipulator.. in response to:

“As for the prizes being deducted, when someone wins a big screen TV as a prize, the cost of the prize is shown as income on their paycheck, which is then taxed. Uncle Sam has rules too.”….

Oh, i can understand being taxed, but its not “winning a prize” when that $700 TV is COMPLETELY deducated out of your check :/
Meaning, if you have a $1000 check coming to you, and you win that TV, youre only getting $300 on your next check. One hell of a way to “win a prize” and miss your rent.

It is reality that collection agencies get sued all the time due to the nature of the business, but my major complaint is that i am not a consumer, i was a former employee. An employee that can honestly say this was by FAR the worst company i’ve ever stepped foot into.

For those that been at that company, what in the world did Jenn bergen do for you?? she was once my mgr and i had no idea she was even my mgr because all she ever did was sit in her room, put on make-up, and just down-talk other employees. If she wasnt doing that, she was outside smoking ciggs….and then she moved up in rank.

Candace–cant begin to name all the people that dislike her attitude. Especially being a trainer, she is EXTREMELY unprofessional and puts people down (and walks around eating your food off your desk).

Also - with this company, yes…you must be apart of their ’social life’ in order to be a somebody. meaning you have to show up to their parties outside of work where drug and alcohol abuse is way up the roof.

Not everybody is going to like everybody! Not everybody is the same. I myself am an assistant cm at Sentry Credit Inc.. and I think I’ve been to one party.. Because people are closer than others, as in any office it can remind you of High School a little bit. Different “cliques.” Some people mesh better than others on a personal level. When you work as hard as we do, and every Soldier knows how hard we work ;) .. We need to make friends in the workplace or we feel like we have no social life. I enjoy everyone. Although I am not as close to some as others I know when I walk through the door at 7:30 am we are all treated professionally. I am going to apologize for the people above this who have put all their tact aside and verbally trashed some of the people who were only trying to offer a better oppurtunity to people who in this time in their lives, are more mad at themselves, and envious of the success of their former co-workers. This job is not for everyone. No job is for everyone. We work in a revenue based business. It is stressful! Of course, what job isn’t? I have worked a few different jobs, and have never been treated with more respect from my managers, as well as my co-workers. If you are currently in debt, and have been contacted by us, listen to us! We are only here to help! I work at Sentry because it has givin me the financial stability to raise my daughter on my own. I enjoy my job. I enjoy doing it well. Even with the obvious bad months we’ve all experienced, I had the motivation of my management team to keep my head up and progress. And I for one am not going to complain about the 200 dollars I paid in taxes to collect the almost 1000 dollars I won in cash last November! Our company cares about it’s employees, clients and consumers. I have seen, more often than not a collector go out of their way to help resolve a consumers debt. Especially those instances when we happen to recieve a file that had already been satisfied. We give our consumers the oppurtunity and time to help them better themselves, repair their credit, and build a foundation free of financial stress. If I didn’t truly believe in what I do, I wouldn’t do it. I have never seen or heard of any drug use on the premises, and for those who drink, who’s to say what people can and can’t do when the work day is over? Are we all children? Like I previously stated.. I am not a part of any so called “social circle.” I have still been able to succeed. So let’s put the rumors and bitterness to rest ex soldiers.

whoo rah. with the comment up above… im a senty soilder….all the neg. on this website are just a bunch of haters who got fired, who prob couldnt hack it or it just wasnt for them… senty is not perfect. but gives and has potential for employees and as a company…KEEP MARCHIN SOILDERS. AND BEST ADV TO EVERYONE ELSE. PAY YOUR BILLS….

I am amazed at some of the things that are written. Of course people dont like collection agencies, but who ever the moron was that suggested not to pay is an idiot. I am a proud employee of Sentry Credit and I have seen the company grow through out the last five years. I’ve had my own issues with DUI’s and drugs in the past and contrary to what has been written Sentry has helped me to overcome these issues. Further more, the only way to have any long term success in this industry is to follow the rules and act proffesionally while representing our clients. People who take short cuts actually cost our company money. There are accounts you can be sued on it all depends on the client. Any one who tells you not to pay your bill is essentially a dead beat who is giving you bad advice. Responsible adults understand the importance of maintaining a decent credit rating and the long term financial benefits that this includes. I have also been the winner of a variety of prizes from this company including two TV’s, a trip to Las Vegas, a trip to Hawaii, and a variety of other small gifts. You are taxed on the value of these items as income tax off of your paycheck because that is what Uncle Sam requires. The value is added to your wages and then deducted off in order to calculate the approriate tax amount. As for the former employees that are complaining about this company, we understand this job isn’t for every one but your inability to effectively do your job is not the fault of the company. Maybe you will have more success flipping burgers or waiting tables but as for the over one hundred dedicated employees who put forth the effort to learn this trade the correct way it provides a decent living for people and their families that otherwise would have a very limited opprotunity. I know many single parents that are employeed here that are able to thrive due to the benefits and salary that is available through our office. There is not alot of places that you can write your own check.

Sentry is well known for taking in “dead beats” per-say. So you shove a bunch of ex-cons, drug-addicts, etc into 1 building and you get sentry credit. I applaud sentry in taking in these kind of people and giving them a 2nd chance. HOWEVER, this is why sentry is able to strive. They hire many low-class individuals who pretty much have no choice but to sit there, shut up, and do their job. Sentry credit needs some serious diversity training (management as well). “writing your own check” is a common saying in ANY commission-based position. Sentry credit management should also realize that hiring ex-cons should be a HUGE no-no as their web-based tools are able to track down information on almost anyone…relatives, addresses, social security numbers, phone numbers, etc. VERY dangerous. Any1 could be a victim of an angry collector…its common sense and not much the company can do to stop it aside from 1 thing…DONT HIRE EX-CONS. The company is a very stressful environment and the employees are right…its not for everyone. My only complaint is how the business is run. It needs a change in management…both people and rules/regulations. Its a sugar coated cake with dirt underneath.