Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Payne Richards & Associates's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Payne Richards & Associates

  3801 Pegasus Dr Ste 101 Bakersfield, CA 93308-6874

  
• 

  Payne Richards & Associates

  160 Frank Ln Keller, TX 76248

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Harassment and Unjustified Fee Demands from Payne Richards & Associates.I am writing to report potentially fraudulent and unethical conduct by Payne Richards & Associates in relation to unclaimed property belonging to ********************** ********* received several letters from different companies including Payne Richards & Associates offering to help him claim unclaimed property. However, the process was straightforward, and **** filed the claim himself directly through the appropriate state agency. He never used Payne Richards & Associates services in any *********** Erics request, I (his girlfriend) briefly visited the Payne Richards & Associates website to understand what the letter was about. I used my own personal email address, but I did not verify any agreement, sign any contract, or authorize any action. More importantly, **** never accessed the website, never signed anything, and never authorized anyone to act on his behalf. He did not touch the computer during this process.Despite this, Payne Richards & Associates is now:Demanding 10% of the funds **** rightfully claimed on his own,Threatening collection actions and legal consequences if the fee isnt paid within 10 days.We contacted Payne Richards & Associates by email, and a representative named ********* responded, claiming that the email on the supposed agreement had been verified on October 27th through a link sent to that email. That email was mine, not Erics, and I never clicked to verify or consent to anything. It is false to claim that any verification took ******** make matters worse, the claim ID referenced in their letters does not match the actual claim ID tied to Erics successful claim. This clearly demonstrates that Payne Richards & Associates had no role in recovering the funds and is attempting to collect a fee based on a fabricated agreement and misleading information, including what appears to be a made-up electronic signature.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2025

  Dear *********,

  We have received multiple emails from you regarding this matter. After reviewing our records, it appears that you may have attempted to impersonate Mr. **** *********. Specifically, the agreement associated with this claim was electronically signed using his name, but the email address used corresponds to yours. Additionally, the ** address from which the signature originated traces back to ******, TXmatching the address we have on file.
  

  While we recognize that it is difficult to determine who is behind a computer screen, even for brief visits to our website, our firm relies on electronic records and signatures to process claims. The claim in question was submitted and paid under our firms generated claim ID: ********,following the receipt of the signed agreement. If you or Mr. ********* had filed a separate claim independently, it would have been assigned a different ID number.
  

  Given the number of inconsistencies and coincidences involved, we have decided to close this matter and will not be engaging in further communication with you or anyone else acting on his behalf. As a matter of principleand considering the relatively minor fee in disputeit is not worth further time or resources.

  Please consider this matter closed, and we kindly ask that you refrain from contacting our firm again regarding this issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/18/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ********* *****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/23/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased molded cake from local supermarket (Food Story, **). The store owner only refunded the price of the product even he knows we have consumed some of the cake. The exterior of the cake seems fine, but the inside of the cake is molded.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/24/2025

  WRONG COMPANY. We are not a supermarket nor do we sell any cakes. We respectfully ask that you remove this inquiry as it does not pertain to our business in any type of way. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/24/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  **** ******, President of Payne Richards and Assocuates sent me a letter dated November ******* stating it was a Claim Notification. They would mail me a check for $1064.46 from a ******* ****** account I had previously closed. I received their letter on about November 14th and sent them a notarized response that included proof of my SSN. When no such check arrived and no verification from Mr. **** ****** they had received my notarized information, I called a phone number from their letter and spoke to a female who asked for the Claim ID. She told me they were still processing the claim. I asked her how long does this take and she stalled a few seconds then said it takes about 6 months. And, if I didnt get a check by the end of that time, to call again. She was unfriendly, unconcerned and bored sounding. I then looked up the name **** ****** from *********** from whom my letter came and it gave me an obituary notice! I believe Ive been scammed and Im terrified my SSN has gotten into criminal hands.I can provide copies if the original letter and photo copy of the Nitarized Claim fir Abandibed Property upon request.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2025

  Dear *****,

  Your claim is currently being processed. As previously advised, processing time takes about 6 months. The obituary you ran into on the internet does not belong to the president of our company. The deceased person is someone else with the same name and last name but different middle name. It is very common for multiple people to share names. Rest assure our president is alive and doing well. You should have a response from your claim around June 2025. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us directly.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am receiving harassing correspondence asking for personal details for ************************* of Govern supposedly for me to receive $1295.64 refund. The details they sent me do not coincide with any of my personal activity.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2024

  Dear ******,
  
  The correspondence you have received is simply an invitation to utilize our services in assisting you with the recovery of unclaimed funds reported by the *************************. If this information does not pertain to you and you believe we have contacted the wrong individual, you may choose to disregard the notice or reach out to our office to request removal from our system.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Payne Richards and Associates (PRA) contacted me by mail in May 2024 regarding unclaimed property. I followed their instructions to notarize an engagement letter where they would receive 10% of the recovered property. Several weeks passed with no update, so in June I contacted the MA Treasury myself and discovered that I could recover the property directly. It was recommended that I wait several weeks to allow the Investigator to make *********** September 2024, I submitted a claim for my property and received in in October. Within days I received a bill from PRA, but they were not involved in the recovery process. As a result, I am refusing the pay the bill. I would like to avoid any additional predatory or bad practices on the part of PRA by dissolving the agreement.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2024

  We received your notarized legal binding agreement in May. The State approved such Agreement and few weeks later, the official claim form was emailed directly to you from the Department of Commerce, as per on our agreement. On 6/20/24, you called our office confirming the claim form was received. The State then confirmed receipt of your completed documents in September, and your check was issued on 10/16/24. Per the MA Department of Commerce,the claim was paid out under the claim our firm initiated, and therefore the agreement remains and will be enforced. Should you have any further questions,please reach out to our firm directly. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/01/2024

  I would happily pay the bill if there were any evidence of actions taken by PRA that resulted in the property being returned, but I have not seen any. Instead, what I have seen is the predatory actions involved in completing the agreement when I was unaware of my options, followed by a lack of any updates on progress for months. Unless I had taken action to claim my property myself, I am certain it would still be with the State. As such, I am still refusing to pay a bill for a service that was not delivered, to claim property that was already mine.

  Please dissolve the agreement immediately and confirm by reply. I have no desire to correspond directly with an organization that conducts their business in such a despicable manner.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2024

  As previously mentioned, the claim was paid based off the claim form we requested. Had you filed your own claim, you would have been assigned a unique state ID number. We were assigned state ID ******* by the MA treasury, and you are welcome to verify directly with them. Our Agreement remains and will be enforced.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  A business known as Payne Richards and Associates sent me a letter informing me that I has an unclaimed amount of money from a previous transaction at *********** As it happens, I attempted to purchase something at the facility, but after one of their contractors came to my home, and told me that the device wouldn't fit, I canceled the transaction. First, they told me of the amount I owed, and that they charged a fee for the service. They asked me if I would like to take their fee out of the money that was being given, which I accepted. Since then, they have continuously contacted me, via mail, saying that I owe them the money they said they would take out of the amount I was to receive.Each letter contains within it a copy of their website, *****************, as well as their phone number, **************, with a request to pay online. But, as you could see if you tried to access the site, its fake, filled with ads that lead to other online service ************ is clearly a scam, targeting people, like me, who thought they got a refund for reversed transactions, and I would like to let the BBB know about this.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/23/2024

  Dear ******,
  This claim was not regarding the reversed transaction you are referring to, this claim was regarding unpaid wages owed to you by **********. According to our records, the payment regarding your claim was recently issued mid-September by the Texas Comptroller. All terms and fees regarding our service are clearly listed in the agreement for you to review prior to signing,nowhere on the agreement does it state that our fees will be deducted. Also,just to clarify, our website is **************** and our phone number is *************. You were possibly browsing the wrong website. Feel free to reach out to us directly if you have any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Im mentally ill and I get SSI and I went to prison my benefits where on a comerabank card and shortly after I got locked up they send this letter to My sister address and now I'm out and I filed to receive it and it's been over 30 days and some weeks and have not received any of the money that belongs to me and I want it and more to compisate me do to the waiting and me not having nothing financially

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/18/2024

  Dear ****,

  Processing time of the claims is typically about 3-4 months, they are processed in the order they are received. Your claim was recently received by the State and submitting a complaint will not help to expedite it, please allow necessary time for review. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact our firm directly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2025

  I have given all valuable information on myself about my claim of a sum of ******* and I filed my claim shortly after I got out of prison I filled out the application form and mailed it in I call and they tell me to wait for the payment to come in the mail I filled October the 16th and now it's beginning to be February and they tell me to wait on the state to issue the payment out every time I call and I need my payment
  

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2025

  The ******************** reviews the claims in the order they are received, unfortunately the processing time is completely out of our control. Please reach our office if you wish to be connected with their office regarding any expedite requests. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I previously had made a claim to Unclaimed Property Owner in *****. Several weeks after sending my claim to the comptrollers office I received an email showing the unclaimed money that was in my name. I said that I had already sent a claim form, and asked if this was a part of that process. I was never given a straight answer. Meanwhile, I received my money. I did all of this WITHOUT their help.They are trying to get me to pay $75 for a service they didn't actually provide. None of this made sense to me because I completed the claim before I received the email, and again, they made it seem like I needed to fill out another claim form. I told them I already sent it, and didn't need their service. They have now sent a second letter for the amount of $75. In addition to this, the name on the Claim form is incorrect. They have it as ***** ****.During all of this my mother passed away. I am in no shape to deal with this ****. They are getting information on people who have filed claims and then trying to make money off of innocent people.I am not going to pay the money, and want them to leave me alone. Please help me with this. I am emotionally exhausted and dealing with grief, and I don't need this additional headache. Thank you so much for anything you can do to resolve this situation. . ***I stated that I wanted no further contact from the business in the blank below, but I also don't want to pay them, nor should I.Thank you so much.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/30/2024

  Our firm received an agreement signed by you and therefore
  the claim was initiated. We did not become aware of the multiple filings
  conflicting the same claim until after the fact. We have confirmed such
  conflict so our claim has been cancelled and you may discard our invoice.
  Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact
  us. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Sent paper to sign and have notarized and sent back. To not get any response from them at all. And the phone numbers and web page is fake.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/30/2024

  Our contact information on
  the letter and website is correct. You recently contacted us regarding status and you were informed that your claim is still pending. It is a lengthy process as the unclaimed property division is currently experiencing delays. We will keep you informed as new updates are provided to us. Any
  further questions don’t hesitate to contact our office at (661) 399-1108.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/20/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Received a letter in the mail claiming I have unclaimed funds. I call the number *************), and select the option to speak to someone. After about 6 minutes of holding, a woman comes on the phone immediately muttering something extremely offensive (f**king n****rs for those curious; im white), seemingly speaking to her coworkers. I think she realized we were connected so she immediately hung up. Called back twice and the line was busy so I'm assuming this is a scam business based on being unable to be contacted during open business hours in addition to the clearly unprofessional nature of their "receptionist".

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/22/2024

  Dear J,

  Our office hours are Monday-Friday from 8-4:30pm Pacific Standard Time. I regret to hear about your experience but can certainly tell you that our call center is fully monitored and every single one of staff members is professionally trained and fully screened prior to employment. Not only that, but not one person in our office speaks that way even off the phones. I am positive that you must have dialed the wrong number by mistake. Feel free to reach out at the number provided during the hours provided for further assistance with your claim.

  Regards,

  -Payne Richards & Associates

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/22/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I called the correct number during open business hours and stand by my claim.
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/26/2024

  You are welcome to call again or provide a number for one of our representative to reach out to you. Again we are Pacific Standard Time zone.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/27/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  They have not taken responsibility for their blatant unprofessionalism or provided a satisfactory answer regarding the event that transpired, especially given the recorded audio transcript.