Law office of joe pezzuto - need advice on this collection agency?

Welcome to the forum Trinity. Is it possible to give us a little more infrmation? What state do you live in? What type of debt is this? Is it a pdl or credit cad? Who is the collection agency calling you? How long have you been paying?

What company are you dealing with? collection agencies will threaten, yell, etc., don't let them intimidate you. Don't give them any personal info-where the money is coming from, your bank info., etc. Make sure they have a legal right to collect this, and it is within the SOL period. Send them a debt validation letter, asap. You do have rights, and they are being violated by their threats. They are supposed to validate the debt to prove they are the ones to be collecting. If you have any questions, please ask..KAren

the original debt was with Providian/washington mutual several months after my last contact with them I got a letter. When I called I got a automated system and placed on hold for half and hour before I hung up. I keep waiting for something to be sent that I could deal with. I admit to the debt and I am more than happy to pay it as I can. I work as a temp and getting almost 2,000 dollars together will take a few weeks unless my bank gives me the loan. Only about half of that is actual charges the rest is what they have added on to the bill. I have to call the guy back in four hours or so and I want to be ready so I don't get suckered into more than is leagal or than I can handel. I have already had people call my parents phone number and I have not lived there for over 3 years.

Trenity,debt collectors must follow rules when collecting debt.It seems they do not want to follow the rules.
http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm#809

Please read up on what they can and cannot do in this link. After that,put them on notice that if they want a dime,they had best follow the established rules and quit with the harassments.

Who is the collection agency?

As Bossy suggested, before you pay anything, make them validate the debt. That is the law per the fdcpa. There is a sample letter in the DIY section of the forums. Never give them banking information.

Funny thing I called them back and talk with the "general manager of the law firm" and told him I was working with a debt concolidation agency. He told me several time that they are a law firm and wont work with the concolidation people yet he was more than willing to fax me a letter and knock of 500.00 dollars as well as set up 3 payments for the debt. If I don't get the letter I will stop payment and if I need to I will close my account. I'm keeping an eye out and will be talking to a few lawyer friends of mine if I think I need thier help on it.

Thanks for all the advise,
Trinity

It is illegal for a collector to threaten legal actions. Read the fdcpa laws in the FTC website and get informed of your legal rights. The link is posted above. The collection agency must validate the debt and confirm that they are unauthorized for this collecting on the debt. They need to send it in writing within five business days after the first phone call. Check your mail regularly. If you don't receive anything from them, get their address and send your DV letter by certified mail and return receipt requested. This should cover your basis legally.

Since the debt is legit, you have to work out payment arrangements with Providian and try to clear the account directly with them.

Got them to fax a letter to me.

Letter has original creditor, creditor, account#, amount due and list the agreement I made with them for 3 payments and a lower overall total. It also states that thier client has agreed to remove any negitive marks on my credit to reflect current status of my account.

From what I read they are more than likely still making a few hundered bucks but I will have it done and over in a few months. To be safe I am going to ask a few lawyer friends to look over the paper for me and give advice if they have any.

I am keeping copies of everything including my phone record where I made or recieved calls from them.

Everything I have found says that They are a Collect America Franchisees but they do have lawyers that work for them.

If they misrepresented that the caller is a lawyer -it is a violation of the collection laws. And a common one at that.

they made sure to never say they were a lawyer only keep repeating they were a law firm not a collection agency.

They may not say they are the actual laywer calling but they DO LIE or mis-represent themselves, by saying they are the parrilegal or legal assistant... I got that from them several times.

these guys called me up for a debt that I owed for 1100 dollars. I told him i was unable to pay that amount. Then the guy says he is on 'my side' and says that he'll cut the amount in half and I need to make that payment now before legal action gets taken. He was asking for my checking account number and sounded like he was being a lawyer. I did not give it to him which made him say " I know what you're trying to do." I replied "what do you think I'm doing?" he said "You're trying to get out of paying us."
I told him that I need more time, like three months and he said that I was dreaming. He kept saying "what am I going to tell the lawyer?" He added a hostile threat that if I did not pay in 24 hours he would say I am in non compliance, what ever that means and bring some legal action against me. I have intention to pay and I have called them back after I said I would and they are pushy towards me and threats? The one sided conversation ended with him threatening me that if I did not send him 250.00 in 24 hours he would tell the lawyer that I am refusing to pay and he will bring legal action against me.

I am going through the worst experience with these people. They are talking down to me, and DO say they are a "law office." That the lawyer is coming down on them because of my account. They even hung up on me when I said i didn't feel comfortable giving them my bank information, and could send a check with the correct amount. They are unprofessional and i still can't figure out if they are legit.

Depending on how old the debt is they are likely making 50-60% off of what you are going to be paying on.

collection agencies and law firms do not have to accept proposals from debt consolidation companies.

A collection agency can not threaten you with an action that they do not intend to take. It is against the law.

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/letters/sample6.html
That is a good debt validation template from this site, send it to them USPS certified, return receipt requested. See if they are able to produce validation first. Also since they have threatened you with a lawsuit they have 30 days to follow through or else they will be in violation of federal statutes per fdcpa.

Also, once they receive the validation letter, they must cease all collection activities until validation is produced.

Technically, they can have people call you re: this debt. There is such a thing as having a manager in a law firm (e.g.: a litigation support manager, a comptroller, or even a general manager who is basically a finance wiz). As long as a staff member identifies he or she as a staff member 'following up,' it may be straddling the line, but still legal. You can however demand to speak to the handling attorney and make sure you specify the "handling or primary working attorney" (Do not let them give you the 'billing attorney,' if it's a large firm, they will send you over to a partner who is clueless on the day to day activities) on the matter, they're also the ones with the true settlement figure and know the bottom line and can really cut you a deal.

also they can and will resell this previously uncollected debt to junk debt buyers guaranteed!!!

Unfortunately, I've had to deal with this "law firm" as well. I am working with them and one other firm for two separate debts. The JP law firm allowed me to make payments, and then suddenly decided it was taking too long and demanded the balance asap, even though I've been making payments faithfully from the beginning. I've had no such problems with the other firm. Does anybody know if the JP law firm has ever been reported to the MN AG's office?

Today I received a second call from that firm. The first one was about one year ago, I called them back and I got the same automatic message and I did not wait to speak with somebody, the never called me again for several months. Today I got the second call and I decided to do some research about them and I found this forum. What I can add to the conversation is that I have debts but all of them are in good standing and as far as I know I have a very good credit score. They left a voice message instructing me to call back # 1-866-826-4101. The person that left the message sounded very bossy, I could say intimidating. My gut feeling is that they are not a legit agency. What would you recommend? to call them back? Like I said I have a job and I have been fortunate to keep our debts current. Thansk for the links with our rights, they are very helpful.

if you are current and in good standing on all accounts.i wouldn't call them back.sounds like they could be phishing for info.

I owe a debit that was with Chase Manhattan, the origianl balance is now at 0 I am now paying on the interest which was over 2,000. My income has decreased and I contacted them to have my payment reduced and was told no that I should apply for a loan in the amount of 1,000 and they would close the account or I had to continue with my month payments of 125 and If I could not do either of the above then they would take other actions against me. I currently owe on the outstanidng balance for interst only in the amount of 1700. Help

Wow, the same Joe Pezzutto Offices contacted my father (havent lived with him in 7 years) and my husband when they couldn't contact me. I have an debt of 1800 dollars, and they are telling me I must pay it before March 20.
I was out of work for 8 months and was unable to pay my bills, so now I just started working again, and paying things off.
They said if I don't pay it all there will have to be legal proceedings.

Liz001,

If you have not been contacted by mail yet then that is just a scare tactic. Call them and tell them that under the FDCPA they now have 5 days to send you something in writing. Verify only your name address and telephone number. Once they send you a letter, you have 30 days to dispute the debt. It should have a 30 day disclosure in it.

Also what state do you live in and when was the last time you paid the original creditor or made a payment in general on this account they are collecting on? If it has been a long time the debt could be time barred and any payments may re-start the SOL.

They called me today at work which I don't like and ask me to settle a debit of 1008 by end of business today. I have never heard of this company and never recieved anything in writting.I asked them to send something and they said they did to a po box which I don't have. What should I do?

I have been dealing with these people, since December. I have spoke with at least three different individuals. However, one refuses to stop calling me at work, when I have given another number to be reached. On Friday alone, within 5 minutes, he called me at work 2 times, while simultaneously calling my cell 3 times. I have joined a debt company, and I am making monthly payments to them. I have no extra income to surrender at this time. How can I stop this guy from calling me at work?

I have been "dealing" with the harrassment of these guys for over a year. I have been trying to work out a payment arrangement and they tell me they instead want it all now and to borrow money from my mom (who's dead) or my and I quote "waiter boyfriend". They have added $5000 to my original $6000 debt and have managed to finally serve me papers that are long out-dated. I called them again today and nothing has changed, he hung up on me when I offered to pay $100 a month, which is all I can do. I don't know if I should hire a lawyer or what to do now. I feel like going to court is better than trying to deal with Joe Pezzuto's "law office".

I just received a call from this people and I talked to ??????Tia?????? She said that I must pay 1500 dlls by the end of this month??? which is in 8 days. Otherwise they will have to have legal proceedings and the cost will be more.

I recently changed my address and didn???t received any mail whasoever and this person said that they have been sending me mails but they were returned.

I had been paying around 100dlls per month for my debt with bank of America. But they just stopped taking money out of my bank account. 4 months after this I received a call from these people.
What should I do? Thanks.

some one named Andrea Hubbard gave you my phone number. please stop the calls.

some one named Andrea Hubbard gave you my phone number. please stop the calls.

Help me! Obviously, I am a fool...I gave them (Law office of Joe Pezzuto) my checking account information after they started spouting off all kinds of legal actions. Can they actually go into my account and take out money?

YES!! Close your account ASAP.

Read about "Debtor Rights" on the internet. They have debtor right handbooks available on the internet.

You can send them a letter called a "Cease and Decist all Calls Letter" and mention the phone number that you do not want them to call. You have a right to tell them to "Stop all calls." I believe this is your Debtopr right. Then ask to be communicated with only by ground mail. You can mention bankruptcy if you are going that route or simply tell them you have no money if you are unemployed etc.

I believe it takes a court action to do this. You might speak to an attorney and ack if they can do that.

It might be against the law to call you at work. You might look into your debtor rights to see even if they allowed to call your job, they might be breaking the law.

Before you begin to start paying any online payments, you had better make sure the debt is owed to these guys. You have no idea who they are and if they can't provide a "PROOF OF DEBT" statement, then question the debt. Contact the original account holders and find out if this company has a right to collect. The FTC, Federal Trade Commission takes complaints against Collecton agencies if they are illegally collecting debts. I believe it is unlawful for collectors to collect on a debt when you don't owe them money. So ask for a "proof of Debt statement" first before paying any thing. Just to make sure you might ask the original creditor if they are handling the account.

It is illegal to threaten legal proceedings, from what I know, they can't tell you to agree to a payment plan or they will sue you, from what I know this is illegal. Consult your attorney about this being I am uncertain. It cost them money and time to sue you so they want to settle and sometimes they will settle the matter for much less than what you owe.

There are books and on the interent there are "Debtor Rights Handbooks" available on the internet. Debt collectors can call but must only state specific information and they can't call any time they want. You have a right to tell them the means by which you want to communicate, in other words, you can send them a letter saying not to call and that you only want to communicate by letters. This will stop the agressive collection calls that drive us all crazy when debt collectors call. You have a right to send them a "Cease and Decist all Calls" letter. Then just tell them to communicate with you via snail mail. This will give you time to respond to there requests. If you have little money and are unemployed, simply tell them that in your letter. If you are considering bankruptcy, let them know. If you want to settle the matter for pennies on the dollar, make an offer. Really, the best way to communicate with any debt collector is by mail because it stops the rude phone messages and rude collection efforts. If the Debt collector continues to call you, you can tell them they might be in violation of the law because you gave then notice not to call you and to only contact you via email. Make sure to send letters by obtaining a certificate of mailing or proof of mailing.

Really, go to any book store and buy a book on debtors rights and you will avoid a huge problems.

This company is ruthless. Dont let them jerk you around. If you are making payments there is nothing they can do. I have a debt with them and they did the same thing to me. Treating and trying to intimidate me. They even told me that I cannot send in payments. I had to go online to get their address because they would not give it to me over the phone. It seems to me they try to avoid doing things in writting because they cannot be jerks if they do it that way. If they continue to threaten you or call continuously just tell them they will be sued for harrassment.

Advice from a debt collector (that's me). ANY TIME you are told NOT to send in a payment because it is too small.. SEND IT.. Ignore a collector's words if they are being rude or threatening. We have NO BUSINESS being that way. I can't stand collectors that give my job a bad name. It's not like people ask to go into debt anyways. I just ask for honesty from the people I am working with to resolve a debt. My thoughts-to make ANY payment toward a bill, is better than doing nothing because it shows you are TRYING from your end to resolve it. If anyone is having collector issues, please feel free to email me. I am happy to share what I know from doing this for 10+ years.

[EMAIL="TZappier@gmail.com"]TZappier@gmail.com[/EMAIL]

Collection agencys only have a certain amount of power. They can't call and act rude and threaten you, this is harrassment and you can tell this this. Technically you might be able to report there actions to the Police, just to have the record. About the calls, you can send them a letter knows as a "Cease and Desist All Phone Calls" this will stop them from calling you. Now the phone harrassment "STOPS." Next, have them validate the debt with you, always chack the signatures and make sure that the debt indeed was handed over to them to collect. Next, This will at least buy you time to get your debts figured out. If you need to claim bankruptcy, you might want to tell them this and mention you are drowning in debt. Sometimes they will settle a large debt for a few hundred dollars. if you work part time and are prone to pay off. Mention medical and Dental conditions you might have because they might back off. Technically, lawyers are to follow a code of ethics and you can file a complaint with your State Bar Association if they threaten you etc. After 7 years or so, a bad can fall off your credit report all together, depending on what kind of debt it is, I believe. If you start payments with them, I also believe you prolong this time limit. I personally would try to settle the debt for much less than what is owed, in one lump sum payment, when you could afford it. This prevents your monthly payments etc, ground mail etc. Also, look up "Debtors rights" on the internet. Your a debtor if you owe money.

I just got done dealing with these guys. Like many collections agencies these days they operate out of a law office. Don't be fooled: they may say that they are a law office but they must operate by the rules of a collection agency. They must adhere to the FDCPA (your best friend when dealing with any debt collector).

I remember when they first contacted me 2 years ago. They strategically didn't state that they would sue if I didn't pay them $4000 that day (if I had 4k I wouldn't have had a credit card written off while I was unemployed) they did pressure me into a payment plan, which I did. Don't make my mistake: if they call and demand a large amount of money by the end of the day (their typical strategy) tell them you don't know who they are and they must validate the debt in accordance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. That will buy you some time, irritate the person on the other end of the phone (hopefully) and let you look at your options. The law says they must do this before they can proceed with further debt collection actions. In fact, they cannot even file for a judgment.

When (if) they validate the debt, make sure you check and see if the debt is time-barred in your state. It very well may be; collection agencies routinely try to collect on debt that is outside the statute of limitations. In my state (Virginia) the statute of limitations is three years from the last payment. Each state will vary.

This point is important to note when dealing with JP: they are not allowed to charge interest. Once an account has been charged off by the original creditor and bought by an investment group (read collection agency) they are not allowed to collect a single penny of interest. The firm knows that, but collections agencies will try to collect every red cent they can whether it is legal for them to do so or not. If you do set up a payment plan, they will try and tack on interest to the tune of 32%. If they do, contact the Federal Trade Commission and file and complaint. You may also be entitled to legal action under the FDCPA, as the law states that collection agencies are not allowed to charge interest. You are not required to pay interest or fees to any collection agency.

Above all: they may try and play hardball. They will be rude over the phone. Before calling them, do your homework (this site is excellent) and remember: these people are parasites. They are not your friends, they are your enemies. They will try and collect money you don't even owe. Pay the money you owe, because that's your responsibility. But don't pay anyone who can't validate the debt, who demands money past the statute of limitations, and refuse to pay interest to any collection agency.

Wow beachdude how misinformed you are;
1. They can collect interest if your state (most) and the contract you sign allows it
2. Just because its past the SOL date has no implications, you still owe the money and are obligated to repay your debt, collecting past the SOL is perfectly legal.
3. If a law office calls you they are a legit law office that do collections, garnishments, liens and judgements are never too far outside the relm of possibility unless its past SOL or doesn't meet legal criteria
4. They make you secure with checking info because if they believed checks in the mail let's fraace it you probably wouldn't send it in besides if you sent in a check they still have your account info its not any more secure and they can't wipe you clean unless you have a judgement permitting it[QUOTE][/QUOTE]

Wow beachdude how misinformed you are;
1. They can collect interest if your state (most) and the contract you sign allows it
2. Just because its past the SOL date has no implications, you still owe the money and are obligated to repay your debt, collecting past the SOL is perfectly legal.
3. If a law office calls you they are a legit law office that do collections, garnishments, liens and judgements are never too far outside the relm of possibility unless its past SOL or doesn't meet legal criteria
4. They make you secure with checking info because if they believed checks in the mail let's fraace it you probably wouldn't send it in besides if you sent in a check they still have your account info its not any more secure and they can't wipe you clean unless you have a judgement permitting it[QUOTE][/QUOTE]

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These people called me looking for my neighbor! Asked me if I could go to their house and give them a message... They wouldn't give me any information except that they were a law firm and didn't have my neighbor's number. Strange, I don't even associate with the neighbor they are looking for!

Paul,

I'm pretty sure that point #1 by anonymous is incorrect. I called the Federal Trade Commission and they stated unequivocally that debt collection agencies are not allowed to add interest charges after the fact. The reason for this, as I understand it, is because the collection agency isn't a registered financial institution like a bank or credit union. The FTC's website also indicated this.

My research on this particular topic started when JP's office tried to charge me a whopping 32% interest on the debt. I wound up filing a complaint with the FTC and when pressed, they dropped the interest charges. I don't think they would have dropped $3000 in interest charges if they knew they were on shaky ground.

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I made an agreement with this company to pay 45% of a bill I owe, which they told me I could, in 30 days (that would be about the 8th of April 2010). Now I recieved 3 calls in the past two days, saying I can't do that, that they "meant" to say by the 30th. Now, the "manager" says he is going to "listen to the recording of my conversation with Melissa" (the woman I spoke with) and call me back. I told him, I absolutely said to Melissa, thank you, and I am taping a post it to my calendar to call you back on the 8th. I asked the "manager", if she meant the 30th, when I told her I'd call her the 8th, why didn't she correct me and say, no, the 30th? They are all liars, and rude. I've been hung on 4 times by them. Another woman, when I told her I was in a hurry, she said, "For what? Where are you going?" I said, that's none of your business, she said it was absolutely her business. They try to intimidate and are very rude. Thank you for your comments, I am going to follow up what I've read on the previous messages and tell them I need my letter to validate the collection which should have been sent in 5 business days.

Let me shed some light on "The Law Office Of Joe Pezzutto". These dirtbags are nothing but a scumbag law office that opened 4 years ago to facilitate threatening debt collection letters from "law firms". They should be no more intimidating than any other private company debt collector that send you a letter requesting payment on a debt. My advice to ANYONE who gets a call from these retards is to change your telephone number immediately. If you get a letter, go down to the local Office Depot and pay $20 and buy a shredder and feed it. If you don't have $20, shred it up and put it into your kid's hamster cage for the little rodent to sh*t on. Seems appropriate.

Trust me, if a REAL lawyer is coming after you for a debt, you will be served a "summons to appear" by a person at your door to appear in court. At that time, explain your hardship to a JUDGE, and let the judge decide what you can afford to pay and not some unscrupulous collection agency that has purchased your bad debt for pennies for what is owed in hopes of collecting more from you with strong arm tactics and threats. I personally NEVER deal with collection agencies. If a creditor refuses to work with me during a financial hard time and turns me over to a collection agency, they get screwed. All that working with collection agencies does is continue the cycle of showing companies that it is a viable means of dealing with unpaid debts, and thus it propagates the scourge of the earth that is these debt collection agencies and "law firms" that allow debt collectors to use their name as an umbrella to threaten people.

I think it's hilarious. I don't buy things on credit anymore, so these buffoons can kiss my arse.

Hey Joe.... come and get me... oooOOOOoooooohhhhhhh..... ROFLMFAO