Complaint Review: J.A. Cambece Law Office - Peabody Massachusetts

I do understand and appreciate the opportunity to pay in a structured settlement to pay a bill that we had a big problem with in the past, and present.  

My husband and I were both working and aquired some bills that we were paying on well, but then when I got pregnant I had a difficult pregnancy (I kept passing out, even at work) it was partially because of severe panic attacks, and other problems.  So I went out on disability.  But when the market crashed my entire department was one of the many that got shut down at Bank of America.  I lost my jon, and then found out I was pregnant again (my doctor did not even think it was possible).  

I lost my job, and found myself with 2 children and very fragile, physically and emotionally.  I did not know but I had other medical problems at the time, it took over 2 years to find out what they were.  Then my husband and all those that he was working with got layed off, and my aunt died and we had to borrow money from my father to go to her funeral.  It was just going from bad to worse.  

I say this because my husband and I did not borrow more than we could afford, but our circumstances changed.  And yes i understand that one debt collector said that "sob stories" aggrevate them, but seriously if you are going to judge everyone without walking in thier shoes, you are not as caring as you think you are.  Sometimes people have legitimate problems.  And there are people who are on disability for emotional problems.  

When I was younger I suffered from panic attacks but it did not stop me from working.  I worked for more than 20 years with them.  But then my circumstances changed.  I know of many people who are so emotionally fragile working is really impossible.  Seriously, there are people who do have panic attacks so severe that they can not perform most if not all types of work to the level an employer would tolerate.  

I have seen people get job after job, continually being let go because they can not perform the job.  I c an not and would not dare to judge anyone who is on disability because my circumstances are different from them.  No one should, if thier doctors say they can't work I will not judge them.  I do not know if they can or not, and niether does someone who is talking to them over the phone.  

I am happy with my experience with JA Cambece.  They were understanding of my family circumstances.  They did ask about family that could help me.  But most of my family is equally poor, and has worse circumstances than my family.  They were understanding and they setup a payment plan to pay on the bill.  We are very grateful for that.  But I will not say that all debt collectors are the same.  The individuals are different, some are kind and want to work with you, others are not so much.  I am never rude or unkind when they call, and the woman I work with at JA Cambece is very respectful and patient.  

Unfortunately there are those that give places a bad name, just like there are debtors that give us all a bad name.  But just because hard times have never fallen on some individuals, does not mean all debtors are bad, or irresponsible.  Some of us are really doing the best we can.  Trust me..

Well that was my rebuttle.  Thanks for reading, hope it helps with us all being understanding of each other.  

Cambece Law Office (CLO) is not set up to withdraw from paychecks, unemployment checks, ssi checks, etc. They can only set up payment arrangements through your personal checking account, therefore the $100/month that you have set up is based on what you indicated you could affod. CLO trains all collecters to be sure they are setting up monthly arrangments that are financially affordable to the consumer in order to avoid "bounced checks". If you are having trouble affording these payments then you should call them and see if you can either temporarily lower your monthly payments or see if you can gather a lump sum to settle the account all together. I have read other reports on here and it seems everyone complains about CLO for trying to get you to pay your debts, (key words being "your debts") that it seems you forgot that you are the ones who defaulted on your obligation in the first place. I understand that we are all under financial distress right now, however we are still obligated to pay our bills. CLO does offer payment arrangements and low settlements. If there were no such thing as collection agencies do you think there would be such a thing as credit? I don't think people who have debt are "dead beats" at all, but there are several people who get credit cards and have no intentions on paying it back. As far as the "unprofessional behavior" if an employee were to ever tell a consumer to "shut their mouth" or hang up on them, they would be fired on the spot! All calls are recorded for the consumers protection as well as CLO's. Every complany has a few 'bad apples' that slip in, however once they're discovered they're terminated! I worked there for 5yrs and was always respectful and treated consumers the way I would want to be treated even when speaking to some "very rude" consumers. Bottom line: if you're speaking nice to them they will speak nice to you! If you genuinely want to reslove your debt they will work with you in order to do that.

This is one of the WORST THIRD PARTY debt collectors - and to the ex-employee - you worked for a blood sucking third party collection agency and tell to OP to pay their debt??? What a waste you are - sued an agency like yours and WON!!!! To the OP - Listen to Steve - visit www.budhibbs.com for more information on these losers NEVER EVER talk to a third party collection agency nor agree to give them money PERIOD! Stacey

This is one of the WORST THIRD PARTY debt collectors - and to the ex-employee - you worked for a blood sucking third party collection agency and tell to OP to pay their debt??? What a waste you are - sued an agency like yours and WON!!!! To the OP - Listen to Steve - visit www.budhibbs.com for more information on these losers NEVER EVER talk to a third party collection agency nor agree to give them money PERIOD! Stacey

This is one of the WORST THIRD PARTY debt collectors - and to the ex-employee - you worked for a blood sucking third party collection agency and tell to OP to pay their debt??? What a waste you are - sued an agency like yours and WON!!!! To the OP - Listen to Steve - visit www.budhibbs.com for more information on these losers NEVER EVER talk to a third party collection agency nor agree to give them money PERIOD! Stacey

This is one of the WORST THIRD PARTY debt collectors - and to the ex-employee - you worked for a blood sucking third party collection agency and tell to OP to pay their debt??? What a waste you are - sued an agency like yours and WON!!!! To the OP - Listen to Steve - visit www.budhibbs.com for more information on these losers NEVER EVER talk to a third party collection agency nor agree to give them money PERIOD! Stacey

Before you/anyone reads my rebuttal, i want to make it clear that i am an ex-collector for Cambece Law, and have years of experience doing collections! And even though my rebuttal is in favor of Cambece, I do agree with ALOT of consumers opinions, and I think alot of collectors worldwide are rude, careless, and unfair as I have witnessed them myself! Personally, im not going to sit here and say that I was the best debt collector, and I did everything right, and made everybody happy! But I can honestly say that I AM a very caring person, and ALWAYS LISTENED to the consumer to hear what they had to say! I always tried to be as fair as I could, but obviously, I had strict guidelines to obey, and had to work in the best interest of the attorny's client! I HAD to do my job, even though sometimes I felt bad for some people, and wished I could do more for them! I did what I could! The rebuttal made from "Just Joe" pretty much sums up everything i'd like to say, but on a personal level Id like to, i'd like to make it clear that some of us collectors/ex-collectors DO NOT judge anybody (or think they are a scumbag) over a debt collection call PERIOD!! It is easy for someone to be misjudged over a phone call in the first place, let alone a call over money that is owed! I would bet that the majority of the people I have EVER called while at Cambece were good people, even though they yelled at me, cursed at me, insulted me, threatened me and my family, talked over me, ignored me, ect. ect. ect.......it was the nature of the call that made it a bad one! most of the time they are just upset because of the situation, or even sometimes, they may be upset because a seperate situation aside from a bill! I've had a few situations where i would contact a debtor, and get screamed at 1 day....then I would get in contact with them again, and they are VERY apologetic, and explain that it was the heat of the moment! I also want to make it clear that even though some collection agencies do make comiision checks of some sort (not all) but its based on ALOT of things, not a single account!!! So please realize, some debt collectors really DO NOT have a personal stake in your debt! Some of them are doing there job to BENIFIT YOU!!!! I also want to add on and say that the collectors at Cambece Law, have access to 90% of the accounts in the office, and if a debtor is lying about something, or trying to cover it up.....more than likely, THEY KNOW!! Its incredible how many people say "I have no money", "i dont have access to money like that", and then you take a look on their credit report, and the debtor ownes numerous properties, has numerous OPEN lines of credit that they can transfer the balance to, they owe $50,000+ car loans, ect. ect. ect!!! Is Shelter a necessity, of course it is...but having more than 1 ISNT!! Are credit cards a necessity, not really, but to a point because they help build up credit, and you may need them for certain things such as an emergency, but IF YOU CANT PAY YOUR DELINQUENT ONES, THAN YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CHARGE A PENNY MORE TO ANOTHER CARD!! Are vehicles a necessity, technically NO because everyone has other ways of getting around, but they can be considered a necessity when having to travel long distances BUT....YOU DONT NEED A LEXUS, OR A MERCEDES, OR CADILAC ect.....if you cant pay for a simple credit card, you should be driving what ever can get you to point A to point B, and nothing luxerious!! THOSE ARE THE SCUMBAGS, and what goes around, comes around!! And as for the people who are contacted by a debt collector, and say things like "I have NO MONEY, and can't turn to freinds/family for help", its not that you CAN"T turn to them for help, its that you WONT and REFUSE TO....which i can completely understand...it's not something i'd want to do either! Most people say "its not thier bill, its mine, and im not going to ask anyone to BORROW the money if "its not their problem", i'll pay it back when i get the money" well, with all-do respect, please explain to me how you owe the bill in the 1st place??? YOU BORROWED THE MONEY, and it wasn't the original creditors problem!! It's not a matter of who you borrowed the money from, whether it be a multi-million dollar company, or a homeless person off the street...the fact is you borrowed the money, and YOU OWE IT!! And I know for a fact that if every/any debtor out there let someone borrow a lump sum of money, you would want the money back, right??? Thats what i thought!!! Everyone hates bill collectors because they put themselves in the position to be contacted by 1!! What does everyone expect, to borrow money, and pay it back as you please?? Whenever your ready?? If things were like that, the bills would not be paid at all, im sure! And I myself would probably owe more money than i could count!! To sum it all up, maybe the "scumbag" debtor's are right! That's what i said, "maybe they're right"....lets get rid of debt collections, and lets get rid of debt collectors period! Nobody appriciates them, nobody appriciates the fact that they are trying to inform you what will happen if you dont pay your bill! Nobody appriciates that all they are trying to do is give you the opertunity to pay your bill before it gets worse! For now on, the law should be that if you default on your contract, they should just sue you right away!! Thats what it WOULD be if there wasn't debt collectors in the middle! Or maybe they should just send them to jail, is that better?? Also a quick reminder, and I BET alot of debtor's will know what im talking about........****DEBT COLLECTORS ARE "NOT" COLLECTING BLOOD, AND "YOU AREN"T TURNUPS"!!!! Even though some are just as smart as a turnup!

Okay, let me set the record straight in plain English. First off, I used to work at Cambece and did so long enough not to be misled in any way, shape or form. Secondly, I've read comments made by both employees and debtors and much of what you all have said is correct, but some of you debtors who think you're smarter than the people who are trying to collect your debts need to listen up. Now, regardless of whether debtors want to believe it or not, 99% of what the "employees" have written here is actually correct.... again whether you want to believe it or not. Regardless of collection experience, when you sign on to work at Cambece, you train for a 40 hour week before you ever speak to a debtor. This is a fact. Collectors are lined up in rows of cubicle-style desks, we can often hear each others' conversations and we often get a good chuckle when a particularly fiery debtor starts berating one of the collectors. When you're off the phone, we talk sh*t about you and how much of a loser you are. Not always, but most of the time. So, are all collectors scumbags? No, definitely not. Some bust bawls harder than others and, yes, oftentimes those collectors rake in more money. The nature of the business is one where we have to convince you to use your money to pay for something you don't get to plug in, watch, play, wear or eat... and therein lies the challenge because people want to spend money on what PLEASES them; not what satisfies past spending obligations. Yes, some debtors are legitimately good people who fall on hard times and sometimes, managers demand that we push harder than we want. It's the nature of the business. I read someone's comments that said something along the lines of "he must not have known how to be ruthless so he got his manager to do the dirty work." This isn't verbatim, but it's pretty close. The truth is (...and others employees will attest to this) that second voice can be very powerful. When you hear it from one person, you can find ways to convince yourself that he might not be completely competent and that, "if I could just speak to your supervisor," I'll be able to cut a deal, catch a break or whatever. Trust me... you're better off with the lowly collector because managers get to be managers because they can eviscerate you far worse than the best collector ever could. I've done collections long enough to know that we're vilified regardless of how fair we are, but whether you want to believe it or not, Cambece's heavily monitored now. All of our calls are recorded and we're now required to tell you this. We're also required to tell you we're not attorneys because many people assume that only attorneys work in law offices. Incidentally, to those who don't think Cambece Law Office is actually a law office, rest assured that it IS. They wouldn't be able to litigate if they weren't. And if you're writing from Arizona, California or any other state outside of Massachusetts, you're right - Cambece can't sue you from MA. They CAN, however, remit the account to CACH and have them farm it out to an attorney in your state, so try not to get too cocky and think you're above the law. You're not.... it just takes a couple of extra steps to have an attorney's office in your own state. For the idiots who say they're judgment proof, there's no such thing. Anybody can get a judgment against you. Whether you pay against the judgment is up to you, but your failure to keep promises becomes a matter of public record regardless. I can't honestly say that X percent of debtors are scumbags because on any given day, I call roughly 150 accounts. If out of those 150, I get four debtors on the phone, it's a good day. Most debtors simply screen calls and never have the bawls to call back. Of course, if we've left nine unanswered voice mails at your home and you don't call back, the assumption is that you're a scumbag until proven otherwise. I saw one person on here b*tching because CLO called their neighbors. They only call neighbors and family members if they don't have a phone number for you. If this bothers you, man up, call the office, give them your number and deal with the problem. YES, you will be asked to pay off your debt right away because we're pushed to hit a certain office goal and we can lose our jobs if we fail to hit our own personal goal often enough. Virtually every debtor will come up with reason why we have to wait a month or two or ten. Most of these accounts are years old before they even reach our office, so nobody's in the mood to hear a sob story. If you're legitimately down on your luck, that's one thing, but most of the people that tell us they have no job are later found at a jobsite. Most of the people who say they're going to file bankruptcy never do. Most of the people who say they're gonna have to talk to their lawyer don't even HAVE one. For those who seem to be perpetually unemployed or perpetually on disability, you p#ss us off in two ways, professionally and personally. It's very unsettling to know that you won't pay your bill, but it's even worse when we know you're leeching off of government money, sitting at home watching Jerry Springer while the rest of us are out making a living. The last woman I spoke to who said she was on disability sounded so sincere. When I finally asked what the disability was, she said "panic attacks." She had two working arms and legs, but just couldn't work because of panic attacks. Speaking as someone who used to have panic attacks myself, I say this is a total BS reason to be choking off of my tax dollars. It's no surprise to me that some collectors rip out debtors because, in our eyes, they're just a sorry bunch of worthless losers. For the few debtors who are out there who are legitimately disabled, wheelchair-bound or missing limbs, my heart truly goes out to you. CLO (as well as every other collection entity) has been guilty of aggressive and abusive collection practices, but the FDCPA means a LOT these days because people crack down on collectors much worse than they did even ten years ago. But to all of you who are giving out tips on how to avoid being harassed, remember that whether we can call you or not, you still owe the money. Just because you don't hear our cheery voices doesn't mean that the debt disappeared. If anything, a good CEASE and DESIST letter puts you on the fasttrack to litigation for one simple reason: There's nothing else to do with your account BUT sue. Every time you sign a receipt from a credit card, you'll read words like "I promise to pay back blah blab, etc." Those are little promissory notes you sign whenever you buy something using a credit card. If you have no intention of paying it back, then you're stealing and that makes you a scumbag. Do we encounter debtors who knowingly and intentionally run up credit card debt even though they're "DISABLED" even back then? Absolutely! If y'all have such a problem with debt collectors, don't run up debt for us to collect.... because whether you like it or not, we wouldn't even EXIST if you hadn't f'd up first.

Okay, let me set the record straight in plain English. First off, I used to work at Cambece and did so long enough not to be misled in any way, shape or form. Secondly, I've read comments made by both employees and debtors and much of what you all have said is correct, but some of you debtors who think you're smarter than the people who are trying to collect your debts need to listen up. Now, regardless of whether debtors want to believe it or not, 99% of what the "employees" have written here is actually correct.... again whether you want to believe it or not. Regardless of collection experience, when you sign on to work at Cambece, you train for a 40 hour week before you ever speak to a debtor. This is a fact. Collectors are lined up in rows of cubicle-style desks, we can often hear each others' conversations and we often get a good chuckle when a particularly fiery debtor starts berating one of the collectors. When you're off the phone, we talk sh*t about you and how much of a loser you are. Not always, but most of the time. So, are all collectors scumbags? No, definitely not. Some bust bawls harder than others and, yes, oftentimes those collectors rake in more money. The nature of the business is one where we have to convince you to use your money to pay for something you don't get to plug in, watch, play, wear or eat... and therein lies the challenge because people want to spend money on what PLEASES them; not what satisfies past spending obligations. Yes, some debtors are legitimately good people who fall on hard times and sometimes, managers demand that we push harder than we want. It's the nature of the business. I read someone's comments that said something along the lines of "he must not have known how to be ruthless so he got his manager to do the dirty work." This isn't verbatim, but it's pretty close. The truth is (...and others employees will attest to this) that second voice can be very powerful. When you hear it from one person, you can find ways to convince yourself that he might not be completely competent and that, "if I could just speak to your supervisor," I'll be able to cut a deal, catch a break or whatever. Trust me... you're better off with the lowly collector because managers get to be managers because they can eviscerate you far worse than the best collector ever could. I've done collections long enough to know that we're vilified regardless of how fair we are, but whether you want to believe it or not, Cambece's heavily monitored now. All of our calls are recorded and we're now required to tell you this. We're also required to tell you we're not attorneys because many people assume that only attorneys work in law offices. Incidentally, to those who don't think Cambece Law Office is actually a law office, rest assured that it IS. They wouldn't be able to litigate if they weren't. And if you're writing from Arizona, California or any other state outside of Massachusetts, you're right - Cambece can't sue you from MA. They CAN, however, remit the account to CACH and have them farm it out to an attorney in your state, so try not to get too cocky and think you're above the law. You're not.... it just takes a couple of extra steps to have an attorney's office in your own state. For the idiots who say they're judgment proof, there's no such thing. Anybody can get a judgment against you. Whether you pay against the judgment is up to you, but your failure to keep promises becomes a matter of public record regardless. I can't honestly say that X percent of debtors are scumbags because on any given day, I call roughly 150 accounts. If out of those 150, I get four debtors on the phone, it's a good day. Most debtors simply screen calls and never have the bawls to call back. Of course, if we've left nine unanswered voice mails at your home and you don't call back, the assumption is that you're a scumbag until proven otherwise. I saw one person on here b*tching because CLO called their neighbors. They only call neighbors and family members if they don't have a phone number for you. If this bothers you, man up, call the office, give them your number and deal with the problem. YES, you will be asked to pay off your debt right away because we're pushed to hit a certain office goal and we can lose our jobs if we fail to hit our own personal goal often enough. Virtually every debtor will come up with reason why we have to wait a month or two or ten. Most of these accounts are years old before they even reach our office, so nobody's in the mood to hear a sob story. If you're legitimately down on your luck, that's one thing, but most of the people that tell us they have no job are later found at a jobsite. Most of the people who say they're going to file bankruptcy never do. Most of the people who say they're gonna have to talk to their lawyer don't even HAVE one. For those who seem to be perpetually unemployed or perpetually on disability, you p#ss us off in two ways, professionally and personally. It's very unsettling to know that you won't pay your bill, but it's even worse when we know you're leeching off of government money, sitting at home watching Jerry Springer while the rest of us are out making a living. The last woman I spoke to who said she was on disability sounded so sincere. When I finally asked what the disability was, she said "panic attacks." She had two working arms and legs, but just couldn't work because of panic attacks. Speaking as someone who used to have panic attacks myself, I say this is a total BS reason to be choking off of my tax dollars. It's no surprise to me that some collectors rip out debtors because, in our eyes, they're just a sorry bunch of worthless losers. For the few debtors who are out there who are legitimately disabled, wheelchair-bound or missing limbs, my heart truly goes out to you. CLO (as well as every other collection entity) has been guilty of aggressive and abusive collection practices, but the FDCPA means a LOT these days because people crack down on collectors much worse than they did even ten years ago. But to all of you who are giving out tips on how to avoid being harassed, remember that whether we can call you or not, you still owe the money. Just because you don't hear our cheery voices doesn't mean that the debt disappeared. If anything, a good CEASE and DESIST letter puts you on the fasttrack to litigation for one simple reason: There's nothing else to do with your account BUT sue. Every time you sign a receipt from a credit card, you'll read words like "I promise to pay back blah blab, etc." Those are little promissory notes you sign whenever you buy something using a credit card. If you have no intention of paying it back, then you're stealing and that makes you a scumbag. Do we encounter debtors who knowingly and intentionally run up credit card debt even though they're "DISABLED" even back then? Absolutely! If y'all have such a problem with debt collectors, don't run up debt for us to collect.... because whether you like it or not, we wouldn't even EXIST if you hadn't f'd up first.

Okay, let me set the record straight in plain English. First off, I used to work at Cambece and did so long enough not to be misled in any way, shape or form. Secondly, I've read comments made by both employees and debtors and much of what you all have said is correct, but some of you debtors who think you're smarter than the people who are trying to collect your debts need to listen up. Now, regardless of whether debtors want to believe it or not, 99% of what the "employees" have written here is actually correct.... again whether you want to believe it or not. Regardless of collection experience, when you sign on to work at Cambece, you train for a 40 hour week before you ever speak to a debtor. This is a fact. Collectors are lined up in rows of cubicle-style desks, we can often hear each others' conversations and we often get a good chuckle when a particularly fiery debtor starts berating one of the collectors. When you're off the phone, we talk sh*t about you and how much of a loser you are. Not always, but most of the time. So, are all collectors scumbags? No, definitely not. Some bust bawls harder than others and, yes, oftentimes those collectors rake in more money. The nature of the business is one where we have to convince you to use your money to pay for something you don't get to plug in, watch, play, wear or eat... and therein lies the challenge because people want to spend money on what PLEASES them; not what satisfies past spending obligations. Yes, some debtors are legitimately good people who fall on hard times and sometimes, managers demand that we push harder than we want. It's the nature of the business. I read someone's comments that said something along the lines of "he must not have known how to be ruthless so he got his manager to do the dirty work." This isn't verbatim, but it's pretty close. The truth is (...and others employees will attest to this) that second voice can be very powerful. When you hear it from one person, you can find ways to convince yourself that he might not be completely competent and that, "if I could just speak to your supervisor," I'll be able to cut a deal, catch a break or whatever. Trust me... you're better off with the lowly collector because managers get to be managers because they can eviscerate you far worse than the best collector ever could. I've done collections long enough to know that we're vilified regardless of how fair we are, but whether you want to believe it or not, Cambece's heavily monitored now. All of our calls are recorded and we're now required to tell you this. We're also required to tell you we're not attorneys because many people assume that only attorneys work in law offices. Incidentally, to those who don't think Cambece Law Office is actually a law office, rest assured that it IS. They wouldn't be able to litigate if they weren't. And if you're writing from Arizona, California or any other state outside of Massachusetts, you're right - Cambece can't sue you from MA. They CAN, however, remit the account to CACH and have them farm it out to an attorney in your state, so try not to get too cocky and think you're above the law. You're not.... it just takes a couple of extra steps to have an attorney's office in your own state. For the idiots who say they're judgment proof, there's no such thing. Anybody can get a judgment against you. Whether you pay against the judgment is up to you, but your failure to keep promises becomes a matter of public record regardless. I can't honestly say that X percent of debtors are scumbags because on any given day, I call roughly 150 accounts. If out of those 150, I get four debtors on the phone, it's a good day. Most debtors simply screen calls and never have the bawls to call back. Of course, if we've left nine unanswered voice mails at your home and you don't call back, the assumption is that you're a scumbag until proven otherwise. I saw one person on here b*tching because CLO called their neighbors. They only call neighbors and family members if they don't have a phone number for you. If this bothers you, man up, call the office, give them your number and deal with the problem. YES, you will be asked to pay off your debt right away because we're pushed to hit a certain office goal and we can lose our jobs if we fail to hit our own personal goal often enough. Virtually every debtor will come up with reason why we have to wait a month or two or ten. Most of these accounts are years old before they even reach our office, so nobody's in the mood to hear a sob story. If you're legitimately down on your luck, that's one thing, but most of the people that tell us they have no job are later found at a jobsite. Most of the people who say they're going to file bankruptcy never do. Most of the people who say they're gonna have to talk to their lawyer don't even HAVE one. For those who seem to be perpetually unemployed or perpetually on disability, you p#ss us off in two ways, professionally and personally. It's very unsettling to know that you won't pay your bill, but it's even worse when we know you're leeching off of government money, sitting at home watching Jerry Springer while the rest of us are out making a living. The last woman I spoke to who said she was on disability sounded so sincere. When I finally asked what the disability was, she said "panic attacks." She had two working arms and legs, but just couldn't work because of panic attacks. Speaking as someone who used to have panic attacks myself, I say this is a total BS reason to be choking off of my tax dollars. It's no surprise to me that some collectors rip out debtors because, in our eyes, they're just a sorry bunch of worthless losers. For the few debtors who are out there who are legitimately disabled, wheelchair-bound or missing limbs, my heart truly goes out to you. CLO (as well as every other collection entity) has been guilty of aggressive and abusive collection practices, but the FDCPA means a LOT these days because people crack down on collectors much worse than they did even ten years ago. But to all of you who are giving out tips on how to avoid being harassed, remember that whether we can call you or not, you still owe the money. Just because you don't hear our cheery voices doesn't mean that the debt disappeared. If anything, a good CEASE and DESIST letter puts you on the fasttrack to litigation for one simple reason: There's nothing else to do with your account BUT sue. Every time you sign a receipt from a credit card, you'll read words like "I promise to pay back blah blab, etc." Those are little promissory notes you sign whenever you buy something using a credit card. If you have no intention of paying it back, then you're stealing and that makes you a scumbag. Do we encounter debtors who knowingly and intentionally run up credit card debt even though they're "DISABLED" even back then? Absolutely! If y'all have such a problem with debt collectors, don't run up debt for us to collect.... because whether you like it or not, we wouldn't even EXIST if you hadn't f'd up first.

Okay, let me set the record straight in plain English. First off, I used to work at Cambece and did so long enough not to be misled in any way, shape or form. Secondly, I've read comments made by both employees and debtors and much of what you all have said is correct, but some of you debtors who think you're smarter than the people who are trying to collect your debts need to listen up. Now, regardless of whether debtors want to believe it or not, 99% of what the "employees" have written here is actually correct.... again whether you want to believe it or not. Regardless of collection experience, when you sign on to work at Cambece, you train for a 40 hour week before you ever speak to a debtor. This is a fact. Collectors are lined up in rows of cubicle-style desks, we can often hear each others' conversations and we often get a good chuckle when a particularly fiery debtor starts berating one of the collectors. When you're off the phone, we talk sh*t about you and how much of a loser you are. Not always, but most of the time. So, are all collectors scumbags? No, definitely not. Some bust bawls harder than others and, yes, oftentimes those collectors rake in more money. The nature of the business is one where we have to convince you to use your money to pay for something you don't get to plug in, watch, play, wear or eat... and therein lies the challenge because people want to spend money on what PLEASES them; not what satisfies past spending obligations. Yes, some debtors are legitimately good people who fall on hard times and sometimes, managers demand that we push harder than we want. It's the nature of the business. I read someone's comments that said something along the lines of "he must not have known how to be ruthless so he got his manager to do the dirty work." This isn't verbatim, but it's pretty close. The truth is (...and others employees will attest to this) that second voice can be very powerful. When you hear it from one person, you can find ways to convince yourself that he might not be completely competent and that, "if I could just speak to your supervisor," I'll be able to cut a deal, catch a break or whatever. Trust me... you're better off with the lowly collector because managers get to be managers because they can eviscerate you far worse than the best collector ever could. I've done collections long enough to know that we're vilified regardless of how fair we are, but whether you want to believe it or not, Cambece's heavily monitored now. All of our calls are recorded and we're now required to tell you this. We're also required to tell you we're not attorneys because many people assume that only attorneys work in law offices. Incidentally, to those who don't think Cambece Law Office is actually a law office, rest assured that it IS. They wouldn't be able to litigate if they weren't. And if you're writing from Arizona, California or any other state outside of Massachusetts, you're right - Cambece can't sue you from MA. They CAN, however, remit the account to CACH and have them farm it out to an attorney in your state, so try not to get too cocky and think you're above the law. You're not.... it just takes a couple of extra steps to have an attorney's office in your own state. For the idiots who say they're judgment proof, there's no such thing. Anybody can get a judgment against you. Whether you pay against the judgment is up to you, but your failure to keep promises becomes a matter of public record regardless. I can't honestly say that X percent of debtors are scumbags because on any given day, I call roughly 150 accounts. If out of those 150, I get four debtors on the phone, it's a good day. Most debtors simply screen calls and never have the bawls to call back. Of course, if we've left nine unanswered voice mails at your home and you don't call back, the assumption is that you're a scumbag until proven otherwise. I saw one person on here b*tching because CLO called their neighbors. They only call neighbors and family members if they don't have a phone number for you. If this bothers you, man up, call the office, give them your number and deal with the problem. YES, you will be asked to pay off your debt right away because we're pushed to hit a certain office goal and we can lose our jobs if we fail to hit our own personal goal often enough. Virtually every debtor will come up with reason why we have to wait a month or two or ten. Most of these accounts are years old before they even reach our office, so nobody's in the mood to hear a sob story. If you're legitimately down on your luck, that's one thing, but most of the people that tell us they have no job are later found at a jobsite. Most of the people who say they're going to file bankruptcy never do. Most of the people who say they're gonna have to talk to their lawyer don't even HAVE one. For those who seem to be perpetually unemployed or perpetually on disability, you p#ss us off in two ways, professionally and personally. It's very unsettling to know that you won't pay your bill, but it's even worse when we know you're leeching off of government money, sitting at home watching Jerry Springer while the rest of us are out making a living. The last woman I spoke to who said she was on disability sounded so sincere. When I finally asked what the disability was, she said "panic attacks." She had two working arms and legs, but just couldn't work because of panic attacks. Speaking as someone who used to have panic attacks myself, I say this is a total BS reason to be choking off of my tax dollars. It's no surprise to me that some collectors rip out debtors because, in our eyes, they're just a sorry bunch of worthless losers. For the few debtors who are out there who are legitimately disabled, wheelchair-bound or missing limbs, my heart truly goes out to you. CLO (as well as every other collection entity) has been guilty of aggressive and abusive collection practices, but the FDCPA means a LOT these days because people crack down on collectors much worse than they did even ten years ago. But to all of you who are giving out tips on how to avoid being harassed, remember that whether we can call you or not, you still owe the money. Just because you don't hear our cheery voices doesn't mean that the debt disappeared. If anything, a good CEASE and DESIST letter puts you on the fasttrack to litigation for one simple reason: There's nothing else to do with your account BUT sue. Every time you sign a receipt from a credit card, you'll read words like "I promise to pay back blah blab, etc." Those are little promissory notes you sign whenever you buy something using a credit card. If you have no intention of paying it back, then you're stealing and that makes you a scumbag. Do we encounter debtors who knowingly and intentionally run up credit card debt even though they're "DISABLED" even back then? Absolutely! If y'all have such a problem with debt collectors, don't run up debt for us to collect.... because whether you like it or not, we wouldn't even EXIST if you hadn't f'd up first.

i have been in colloctions for over 15 years and did 2 tours of duty @ Cambece. I will tell you one thing for sure, is that the calls there are monitored by an attorney(not Anthony himself) who's job is compliance. while most collectors will push the law right to the edge of it's limits, most do not blatantly break it. Some of you out there talk about statute of limitations and credit reports...it's important that you know what you're talking about before you give advice...i left Cambece and moved on to a firm that actively litigates. First an agency or firm can make collection calls on an account indefinately statute of limitaions only specifies how long a creditor or their "succesor in interest" has to institue litigation proceedings against a debtor. the 7 year myth...a succesor in interest can report your debt to the reporting agencies for 7 full years from the date of last payment to the "original" creditor. bottom line not all debtors are scum & not all collectors are thugs. most have families to feed just like the next guy & are using their skills & talents to make the best possible living for their families. Believe me bill collections is not an easy job, it has a high level of stress, and a low level of thanks. i have since left 3rd party collections and now work in credit/finance for a fortune 500 co. and am happy as a pig in you know what...but collections got me here put food on the table for 2 of my three kids. bad things happen to good people, keep that in minf before you over extend yourself. like my grandfather said if you can't pay cash you can't afford it.

As an employee of this law firm I find it extremely hard to believe your report, for several reasons. Collectors are trained to call people between certain hours of the day. If a person requests they not be contacted at a work number, it is noted in the account and they are not contacted. I know this to be a fact because all phone conversations in the company, for the collectors, attorneys, and everyone else, are recordered and monitored on a regular basis. If you had asked not to be contacted at work, and were then contacted at work anyway, you should have reported it to the complaint line, which is an option when you call the office's main line. I also find it hard to believe that the collector was rude to you on the phone. This is because they sit in a room with approximatly 15-25 other people. No conversations are sacred, and the floor manager for each section is within earshot of all their charges, not to mention others. I also can't help but wonder how you arrived at your debt in the first places. In most cases of the debtors I come across, they are not working and have no other source of income. They either open a new credit card or charge everything to an existing one. You cannot use a credit card to buy $200 worth of food if you have no way to pay it back. If you are unemployed that is unfortunate, as I have been in that situation myself, but I certainly didn't charge up my American Express card and expect the company to just brush off the debt. A lot of people get very hostile when contacted by debtors - it's as if they think the rules don't count for them because they can't pay their bill. That doesn't make them special, and it certainly doesn't give them the right to charge $15,000.00 on a card they have no earthy way of paying off. There have been cases in the past, I am sure, where collectors have been rude to debtors on the phone. I can assure you, however, that since my employ that has not been the case. Those people are monitored very closely by supervisors, management, the owner, and even their own peers. Perhaps if you knew how to have a credit card without running it up, or knew how to use one responsibly, you wouldn't have debt to begin with.

As an employee of this law firm I find it extremely hard to believe your report, for several reasons. Collectors are trained to call people between certain hours of the day. If a person requests they not be contacted at a work number, it is noted in the account and they are not contacted. I know this to be a fact because all phone conversations in the company, for the collectors, attorneys, and everyone else, are recordered and monitored on a regular basis. If you had asked not to be contacted at work, and were then contacted at work anyway, you should have reported it to the complaint line, which is an option when you call the office's main line. I also find it hard to believe that the collector was rude to you on the phone. This is because they sit in a room with approximatly 15-25 other people. No conversations are sacred, and the floor manager for each section is within earshot of all their charges, not to mention others. I also can't help but wonder how you arrived at your debt in the first places. In most cases of the debtors I come across, they are not working and have no other source of income. They either open a new credit card or charge everything to an existing one. You cannot use a credit card to buy $200 worth of food if you have no way to pay it back. If you are unemployed that is unfortunate, as I have been in that situation myself, but I certainly didn't charge up my American Express card and expect the company to just brush off the debt. A lot of people get very hostile when contacted by debtors - it's as if they think the rules don't count for them because they can't pay their bill. That doesn't make them special, and it certainly doesn't give them the right to charge $15,000.00 on a card they have no earthy way of paying off. There have been cases in the past, I am sure, where collectors have been rude to debtors on the phone. I can assure you, however, that since my employ that has not been the case. Those people are monitored very closely by supervisors, management, the owner, and even their own peers. Perhaps if you knew how to have a credit card without running it up, or knew how to use one responsibly, you wouldn't have debt to begin with.

As an employee of this law firm I find it extremely hard to believe your report, for several reasons. Collectors are trained to call people between certain hours of the day. If a person requests they not be contacted at a work number, it is noted in the account and they are not contacted. I know this to be a fact because all phone conversations in the company, for the collectors, attorneys, and everyone else, are recordered and monitored on a regular basis. If you had asked not to be contacted at work, and were then contacted at work anyway, you should have reported it to the complaint line, which is an option when you call the office's main line. I also find it hard to believe that the collector was rude to you on the phone. This is because they sit in a room with approximatly 15-25 other people. No conversations are sacred, and the floor manager for each section is within earshot of all their charges, not to mention others. I also can't help but wonder how you arrived at your debt in the first places. In most cases of the debtors I come across, they are not working and have no other source of income. They either open a new credit card or charge everything to an existing one. You cannot use a credit card to buy $200 worth of food if you have no way to pay it back. If you are unemployed that is unfortunate, as I have been in that situation myself, but I certainly didn't charge up my American Express card and expect the company to just brush off the debt. A lot of people get very hostile when contacted by debtors - it's as if they think the rules don't count for them because they can't pay their bill. That doesn't make them special, and it certainly doesn't give them the right to charge $15,000.00 on a card they have no earthy way of paying off. There have been cases in the past, I am sure, where collectors have been rude to debtors on the phone. I can assure you, however, that since my employ that has not been the case. Those people are monitored very closely by supervisors, management, the owner, and even their own peers. Perhaps if you knew how to have a credit card without running it up, or knew how to use one responsibly, you wouldn't have debt to begin with.

As an employee of this law firm I find it extremely hard to believe your report, for several reasons. Collectors are trained to call people between certain hours of the day. If a person requests they not be contacted at a work number, it is noted in the account and they are not contacted. I know this to be a fact because all phone conversations in the company, for the collectors, attorneys, and everyone else, are recordered and monitored on a regular basis. If you had asked not to be contacted at work, and were then contacted at work anyway, you should have reported it to the complaint line, which is an option when you call the office's main line. I also find it hard to believe that the collector was rude to you on the phone. This is because they sit in a room with approximatly 15-25 other people. No conversations are sacred, and the floor manager for each section is within earshot of all their charges, not to mention others. I also can't help but wonder how you arrived at your debt in the first places. In most cases of the debtors I come across, they are not working and have no other source of income. They either open a new credit card or charge everything to an existing one. You cannot use a credit card to buy $200 worth of food if you have no way to pay it back. If you are unemployed that is unfortunate, as I have been in that situation myself, but I certainly didn't charge up my American Express card and expect the company to just brush off the debt. A lot of people get very hostile when contacted by debtors - it's as if they think the rules don't count for them because they can't pay their bill. That doesn't make them special, and it certainly doesn't give them the right to charge $15,000.00 on a card they have no earthy way of paying off. There have been cases in the past, I am sure, where collectors have been rude to debtors on the phone. I can assure you, however, that since my employ that has not been the case. Those people are monitored very closely by supervisors, management, the owner, and even their own peers. Perhaps if you knew how to have a credit card without running it up, or knew how to use one responsibly, you wouldn't have debt to begin with.

As an employee of this law firm I find it extremely hard to believe your report, for several reasons. Collectors are trained to call people between certain hours of the day. If a person requests they not be contacted at a work number, it is noted in the account and they are not contacted. I know this to be a fact because all phone conversations in the company, for the collectors, attorneys, and everyone else, are recordered and monitored on a regular basis. If you had asked not to be contacted at work, and were then contacted at work anyway, you should have reported it to the complaint line, which is an option when you call the office's main line. I also find it hard to believe that the collector was rude to you on the phone. This is because they sit in a room with approximatly 15-25 other people. No conversations are sacred, and the floor manager for each section is within earshot of all their charges, not to mention others. I also can't help but wonder how you arrived at your debt in the first places. In most cases of the debtors I come across, they are not working and have no other source of income. They either open a new credit card or charge everything to an existing one. You cannot use a credit card to buy $200 worth of food if you have no way to pay it back. If you are unemployed that is unfortunate, as I have been in that situation myself, but I certainly didn't charge up my American Express card and expect the company to just brush off the debt. A lot of people get very hostile when contacted by debtors - it's as if they think the rules don't count for them because they can't pay their bill. That doesn't make them special, and it certainly doesn't give them the right to charge $15,000.00 on a card they have no earthy way of paying off. There have been cases in the past, I am sure, where collectors have been rude to debtors on the phone. I can assure you, however, that since my employ that has not been the case. Those people are monitored very closely by supervisors, management, the owner, and even their own peers. Perhaps if you knew how to have a credit card without running it up, or knew how to use one responsibly, you wouldn't have debt to begin with.

All these comments are making me nervous. Cambece has been "working" with me on two accounts because I lost my job and fell way behind on my debt. I never intended this to happen and I don't like being made to feel(in regard to Mike's comment) that I am a deadbeat because I couldn't pay my bills. I would really like some of these creditors to live my life or anyone else's in this position for a month to see what it's really like to not have money, then just maybe they would understand. Cambece did take me to court on one of the accounts even after I told them I was laid off and in the process of going back to school for a better job. First they took $100.00 from my unemployment check which was just about 1/2 of it and now since I am done with school and looking for a job without unemployment and they took me to court for nonpayment, they are now taking $100.00 out of my 2 1/2 yr old daughter's Social Security check (she gets one because she's considered by the state of MA to be disabled). So yeah, I would say that's pretty low.

As an ex employee of Cambece and several other collection agencies that specialize in purchased debt collections I can safely say for the most part you are all correct. Except Mike. Lets be honest anyone who has worked at any of these agencies, let alone Cambece violates the law as a matter of course. I myself did it numerous times. However it is important if you are going to advise someone how to deal with collection agencies that you give them accurate information and effective measures to stop the harassment. It is harassment. First this is purchased debt; they are the legal title holders to the debt. They or the company they collect for have legally purchased the debt portfolio from the original credit holder. More importantly it is perfectly legal to attempt to collect the debt outside the statute of limitations within the state they are licensed to collect in. What the statute allows is an allotted time to enforce the rights to that debt, i.e. file a lawsuit. In most states by the time a company like Cambece gets the debt the statute of limitations has expired. As long as they are within the seven years from the date of charge off it is also legal to report the purchased debt as a bad debt to your credit bureau. So to advise anyone arbitrarily that it does them no good to pay this may be bad advice. Many of these purchased debt agencies do report to your credit bureau. Don't assume they are in the wrong until you have verified this. What upsets me about this report and makes me glad I chose not to continue with this line of business is that Suzanne was not trying to avoid the debt but pay it within her means. The problem is the collectors hired by these agencies do not profit by putting Suzanne on a payment plan. Instead they will lie, and trust me ninety percent of what you hear from the collector, and the "talk off" is a lie. Our job is to push you into finding a way to clear this. Look, here is the bottom line, like it or not Mike; if you worked for Cambece you broke the law. If you didn't then you weren't employed there for long. I guarantee every single call is a violation of the law. If you want to stop this line of business then do exactly what Ti suggested. The FTC complaint is key here. An FTC complaint is the absolute worst complaint an agency can get. Why? Research some of the fines these agencies have gotten from the FTC. The numbers are routinely in the six figure range. The bottom line is that consumer debt is out of control, when consumers pile up an excess of debt it's you and I that pay for it. Collection Agencies are a fact of life but the threats and intimidation don't have to be. File the complaints, record the calls and eventually we are going to start seeing the debt reduced by people whose job is only to assist people like Suzanne and not harass.

Rick, Cambece is a JUNK DEBT BUYER and also a collector for other junk debt buyers. Most of these "debts" are far past SOL and are legally uncollectable. Just because you have a piece of paper in front of you with someone's name and an amount owed, does not mean they are obligated to pay you. Now, as far as spouting that you are "Christian" and live by "Christian values", that really scares me. Your religion is your business and is not relevant to the job you are doing, and does not excuse anything. Does being "Christian" make you think you are better than Non Christians or what? You should not mix business with religion. As to you working in the "legal" dept. Unless you are a lawyer, offering legal advice, you are just a collector. Working in the "legal dept" means nothing. If you really educated yourself on your employers reputation, and also took time to actually learn the law, you would realize the illegal and unethical practices being engaged in. Did you know that "debtors" can sue you personally and file criminal charges on you personally for the illegal activites and FDCPA violations you engage in? It's a fact. Please explain exactly what your function is in the "legal" dept for us. Furthermore, if you work at any other office other than the Peabody location, you are working in an unlicensed location. Did you know that every physical location that you conduct business needs to have a business license? And every location used by a collector needs to be declared undr your license as a debt collector? I cannot find any additional licensing info on another location. You might want to refer this infraction to your legal dept.

Rick, Cambece is a JUNK DEBT BUYER and also a collector for other junk debt buyers. Most of these "debts" are far past SOL and are legally uncollectable. Just because you have a piece of paper in front of you with someone's name and an amount owed, does not mean they are obligated to pay you. Now, as far as spouting that you are "Christian" and live by "Christian values", that really scares me. Your religion is your business and is not relevant to the job you are doing, and does not excuse anything. Does being "Christian" make you think you are better than Non Christians or what? You should not mix business with religion. As to you working in the "legal" dept. Unless you are a lawyer, offering legal advice, you are just a collector. Working in the "legal dept" means nothing. If you really educated yourself on your employers reputation, and also took time to actually learn the law, you would realize the illegal and unethical practices being engaged in. Did you know that "debtors" can sue you personally and file criminal charges on you personally for the illegal activites and FDCPA violations you engage in? It's a fact. Please explain exactly what your function is in the "legal" dept for us. Furthermore, if you work at any other office other than the Peabody location, you are working in an unlicensed location. Did you know that every physical location that you conduct business needs to have a business license? And every location used by a collector needs to be declared undr your license as a debt collector? I cannot find any additional licensing info on another location. You might want to refer this infraction to your legal dept.

Rick, Cambece is a JUNK DEBT BUYER and also a collector for other junk debt buyers. Most of these "debts" are far past SOL and are legally uncollectable. Just because you have a piece of paper in front of you with someone's name and an amount owed, does not mean they are obligated to pay you. Now, as far as spouting that you are "Christian" and live by "Christian values", that really scares me. Your religion is your business and is not relevant to the job you are doing, and does not excuse anything. Does being "Christian" make you think you are better than Non Christians or what? You should not mix business with religion. As to you working in the "legal" dept. Unless you are a lawyer, offering legal advice, you are just a collector. Working in the "legal dept" means nothing. If you really educated yourself on your employers reputation, and also took time to actually learn the law, you would realize the illegal and unethical practices being engaged in. Did you know that "debtors" can sue you personally and file criminal charges on you personally for the illegal activites and FDCPA violations you engage in? It's a fact. Please explain exactly what your function is in the "legal" dept for us. Furthermore, if you work at any other office other than the Peabody location, you are working in an unlicensed location. Did you know that every physical location that you conduct business needs to have a business license? And every location used by a collector needs to be declared undr your license as a debt collector? I cannot find any additional licensing info on another location. You might want to refer this infraction to your legal dept.

*And get a precedent set...Bye BYE JDB's. It will only take 1 case. 1 Judge. Done. Watch a multi BILLION dollar per year business bite the dust. All JDB's and half of the collection agencies...Bankrupt! It WILL be a beautiful thing. :)

Junk debt buying will be as profitable as investing in Enron or Webvan stocks. Information is power, people. And now with the word getting out to more and more people, these gamblers/aka JDBs would probably do better honing their skills on handicapping horses than buying junk debt. The key is..THESE PEOPLE DO NOT OWN THE DEBT; THEY DO NOT BUY THE ACTUAL CHARGED-OFF DEBT...they only buy snippets of INFORMATION (accurate or not) and hope that you can be intimidated in to paying by contact from a "law office." Let these people get honest jobs, like picking up cigarette butts from the McDonald's parking lot.

Michael, I am not sure if you really believe that crap you are spouting, or you just think we are all morons. If what you say is true, you would have to have daily employee turnover! Did you just start yesterday? Did you know that once a debt is charged off AND sold to a debt buyer it is no longer LEGALLY collectable? There is a little thing called proof of debt, which means that the debt buyer must prove that the debtor owes THEM money, NOT the original creditor. Did you know that? I have actually used this one in court. I am seeking a precedent. The basis for it is that the debt buyer is an INVESTOR, not a creditor. They knowingly purchased a charged off bad debt for pennies or less on the dollar, and are now trying to sue because they made a bad investment. If you want to see what a slug Cambece is, just go to Budhibbs.com, or numerous other sites like complaints.com, etc.. I suggest everyone file a Bar Association complaint everytime this slimebag violates your rights. Cambece couldn't find his way into a trial if he fell through the roof into the courtroom! Cambece must be registered/licensed in every state that he attempts to collect in. He is not.

Michael, I am not sure if you really believe that crap you are spouting, or you just think we are all morons. If what you say is true, you would have to have daily employee turnover! Did you just start yesterday? Did you know that once a debt is charged off AND sold to a debt buyer it is no longer LEGALLY collectable? There is a little thing called proof of debt, which means that the debt buyer must prove that the debtor owes THEM money, NOT the original creditor. Did you know that? I have actually used this one in court. I am seeking a precedent. The basis for it is that the debt buyer is an INVESTOR, not a creditor. They knowingly purchased a charged off bad debt for pennies or less on the dollar, and are now trying to sue because they made a bad investment. If you want to see what a slug Cambece is, just go to Budhibbs.com, or numerous other sites like complaints.com, etc.. I suggest everyone file a Bar Association complaint everytime this slimebag violates your rights. Cambece couldn't find his way into a trial if he fell through the roof into the courtroom! Cambece must be registered/licensed in every state that he attempts to collect in. He is not.

Michael, I am not sure if you really believe that crap you are spouting, or you just think we are all morons. If what you say is true, you would have to have daily employee turnover! Did you just start yesterday? Did you know that once a debt is charged off AND sold to a debt buyer it is no longer LEGALLY collectable? There is a little thing called proof of debt, which means that the debt buyer must prove that the debtor owes THEM money, NOT the original creditor. Did you know that? I have actually used this one in court. I am seeking a precedent. The basis for it is that the debt buyer is an INVESTOR, not a creditor. They knowingly purchased a charged off bad debt for pennies or less on the dollar, and are now trying to sue because they made a bad investment. If you want to see what a slug Cambece is, just go to Budhibbs.com, or numerous other sites like complaints.com, etc.. I suggest everyone file a Bar Association complaint everytime this slimebag violates your rights. Cambece couldn't find his way into a trial if he fell through the roof into the courtroom! Cambece must be registered/licensed in every state that he attempts to collect in. He is not.

Michael, I am not sure if you really believe that crap you are spouting, or you just think we are all morons. If what you say is true, you would have to have daily employee turnover! Did you just start yesterday? Did you know that once a debt is charged off AND sold to a debt buyer it is no longer LEGALLY collectable? There is a little thing called proof of debt, which means that the debt buyer must prove that the debtor owes THEM money, NOT the original creditor. Did you know that? I have actually used this one in court. I am seeking a precedent. The basis for it is that the debt buyer is an INVESTOR, not a creditor. They knowingly purchased a charged off bad debt for pennies or less on the dollar, and are now trying to sue because they made a bad investment. If you want to see what a slug Cambece is, just go to Budhibbs.com, or numerous other sites like complaints.com, etc.. I suggest everyone file a Bar Association complaint everytime this slimebag violates your rights. Cambece couldn't find his way into a trial if he fell through the roof into the courtroom! Cambece must be registered/licensed in every state that he attempts to collect in. He is not.

Anyone who knows anything about Junk Debt Buyers has heard of Cambece "Law Offices". No one who works for Cambece follows any laws. The only ones who will gain anything by paying Cambece is Cambece. To the original poster: Buy a tape recorder, every time they call, tell them you are taping (if your state laws says you don't have to tell them you are taping, don't tell them). If they call you at work, hand the phone off to a co-worker and let them break the law by discussing your debt with someone besides you. Make them properly validate the debt and make sure it is in the statute of limitations to collect. If they are not licensed to collect in your state, report them. If you insist on paying Cambece for any debt, make sure you have everything in writing from them, including ensuring it will never show up on your credit report (even as a paid collection) and taht they will not then sell your debt to another JDB. Good luck.

I myself work for JA Cambece's Law Office, FDCPA compliance is strictly enforced and regulated, every employee is given an enormous amount of procedures that they must follow on a daily basis, if any employee breaks this code of conduct, be it: state laws, FDCPA regulations or what have you, they will face termination immediately! Every article I've read on RIPOFFREPORT has had one thing strongly in common: each person who aquired the debt in the first place is complaining how they don't want to be bothered... with the fact that they have a debt... these people figure they'll go get a credit card or loan of some sort, use it up, run it out.. and figure they'll be no consequences, if that was the case, I too would go out and get multiple credit cards, ring em' up and run em' out.. as for interest, Cambece's Law Office will work with debtors in resolving their balance,(if they are cooperative in the matter in some way, shape, or form) be it taking off the interest or dropping some of the amount, in some cases 10% or more.. the problem is: most do not want to cooperate, do not want to make a payment by any means, and simply ignore the facts! Cambese's doesn't add any amount to the bill, the interest the debtors have gained is from their original contract they signed with the bank, and has acrued over time from months or years of negligence.. Every employee is assigned to do 2 things: adhere to the FDCPA guidelines, and get the bill payed.. we all fall under hard times and Cambece does understand that, and will work with "customers" if they are also willing to be cooperative... employees must say 5 things to all debtors: verify identification, read them the Mini-Miranda rights, explain that the calls are recorded, and inform them that they are non-attorneys, and also to be respectful but firm in the fact that the bill must be payed, we are not only helping ourselves, but also helping these people get this monkey off their backs.... so be cooperative and show in some way shape or form that you do care to get rid of the bill, and youl'l see it will work wonders for the balance and your overall credit!!! Thank You

His modus operandi is intimidation and fear in order to scam people out of money. Go to budhibbs.com and you will find lots of information about these vultures. Look under "Agencies to Avoid". Did you get them to validate the debt? It may be too late now, as by paying them, you basically affirmed the debt. NEVER, EVER give these slimeballs a dime without getting them to validate the debt (and "we say so" ISN'T legal validation). I do recommend filing a complaint with the State Bar of Massachusetts, however, as Slimy Tony IS responsible for the conduct of his thugs, uh, I mean "collectors".

Suzanne, Cambece tried this with me a couple of years ago. I stopped them dead in their tracks by mentioning that I was recording the call. Why did that freak them out so bad that they never called back? Because they were blatantly breaking both Federal and State law, and the last thing they want is a consumer who knows that and can PROVE it. What you describe Cambece doing is in violation of both the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm and Arizona's Title 20, Article 15 http://www.azsos.gov/public_services/Title_20/20-04.htm laws that regulate what debt collectors may and may not do while attempting to collect on debts. In addition, Arizona requires collection agencies to be both licensed and bonded to do business in Arizona. You can check whether they are allowed to business in Arizona by going to the Arizona State Banking Dept's website: http://azbanking.gov/Lists/CA_List.HTML Cambece doesn't appear to be listed, neither as Cambece Law Firm nor as JA Cambece. ****You must verify their status yourself before proceeding.**** Contact the AZ Banking Dept and question them about whether Cambece is operating in defiance of Arizona LAW by attempting to collect here. If Cambece still isn't licensed: FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THEM! Rule #1 in dealing with these jerks: STAY OFF THE PHONE. Send them a letter demanding validation of their claims and include a "limited cease & desist" order in there informing them that all communications in this matter are to be in writing only and any future phone calls will be recorded and reported as harassment. (You CAN legally record your phone calls in Arizona. Don't hesitate to do it if necessary.) Send the letter by Certified Mail Return Receipt, so you have proof of them receiving it. You need to build an evidence trail, because they are violating the law and they will continue to do so until you effectively use the law to nail them flat. Keep every bit of evidence you can gather about them, like if they sent you a FAX that proves they are trying to collect in AZ (and it turns out they aren't licensed to do so) that fax is gold, my dear. If Cambece continues to break the law, you can use the law to break them. They have a bad record already. Study the FDCPA. Study AZ Title 20, particularly from R20-4-1507 to the end. For example, R20-4-1511. Prohibition of Harassment A collection agency shall not engage in unauthorized or oppressive tactics designed to harass the debtor or others to pay any debt, including the use of any language, written or oral, tending to ridicule, disgrace or humiliate, or tending to imply, or actually implying, that the debtor is guilty of fraud or other crime. A collection agency shall not permit its agents, employees, representatives, or officers to employ obscene or abusive language against a debtor in connection with the attempt to collect any debt. A collection agency shall be liable for all the unlawful acts of its agents, employees, representatives or officers as provided for under A.R.S. 32-1056(B). and... R20-4-1512. Contacts with Debtors and Others If a collection agency contacts, or attempts to contact, a debtor by telephone in connection with the collection of a debt, such contact or attempt shall be made during reasonable hours only. A collection agency shall not threaten to contact, or contact, a debtor's neighbors, friends, relatives, employers, or other third parties to inform them of the debt, to ask them to pressure or coerce the debtor into paying the debt, or to ask that they, themselves, pay the debt where they are not legally obligated to pay the debt. A collection agency shall not contact a debtor at his place of employment unless a reasonable attempt has been made to first contact the debtor at his place of residence, and such attempt has failed....... etc etc. Educate yourself, use the law, and hang tough. If Cambece is behaving that way you may end up forcing THEM to pay YOU for having violated your rights and broken the law. Don't let them rip you off. The law is on your side on this.