Law Offices of Marshall & Ziolkowski

I have a similar situation with these guys. They are threatening to put a lien on my home if I don't pay them. My debt is only 500$ though and I wonder if its easier to pay them or is it not going to end there?. Are there any updates from the previous posters that have dealt with them?

If the debt is yours and they can show that they have the right to collect on it then by all means pay it. However they will need a court order to place a lien on your house. It's all part of the due process that must be followed.

These guys are "THE" biggest scam artists out there. I was threatened, call 7 times in 20 minutes and told I was going to jail! Yeah, one conversation with my husband and the threat of a lawsuit on our behalf and the calls ceased. Go figure!

:twisted: I think if any of you people actually cared about paying your debts and didn't worry so much about who is collecting them then you could actually move on with your life!!! listen, if you know you owe the money then just pay it!!! what do you think you just dont have to pay your credit cards back? Give me a break!! You guys are ridiculous, own up to your responsibilities!

Debtor, we are here to offer advice to help people pay debts they owe, but we are also consumer advocates that inform people of their rights and let them know when their rights have been violated. One of the issues about who owns the debt is do they really own it. There are some agencies out there that attempt to collect on debts already paid or try to tack on illegal fees, or try to collect on debts that do not belong to the consumer in question. If you were told you owe something to someone that you have never heard of and if you did not pay it they would sue you for it and have you arrested, would you not be concerned. With the collection agencies out there that are "bad eggs" (the ones that have no regard for the law) would you not like to have an idea on who you are dealing with and what to expect, or would you just pay it regardless of how much has been added to the original debt and regardless of if you know that you actually owe it to begin with?

Jcemt Your post is admirable,but really a waste of brain power when addressing the ignorance of certain guests who only desire to flame us.

Your right as usual CB...

This so called co. overdrafted our account.The agreement was the payment would be taken out on nov. 30 2007, but they took it out 4 days early and the money wasn't there.Now they are telling my husband that they are filing felony charges for writing a bad check out of state. What do I do?

oo, they are collection agencies that have been established by or involve the services (for a fee) of lawyers so they can call themselves "The Law Offices Of Ben Dover." Ben is probably playing golf some place.

They act as a law office because the reules of engagement are different for lawyers than for 3rd party collection agencies. That's why they are not calling themselves "Ben Dover Collection Agency."

Get it?

Ask for the Bar Number and if the attorney is registered with the Bar in your state. If not, then the FTC rules apply to him as a 3rd party collection agent.

Don;t let these clowns intimidate you.

oo, they are collection agencies that have been established by or involve the services (for a fee) of lawyers so they can call themselves "The Law Offices Of Ben Dover." Ben is probably playing golf some place.

They act as a law office because the reules of engagement are different for lawyers than for 3rd party collection agencies. That's why they are not calling themselves "Ben Dover Collection Agency."

Get it?

Ask for the Bar Number and if the attorney is registered with the Bar in your state. If not, then the FTC rules apply to him as a 3rd party collection agent.

Don;t let these clowns intimidate you.

i got taken for $700 by these guys for what i thought might have been an old account. is there anything i can do now?

Orville Reference Heinz vs Jenkins Us Supreme Court.Attorneys who collect on a regular basis are bound by the same rules as a collection agency.

Also check your state statutes, I know in WV for instance unless a attorney licensed in this state they may not engage in anything deemed the practice of law. Which includes contacting you by phone and sending anything on attorney letterhead. WV code 46A-2-123 (I think that's where it's found) you should check your state legislature to see if you have anything similar. Or you could simply contact your state attorney general's office. Also check with state bar to verify licensing in your state as suggested previously.

Honestly stop complaining and just pay your bill if you owe it pay it these guys are just doing there job so give them a break

genius, these people are just making sure nobody's rights are being violated or the CA is breaking any laws. Other than that this is a debt consolidation forum, which is designed to help people pay their bills. If I were to violate any of your rights I'm sure you would not lay down and take it and neither will we.

I have no idea why "pay your bills" is considered useful information here or why you even bothered to post such nonsense.

Sure, we'll get right on it, just pay my bill if I owe it regardless if my rights are being violated. Can I at least get a kiss on the cheek before you #*#&*#&*@)%*)^
lol

We recently settled an old BP debt with these people and 2 months later, they are calling here saying the girl who arranged the settlement had been fired because she was not following company guidelines. Mr. Andrews was incredibly rude and said that he had not approved the settlemet and that we owed more money. WATCH OUT FOR THESE PEOPLE!!!

These guys are legitimate lawyers sueing accounts if you don't pay your bills you will be sued....they offer settlements on every acct I would take advantage of it because if you don't they will sue you and obtain the entire balance via wage garnishment property lean or other non fun things

Well I sure hope they dont get a property "lean" Jonathon...that sounds scary :lol: Or "non-fun" things.

Actually it is a lien that is placed against property when claim is held against property by anything other than the consumer.

lien (l?????n, l?????'?????n) Pronunciation Key
n. The right to take and hold or sell the property of a debtor as security or payment for a debt or duty.

Most states that do allow liens have exemptions on home property that make it almost impossible to acquire that property with the exception of the bank holding a priority mortgage.

this company just came in contact with me. how do i get a letter of validation and what is it?

Use the first link in my signature for a good validation letter template. Send it to them certified mail, return receipt requested. Once you get the card back in the mail with the signature of the person who signed for it keep it, that is your proof that they had received it.

Answer their call, wait for them to speak, then tell them you have an important message for them. At this point, use the air horn.

They call and say they have a pending lawsuit against me but I have received nothing inthe mail or anything, jsut threats over the phone that they are going to freeze my mortgage. WHat do I do?! I can't afford a lawyer. I'm divorced and my ex has screwed me royaly.

just to let ya know . all the debts they have r out of stats. they tell you if your last payment was in 2001, they tell you your last payment made was in 2004 to keep in the statute of limitations. plus if you only owe $1,500 your told you owe $4,500 and then they try to settle you out at $2000, so that the collectors get the overage in bonus money. Plus no one there is a lawyer, no one even went to law school. Its a bunch of rich 25-28 yr olds that started a bill collecting agency. so if you give them any money, you are really giving them something that the law does not require you to pay anymore. So if anyone calls you from there just hang up because they will scam yuo for everything you got. if you gave them your checking or c.c info once, and a collector is close to hitting his goal, they will run that same check or c.c again to get there bonus check and deal with it coming back on them later.....just FYI.

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Man, you don't call me at home and tell me that you are

going to toss me into jail for a debt that isnt even


mine... WTF are these people thinking. :evil: [/left:5287cb4cac]

They are harrassing me for some BofA loan supposedly taken out in 2001. I've never had a BofA account and have disputed that this amount is mine.

They called my elderly mother and told her that if she didn't pay them $5,000 on the spot to them using her Credit Card, they would send Federal Marshalls to her house to serve papers.

I haven't resided with her since 1980. They are truly tenanciously unlawful

Sounds like grounds for a good lawsuit, with you reaping the benefits. Try sending them a debt validation letter (you can find a good template in my signature)

These guys have a lot of bad press, but I have first hand experience dealing with a very helpfull employee named Mark. He was able to get me out of debt and offered me advice on paying other companies that I owe. Not all of them are bad

Not all of them are bad, there are many good agencies out there that stay within the law and are very professional and sometimes quite courteous. However this companies track record doesn't really look like that is the case.

:twisted: If you never made the debt to start and are getting harassed then their harassment is just wrong![font=Georgia][/font][color=DarkRed][/color][size=6][/size] But they don't want to hear anything you have to say.

Oh people, do some more research on them. They are now Kingman and Cole...check it out. I was taken by them and then found out that I did not owe nothing and verified it with the actual so called bank they said they were collecting for. I was almost suckered.

They are now in NY...beware people..they prey on the weak!!!!!!!!!1

THEY THINK THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. DONT LET THEM FOOL YOU. QUESTION THEM TO NO END. I DID. I DIDNT LIKE WHAT THE ANSWERS WERE. I ASKED FOR A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION WITH MY SIGNATURE, THEY SAID I HAD TO GET A SUPOENA. I ASKED WHY I HAVENT RECEIVED ANYTHING IN THE MAIL. THEY SAID BECAUSE OF PRIVACY LAWS THEY CANT PUT THERE NAME ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE AND I PROBABLY THOUGHT IT WAS JUNK MAIL AND THREW IT AWAY. I WENT THROUGH AN AWFUL DIVORCE, SO I KNOW WHEN AN ATTORNEY OR COLLECTION AGENCY WANTS YOU, THEY WILL LET YOU KNOW IT. DONT GIVE THEM ANYTHING. DONT CALL THEM BACK. DO GO TO THE WEB AND SEARCH OUT THERE NAME. THEY ALSO GO BY MARSHALL AND ZIOLKOWSKI. THE GOT MY CREDIT REPORT AND ADDED THAT ACCOUNT TO IT THE SAME DAY THEY CALLED ME. FILE COMPLAINTS WITH FBI, SECRET SERVICE, FTC, ATTORNEY GENERAL IN NY, AND ANYONE ELSE THAT YOU CAN THINK OF. THEY ARE CROOKS AND IF ANYONE POSTING ON HERE SAYS OTHERWISE, THEY WORK THERE, AND THEY NEED TO GET OUT OF THAT UPS STORE FRONT CAUSE THE FBI IS WATCHING...GET A LEGAL JOB PEOPLE...

These people are jack-booted thugs dwelling in some basement boiler room using a tatic of threats against peoples freedoms and sensibilities to gain profit on debts that in 99% of the time are no longer valid and that no court would ever give claim to. If a debt collector calls you (they had better have sent you a letter 30 days prior to calling you of course) and makes any statement to the fact that charges will be filed, your property sezied, wages garnished etc... These are threats to you and are illegal under the fair debt collection protection act. If they say that they are lawyers and not debt collectors, well let me tell you. Under the letter of the law which plainly states in black and white that any entity which attempts to collect any past debt "IS" a debt collector (this goes for lawyers and anyone else for that matter.) If you have any question, get the full name of the person whom you are speaking with, their phone number and extension and mailing address of their place of business. Conclude the phone call, notify you state attourney generals office, better business bureau and the FTC and file complaints. You may even secure a lawyer at this point to handle the matter. Dont let these guys bully you :evil: around. :evil:

Another thing here. Check with your individual states as to the statuate of limitations for credit. This company as well as others out there purchase debt contracts from vendors that are no long valid and the vendors can longer attempt to collect upon. Do not hesitate to send these people a letter of validation for that debt. (Just tell the collector that you are disputing that debt, not that you are refusing to pay.) Make sure that you ask for copies of the original contract with your signature, and account statements, and be sure to input that this is a letter of validation to validate the debt, not to validate who you are and not where you live.(most will just send a letter stating the debt is for you and the social security number they have for you.) Under the fdcpa, they have 30 days to produce all items. In most cases, this information cannot be received for most vendors would have already charged the debt off and sent all items to micorfish or has long since been destroyed. Also be sure to check your credit report often. If these people place any derogatory entries into your credit report you may have legal roads to cross with them. They cannot place false or misleading entries into your credit report (well they can, and have done so, but it is illegal to do so, and once there It cannot be removed>) If you have any debt, do your best to pay it off, if you cant protect yourself from the intimidation of these jack-booted thugs. :twisted:

It looks like I am a victim also.Guess I'm next on the list.They have been calling me for two days but I have yet to answer the phone.Really don't want to get caught up in all this.Most of my debts are all over 7- 8 years old To my knowledge all are paid off.If I continue to aviod the call can any legal action be taken against me.Looking for advise..Thank you

THEY JUST GOT SHUT DOWN BY THE NY ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE!

I just recieved a letter from a collection agency saying I owe on a anb college account from march 2001. I was still in high school. Wasn't even 18 yet. What is the best way to deal with them?

fire off a DV letter certified mail return receipt.that should do the trick.