Forster and Garbus law firm - Has anybody heard of them before?

Are they listed on the web? If not, they are most likely a bogus company. If they are in buffalo New York, go to Bud Hibbs website, and he can tell you how to deal with these bottom feeders.

It is a sketchy looking website. They state they strive for a "complaint free environment." Sounds scary... :shock: They are in Farmingdale, NY.

There are a few entries on RipOffReport.

Are they contacting you? If so, for what? Are they trying to collect a debt?

It amazes me how many law firms are actually in debt collection. Can you imagine going to school all that time and coming up to call people on the phone and collect debt. It is almost like targeting telemarketing to collect debt. Is this a sign that maybe some of them should not have went to law school in the first place. I would think that if I invested all that time, it would be a great disapointment to be collecting debt, right? or is there big bucks in it. Mine was only for $1000, for one and for $2800 for another, two different firms. Seems like the ambulance chasers would make more!?????????

yes they are trying to collect a debt but they havent even gave me any proof that the debt is valid. Can they do this?

Send them a dv letter.Look in the third link in my signature at the bottom of my post.

I recieved a package from them with bills form the original creditors but the amount is totally different from what theyare asking for. I have requested for them to show me how interests and fees are tacked on but they never showed it. They doubled the amount from original. Is there anyway i can get them to take off all those extra fees,interests and get a 40-60% off the original amount? Can they really charge me interests?

Sound like they may be trying to access interest that may not be legal. I would send them another letter requesting the information that they did not provide as they did not provide full validation of the debt. Also, did they provide you any documentation that they are able to legally collect? (i.e. a copy of the original contract) By the way have you received summons from them?

Do as Cajun stated; send them a Letter of Validation via certified mail.

Attempt to Validate Debt.

Quote:

why whats the problem

If it's a suit in NY, they are allowed to collect a simple 9% interest rate by statute. I hope that helps.

Forster and Garbus Law firm is a legitimate 2 man operation run by 2 attorneys: Ronald Forster and Mark Alan Garbus who were admitted in NY in 1968 and 1969 respectively.

Forster and Garbus Law firm is number 1 in new york for a reason, they are more fair then most...of course it is hard to have collectors call you and remind you that you are late with your bills but when you sign the contract with the credit card or bank loan etc. you made that promise to pay, you cant just ignore it when its in an attorneys office, the unfortunate thing is people think after 7 years the statute applies and who cares i already ruined my credit...if only people had a better understanding ....

Lawgirl first off sol is a defense to bar collection suits so it darn sure matters.Once sol is up,the debt is still valid but unenforceable by court action and once it reaches seven years from date of first major delinquency it is no longer reportable. So if you have some valid information to offer on topic,then go for it.

you can call debt collectors bottom feeders and all that other nonsense, but what about the consolidaters who dont do their job and wait for their clients bank account to get frozen to finally call the collector, ...people have to pay them a fee every month to consolidate their debt but the customers dont know is half the offices dont accept it, but the consolidaters wont say that because if the debtor knew the truth there wouldnt be any more of these consolidaters and settlement companys , its ridiculous, the debtor has to pay them a fee to call the collector to help them settle , when the debtor can call and do it themselves, the consolidaters are the real bottom feeders if you ask me , i have heard one too many times about all these lawsuits against them. Last night my best friend was telling that forster and garbus were served suumons by the court.

cajun, first off, all i was trying to imply is the debt collection practice has changed alot over the years, people dont know their rights and if debtors had a better understanding things would be easier...like when they recieve a summons they think they are in trouble when all they have to do it go to court and explain to the judge their financial situation...and obviously the judge with work with them....so what i am trying to say is an important, posting up things bout fdcpa isnt going to do anything for them if collectors arent violating it

.......its plain and simple people, if you are being sued for a debt, and you recieve a summons, go to court!!! if you were never served and found out you have a judgment by your bank account being frozen...go to court!!! just tell the judge you were not served , and never recieved copy of summons or notification of judgment going to court and the judge will have to vacate the judment for improper service .....you dont need a lawyer if you are being sued for a debt

Every consumer should know his/her rights for state as well as federal laws. A creditor or collector is subject to a variety of laws that will help someone being harassed. I have no qualms with a collector/creditor as long as the proper procedures are followed. I try to make everyone aware of what they can do to ensure their debts are paid to the right party and the right account. You can search my post history and you will find I have very little good to say about consolidation/settlement companies. I normally go into those posts to post my research results on them and encourage the consumer to use their personal judgment on using one.

if someone is being " harassed " cajun, you should know, you dont need a consolidater to stop the calls, all the debtor has to do is send the agency a letter to " cease and assist " all communications....and if the agency continues to call , obvious that is violation of fdcpa, the debtor can sue

You seem to be hung up on the consolidation part of our website. I always encourage consumers of the laws and would do as you said.In the case of abuse,I would document and then turn over to a lawyer. My job field is non-financial as I work in the Oil & Gas Exploration Industry.

..yes of course, in that case, i had the same problem my husband had a hospital bill he forgot about for only $70, the collector called him and threatned him and was trying to scare him to pay the debt , saying things like his wages would be garnished in the future if he didnt pay etc. obvioulsy a collector cant say things the company itself would have no intention doing, an agency in ny will not sue anything under $700...but in the case of abuse i totally agree, some collectors can be very harsh

**********if you are being abused by a collector you must tape record the conversation, otherwise its he said she said , not every conversation is recorded in a collection agency******************

very good idea but we must also consider that you can legally tape in your resident state. My home state is one party.

Currently the forster & garbus law firm has entered a judgement against me. Previously I attempted to resolve this with a payment plan but they entered the judgement against me and won. They claim they do not know my bank information but now I have a negative balance in my account because of their actions. I spoke to them and now they want me to give them my bank information so "we can work this out". What can I do now?

Were you aware of the suit in the first place, or did you find out after the suit had taken place?

I was unaware of the suit.

If I go to court in the county where it took place, can I explain to the judge? What do I say? What documents or information should I bring? Will this help me free up my bank account? Pleasae tell me any and all options. Thanks.

Explain to the judge that you were never served. Ask the judge to vacate judgment due to improper service.

What can I expect the judge to do? In addition, how soon will it take my bank account to be unlocked?

That is the judges call, I would imagine that he/she will vacate the judgment, making any monies collected thus far invalid and would have to be returned to you. All awards post judgment such as levies, liens, and garnishment would also be null. You should seek legal council and file suit against them, they deceived and manipulated the judicial system and skirted your basic human right (within the USA) in that "no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or personal property without due process", they tried to bypass due process with this despicable scheme.

Ask your attorney if it could be turned into a human rights case, and maybe see if your attorney can make the judge see the light and hold F&G in contempt.

Also, if they try to refile have your attorney motion to show cause during discovery by requesting debt validation, when they fail to provide ask your attorney to motion to dismiss with prejudice as they cannot show cause.

Let me know what your attorney says, generally legal consultations are free. Be sure to ask though.

I don't have an attorney. Can I do this on my own in court?

You could, but I wouldn't suggest it as there is a lot of legal tape to cut through and they could tear through your defense in court if you don't know how to handle it correctly as a decent attorney would.

Ok but can I at least go into court and ask the judge to vacate the judegement and therefore release the suspension on my banking account ASAP? If so, how long will it take to be inforeced and released?

You'll likely get into court faster with an attorney than pro se [representing yourself]. Attorneys often havve some tricks that we lesser mortals dont. At worst, it won't take any longer.

I've read everything you've posted to date. In your shoes, there ain't no way I'd go to court pro se.

At this point I have no money to pay an attorney because my account is frozen.
If I do find an attorney what type should I pursue?
How long will it take to free up my frozen account if the judge vacates the judgement?

what documents do i need to bring to court when i ask the judge to vacate the judgement?

You can go in with the intention to sue Forester and Garbage, er Garbus. Get yourself a attorney that uses a contingency fee. Where they just take a certain percentage of your winnings from the suit. Ask around different law offices. A good place to go is naca.net At least it's a start.

Thanks for the help. I checked out the website and now I'll wait for them to reply.

why do companies like f&g have to look like the bad guys?? the person is debt signed a contract to pay the bill and broke the contract, and then they wait for their bank account to get frozen to call and then claim to have never been served, cry me a river , that has been said a billion times, everyone is so quick to sue a debt company trying to play victim, if someone was done is the begining before litigation it would not have happended

stop looking for a quick way to sue and an easy way out take care of your responsibilities , god forbid you pay your bill oooooooooooooooo

Little Timmy: Look mommy, a forum troll!

Timmy's mom: Yes honey, its the more common variety drama queen forum troll.

Little Timmy: Eww, thats gross!

ok let me get this right...so this " guest " paid $$ towards a bill, claims to not have been served...now was that discussed when they were paying the bill?? so they had no clue...but was paying the bill? am i right??...now your trying to sue for improper service and this " jcemt " said you will get your $$ back when your judgment is vacated ....if that isnt the biggest crock i ever heard ....WOW

Little Timmy: Look its another forum troll! are they gonna mate?

Timmy's mother: No Timmy, it's probably the same one. It just made itself look different. It's probably going to have to mate with itself.

Little Timmy: Eww, thats kinky!

Timmy's mother: Only the first time dear... :shock:

To clear things up to the original poster. I'm not saying that this will erase the debt by getting the judgment vacated. It will simply null any awards granted so far as they had been granted it due to dysfunctional service and they will be forced to refile the right way and actually give you the chance to be present to defend yourself with legal council if you so choose (which I recommend) as is your constitutional right.

Well I guess "no comment" and "loohoozaher" (re-read because you did not get it right) have never been through this type of situation before and always do things the right way. The reast of us are human and make mistakes at times. No river to cry here because I have no problem paying the debt. I already told them that in writing and they never responded. My problem is the improper way in which this F&G manipulated the situation. Their affidadit of service was filled with inacurate information (lies) including dates, times in which I was at work, not to mention claiming to also have served a copy to a neigbor that does not exist. After I researched them I found out they have done the exact same method to numerous other people. Oh and for your information after speaking with a few attornies they say a class action lawsuit against them would stop their wrong doings.

at's right!

Thanks for taking over as sarcasm dispenser while I was busy working. Glad to see that my responsibilities aren't being completely neglected.[/img]

Dang I am gonna have to change the locks again.Hate being infested when I am not even here to enjoy the comedy of it. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks Uncle Wulf, Your sarcasm inspired me :D
You know, in addition to being a junior (as I am still new to this) consumer advocate I also play dungeons and dragons. In that game trolls can regenerate, and the only way to kill a troll is with fire. Now where did I put that flamethrower?