Complaint Review: Weltman Weinberg & Reis

This company is one of the biggest scam jobs that I've ever witnessed.  Due to a job loss I had to file bankruptcy.  The bankruptcy cleared and then for the next two years I get harrassed about a debt that I do not have. 

I sent in all of the paperwork that was requested and then I get a summon's from this law firm stating that I owe the money and that I have not responded to them.  Luckily I do have a papertrail of my responces but the issue is that while I do not owe them anything I'm going to be forced to still pay due to the fact that I don't have the money to fight it.  

Oy yeah, explain to me how I get a summons and then still get calls from you guys trying to collect on the debt?  Again this is not a law firm but more of a scam artist.  

It's amazing that you presume to judge the morals of people who made bad decisions. When corporations and wealthy families, including many of your clients do something stupid, it's considered business judgment and they move on. 

If the people of this country were given the same presumption of 'too big to fail' that the wealthy oppressors are given, we would live in a much different world. 

Don't listen to this WWR employee. Exercise your right to arbitraion and they are sc_wed. Read http://www.debtorboards.com/index.php/board,121.0.html

When you first get your notice answer the notice like this and send it Certified Return Receipt Requested...

I am in receipt of your letter dated XXX and received by me on XXX date.  USPS Certified Receipt #

• I dispute this alleged debt in its entirety. Please validate.

• If there is an underlying arbitration clause associated with this claim, I hereby exercise it, and waive your litigation rights to this claim, per the underlying arbitration clause.

• I also demand a copy of the contract with the arbitration clause.

To the WWR employee--- Not everyone that finds themselves struggling finacially bit off more than they could chew. I'm guessing a sizable portion had a medical issue(or issues) that caused them to stop making payments they agreed to make. It's sickening when people---- such as those at WWR---- will actually make fun of a person's disabilty. As if doing so will make money magically appear. THAT is the reality of the people YOU work for AND defend as noble.

I was getting bothered by these scum suckers for YEARS. Finally, acting on the advice of someone from the local legal aid society, I told them to stop calling me and to stop calling me NOW. They took my information and the calls and letters stopped.

So, if you're getting bothered by these turds, simply tell them to cease ALL contact. Be polite, but be confident and firm. It worked for me, so it just might work for someone else.

To the turncoat FAKE employee:

I have no current vested interest in this rip-off of a company you work for.  I was doing a little homework on a phone number associated with your employer as help to a friend.  In doing so I could not help but to be pulled in to read your comment.  First, I don't care if you are a law student, you have much to learn about the legal system; both civil and criminal.  I am a Master Degreed Law Enforcement Officer who works for a major Sheriff's agency in the U.S. and I will be the first to tell you- we do not serve people with these types of court papers.  That is left up to process servers to do for just over minimum wage. 

Next, in order for any collector to file and win a case in court- the case must be filed in the jurisdiction where the contract was signed.  Meaning, it must be filed in the County or District that the signee resides or resided at the time the contract was signed.  This includes an electronic signature performed via computer. 

I can clearly see through your tactics here- your tactics are no different than many of the street criminals I have encountered over the past 23 years.  Your tactic is this….Making the statement like..  "Yes, I am an employee here BUT I hate my job and therefore I will tell you all the inside information".  This is the same as a criminal getting caught at the scene of a burglary telling me— "Yes officer I was there when the building was broken into, but I did not break into it.  I was in the alley smoking a bowl"… Admitting to a lesser crime makes unwary and unsuspecting people think the crook is being honest because they think----  "Why would anyone admit to a lesser crime if they we not being honest?"  IT IS AN OLD COURT ROOM PLOY… Your post is full of lies and scare tactics painted with lies in order to scare the consumer.  Much of what you have written is a box painted with little truth to cover up its many contents of lies. 

Private companies cannot levy a bank account as easily as you are implying.  There are constitutional (Both State and Fed) that protect the citizens in this country.  Civil court is carries the same burden of proof that criminal court carries and the Complainant MUST prove their case in order to win any levy or "till-tap" on a Respondent.   This begins with proper service of a subpoena, which is NOT done by the Sheriff's office.  SO your account of the "process" starts with a lie—and note—if it starts with a LIE… it is ALL a LIE 

To the Consumer:

All collection agencies are scum!... To all reading this; if someone claims to be an attorney ask them where they hold their Bar License, go to that State's Bar Association on line and research their license.  Chances are, you will not find them.  What you will see if you search the names of these collection agencies, they pick and move from State to State with the speed of the U.S. Mail.  Why do they do this?.  They are being sought after by the State they are moving from for illegal activities.  What I found is that this company claims to have addresses in at least three different States, California, Texas and Michigan. 

There are MANY attorneys out there that make a very lucrative lifestyle suing these charlatans.  They are easy to sue, because much like the FAKE disgruntled employee who wrote this to scare you all, they make false legal claims!...

These companies cannot have you arrested!

These companies must provide you with an invoice of the debt (they never have it).

These companies must provide you with a mailing address

These companies MUST accept any legal form of payment

These companies must not use foul or threatening language when speaking to you

These companies must stop contacting you by phone if requested in writing (send this certified mail)  

These companies cannot phone your employer

These companies CANNOT discuss your debt with ANYONE but YOU

When you receive these calls- document them.  You can only record the call if you warn the person on the other end that you are recording the call.  Telling them the same thing they tell you when they record you- tell them as the phone conversation starts, "This phone call is being recorded.  If you do not wish to be recorded please terminate the call.  If you continue to talk, you do so knowing and consenting to the recording of this conversation"…. They will almost always hang up!!!...

Don't be afraid of these people… they are wolves… Be a sheepdog!

 Just to clear up some information, for people who just assume debt collectors are horrible people...

I have worked at WWR for the past 4 years and am still a current HAPPY employee.  WWR is a REAL firm with REAL attorney's and REAL employees and REAL laws. WWR has its own inside university where each individual employee is required to take classes and read each LEGAL policy once or twice a month and pass a test. So each employee has clear knowledge or policy acts, rules, and laws.

When I first started I HATED my department I hated filing lawsuits on people I just felt so bad for I hated how my supervisor had no intentions of working closely with her employees.. but thats not WWR's fault that is the employees fault and once higher up got wind of this they did everything in their power to fix the problem, which including terminating my supervisor.

I've accepted a different position where I am EXTREMELY happier.

The attorneys here are incredibly knowledgable and helpful, and did i mention REAL.

Bob Weltman and Scott Weltman and Alan Weinberg are always walking the office and it's a great feeling to knwo they are involved.

WWR is so employee appreciative it is unreal.

As for Consumer's, I am one. I dont have an account with the firm (or I would most liekly not have a job here) but I am a person too I have debts I can not pay right now. But they ARE MY DEBTS I OWE THEM.

I rarely get a rude consumer on the phone, but when I do, it is made clear that YOU signed that contract with all those words you did not read when you signed up for that credit card or loan and you saw that interest rate. Therefore YOU are liable for that. That is life. and this is a job. as long as there is debt there will be debt collectors.

As far as WWR not playing by the rules in Michigan, as a consumer you should be reporting that to headquarters here in cleveland. Because I can guarentee it would be taken care of and those employees would be terminated or the situation would be handeled appropiately. They take it too serious here.

As I said, WWR is a great place to work if you just find the right department and are surrounded by positive people. I think management here is great and they are a great employee friendly company. As far as how consumer's are treated, if you owe a debt you know you do, you know it needs to be paid, you know this is how life opperates and therefore debt collectors will come after you. We are people we understand you can't pay if you don't have a job or are sick or whatever the reason is. But this is life, be optimistic before enraging yourself over something you intially caused.

I went on the website:  www.missingmoney.com and typed my name in.  There is supposedly money that is unclaimed for me in Michigan (where I lived briefly).  The company this supposed money is at is Weltman, Weinberg & Reis.  Odd, isn't it??  Why would these scumbags have money for ME?  I was harrassed by them after my divorce for debts racked up by my ex.  Luckily, I remembered their name so I didn't fill out the form to try to collect this "missing money".  Be warned:  I think these scumbags are trying to ttrick people into contacting them in the hopes of regaining "missing money" only to have their bank accounts raped.  What do you all think?  I find it hard to believe this company would be handling missing money to give back to people, as that seems to be the OPPOSITE of what they like to do!!  I think that www.missingmoney.com is legitimate in helping people claim forgotten money, but I think Weltman, Weinberg & Reis is taking advantage of their legitimacy and trying to trap people!

Please look up the appropriate usage of there, their and they're.  You are driving me crazy with your ignorance.

I find your rebuttal interesting considering my son's current dealings with your firm.  He has maintained contact with your firm throughout his proceedings.  For months he has been trying to obtain an itemized statement of all the charges, interest, penalties and fees, which you are required by law to provide, without success.  He has contacted the bank you represent with the same request and result.  Since 2009 he has paid $3881 towards a judgment of $4043.44 and was told last month, when he called to pay the balance in full, that he still owes $3900.  The total irony of the situation is your firm truly expected that he would believe you and pay up.  Instead he filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  Face it, you are a bottom feeder working for an organization that, not only skirts around collections guidelines but blatantly and proudly violates them; preying on and exploiting the most vulnerable in our society and laughing all the way to the bank.  My only comfort is knowing that Karma is real.

Maybe your company should try to be nice, might get a better response. my experience with your company is okay except for one thing, you company needs to do their job. Answer your phone calls from people asking questions about their account. I have already paid back my debt to you, but you still taking more money from me.

A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other matters in which legal advice and other assistance are sought.

Next time a debt collector and or there workers try and address themselves as attorneys bewared I can will and do turn in. You do not have any credentials in the state of Michigan to advertise yourselves as attorneys and that is Unauthorized Practice of Law and I will be coping your post and turning it into the attorney general.

I was contacted by your company in regards to an alleged debt. They claimed a lawsuit had been filed against me when, in fact, it hadn't. When I called and inquired about this, I was told that a phone call is sufficient service of process. I certainly would not hire lawyers who don't even have a basic knowledge of civil procedure.  I was also threatened with wage garnishment which is not allowed in this state.  Your "law firm" violates the fair debt collection practices act in so many ways and takes advantage of consumers who don't know their rights.

Some disclosure - I am not an attorney.  I have had some bad luck with the ponzi schemes...I lost everything.  I was sued by different companies and won all the cases.  Then one company, which I will not name went to a lower court and won a default judgment because I was to sick to do anything....needless to say this particular company, a bank, hired a collection agency after 3 months....I received an amount of money for their "collection" efforts.  Now they "hired" WWR.  I am in Texas.

All Debt collectors in Texas, if out of state need to have a registered agent in Texas. (at least all the other collection agencies have one).  WWR does not.  All collectors need to be bonded - WWR is.

So what to do.

First, as stated above, check with the court to find out if a case had even been filed. If no case filed great.

If a case is filed answer it, if you are not familiar with answering a suit - hire an attorney.

Second - you can do this stuff yourself - contact the Secretary of State to find out if they have a registered agent, if not then chances are they are not supposed to be collecting in the State your in. Also contact the department in your State to determine if they have a bond.  No bond....not eligible to collect, remember I am talking in respect to Texas - your State may be different but I doubt it.

Third - send them a cease and desist (C & D) notice - use the FDCPA as a guideline.  There are letters on the net you can find.

Fourth - if they contact you by phone before they send you their letter they must follow the FDCPA - you can sue them immediately in small claims court - I do it all the time and will file on shortly against WWR.

Fifth - if you send your C & D notice and they send yet another letter...a violation has occurred and you sue.  Always sue in small claims

I am working on a step six currently which I will not go into here..but suffice it to say....after the C&D notice and they send another demand letter...just sue em...and if they call your job or tell you that they are going to sue you and that they will take everything from you...just sue em....

Most will pony up the cash....and try to get you to lower the amount your asking for....don't do it....unless you just need the money...stick to your guns...you will win if your persistent.

Now that you have an attorney let them handle it.  Suing debt collectors can be profitable if you have no fear of them....if your afraid of them...then they already won.

This company has shown itself to be unscrupulous and, in this economy, ridiculous.  I received paperwork telling me I had been sued by them and filed an answer to the suit.  I have yet to hear about further court proceedings.  However, I did speak to someone at the company.  In all fairness, she was not rude, but slightly obtuse, as she suggested I get another job to make the money to make payments on this debt, as if getting a second job were the easiest thing in the world to accomplish in this economy. 

While I acknowledge the fact that I spent the money, I also feel that Discover did some pretty awful and stupid things designed to get me into debt and keep me in debt permanently.  I started out with a very low credit line, which they increased time and time again, despite the fact that my income never merited such increases.  When my card was unused, they called me many times a day to practically beg me to use the card, promising me 0% interest and, having other credit cards with higher interest rates, I eventually fell for it, and used that card to pay off other debts.  Once I used the card, they jacked up the interest rate and, when they were going to jack it up again to the default rate (although I hadn't defaulted or even fallen behind at that point), right before the Credit Card Act became effective, I had to opt out and close the account. 

With the outstanding balance and the high interest rate, I eventually was unable to make the minimum payments and defaulted.  The "arrangement" they offered me was ridiculous -- get a discount of maybe 5%, if that, if I could pay off the rest immediately -- and I was unable to take them up on it.  My account is now with the bloodsuckers mentioned above, and I don't know how to solve the problem without declaring bankruptcy, which I do not want to do, given that my other accounts are still being paid, albeit with great difficulty.

The banks got bailed out and, with the interest rates they charge, have more than made their money off of me and everyone else.  It's time to give the consumers a bailout, especially if they have shown over long periods of time, to be reliable and conscientious about paying their bills.  People shouldn't be forced into the situation that these companies are putting us in.

I want to thank TheInformer4U for sharing some insight into the inner workings of this firm.

Informer, I want to invite you to share your experiences and observations regarding WWR collectors' willingness to ignore the FDCPA in their attempts to collect from consumers.  In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I will mention that I am a consumer attorney who goes after debt collectors for FDCPA violations.  As it happens, I have reviewed recorded voice messages from WWR employees that clearly violate various FDCPA requirements. Although all debt collectors deny violating FDCPA, I have listened to too many recorded messages, and recovered too much money for my clients, to take such claims seriously.

To consumers out there, I will say that most of what Informer describes regarding the lawsuit and post-judgment process is 100% accurate, with one notable exception: bankruptcy.  Again, in the interest of disclosure I will mention that I also represent consumers in BK cases.

Informer essentially said that if a consumer owns assets, then BK is not available to them. Take it from a lawyer, this is simply not correct. If you are having a hard time paying your basic living expenses and your debts, then you owe it to yourself to consult with an experienced bankruptcy lawyer to get the real facts for your particular situation. Nearly every BK lawyer I know (including myself) offers free consultations. There are plenty of good resources to find good BK lawyers out there - you can start with the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the largest national organization of debtors' lawyers.

Let me start by saying, yes, I am a current employee for this [God awful] company.  It is a real law firm, with real attorneys.  I do not enjoy what I do, but I'm a recent college graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice and this was the best job I could find with the economy & job selection being what it is.  I plan on going to law school within the next couple of years to sue a-hole law firms like this.  All of this information is neither here nor there, I just wanted to give my fellow readers some background before you start jumping to conclusions.

WWR does not buy your debt from anyone else. They are hired by a client (Discover Bank, Capital One Bank, Chase Bank, GMAC, Sterling Jewelers & a lot of others) to collect a debt that is owed to that particular client.  Once it is placed with WWR, pre-legal collectors make attempts to contact the debtor in order to settle this before it heads to the legal stage.  If nothing gets resolved, then you will be sued.  A sheriff will come to your house, apartment, or even agree to meet you somewhere and they will serve you with a complaint.  If you do nothing, about 30 days later, a DEFAULT JUDGMENT will be filed against you.  Once WWR has judgment, post judgment EXECUTIONS may be made which include personal property levies, and bank garnishments.  This process, with no objections from the debtor, can take anywhere between 30 days to about 6 months.

You may also opt to do a CONSENT JUDGMENT. It's basically a payment plan which is signed by an attorney, and the debtor and then filed with the courts.  Please keep in mind, if you do not keep up with the deal, post judgment executions can be made.  ALSO keep in mind, that if you chose to do checks by phones, or have been sending in personal checks, THEY NOW HAVE YOUR BANK INFORMATION AND THEY CAN, AND WILL, FREEZE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT [this process will be outlined below].

Once you've been sued, and served with the complaint, DO NOT IGNORE IT.  Your best bet here [at least to prolong the process as much as possible] is to file an ANSWER to the complaint.  You go to the court, and file a WRITTEN answer. This is your chance to have a voice in the process.  You may argue that the amount owed is incorrect, the debt is not valid, the debt is the result of fraud, etc.  Once this happens, a default judgment CAN NOT be entered against you. After the debtor has filed an answer, more than likely a letter will go out, asking the debtor to call in and try to settle the debt without further litigation.  If you do not do that, a set of questions (REQUEST FOR ADMISSIONS) will be sent out to the debtor.  It's basically a set of questions outlining the complaint against you.  Is this how much you owe? Yes or no?  The last payment date is this date? Yes or no? Did you sign the attached agreement? Yes or no? You get the picture. If you choose not to answer the questions, a SUMMARY JUDGMENT will be entered against you.  And again, here comes post judgment EXECUTIONS.

If you file a RESPONSE to the REQUEST FOR ADMISSIONS, 1 of 2 things will happen. Either they will determine it's necessary to file an amended complaint (which re-starts the process) or a MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT will be filed. There will be a brief hearing, and 9 times out of 10 a judgment will be entered against you. If this is the road you decide to take, it can take up to year.

The moral of this story is, A JUDGMENT WILL [EVENTUALLY, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER] BE FILED AGAINST YOU.  Some ways just take longer than the other.  In cases of credit card debt, defaulting on car payments, jewelry payments, the burden of proof is extremely low.  Did you sign the credit card application? Yes? Then, guess what. You're responsible. It is very, very difficult to win these cases...Even if you do hire an attorney. At best, the attorney will ATTEMPT to negotiate a settlement for you.  Guess what? You don't need an attorney to do that.  Write a hardship letter. Talk to the attorneys [not the collectors].  The bottom line is, the client has an absolute bottom line.  If the client says they won't take less than 75%, there is NOTHING the WWR attorney, the WWR collector or YOUR attorney can do or say. 

One way to stall a judgment "until further notice" is by filing bankruptcy.  Under the FDCPA, once a person has filed bankruptcy, all collection efforts must stop; BUT this is only pre-judgment. Post-judgment bankruptcy is a whole other ball game.

Okay, so we have judgment, now what? EXECUTION TACTICS: BANK GARNISHMENTS & PERSONAL PROPERTY LEVIES.  Now, WWR's bigger clients -- Discover, Chase, Capital 1 -- do not approve personal property levies.  This means, they do not want a Sheriff to enter your house, take a tab of your belongings and sell them for money.  All clients do, however, approve bank garnishments. 

For the clients that are okay with a personal property levy...guess what? It's a giant scare tactic. WWR will NOT GO THROUGH THE SALE OF YOUR PROPERTY.  What happens is, they have the Sheriff come to your house (a little scarey) & set a date for the sale (scarier).  Once WWR knows what that date is, they will send a letter out to you asking the debtor to contact WWR and either settle the debt for a lesser amount, or set up a payment plan.  If you choose not to do that, WWR will either have the sale continued, or cancelled. It will ultimately end up being cancelled.  They're hoping the debtor will be scarred into paying b/c they won't want to lose their property.  PLEASE DO NOT LET THIS SCARE YOU.

Now bank garnishments are an entire other story.  If you have an individual account or an account joint with someone else (who's not a spouse; unless WWR is suing both husband & wife) they can garnish that account. Your account will be frozen, and then your funds will be removed, either by a judgment against the bank or a mutual agreement to release the funds to WWR.  There are 2 things you can do to fight the bank garnishment once it happens.  You can either file a claim for exemption, or file for bankruptcy.

A claim for exemption works only if you have a VALID CLAIM. Do not claim that your paycheck is exempt, because it is not & you won't win that argument.  Things like social security, veterans benefits, unemployment, a/or a joint account between husband and wife (but this is only valid if WWR is only suing one of the spouses; if they're suing both of them, then that account is NOT EXEMPT), IRAs &/or 401ks would qualify as exempt.  If you have a joint account with your boyfriend, for exempt, and the only funds deposited into that account are his paychecks, then, legally, WWR can take that money.  Why? B/c either the boyfriend, or the debtor, can walk into that banking establishment and withdrawal all of the funds.  However, if the boyfriend decides to file a claim for exemption (which he can; it's known as a 3rd party claim), then chances are he will win, and those monies will be ruled as exempt. 

Thinking of filing for bankruptcy? That's fine. Just make sure you qualify as exempt.  This means, if you have a credit card debt for $5000, but own a house worth $300k, a car worth $45k, jewelery & have $10k sitting in the bank, then bankruptcy won't help you. WWR will still take your money b/c you shouldn't be filing bankruptcy (at least that's how the courts see it).  On the other hand, if you don't own any real property, and only have a couple grand in the bank, your account will eventually be released with all funds remaining; BUT as soon as your bankruptcy is dismissed, they can go after your bank accounts again.

If your account is attached, and funds are removed, the smart thing to do is TO CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT b/c WWR will re-attach it, and keep doing it until the debt is paid off. 

I hope this helps you victims of WWR out there.

If, as you allege, you two really are former employees of Weltman, Weinberg & Reis, what interest could you possibly have in coming to their defense? Haven't you severed your ties with them? I couldn't in my wildest thoughts ever imagine coming to this website to defend a former employer regardless of how amicable my relationship with them may have been. It's over and done with. Nothing but a lot of water under the bridge at this point. How could it possibly redound in your favor? I don't know if this has given anyone else pause, but it sure raised a panoply of red flags for me. I believe you're nothing but a couple of shills, current Weltman, Weinberg & Reis employees coerced into making these posts, perhaps because you're otherwise in danger of losing your jobs, and about the only other thing you're qualified to do is collect garbage--which would actually be quite fitting, because then you'd be getting a bit of your own back.

Whitelight373's postings are utterly hilarious. This person appears to using a number of talking points commonly used by bottom-feeding, uneducated people who work at collection agencies and get off on belittling and harassing people who are experiencing difficult financial times. This person tries to make this legal issue into a personal one.

First of all Whitelight373, a truly educated and eloquent person never writes in ALL CAPS as a form of punctuation, let alone throughout a substantial portion of an entire paragraph. Furthermore, intelligent individuals do not feel the need to inject unrelated and frequent references to the fact that they are pursuing a "MASTERS degree!" It smacks of a serious intellectual inferiority complex, and apparently one that is quite deservedly manifested. Intelligent people just speak and behave intelligently, and let that speak for itself, rather than to go around make frequent declarations that they are smart and well-educated. Is your masters thesis going to include many entire passages that are fully capitalized to emphasize various points? If you are indeed going to be getting a masters degree as you claim, it is a sad testament to the accreditation standards within American higher education. Furthermore, being granted a masters degree does not, in and of itself, prove that a person is necessarily intelligent or possessing of high moral character. George W. Bush has a masters degree from Harvard University. Although, I do concede that your "MASTERS" from Phoenix Online University might be better than Bush's master's from Harvard, because yours was in all capital letters.

Now, regarding people that fall behind on their credit cards. You take great pleasure in reiterating the insipid talking point used by most collection agency cubicle-dwelling grunts... Questioning consumers on why they signed a contract when they could not afford to pay. Aside from being a seriously flawed and fallacious argument on a number of fronts, it is more of a personal attack than a legal one, and one that is not appropriate (or legal by virtue of the FDCPA) for a collection agency law firm employee to ask while engaging in collection activities (but I will get further into that in a moment).

People experience changes in their financial situations for a variety of reasons, many of which are often beyond the individual's control and could not have been predicted. A common factor can be unforeseen medical conditions, death of a household wage earner, and accidents that result financial setbacks. A person can lose their job or see their business slow down despite being hardworking and otherwise responsible. A person who experiences something like this can fall behind on their bills, and are faced with difficult decisions. With limited resources, they must selectively prioritize what bills they will chose to pay if they do not have enough resources to pay all of them. They might chose to use their limited funds to provide their families with basic necessities such as food, shelter, transportation, and health care rather than pay their credit card bill that has added on exorbitant late fees, over the credit limit fees and the maximal allowable interest rates.  Whitelight373 apparently feels that a parent should allow their family to become starving and homeless so they can pay that 28% interest rate that Bank of America is charging because the contract allows it.

It doesn't matter if the card holder used the card and paid on time for many years, making money for the credit card company in the form of interest, merchant fees, and annual fees. As soon as a person falls behind, creditors are cold and ruthless, and will exploit any legal opportunity to get whatever money they can. That much is there legal right. However, collection agencies will also blatantly disregard the law if they think they can get away with it.  A person who falls behind on a debt should not feel the personal shame that Whitelight373 suggests they should.

The credit card agreement is a legal contract. The credit card companies make a calculated risk in issuing consumers credit cards. If the ludicrous premise put forth by Whitelight373 were true, than the credit card company could also be shamed with the question "Why did you issue them the card if they couldn't pay? Huh!?! It's your own fault you're out the money you loaned them! Didn't you check out the consumer's background and credit worthiness first?" Well, of course they did. The consumer was credit worthy and financially stable at the time. That is why they opened the account, and why the creditor agreed. It amazes me that a former professional collection agency telephone harasser working on a "MASTERS degree" cannot understand this. Actually, it doesn't amaze me at all.

The bottom line is it is a legal contract that involving calculated potential rewards and risks for both parties involved. Nothing more. Dont feels personally guilty that a Bank of America, with their $2.4 trillion in total assets (really) made a ton of money off of you in the past, but now they are throwing you under the bus while you're struggling to survive. Feel guilty if a family member loans you a few hundred for your heating bill in the middle of the winter and you fail to pay it back, but don't worry about a corporate bank hiring degenerate thugs like WWR. Don't let a dishonest loser working for a collection agency ever make you feel bad about yourself over a credit card debt.

Just learn as much as you can about the law, about the FDCPA, about the FCRA, and learn tactics about how to use the law to your advantage to either settle the debt for as little as possible while having it completely removed from your credit report, to get out of paying the debt completely, or to even sue the collection agency and make some money for yourself because they violated the FDCPA. It is entirely possible, and if you're a little resourceful and diligent, the information is available all over the internet.

I had perfect credit for many years, and experienced a slowdown in my business. I chose to provide shelter, food, heat, health care, and other basic needs for my family when my resources were limited, rather than to forgo their needs because I was late on my credit card through Discover Financial Services for the first time in 14 years. It was charged off, and WWR represented them and sued me in Illinois. They won a judgment, and attempted to freeze my assets. That was 3 years ago, but try as they did, they never got one penny out of me.

I read up on the law, and when they attempted to seize one of my bank accounts with a little under $1000 in it, I went to court an filed a motion (by myself, and without an attorney) to exert a statutory exemption on the account. You can do that on any amount under $4000. I then put all of my money in a bank that doesn't report on the database that WWR utilizes to search for a debtor's assets. I registered my automobile with my wife. I read up a little and learned the law and took appropriate measures so that they could not touch any of my assets. I'm self employed, so they couldn't garnish my wages.

Then I learned everything I could about the FDCPA and what they were not allowed to do. WWR hires uneducated, unintelligent hacks to take on the thankless low paying task of calling and harassing consumers who owe money to their clients. I recorded every conversation. One "legal assistant" told me I was stealing, when by virtue of the law, I was simply exercising my completely legal options to protect my assets from seizure by WWR. Well, for a collection agency to falsely imply that a consumer is committing a crime is a violation of the FDCPA, and actionable by $1000. Another attacked my personal character and denigrated me in a recorded conversation. That was yet another $1000 violation of the FDCPA. One "legal assistant" told me that he was legally allowed to record the conversation, but that I was not. There went another $1000 misrepresentation that violated the FDCPA. When both parties agree to recording a phone call, that is a bilateral agreement. Many of these clowns don't know this, and readily incriminate themselves with flagrant violations of the FCDPA. They also filed suit in the wrong jurisdiction (another $1000), and miscalculated in interest acrued ($1000). In the end, they shot themselves in the foot so many times, they had to zero out the debt to avoid having me suing them. If they can use the law to squeeze out whatever cash they can out of you for violating the terms of a credit card contract, then you can do the same when they violate the FCDPA. You just need your proof.

In fact, the bottom feeders that WWR employ to man the phones in the boiler room cubicles have minimal education or on-the-job training. That would cost too WWR much too much money. Sure, they have actual attorneys (like Whitlight373 had stated) to file stacks of motions at a time in court. These attorneys are by no means highly regarded in their field. They are glorified filing clerks that show up to court with the forms filled out along with copies of the original credit card agreement and credit card statements. There is nothing intellectually challenging about that. You won't see these administrative monkeys being nominated to the Supreme Court someday. You don't need Perry Mason to work for WWR. They are bottom feeder attorneys, a few steps below personal injury lawyers. So, in any case, WWR readily runs the risk of unleashing these "legal assistant" yahoos that routinely violate the FDCPA. It's cheaper to settle out of court on the occasional FDCPA violation that is actually followed through on than to train and pay competent individuals to make these calls. As a debtor dealing with these incompetents, you just need to gather your proof to have leverage to negotiate with. Just read up on the FDCPA, set up your telephone recording device, and gather the evidence you need to hire your own attorney and sue them.

I might anticipate that Whitelight373 might find this perfectly legal tactic to be morally repugnant, and if so, then I ask "Why did you agree to act on behalf of a collection agency in the United States if you did not have the intellectual capacity nor moral character to obey the FDCPA when you know that violations are actionable with substantial civil fines? Why did the credit card company entrust your agency to act on their behalf when you are obviously incapable of competently acting on behalf of a collection agency law firm that deals in legal matters relating debt collection contract law and corresponding federal regulation?"

Also, always document WWR's violations and report them to the FTC, the attorney general of your state, and (if applicable) the collection agency licensing board in your state.

OK.. SO YOU GOT A CALL FROM A GUY NAMED "BRANDON BILTON".. Well so did i. Brandon likes the aggressive approach-as he was trained to do-He says he a legal assistant-Not an attorney-Not a public defender- & not representing the credit card company that issued the judgement-He is an employee of a Junk Debt Collection Agency that buy's and sell's credit default portfolio's for penny's on the dollar.. anyhow...He's in Cleveland,OH. - I can furnish you his siblings names and addresses & even his own..He's only blowing smoke..I beat him with the help of an attorney - When they started the paper trail- comes to find out-Weltman,Weinberg & Ries submitted falseified paperwork to the county courthouse in the state i live in. But,the bad part is when i was in contact with BRANDON BILTON -He said i was going to lose my pay,my house, belongings and any future earnings..WELL SUCH A SAD STORY DESERVES A REWARD....In the end..I paid $0 -Hey BRANDON..SORRY YOU MISSED OUT ON YOU COLLECTION COMMISSION !!! Next time my "brother"..I suggest you learn "THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT" before you start f**kING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOODS..!!!!!!

First off, give me a break, everyone knows that the junk debt buyers troll these boards to try to make people believe they are in the right.
second, served by the sheriff? No one ever was. they are required to send you a copy of the court papers but they hope that you never do anything about it so they can get summary judgment against you.
No debt can leagaly be collected by these jerks because they are not the original creditors, but they try to fool people by claiming they represent them. But remember, 1. if the credit is "charged off" on your credit report THE ORIGINAL COMPANY NO LONGER OWNS IT. And just because someone else buys it it does not give them the same rights as the original creditor. Plus the original creditor never sees a dime of the money anyway, so your not paying the debt off your just paying WWR! Also when these bottom feeders get all they can from you they can turn around and sell your account to another firm and they can harass you for another 2 years!
2. Never call a collector and agree to pay them, you will find that a lot of the debt is past the statute of limitations, which varies by state, and if you agree to a payment then they can start that time all over again.
and to Janelle, if that is your real name, why do these people only find out that there paychecks are being garnished after the money is taken and not by the courts or a letter....oh wait that's because they are doing this ILLEGALLY.
If you company plays by the rules then why are they one of only 16 out of more than 50,000 law firms registered with the BBB who have more than 60 complaints in the last 36 months, they have 72 to be exact. They have been sued in every state and barred from practice in 2.
NEVER,EVER, TRY TO DEAL WITH THESE THIEVES!!!!!!
CALL A LAWYER
Now if we can just get them run out of Ohio.

I find it humorous that the debtors here are fine with being debtors ... until someone like WWR representing the creditor comes knocking at their door.

I run a commercial service company that uses WWR from time to time when a customer decides that they'll just ignore my bills after the NET 45 is up, hoping I'll just chalk them up as a loss.  I have employees I have to pay and provide benefits too, so you'll be darn sure I'll do what it takes to get what's owed to me so I can pay what my employees have earned rightfully to feed, clothe, and shelter their families.  WWR does not buy my debts, they collect them for me.  I am not a patient CEO when it comes to meeting my employees' payrolls ... I'd have no problem going to deadbeat customer myself with a baseball bat to get what's owed, but I don't have time for that and WWR does it without such violence.

To every debtor here complaining about WWR, you're just as much a bottom feeder consumer.  The very reason why prices are high and why so many other respectable people can't get a loan or credit.  Too many of you live beyond your means or want something without paying for it.  And when you get served, you start screaming about how unjust it all is and how Collection Agencies are evil.

When I use WWR, it's after I've exhausted all other avenues to be nice.  Most of the time, when I do get a hold of a deadbeat customer, they usually just mouth off with some stupid remark like "I'm not paying you anything, so sue me or **** off."

I have yet to see any lawyer get a deadbeat customer off without paying WWR yet.  A lot of people say they have beat the wrap with WWR (even one of my own deadbeat customers said he didn't have to pay, but I have his check here that he did ...) - but I doubt they have.  WWR doesn't play around, they're for real and they have thus far recovered every cent owed to me and my employees.

If you don't like WWR or think they are the devil incarnate ... you can avoid them all together by simply paying your bills in full and on time per agreement.  You can do it the easy way or, if you try to welch on what you owe to me, I can get the money out of you the hard way.

And I've seen how WWR works, and the only hostility I ever saw was from the deadbeats who didn't want to pay money that they owed.

First, LAURIE...for someone who accused ME of not knowing about YOUR case...you are just proving what a hypocrite you are because you know NOTHING about me. I do NOT work for this company anymore, I was previously a legal assistant...in fact, I am in the process of obtaining a MASTERS degree in an unrelated field...so who is the bottom feeder now? THANKS.

Secondly, if the debt was not valid, why didn't you dispute it? While you're quoting the FDCPA...how about you think about your RIGHTS under it. If you did dispute the debt, the original creditor would have sent you documents verifying the validity of the debt. If your wages were garnished, the judge obviously was not presented with sufficient evidence from YOU that you were NOT responsible for this debt. Obviously, the client (creditor) and WWR had sufficient evidence for a judge to render a judgement against you and approve a wage garnishment. In other words...sufficient proof that the debt was indeed incurred by you.

As for the employees posting so-called "false information"...who are YOU to know it's false? Did YOU work for them? I didn't think so...so educate yourself before you make yourself look uninformed again.

To the Collection Agency employees - who insist on posting their false information in rebuttals.

GET OFF THIS BOARD - you are lying to make your company appear legitimate when it is not. You have implied she does not pay her bills, when you know nothing about her case at all.
Its no secret that Collection Agencies will attempt to collect on debts that are not valid to begin with.

In Both Stacey's and my own issues - the collection attempts we were subjected to WERE NOT LEGITIMATE debts owed by either of us!

Because we are both INFORMED CONSUMERS, we will make sure that those who need THE CONSUMER PROTECTION INFORMATION GET THE CORRECT INFORMATION.


AS WITH ALL COLLECTIONS - THEY LIE AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

All of you on here who don't pay your bills are obviously just angry at being forced to do so. You are making yourselves look foolish and uninformed by providing false information. Let me clarify some things in hopes of educating you...FACT: Weltman, Weinberg and Reis does NOT, I repeat, NOT buy debt. They receive files directly from their clients to collect on and if payment is not promptly received, then send to immediate suit. Immediate suit because most of the files are YEARS overdue. How would YOU like not receiving the money YOU were promised for YEARS? FACT: Weltman is NOT there to do customer service, for if you are a debtor you are NOT a customer, the client is. You owe a bill, pay it and there will not be an issue. FACT: they do employ actual lawyers, many in fact. Also, a good many of them are highly acclaimed with their state bar associations among numerous other organizations.

Stacey: the information you have posted is in no way affiliated with Weltman, Weinberg & Reis, which is a creditor's rights law firm. Also, if you have the money to sue all these people, how do you not have the money to pay your bills? Says something about your character.

Jen: for someone claiming these employees are uneducated, you have posted an awful lot of misinformation. From all I've read from you, you definitely need to research what you are talking about before you post false information...it makes you look foolish and uninformed, not to mention very hypocritical.

Bridgette: if you are poor and lacking in money and resources...why did you sign a contract promising to pay back credit you borrowed knowing you only make $10/hour? Sounds like you got yourself into this mess and don't want to take responsibility for it. It's common sense to know that if you don't have money for something, don't buy it in the first place.

I warn everyone about WWR. They have bene sued at one time or another in all 50 states for illegal business practices.

They hire unprofessional individuals that are uneducated and unfamiliar with the FDCPA. Budd Hibbs and I have communicated about this firm many times over the years. His site is accurate.

If you get a subpeona in the mail with a dockett number. Call the local court house to make sure it is valid before you respond. I have seen reports of WWR sending stalkers - call the police and don't even entertain them.

THEY ARE JUNK DEBT BUYERS - don't kid yourself. The companies they represent have stated they "sold the debt" when people try to circle back for information.

If the company you owe the money to refuses to work with you and refers you to WWR, I would recommend contacting a lawyer to have the entire bill expunged. Under the FCRA any debt that is written off as a profit and loss or SOLD for a profit is not eligible to be listed on the credit reports.

In my case, the original credit card company is being sued for providing WWR my personal information without permission and without cause as they admitted the bill was not mine and put it in writing.

No charges could be brought against WWR because they could not be connected to the independent contractors (which turned out to be privtae investigators) that they "sent" to harass, terrorize, and stalk me. Two of the three guys wound up losing their firearms permits and license to act as a private investigator.

I don't appreciate being called an idiot, Stacey, as it seems you have so much experience in dealing with "suing idiots like you and won". If you have this much trouble with bills, who's the idiot? And there again, to further prove your idiocy, I'm an ex employee, not a current employee. Given that apparently you've been repeatedly sued by your own admission, perhaps you should call your own intelligence into question.

I posted helpful information, whereas you have everyone believing they can just run in and get everything dismissed. The laws are different in every state and it's not always that easy. But it's easy to sit behind a keyboard and spew vitriol. People can believe what they choose, however, I have seen many people spend money on attorneys thinking they are dealing with a "bottom feeding agency". I don't have a high opinion of the firm, or I'd still work there, but people do need to take it seriously. As I said before---don't ignore it, get an attorney.

Stacey, did you read that before you typed up your childish post? Right, I didn't support the firm, I don't advocate what they do, I simply advised everyone--don't ignore it, they will not stop. Get an attorney if you aren't comfortable dealing with it yourself.

Once again this a bottom feeder collection agency therefore that makes you a bottom feeder debt collector - I have sued idiots like you and won
To the original OP - thanks for your honest post - I do hope that you sue and win and maybe put these bottom feeders out of business for GOOD!

Once again this a bottom feeder collection agency therefore that makes you a bottom feeder debt collector - I have sued idiots like you and won
To the original OP - thanks for your honest post - I do hope that you sue and win and maybe put these bottom feeders out of business for GOOD!

Once again this a bottom feeder collection agency therefore that makes you a bottom feeder debt collector - I have sued idiots like you and won
To the original OP - thanks for your honest post - I do hope that you sue and win and maybe put these bottom feeders out of business for GOOD!

Once again this a bottom feeder collection agency therefore that makes you a bottom feeder debt collector - I have sued idiots like you and won
To the original OP - thanks for your honest post - I do hope that you sue and win and maybe put these bottom feeders out of business for GOOD!

Stanley Weltman is not related to Weltman, Weinberg and Reis. Just a coincidence of the same name. WWR does not purchase debt. That is complete misinformation and to listen to it is at your own peril. If you are being sued by them, I'd take it seriously because no, they didn't buy a debt. They have actually been retained by a company to file a complaint against you. Sometimes it is a company that has bought a debt, but a lot of times it is the actual company or bank you owe the money too. Ignoring it is not a good idea at all. If you are not comfortable dealing with them on your own, find an attorney to help or show up to the hearings but don't throw the papers in a drawer and pretend it isn't happening.

If the debt is valid, you need to keep in mind, before it ever gets to them, there has been interest, late fees and whatever else was detailed in your disclosure or loan docs accumulating. When they get it, the interest will not stop AND you will get court costs too. It is not a fun situation, but you have to be prepared to get it resolved. Don't ignore it because believe me, they won't.

You work for a junk debt collector - get real!
You cannot even spell or form a paragraph - no wonder you have that "great" job
To the original OP - get yourself a lawyer and sue these idiots
Once again go to www.budhibbs.com - he has a link to to consumer lawyers who specialize in suing idiot bottom feeder junk collectors like this one
I did - sued one and won
Kick where is hurts - in their bottom line

To the know it all who replied to my rebuttal, first off sweetheart any type of garnishment requires a Judge to sign off, so I'm sure we can't go into court with fake attorneys, stand in front of a judge, show that a debtor has not paid...and then get a court order to garnish your wages and or checking account. Second of all we do not purchase debts, we sue on them maybe you should dig further into your research before posting informtion you were not fully informed on. We ARE NOT DEBT PURCHASERS, and even if we were, you people get on here pretending you took the high and mighty road and you did nothing wrong....you did not pay your bills, stop charging and borrowing all these debts then get your underwear in a bunch when it's time to pay them back, some self control, and responsibility is needed. You are one out of millions, yes millions, we work with. There good, upstanding citizens who call in and they take care of their debts VOLUNTARILY, because being garnished is not voluntary. One last thing if you want to verify if someone is an attorney in Michigan, ask for their P Number, if they dont have one then you have a problem, but I can assure you every Attorney at Weltman Weinberg and Reis does!

Get real - You work for a company that buys debts that are out of the statute of limitations then inflates them - You do not work for attorneys - you work for scammers and scum bags
To the original OP - 1 - get a REAL lawyer and sue this scum suckers
2 - here is some interesting information from www.budhibbs.com
He has a link there to Consumer Attorneys - he is a great guy and has great information - have spoken to him on many occassions - just do your research and get even with these so called "debt collectors"
ps - the "employee" makes his/her money by collecting a so called "debt"

Stanley Weinberg & Associates
Aka First Credit Services, Inc.
dba/ Integrated Portfolio Management, Inc.

800 Springer Dr
Lombard, IL 60148

Phone: 888-256-7208 or 630 790-4000
Fax: 630-446-7001
630-705-9400

Web Address: http://www.ipm-us.com/32.html

Head Debt Collectors:
Earl W. Shields, President, CEO
Lilliana C. Munoz Shields, President

Bud Says Consumer Comments Below
Stanley Weinberg & Associates is NOT a law firm, it is a collection agency, where FDCPA complaints abound. Earl & Lilliana Shields are known to let their collectors get way out of hands as my complaints on them are always high. The good news for consumers is they are like the big dog who barks a lot, they make a lot of noise, however they are ill equipped to do much beyond loud, annoying ranting and raving. These are excellent folks to counter-collect from (they pay you!) because they still have deep pockets, so tape their calls (where legal). NEVER give them your banking or credit card information and make them validate each and every claim.
This agency I predict may not survive the down turn in collections; they like the over the top yelling, screaming, making threats, intimidation, harassment, etc. I predict they can be sued into obscurity, so take advantage of that.

CAUTION: I recommend you NEVER disclose your bank account or credit card information to a debt collector, as you risk them emptying your account, or maxing out your credit card. If you feel they are reporting on your credit bureau files in error or need assistance in dealing with them, email the details w/your location. Assistance and referral to a consumer legal specialist may be available. Email for Assistance

but I called and spoke with a guy named Brandon when I got served my papers. I had no money whatsoever for an attorney, otherwise I would have gotten someone on the case. He advised me that I was doing the right thing by calling and making arrangements because that way I would be avoiding a judgement.
=============================================
1) Talking to or accepting advise from an attorney from the other side is like Tweety Bird accepting advise from a lawyer that was paid for by Sylvester the Cat. Keep all communications in writing. Assume that any "advise" from the other side will be 100% against your best interest.
2) "Doing the Right Thing" is a phrase that credit card companies, nor the debt collectors they hire, know the meaning of
3) NEVER, EVER give out your checking account numbers to debt collectors for making electronic debit payments. If you are having financial trouble, the last thing in the world you need is to give a debt collector direct access to your bank account. Once they have this info they can attempt to withdraw any amount from your checking account at any time.

I am a current employee of Weltman Weinberg & Reis, people get on here and make all these complaints but fail to realize one thing, we are debt collectors, it is not our job to be nice, and we dont work customer service, it is my job to collect on a past due debt that is so past due that legal action had to be taken. Most people ignore and ignore and ignore there debts until a sherriff is at their door serving them with a summons and complaint. We have pre legal collectors who try and contact defendents to resolve the matter voluntarily but 95% don't. When you apply for any type of line of credit their is a promise of repayment, it is the consumers sole responsibility to try and take care of this. We are human too and we realize that with the state of the economy right now it may not be easy to take care of the enitire balance in full, we offer settlements, payment arrangments and whatever we can...but this is a relationship consists of two people, the arrangments have to be agreeable between both parties not just one. Most people only want to call in when they find out they are being garnished which costs our company money and is a timely process so why should we make arrangments then???? It is my best advice to people who are placed with our law firm to respond to the letters and the calls, at least make an attempt to take care of the debts you have created, after all people only get into the situations that they create. Spend Wisely