HELP!! Douglas Burgess..... Law Offices 800-976-0892

Duplicate Content removed as per forums rules - Mike

His law office address and that of Capital Recovery Services, LLC are the same. Burgess may also be tied to a small firm called MD Collections, LLC.

Here is contact info:

"Douglas R. Burgess Law Offices, LLC" aka "Burgess Law Offices, LLC"

2265 George Urban Blvd.
DePew, NY 14043

Phone: 800-359-0751
800-976-0898
716-839-9270

Fax: 716-681-2892
716-631-3876

Here's 2 more addresses and another fax#.

4246 Ridgelea Rd., Amherst, NY 14226

PO Box 1093, Buffalo, NY 14207

Fax: 716-833-7066

You can sue this CA for many fdcpa violations. Consult your attorney and file a case against them. Since they have not given you anything about the debt in writing, you hold a strong case against them. The CA will be asked to show their presence in the court on the hearing date. If they fail to appear, you win the case by default. You will be able to sue the company for each violation of the FDCPA5 under legal cover.

Oht hanks everyone. They gave me the ridgelea address, i just wanted to make sure they werent pulling my chain!

I am going to consult our family atty. This crap has got to stop. I am not playing these games with them anymore. I dont mind paying it, just to pay it to shady conmen is something I wont do. They are not professional nor helpful.

I just got a call from their office (same 800 number and address as dcashwell3's first post) and spoke with a Mr. Udell, claiming I have an outstanding bad check from 5 years ago for $47.50 and he wants $250 for processing and such, for a total of $297.50. I gave him my bank info (which I can change if need be) and set up a payment arrangement. I also gave him my address so he could mail me some information.
Is this guy legit, or have I been scammed?
Is this p

Gavin,

Call the bank immediately and put a block up to this company!

More than likely, the SOL is up and that debt is not collectable. (Check your state SOL).

$250 on $47.50? Yeah, I'd say that's a little extreme.

NEVER do business with a collection agency. Only if a judge forces you to do so.....

demon:
I just got back from the bank. I closed the account info I gave him and opened a new account. A little bit of a pain, but well worth the peace of mind.
I've also put in an inquiry with the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce. The lady I spoke with had never heard of the lawyer, but she would check with her director to be sure.
Should be quite interesting to see what they say.

FYI: This guy has a website: and the picture on the main site looks like a bad case of Photo-chopping to me

These people have been contacting my mother too. I don't live with her any more and the guy has the guts to shout at her and call her a liar. I would gladly pay what I owe if I could, besides I think these people are fradulent. They threatened my mom by telling her that I would have a law suit against me and that I would get arrested.

Guest, ask your mother to send a cease and desist letter to the collection agency. She is not responsible for this debt so she should not receive such calls. Here is a template that she can send through certified mail with return receipt requested.

http://forums.debtcc.com/template-cdletter.html

The collector should get in touch with you and validate the debt. Review the items thoroughly for any possible disputes. Then only make a payment arrangement with them. They are bound by federal laws to present the actual standing of the debt with all the previous payments and interest calculations.

they are nco collections and guide collections and a few others.they threatened to have the police arrest me,i hung up will not talk to them again.they can talk to my answering machine.for a debt 15 years ago that i closed

Well Burgess law office threatened to file the law suit. SOL is up in my state. Only thing I'm afraid of is they keep contatcting my mom. I havent gotten any summons or letters. What if they send summons to my moms home? I mean what if I never get the summons and I'm not even aware of it so I don't show up in court. I don't want them to automatically win because I fail to show up in court. HOw do I go about checking if their is a case against me?

If you're SOl is up and you give them a payment that puts your file in re-activation. Thats what I have been told. Thats why these people pose as lawyers to scare you into sending a payment which re-opens your accounts. Be Careful Everyone. KYSIDE38 :D

I got a call today on a check from over 3 years ago that i KNOW that i paid off. they claim that i havent but i have changed bank accounts and I have no idea where to even look. They gave me 2 days to find the info or they claim that i will get a summons. Any ideas????

Dee jay, you should read this. giovelawofficeexposed.com/burgess.htm

I did read that article but what do I do??? Do I just ignore the phone call???

These people are criminals. Don't pay them a dime!

Link deleted as per forum rules - Mike

and I owe nothing to anyone! Of course they are too cheap to allow me to return a phone call to their 800 number, apparently Hawaii is off limits. So I found THIS board, called their direct line and told them to mail me some sort of proof but that they were NEVER to call neighbors looking for me. What nerve! Who knows what they are after but I owe nothing to any companies. I smell a scam.....

In the future I'm not going to follow the advice of this group. I got several calls from Burgess and after ducking them I sent a cease letter as suggested. Shortly after that I was served at work -went to court and the judge ordered me to pay not oly the outstanding amount that they were collecting on but additionally ordered me to pay an additional $850 for legal fees and expenses.

Tim, while writing the cease and desist letter, did you give some room to the CA that they can contact you only in writing. BTW, under the federal laws, even after sending the cease and desist letter, the CA is required to contact you for once notifying about the legal actions. It seems that there was some communication gap between you and the CA and as a result this incidence occurred unfortunately.

Read the section ?? 805. Communication in connection with debt collection [15 USC 1692c] from the FTC website and clear your doubts.

Ive gotten calls from them too, but havent been able to get back wit hthem

I also have followed the advice to ingore this "crooked" company. I was served papers and now have a judgement place against me for a credit card that i thought i paid off years ago. I should of checked the SOL. I guess if it is within the SOL then it needs to get paid.

Check whether the judgment is in your credit report and in the records of the local county. Make sure that it is legal in all shapes. Also see whether the judgment was filed before the SOL expired on this debt. I am wondering how this judgment happened without your appearance in the court. Just wondering if this company is showing you fake legal papers of judgment? Check everything before sending your money.

I recieved a call from burgess stating that i had a bad check from 4 years ago in the amount of $237 and they are only asking for that amount, no fees included,(they said they'd waive them for me) gee thanks. But my concern is that this is a 4 year old matter and they want payment made out to them not the original institution that the check was made out to. Why should THEY get my money?? They wanted me to make a payment over the phone but i told them no way will i do that, they then told me that i could pay by money gram through walmart and that the money gram should be payable to burgess law offices. Should i ignor this???? What are my rights? It;s been 4 years???

Pinkey, check your state laws to confirm the expiry of the SOL period. If the debt is past the SOL period, the CA and the OC cannot force you to make a payment. But if it is within the SOL period and the OC has hired CA for collections, you can work out arrangements with the creditor. Tell them that you want to send your payments directly to them and don't want to deal with the CA. If they accept your proposal, your file will be pulled back from the CA.

hello guys, they called me today for the first time regarding an old direct merchant bank card that the SOL is about to expire, the message they left is if i dont answer they will take legal action etc, my question is: Is this a Collection Agency or a Law Firm acting as a Collection Agency ? i will send them a debt validation letter this monday !

Whether it is a collection agency or a law firm, use this time to get the debt validated by them. If they are doing genuine collections, you can decide about your future move or else the SOL will expire by that time. As far as I know, it takes around 90 days for them to validate a genuine debt unless they have something to give you in short time.

I was contacted today by Douglass Burgess office and threatened to pay a debt which they claim is 4 years old. They told me that if i did not give them my checking acount info today that i would be going to court. I asked for written documents they said they would send them but i would not recieve them in time and they are sending a county sheriff with a summons within 48 hours.... they whole situation sounded so strange to me bc i have never been contacted before and now all of a sudden i have to pay instantly... sounds weird and illegal.... does anyone know what the SOL time period in MA is?> and any advice on what i should do next?

I find the collection procedure used by the company to be highly unprofessional. Post your complaints at the Ag's office and the FTC. Contact the original company you have the debt with. They are a lot easier working with. I believe the debt is still within the SOL as per the laws in MA

DOUGLAS R BURGESS
39 SCOTCH LANE
ROCHESTER, NY 14617
Born Feb 1948

Offices:
480 Ridge Road W. 2nd Fl
Rochester NY 14615

2265 George Urban
Blvd.,DePew, NY 14043

4246 Ridge Lea Road, Suite 1,
Amherst, NY 14226

2805 Wehrle Drive, Suite 4,
Williamsville, NY 14221

Phones 800-976-0890 800-976-0898 - 585-581-1060 716-839-9270 - 800-359-0751 716-204-3198 877-720-9188
Fax 585-581-1062 716-731-3876
Email: doug@ douglasburgess.com

New York Bar #1045079 Year Admitted in NY: 1973

I received a call today from this company as well. The call I received was not about me (or my husband), but rather my husbands boss at work. How they got our information, I do not know. They asked me to give him (my husband's boss) the message that he had an outstanding debt and needed to call. The guy I talked to had my name, address, date of birth, and ss #. How could they have gotten all of this information on me for something that has to do with my husbands boss?

Hi travel1! I am not sure but I have this feeling that your husband's boss put your husband's name as reference. Then the company ran a credit check on your husband and retrieved all the information about you. Stay out of this matter and inform your husband????????s boss about this incidence. He needs to take care of this matter without involving you and your husband.

My daughter contacted me regarding the very same tactic from this Burgess individual. I first cannot believe that they impersonated a government office (County Clerk) and then tried to get out of it. Everyone in this message room needs to file everything you can against this company. I just talked to some idiot that works there and I told him we closed my daughter account prior to the draft. This clown had the nerve to tell me he was going to file THEFT OF SERVICES charges against my daughter. If any fool working there even knows what the fdcpa is, I will eat my hat. This is just impossible to take in. No one can be that ignorant of the law.

I got a call from this guy today claiming that I owed $5900 on a Metris Mastercard. I have never had a credit card in my life so I don't know where that came from. He also had my social security number, which is scary enough. He asked if I had been contacted by he police about a court date. I told him that I thought it was odd that I have never heard from these people until now (not even in writing). I told him I wanted something in writing. I probably won't get it. He said it will be up to the judge what happens. Jeez, how can this guy get away with this crap?

Got a call from Douglas Burgess' office. I was told that there is a lawsuit for a debt. I owe from about 4 or 5 years ago. I set up payments because I do owe, but when I went online, I found alot of bad stuff on this guy. I called the original company I owed and verified that they sold the account to a company that sold it to Douglas Burgess' office. I do not know what the SOL is in MD, but am checking.

They threatened to have me arrested. Pulled out all the stops. The fee will triple by court time, etc. Yay them, I have a phone that records everything.

I asked to be faxed a copy of the information, they refused. They wouldn't answer any of my questions, were combatitve, rude, and in the mother of all no-nos, turned down partial payment of the debt.

This all started this morning, when I received a phone call stating that I was going to be served with papers this afternoon. When I phoned the sheriff's department later, they informed me the service bureau was closed today.

Go figure. I'm in the process of getting my phone company to unblock the call, so I can tie it directly back to Rochester NY. :-) At which point, criminal charges will ensue.

md

I filed charges with the Attorney General in New York state. They sent me a letter explaining the process which involves allowing the idiot to give a formal response to the charges. I will be notified of his esponse when and if he gives one. I bet he's moved to another country by now LOL

By the way, he never called again and I never got anything in the mail. I did put a fraud alert on my accounts with the credit agencies because he had my social security number. I hope this guy FRIES!

I finally spoke to the attorney of record for the "pending lawsuit" and very politely suggested that he would like to settle my suit for the amount of the check plus the state-prescribed $15 fee. He asked "Why would I do that?" and I swear he choked on his coffee when I said "You want this to go away very quickly because I have documented proof that agents of your company posed as law enforcement agents, lied about their identities, committed wire fraud, and engaged in criminal extortion in an attempt to collect this debt. I don't think you want me to forward this matter to the Attorney General of the State of New York. And just in case you think I'm bluffing, I have a press badge in my pocket that I'm betting gets the governor-elect on the phone in less than thirty minutes."

He immediately settled for the debt owed and called me two hours later to apologize again and to let me know he had fired the man responsible for the fiasco.

Go figure.

I kind of feel sorry for him.

I'm new to this, but want to get some insight as to how I should handle Burgess' office. I originally owe $600 from a credit card that was issued to me 3 years ago. The CC company randomly called my college dorm and just started asking questions - then said they would send me a credit card. I would classify this as predatory lending.

Burgess has been calling me and threating to issue a summons. Now the charge is well over ~$2500.

They told me I could either pay $1500 at one time or pay $428 now, rebilling my account each month.

I am willing to pay in small amounts. As a grad student living at home, I simply cannot afford these lump amounts. Should I pay them at all? Should I work out something with the CC company? I would have allreay worked out something with the CCC, but they were contacting me at my old address. Finally, Burguss tracked me down and threated with a summons.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Burgess is planning on withdrawing a lump amount from my bank account this month, and it won't be in there!

Don't send your money to the collection agency until you have the facts that they are authorized for the collections. Get the debt validated by them. Know your rights in the fdcpa. Read this link

https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rules/rulemaking-regulatory-reform-proceedings/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text#809

Contact the original creditor if they still have your file. You may be able to send your payments without having to deal with the CA.

Where do you go to find out the sol for your state?
I have been indirectly contacted by this burgess character about a debt that has been long since settled, actually he has called my childrens homes and left messages that said he was issuing a summons.
Dont know how they got those phone numbers

my wife got a call about an old cc account with Providian that we filed Bankruptcy on in 1999; fully Discharged in jan 2000. on our Credit report there is a ChargeOff, but then the Account was reopened and active for two or three years, and only lst year did payments stop being made on it - we've never had any cc's after our Filing! Burgess threatenned and hassled my poor wife! they tried to get our bank info from her, then threatened to garbish her wages adn put a lien on our house for the $1000 (they say) debt. I asked for documents and proof, and all they sent me was my Credit report! *i could do that, myself* that was their proof!

So I filed with the AG here in IN and they are processing things today. I called Burgess' office and left the msg and requesting more documentation. AG told me to tell them "..To hold off; the paperwork on this Case is coming." now I am looking for this account with Proviidan! I am also looking to file with NY AG Monday. think this is good..? I researched this "Firm" and I am not going to be nice about any of this mess-! you DON'T screw with my family-!

I called Providian, automated said account sold to a "Sherman Financial"; called them and they said it was sold - last year - to a "First American Receivable Company"; called them and got a VM asking to leave a msg. anybody heard of these Companies?

I also have been getting phone calls from Burgess. I too called Providian and was directed to these 2 other companys. Same as you I was asked to leave a message. and was threatened by Burgess to take me to court.

Don't give this company a dime - and get informed. Their collectors (posing as attorneys) are very unsophisticated - if you know the basics about the law and your rights, you won't fall victim to their tricks. They'll threaten you with litigation and try to convince you that it's urgent that you resolve it that day or there'll be a judgement against you allowing them to garnish your wages. Call their bluff. The truth is that if a lawsuit is filed against you you will have plenty of time between notification and the actual court date to settle the account (if it's legit). There is no judgement unless you a) show up to court and lose or b) fail to show up and a default judgement is entered. It IS NOT imperative that you give them your banking information over the phone to settle.

I was contacted by this law office, first from a Mark and then from a Mr. Mack for a debt that I settled with Clout Financial back in 2004. The account was charged off as bad debt in 2003 but I guess the cc got it and so I settled it. Now when Mr. Mack called trying to pull out all the stops telling me he's been doing this for 13 years and he has kids my age and he'll garnish my wages, put a lein on my car loan (didn't think that was possible, thought you had to own it first) etc., Afer telling him off and calling him unprofessional, I faxed him a letter asking to only be contacted by written correspondance and that I had settled that account-I even sent a copy of my bank record. I asked for 60 days to investigate what happened to the payment and even offered an additional settlement to get it resolved quicker. Since then I received a call from their office once but I didn't make it to the phone in time. Other than that, I haven't heard a thing. They never sent me anything in the mail-EVER! I am trying to contact the cc I paid in 2004 as well as the original ccc to get this issue fixed a.s.a.p. Although if they do try to take me to court I feel very confident about what I have to show that I closed this already. Unless they try something shady like never contact me and get a default judgement, but I don't see how that's possible and I'd have to fight it tooth and nail. The man told me they only have to send out one letter by law so if the address is bad its just too bad. When I called I asked them how they got my cell number and I was told off of my credit report. Well, my address is up to date on my credit report, too. I don't know how they get away with this either. I'm in Ohio now and do not know if the SOL is up either.

Was his name Thomas Mack?

I was a former collector who worked there. I can tell you it is nothing but a drug mill for losers. They are trained to lie and threaten lawsuitson every call. The manager does drugs openly on the floor, Burgess never shows up except to collect a check. On payday the drugs flow like water, everyone wants to buy or sell some, pot is smoked openly in the parking lot. Need any thing to get you going...we got it! The people are sick, most would never last in a real job, this place is for losers.

I just got off the phone with someone there and they said if they don't hear back from me within 6 hours the attorney is going after my icome tax this year. Can they do this?? Don't I have to go to court first!!? What do I do?