paul j. coleman law office? Part 2 (cont. how to handle this

I do have some really old debts. As far as I know they have all been written off being as old as they are (more than 7 years). And there really wasn't that many. I only have one other debt that I owe a vet who killed my cat, and I am never going to pay that. I have a good credit score, better than average (almost a 700). So why would these people even be contacting me?

I am glad I found this forum.

They could be going after you for these 'junk debts' basically debt as old as that are only collectable through some questionable and downright illegal methods. I wouldn't have your dad call, chances are they will not divulge any information, though if they do, that is a violation since they can't share your information with anyone besides you (and a spouse).

Call them and find out what they are for, then you can send them a total cease & desist letter over that account. I think the SOL for CA is 6 years so lawfully you can't even be sued on them!

And I agree...if a vet killed MY cat I would never pay them either...heck I likely would have sued them, but I am a tad sue happy just now. :)

I am really pissed off. First i was burned out of my home in janurary and living with family then all of a sudden I get a letter from atty paul colemans office saying i have an old debt with them and that I owe them $1400.00 from a credit card that i opened in 2001. Well they began calling my cell phone and i did a cease and assist letter and they paid no attention to it and they keep callinh my cell number then i spoke to someone thete and they were so rude, i then spoke to someone else a couple of weeks ago and i spoke to someone a little nicer they told me that i could do a payment plan or that they would take me to court. i was pissed I have told them over and over again that I did not open this account. They called me again today 7/15 and the person i spoke to was extrememly rude was yelling at me and since I told them that i was going thru a diffulcult time and that i did not open a acct he said to me rudely well you probably dont remember opening this acct I was pissed yet again. They said oh well we can do a payment plan i said again I am not responsible for this acct and I am disputing it. i got my credit report and this acct they say i opened is on there but in good standing so I am in touch with experian.
These debt collectors (atty paul coleman's office) i certainly agree that i think they are fake and trying to ruin people's lives. They are rude and could care less on how they speak to you and then when I tried to get the persons name from there today when I spoke to them he said his name was good luck and hung up on me!!! I wish these people were being investigated!!!!!!!

A quick search on the Bar Associations site shows that Paul J. Coleman is in fact a Lawyer, but his website lists a different address (in Revere, MA) than the CA (in Saugus, MA). He probably owns the CA, but doesn't actually run it and may be unaware of their illegal methods and questionable practices. I have been unable to locate an email for either, but here is a regular address:

371 Broadway, Revere, Massachusetts 02151

Perhaps contacting the CA's benefactor directly will yield better results.

glad I found this post. These people called my parent's house today (which I lived in over ten years ago), and after reading this I suspect it's regarding an old debt from 1998. I flaked on a credit card but it was only $1000. I heard that a debt is collectable until a certain number of years after the "last action" but never got a clear idea of what an "action" is or how many years the sol is.

A unpaid debt is collectible until the sun goes supernova unless you live in WI or MS who have a statute of repose which extinguishes the debt when the SOL expires.

there is never a time when you stop owing money on a bill. there is a time when they can no longer make the debt become a judgement enforcable by garnishment or levy or lein, but you always owe it until its paid. where do you people get your legal advice, if you owe money pay it, you should all never be aloowed to finance anything again in your lives. you are the reason for the mortgage crises, the high interest and penalties, you have noone but your selves to blame, don't blame the bill collectors when you are deadbeat, thats like blaming the police when you commit a crime.

Shoo, little bottomfeeder. No one is here trying to "get out of their debts". They are simply sick and tired of bottom feeders like yourself bullying people to illegally collect unverified debts. ow about if I call your house and harass your family stating that you owe me $1000+? Would you just pay it? If so, what is your number =p

Thanks for your input NARCA founder. Your comments only re-enforce the need for the government to place stronger laws in place to curb abuse by debt collectors. Hiding behind a guest log-in and throwing your little hit & run commects out is about as cowardly an act as I would expect from a debt collector. So if you founded NARCA, you must be one of these guys:

1993-95 Don Kramer
1995-97 Warren Rosenfeld
1997-99 Stuart Blatt
1999-2001 Mike Buckles
2001-03 Adam Olshan
2003-05 Chuck Pona
2005-07 Ira Liebsker

You must have let your membership expire since I don't see your comments in line with NARCA's Code of "Ethics".

And by the way, the Statute of Repose in both MS and WI "extinguishes the right as well as the remedy". You don't need a law degree to read state stautes:

Mississippi

http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/15/001/0003.htm

SEC. 15-1-3. Completion of limitation extinguishes right.

The completion of the period of limitation prescribed to bar any action, shall defeat and extinguish the right as well as the remedy. However, the former legal obligation shall be a sufficient consideration to uphold a new promise based thereon.

Wisconsin

SOURCES: Codes, 1880, Sec. 2685; 1892, Sec. 2755; 1906, Sec. 3115; Hemingway's 1917, Sec. 2479; 1930, Sec. 2313; 1942, Sec. 743

http://nxt.legis.state.wi.us/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm&vid=WI:Default&d=stats&jd=ch.%20807

893.05 Relation of statute of limitations to right and remedy. When the period within which an action may be commenced on a Wisconsin cause of action has expired, the right is extinguished as well as the remedy.

you go nascar,shoot down the troll. :D 8)

I was left a message today by the Paul Coleman Law firm for a relative of mine. The guy was extremely rude to me when I called back. I go through great lengths to keep my number private and even unlisted on the internet. The gentleman I spoke to stated his name was Sam and further stated he worked for this law firm. When I asked him how he got my name and number he stated that my relative put it on an application two years ago. I asked him if he was sure and he stated yes I am looking at it now. I quickly informed him I just got this new number (if you call my old # it does tell you what the new # is). So either he is lying or my relative should play the lottery if they know number two years in advance. I even asked him to not call back again, and he stated nothing prevents him from calling me... the arrogance in his voice was unbelievable.
Needless to say, not only was he rude but he hung up on me when I busted him. I guess this law firm feeds off of the people in financial trouble and uses bullying tactics to collect their debts. What a legacy...

We received a call from them concerning a debt that has been paid and we have a letter from the bank stating so but there are so arrogant that they not listen. We are going to let them file suit (which they won't) and then run up a legal bill and have the court order them to pay our legal fees. PJC is not licensed in my state which could get him an unlicensed practive of law complaint filed

They are a Scavenger collection company. The fdcpa prohibits abusive, deceptive, and otherwise improper collection practices by third-party collectors. They are the worst of the worst. I have noticed that there have been several law suits filed against them for unfair debt collection practices. Such practices have been known to cause various forms of consumer injury, including emotional distress, invasions of privacy, and the payment of amounts that are not owed, and can severely hamper consumers' ability to function effectively at work. The FDCPA, overall enforcement is shared by other federal agencies and consumers who believe they have been victims of statutory violations may seek relief in state or federal court. The continually harassment, threaten, mislead and deceive which The Law Offices of Paul Coleman certainly do. A debt in California is past the statue of limitation after 4 years of no activity on the account. If you go to court you ask for the case to be dismissed based on the statue of limitation. You do not admit at any time you think we might owe the debt. When a company writes off the debt that is it. These scavenger companies try and collect that which has already been settled or is deemed not collectable and written off. They threaten, they lie using unfair practices. Paul J. Coleman company has made efforts to collect on past debt that has already been paid, they have tried to collect from individuals that have proof of identity theft not to mention proof that they have paid a debt in full. They do not want to take any proof. They continually try and get you to make a payment, threaten you and try their hardest to get you to make some kind of payment so they can start the clock over with the statue of limitation and try to prove you owe the debt. File a complaint against them right away for their infractions as they will be fined for each infraction. There are attorneys that specialize in this and are well worth hiring to get them off your back. You can then sue Paul J Coleman for restutution and penitive damages and attorney fees. They use illegal methods and its important to look up on line the Fair Debt Collection Act and you will see by following the list these people break all the rules and truly mislead, misrepresent, abuse and Harassment. The more of us the gather together and file complaints the faster these people will be shut down. There is no reason for them to be trying to collect a debt already paid and a debt back in 1998 to 2003. They do this because the think you will not have your records. I just happen to save everything. People who do this kind of job with this kind of company are without moral character are pathetic and they are part of the problems we are having here in the United States. They are what we step on, when a neighbor lets his dog go on the lawn... just wipe them off your feet.... Do not give them any personal information, send them a cease and desist and ask for complete disclosure. They must give you all their records including receipts; they won't have it; my bet is they never did. In fact don't contact them let your attorney contact them.

Do you know what states PJC is licensed in?

These people began calling us recently for a debt we supposely left outstanding in 1999. I know for a fact that by 2002 we were debt free. These people are RUDE, ARROGANT and talk your ear out without letting you get a word in. They won't give me proof of the debt and expect me to have records from 1999. A lot has happened between now and then and how did this company just now come out of nowhere and think they're going to collect on a bill that's already been paid. I'm definately filing a Cease & Desist letter, filing a complaint and will be getting legal advise. If I knew that we did owe this money, I would have paid this years ago and would have never let something like this go unpaid for so long.

Here is a little information on this company. Paul Coleman & Associates P.C. is the name of his law firm. His other business is INVESTMENT CORPORATION ASSOCIATES OF AMERICA, INC. and that was just opened up in January of 2007. That is his debt purchasing business and he then passes it over to his other business, the law firm.

Brandon Wilson of WILSON CONSOLIDATIONS SERVICES, INC. is a debt buyer, he turns it over to Paul Coleman at his debt collection company and then in turn passes it over to his law firm totally working around the law. In Massachusetts, you need to be licensed as a debt collector unless you are an attorney acting on behalf of a client. So in this case, I feel it is illegal. even if a debt collector wants to collect indirectly in Mass., they need a license.

You might be able to get around that too if you made a big enough stink about it. Ok, so the lawyer doesn't have to hold a license, so what? The company who owns the account does, since they are still actively collecting, even though it is through an attorney. And even without having to hold the license, they still have to abide by other state and federal debt collection laws, even the attorneys.

I received a message from the ph# 1-978-993-9225 on the weekend. They were looking for an acquaintance of mine I had not seen in years. However I thought I would give them a call back and ask them not to call me. Well, that did not go over very well at all. The man who answered was rude and confrontational. I ended up ending the call after he attacked me verbally for a minute or so. He definately violated the fdcpa as he refered to this matter as a 'legal matter' which would fall into the category of 3rd party disclosure. Seems as though this is a very shady firm.

These people have been calling my home for several months now over a debt my wife had from 6-10 years ago. It was a cc debt that she's made attempts to pay on over the years, but the debt keeps getting passed around and the records of her payments don't get passed along with the debt. The Coleman people only want an instant payoff over the phone. They want you to pay by cc or to hand over your checking account info. We made an agreement with them in Aug to pay off the debt with monthly payments and they never sent the paperwork as promised. They don't write down any of this, then with the next call they start bullying and lying right off and say there was no installment agreement. Of course they are very rude and insulting and call us names. Today they wanted me to either give them my checking acct info or send them 10 checks, post-dated to monthly payments. This was after they didn't get anywhere trying for the instant payment. I actually gave them an email address to see if they'd send me the documents for the agreement - no email yet. They also continually change the amount they want us to pay. Very strange. Of course, they threaten lawsuits and tell us if we don't pay over the phone that the sherrif will be here tomorrow and we'll be sued. We know that we can't be forced to pay this debt since its so old, but we've been willing to pay it off in installments even though we are having very tough financial times. Its odd to me that they want this instant payoff so badly that they won't accept monthly payments. Oh well, I don't feel like dealing with them anymore

Is there any law against blowing a whistle loudly into the phone next time they call?

M&S, DON'T GIVE THEM YOUR BANK INFORMATION, CHECKS ETC. Send them a DV letter instead, make them prove they own the debt and have the right to collect it. When they call you back tell them that the call is being recorded, they will hang up and maybe leave you alone for awhile.

When was the last time a payment was made on the account?

The other poster was right, never give account info to these people, or any other CA. If you want to pay them,get it in writing before you make the payment, and pay by money order, etc. I would make a copy of the money order along with copies of anything they send you, or you send them.

I am not real sure that since you agreed to setting up payment arrangements that it could start the SOL over again? Somone will come along and give you a definate answer on that.

What state do you live in? This may help answer a few questions..good luck..karen

we live in California. I did get an email from them today with the terms I stated over the phone. however, they want this payment by the end of the month and I don't feel like paying for overnight delivery. My feeling is that they will get it when they get it, and they have no other choice. How do I get proof that they are entitled to the debt and will clear it from the credit agencies when the terms are met?

Thanks

Send them the DV letter CMRRR ASAP. I would also request that any agreement be in writing on their company letterhead and signed by the manager.

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