Call from Joseph Pezzuto Law Office in Pheonix, AZ

Aren't they a piece of work! Let me see what I can dig up on them!

I can't find anything with that spelling!

I'm sorry, it is Joseph Pezzuto. I got the spelling wrong but I just looked it up by phone number in the yellow pages.

Have you heard anything from them through USPS yet? When you do, you should get a debt validation letter out to them, make them validate that debt before you discuss anything with them! :)

Another Collect America franchisee...this oughtta be a good one

He hasn't hit Bud Hibb's radar yet and there's just a little bit on the Rip Off report about him. Wait and see what he sends you. If he's making demands for immediate payment on the phone, maybe he'll be stupid enough to commit it to writing :twisted:

Oh, I did ask for something in writing. They said they will send me something with a payoff of $500 less if I can pay it by Monday. Ok, where am I getting that money from?

When you get the letter make sure it has the "mini-miranda" on it. If it doesn't and state's "this is a demand for immediate payment" or "due in our office in 10 days" with nothing about disputing the debt hang on to that lottery ticket.

Well, the woman I spoke to was very upset because I told her I did not have an e-mail address or number she could fax the letter to and therefore the payment by Monday is just not going to happen. I don't want to give these people any more information then they already have. I told her a letter in the mail would do just fine so I can verify some things. I know it is the end of the month but jeez, let it go already.

I have started my encounters with the office of J.Pezzuto. Before returning the calls the have been placing to my parents home (which I have no clue how they got this number - its not even included on my credit report, nor I have lived with them since I moved out for College) I decided to check out this guy. I found this forum among others and really got some information to stand on.
I called in, let the asst. in charge of my acct. go through his case and then I simply said "alright I have heard what you have said, I would like to send a letter of validation for this debt. I want to confirm that the debt is mine and that you have right to collect this debt." Well he did not like this one bit. He kept saying "no,no,no we have already sent information to you in the mail recently ". I replied telling him that "I am entitled to send my own letter of validation and they should be expecting it soon." After I said that he started into telling me that I sound like an intelligent guy and that he was going to do a favor for me. I stopped him from providing me with the favor and asked for his offices mailing address. He would not give it to me, he just kept repeating his favorite line...."no,no'no" "I am going to do a favor for you" I informed him that he has to give me the address and that I have the right to validate the debt before going any further. He then told me that "I know your type, you just want to stall and push this back ever further to buy yourself time". I replied with its my legal right and you will not take this from me. I asked for the mailing address one more time, he did not give it to me. Then finally I said well looking for my letter in the mail and do not attempt to contact me for another days while research is done on this debt.

Are these guys animals are what? What agencies police these companies? Who would you lodge a complaint to?

Joe Pezzuto's office has been calling me for a debt I have with Bank of America. I am more than willing to start paying off my debt, but they want the money in one lump sum. I owe a little over 1,500.00, but I don't know if I should give them a penny. They want me to give them 500 now, and 1,300 at the end of this month. I don't havethat kidn of money, that is the reason i didn't pay off what i owed before in the first place. i told them this, and they said I needed to borrow it or find it somehow.
I called BoA to see if I could pay them, but they had already given my account to creditors and nothing could be done.

I got a letter from them in the mail.

It says "This letter os a demand for payment in full."

I just got off the phone with a guy from there. I told him that i needed to look into this thing and get back with him. I will say that I was surprised that he was nice. I guess it might change if I tell him that I can make only small payments!

I got the letter from them today. It says on it that it is a demand for payment in full. It also goes on on to say that I have 30 days to dispute the debt or portion of. Is this ok? How should I proceed?

send them a DV letter with a cease communication by phone.send it certified mail return receipt.yes you can dispute the debt.it i your right.

I don't dispute that I owe the money. I don't know that I agree with the amount that they are showing.

well then dispute it anyway.with all the JDB'S,BOTTOMFEEDERS,RENT-A-LAWYERS.it's best to know you are paying someone who is legally bound to collect the debt.it is best to be sure before paying.

You know after researching the joy of the Legal System, I have read this forum and have come to the realization that you people need to look into Financial Stability 101. Trust me it works. I had to take it before joining the Armed Forces of this great nation. But I have been paying my bills, taxes, etc. since the age of 18. I am now 23 and still find the money I need to pay bills. And here you are trying to stall and delay paying a company that has paid anthoer company(probably a financial institution) to bail your butts out of having these banks take everything away from you. I guess what I am trying to say is............PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME AND START ACTING LIKE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Wow,

Yes -- dispute it. They have to completely break down the charges for you. Plus, either try to work out a settlement (if you can - but MAKE SURE you get it in writing before paying a dime) or an equitable payment plan. That way, in case they decide to take you to court, you will have documentation that you attempted to do the responsible thing.

I don't trust this CRA because when I received dunning letters in the past, they had settlement offers (usually 3) already on them - one good (lump sum), one not too bad (3 payments), and an equitable payment plan for the entire balance. Have things changed that much in 3 years, or did I get lucky and have debt collectors who operated under the Law?

To demand payment in full is absolutely ridiculous. If you couldn't pay the original creditor, how are you supposed to all of a sudden have a bunch of money lying around at the convenient time they ask?

--

So far, I have managed to ignore trolls, but this one has pressed a couple of buttons on this patriot, so here goes:

--

Rza_44,

With all due respect, sir, apparently you have been living under a rock (or in an ivory tower) while the rest of the "civilized" world groans under a faulty economy and a high unemployment rate. I am glad things are so awesome for you, really. But they are NOT for many, many, many people.

Global recession worst since Great Depression, IMF says
"http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_bi_ge/us_world_economy"
Not only that, it says that by the end of this year, it is expected that the world economy will go in reverse for the first time since World War II.

I know you're having trouble collecting old debts these days (I am thinking this because of your ignorant all caps statement), but I really can't say I'm sorry. I'd say you are also having reading comprehension issues on top of it, so let me spell it out: THE PERSON *IS* BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DEBT BUT THEY CANNOT PAY WHAT IS BEING DEMANDED.

And, "bail your butts out of having these banks take everything away from you"? Which "great nation" are you speaking of? Because in the U.S., the banks cannot do that.

One more thing, in the U.S., people are considered Innocent until PROVEN guilty. As a good American, a citizen MUST consider that it was no fault of the debtor until and unless you receive reliable information to the contrary. So not only are these junk debt buyers bottom-feeders and law-breakers (the FDCPA), they may also be called traitors. Yes, I said it.

As Paul Sibel reportedly wrote: "Oh how the jackals gather, when famine stalks the land..!"

OH, and in the real world, original creditors aren't entirely innocent, either. You'll love this report about Bank of America: "http://www.wsbtv.com/video/19315753/index.html"

And then they want a bailout.....

Guys - Everyone Needs to Know One thing - unsecured debt (like credit cards) if unpaid and go to collection - NOTHING can happen to you. Once at collection, your credit has been damaged. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY. NOT ONE DIME.

NOT TRUE!

You can use this letter to let them know that you are not going to deal with them. If the original creditor has wrote off the debt. Then you should be free and clear.


[Your Name]
[Your Mailing Address]
[Your City/State/Zip]


Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested # [Insert the Certified Mail Receipt Number here]



[Insert today's Date]


[Insert name of collection agent, if available]
[Insert name of collection agency]
[Insert address of collection agency]
[Insert City/State/Zip of collection agency]

REF: Account # [Insert either the original account number or the collection agency's account reference number here]

Dear [Insert name of debt collector calling--if available--here]:

You are hereby notified under provisions of Public Laws 95-109 and 99-361, also known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, that your services are no longer desired.

You and your organization must CEASE & DESIST all attempts to collect the above debt. Failure to comply with this law will result in my immediately filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the [Insert your home state here] Attorney General's office. I will pursue all criminal and civil claims against you and your company.

Let this letter also serve as your warning that I may utilize telephone recording devices in order to document any telephone conversations that we may have in the future.

Furthermore, if any negative information is placed on my credit bureau reports by your agency after receipt of this notice, this will cause me to file suit against you and your organization, both personally and corporately, to seek any and all legal remedies available to me by law.

Since it is my policy neither to recognize nor deal with collection agencies, I will settle this account with the original creditor.

Give this matter the attention it deserves!

And have a nice day.


[Sign your name here]


[Insert your name here]

There are a couple of things wrong with this:

Quote:

we just found out he froze our checking account. We never responded to any of his calls and letters and now look!!!

yeah sure.without a hearing.if that's the case have it overturned for improper service.most likely above me is a shill thread,but you never know.

I have a debt with Furniture Row and have offered several times to make payment arrangements. My husband was laid off from a job of 15 years and I worked extra shifts to pay the mortgage. I did NOT have any extra to pay the amount they wanted. The person that called was rude, arrogant and of course not a lawyer, but attempted to make you feel as if he were one. When I asked if he was a lawyer, he stated that he was not. When I asked if he was a paralegal he also was not. He demanded that I pay. This person proceeded to tell me that I was rude, refusing to make my payments, didnt care where the money came from or anything. Stated that I had a real irritable personality when I asked for something in writing. I said I had to discuss it with my husband and he said that was pitiful that I could not make a decision without my husband. To say the least, these people are horrible. After reading all the sites on them I am now afraid that I have just given away $1000. I made two payments of $500.00. I will be checking with Furniture Row to see if it has been applied to my account. I am so afraid I just got screwed after an already bad year. Can we sue them? They are preying on peoples hard times. Please advise

Be aware, this "Law Group" bought the debt from your creditor for 10 to 15 cents on the dollar. If you owed "the bank" $1000,by law the bank must "write it off" after you fail to pay for 6 months. They then sell the debt to a second tier collector for pennies. The second tier can also go after you for 6 months then they must also write it off. Finally you get to the lowest scum like this group who call and call and threaten. Make them give you a written validation of the debt and their right to collect. IF YOU PAY IT OFF, IT WILL NOT HELP YOUR CREDIT SCORE. Being a year behind screws your score for 7 years so suck it up and tell them no way unless you just want to give away your money to make yourself feel good.

I recently have been getting calls from the Pezzuto law group. I had a previous encounter with another group with the same tone. I paid the group like an idiot and still had the credit card company they were supposedly collecting for calling me. There is no way I am paying a cent, and Mister Pezzuto can take me to court. Im a police officer in the state of Florida, and a law student. . . all I have to say is he better be ready.

Great that you live in Florida! Your wages are protected! Not many will try to collect here if they are from out of state! It is not likely that they will take you to court! Send them a DV letter and you will probably make them move on to a softer target!

I will be damned pay your bills! Who do you think you are??? you are only 23 and haven't begun to live. When I was 23 all my bills were always paid and life was good. As we get older, our hours get cut, the econmy sux, we have excessive medical bills and THEY over charge for them. It becomes next to impossible to pay bills. Perhaps you need a Lesson in compasionate living 101!! You are a laugh!! There but for the Grace Of God Go YOU!!

If some one calls and wants you to pay and you don't have the money or your living pay check to pay check, you have a right to request that they stop calling, send a letter to them saying to "Cease and Desist all Phone Calls" this will stop them from calling. Now, this slows down there debt collection effort and works in your favor because any new phone calls can be considered illegal once they receive the "Cease and Desist all Calls" letter sent to them by you (get proof of mailing or send it certified mail). So after they stop calling, send them a letter and have them send you prrof that they own the debt. Why? You want to verify they are not a scam and that you really do owe the debt to them. So have them send you the "proof of debt. Once you receive the "proof of debt" which can take from 1-4 months for them to produce, you can then waite up to about one month before you respond by mail and explain that you are out of work and are just making your bills, if this is the case. Once you send a letter saying this, the debt isn't as high priority to them because they want to collect by calling you but they can't because you sent the "Cease and Desist all Calls" letter. So you are out of work? how will they collect off you? They can't call you? They are dalayed until you go to work right? You might not return to work for another year because the economy is sour? Moving now? Who knows what delays this will cause but they are not interested in collecting on a debt that is too old. Also, once you make one payment, it restarts the clock to where you will be restarting the debt so do not pay if you can't afford it and go homeless. Tell them to go away until you have money, you might be able to settle the debt for a small lump sum payment, which will end the matter. For example, if you owe 5,000 you might offer to settle the whole debt for $1,200 cashiers Check but do this if they insist you pay right away and if they "provide proof of debt" that you owe the debt and that they have a right to colect on the debt. I believe it is a severe crime for them to collect on a debt that is not owed to them no matter if they are a law firm or not.
In any case, doing things through the mail and responding within a month will slow down the collection in a case you are about homeless or have no extra money to pay bills with.

Quote:

[QUOTE=Anonymous;489822]If some one calls and wants you to pay and you don't have the money or your living pay check to pay check, you have a right to request that they stop calling, send a letter to them saying to "Cease and Desist all Phone Calls" this will stop them from calling. Now, this slows down there debt collection effort and works in your favor because any new phone calls can be considered illegal once they receive the "Cease and Desist all Calls" letter sent to them by you (get proof of mailing or send it certified mail). So after they stop calling, send them a letter and have them send you prrof that they own the debt. Why? You want to verify they are not a scam and that you really do owe the debt to them. So have them send you the "proof of debt. Once you receive the "proof of debt" which can take from 1-4 months for them to produce, you can then waite up to about one month before you respond by mail and explain that you are out of work and are just making your bills, if this is the case. Once you send a letter saying this, the debt isn't as high priority to them because they want to collect by calling you but they can't because you sent the "Cease and Desist all Calls" letter. So you are out of work? how will they collect off you? They can't call you? They are dalayed until you go to work right? You might not return to work for another year because the economy is sour? Moving now? Who knows what delays this will cause but they are not interested in collecting on a debt that is too old. Also, once you make one payment, it restarts the clock to where you will be restarting the debt so do not pay if you can't afford it and go homeless. Tell them to go away until you have money, you might be able to settle the debt for a small lump sum payment, which will end the matter. For example, if you owe 5,000 you might offer to settle the whole debt for $1,200 cashiers Check but do this if they insist you pay right away and if they "provide proof of debt" that you owe the debt and that they have a right to colect on the debt. I believe it is a severe crime for them to collect on a debt that is not owed to them no matter if they are a law firm or not.
In any case, doing things through the mail and responding within a month will slow down the collection in a case you are about homeless or have no extra money to pay bills with.[/QUOTE]


You can't tell them to cease and desist and then ask for valiation. There is no basis for a "Limited" C&D in the FDCPA. It's an all or nothing statute. They can either ignore it or consider a full cease comm, in which case you're likely to be sued if the debt is still w/in SOL.

Quote:

Quote:

There is no law that says you have to pay a debt collector in all 50 states.To whom you owe a debt has to accept a payment in full or in part no matter what. As long as you make what is called a "dilligent" effort of $5.00 or more to whom the debt is owed it has to be accepted. Bill collectors are contracted people to do the dirty work for them and the extra amount that is colleted is the commission that goes in thier pocket.
My advice .....if they call you, tell them you made a payment to the debt you owe.
They will still try to pass off a lot of b.s to get yu to pay them instead.
Remember .... a bill collector is not the person you owe the debt to, so you do not have to pay them a cent.
I had 2 previous debts and the collectors kept bugging me ,but i paid who i owed and there was nothing that could be done about it.I told the anoying collectors that and when the bills were paid it all stoped

I recieved a summons from the Joe Pezzuto Law Group/CACH LLC?
I am not doubting I owe this debt. It was orginally a Bank of America credit card. I gave this Pezzuto guy 1,000 dollars back in June of 2009. And they have taken 50 dollars a month from me since. They are charging me interest like CRAZY. At this rate it will take me like 5 or 6 years to pay it off. But I AM paying them. Every single month, like clock work. After this years tax season, they asked me for another lump sum. I didn't have it and told them I can only do what I can. And on the day of the last phone call, they had their "lawyer" Kevin something or other write up a summons and had it hand delivered by a police officer to me a week later. I am confused about this. Its a "Summons and Complaint" but there's no real complaint here. I AM paying them every month. How do I respond to this summons? Or what is it they want from me? I'm not ignorning them!! HELP!!

About Joseph Pezzuto, we too have recieved a call from him for a ccard debt thru chase of 4500.00 that we had in my husbands name. he said that he was going to freeze our accounts tonight if we do not call him in 2 hours and give him 2500.00 over the phone, plus he said he was going to put this on my credit too since i was the one talking to him. i later called after hours to see if they were real it did not sound real; it sounded like the same guy that i spoke with doing the voice recording. so i thought it maybe a small company then started googling his name. after reading all of this i think he is a fake finding another way to get free money.

Valleygirl: Did you ever ask for validation of this debt? This arrangement you have, did you get it in writing? They very well could be charging you illegal interest. You should gather up all proof of these payments. Make sure you demand proof of the debt in discovery including a copy of the signed contract to see if they are in fact charging you the legal interest rate. If it turns out they are in fact overcharging you interest, you can present this all to the judge and show him you have been paying on this faithfully and have just now found out they were acting illegally by charging you interest they had no right to charge you.

denton: He CAN'T put it on your credit UNLESS you live in a community property state AND the card was opened during your marriage. You should get out a debt validation letter to him ASAP.

I don't owe these people any money and they called my parents, my brother and my sister-in-law to try and reach me. I was on the phone with them for about 15 seconds since the person they were looking for is 20 years older than I am and I've never had the type of credit card account they were chasing. I spent so much more time apologizing to all the people and explaining why a law office was calling asking about me.

Why on earth would you have to apologize??? It is not like it was your account, that you had ANYTHING to do with it as it was a case of mistaken identity. heck, I got a call like that for one of my family members and found out it was a mistaken identity I would be telling said family member to run and check his/her credit reports to make sure this mistaken identity didn't end up on your report!

You can't control what is out of your hands :)

They called my mom's house last week, looking for one of my cousins. When I saw the caller i.d. on the t.v., I knew exactly who it was...another bottom feeding, scum sucking debt collection office pretending to be an attorney.

I questioned the caller 3 times as to who they were and if they were a debt collection attorney office. The idiot I spoke with started laughing when I advised him that he needed to better identify himself, namely admitting that he was calling as a debt collector, to which he never replied. That's ok that he didn't though, I have him on recording 3 different times advising he was from Pezzutto in Arizona.

If you're in Texas, RECORD your interactions with them. You do not, under Texas laws, have to advise them that they are being recorded, but I have fun with them anyway and tell them. You should hear them cuss when you do tell them. I always tell any collection agency that calls this one little thing..."Since you are calling me while I am a resident in the state of Texas, I do not have to advise you of this, however, this is your miranda warning...you are being recorded so that anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law in the state of Texas and to make you obey the Fair Debt Collections Practices act. As a citizen of the great state of Texas, I do not have to advise you that you are being recorded..." They usually hang up and stop calling after that.

Joe Pezutto has been calling for some time on an old B of A acct. The acct has numerous fraud charges on it that B of A refused to investigate. Then they raised our rate to 32.9%. I told B of A that I would not make another pmt until they corrected the acct and int rate. The acct charged off and then Pezutto started blowing up our phone. We have never received anything in the mail from them. He has tried filing suit against us for a judgement but the courts keep dismissing it. These judges do not like these bottom feeders who prey on people and their families.

Now, the statute of limitations is up and he can LEGALLY no longer collect the debt. Even if this yahoo managed to get a judge to authorize to "serve"us, I would show up with my rights and have it thrown out. If he keeps bothering us, I will have my attorney sue him for violating the FCRA and the FDCPA.

Number 1 rule when dealing with these junk debt buyers:

1) DO NOT TALK TO THEM EVER... You do not have to.

Other tips:

1) Know your rights

2) They must validate that it is your debt. be careful.... if they do validate it before the SOL is up, they will most likely try to get a judgement on you. If you are served, SHOW UP ARMED WITH YOUR RIGHTS! Judges hate these guys...

3) They MUST disclose proof that the original creditor has or has not written the debt off on their federal taxes. IF THEY HAVE WRITTEN IT OFF WHICH THEY ALL DO, the debt is dead and cannot be collected (another credit specialist swears this is true), I hope so...

4) They must show you how much they paid for the debt. Interest CANNOT be added to debt that is purchased. They can only ATTEMPT to collect the original amount and must show PROOF of that ammount from the OC.

5) Once the SOL is up in your state, THEN...... settle with the original creditor for a "pay for delete" from your reports. Once the debt is OUTSIDE of your SOL, you are in control. ALWAYS get it in writing showing the acct number, balance or settlement amount, your name on acct etc...


www.aaacreditguide.com and www.creditboards.com are good sources. Do your homework.

Good luck!

Amen!

I am so glad that I decided to look these guys up! Now I know what to do. I had this one guy from their "law firm" today using threatening language with me and I know that is illegal. The next time they call I'll tell them the whole "in accordance with Texas law' thing. I'm also going to just sent the money I owe to the original creditor and Pezutto can kiss my @$$.

Aren't people that take out credit lines, can't pay them back, and then try to play the reverse roll on making collectors bad guys a piece of work? You all need to go hide behind Obama's invisible curtain. If you steal a candy bar you can be arrested, but since money is via wire it doesn't matter? Fess up to what you owe and be a man about it, or soon this country will have no principles. You all make me sick!

I took had a debt with Bank of America. I moved but retained my old home, my children live there and pay the bills, just everything is in my name. They served me there with papers for a court date. Which I thought didn't matter because I did not dispute the debt, attorney's fees or the interest. Little did I know at the hearing he asked for an addition $2,500 in interest. Bringing my original debt of $2,500 to $7,600. What could I do. They found me about the time my son was injured in afghanistan and began garnishing my wages when when I brought my son home for a month and again when I came home from taking care of him. I was then laid off from that job and called to make payment arrangements with them and they refused to accept less than they were currently receiving 25% of my wages. At this time I was caring for my daughters son as she was deployed now to Kuwait. Then the garnished my bank account which I took to court and was granted a new court date as it was scheduled for the day my son was having another limb salvage surgery in DC. I have not had any contact with him since.
Do not miss a court date, THEY WILL TAKE THIS TO COURT.
His asst. is rude, mean, doesn't listen and will not compromise or admit anything, do not deal with her.
Keep records and if possible record the conversation and let them know you are recording it.
Hope this helps you, I have a run of bad luck all steming from losing my job as a single mother with 4 kids and no child support and no help then either to keep my house and kids fed.
I hope to help others by my past stupidity.:cry:

since i don't buy this don't know who it's supposed to help.this clown has no reach outside of AZ.nuff said.

On the law office of Joe Pezzuto Where Compliance Matters letter, is not true that the customer service representatives are well train for 2 weeks to treat A CONSUMER with RESPECT and DIGNITY. Daniel Hernandez is very rude to even let a CONSUMER (mentions debt instead of calling me as a CONSUMER or client) talk about why a payment was void. I was interrupted into the conversation without coming to an answer if Daniel or even the manager, Steven, can correctly deposit a check on its date. If I start talking with more volume, not screaming, is because of the way they are treating a consumer.
:confused: I am confuse on how Daniel tells me that he does not know how a check is being deposit from the law of joe pezzuto. Are you or not an employee of this office? Should I even capitalize its office name?

I did not know that a consumer can be treat as trash for being in debt.
:mad: