Complaint Review: Weltman Weinbert & Reis - William T. Molczan - Cleveland Ohio - Pennsylvania

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., LPA was according to letters received by them and phone calls I received daily towards the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 hired by National City Bank to collect a debt owed by me.

It is unclear at this point who has been hounding me all this time now since the debt is actually from 1996 at which time I sent a what now appears to be my form of a "cease and desist" letter to National City and subsequently in 1998. I also notified all credit bureaus repeatedly from 1998, 2004 and again in 2007 regarding this debt since National City repeatly attempts to collect upon it via any means they can. But from the 1998 letters, I heard nothing until 2004, then again nothing until 2007 harrassing phone calls and letters came.

I tried ignoring all calls. I saved most of the correspondence that was mailed. On a Sunday night, December 30th, 2007, after a very threatening message, I decided to see what company name answered the 800 number left on my voice mail. To my surprise, these yahoos answer, UG! the nightmare starts. I immediately put speaker-phone on so my boyfriend can hear everything. They say they are calling from National City, but I have a strong feeling they are not. Anyway, the man puts a woman on the phone.

The woman goes on trying to 'sympathize' with me saying she knows what I am going through but becomes very stern and very intimidating. To the point where she does not stop to hear anything I have to say. All she wants is payment. She says that I owe the money; if I don't pay by midnight the 31st, the police will show up at my door; they will put a lien on my house and they will sue me.

The entire time, my boyfriend says it sounds like a TV is on in the background, but I am so nervous and upset, I don't know what to do. This woman say, all it will take is $50.00 to keep the police and all this action from happening. I think, $50 buc, even if it's a prank, it's 50 bucs and I'll put an alert on my checking account and I'll be out 50 bucs... live and learn. I had no idea.

I had no idea all this harassing is illegal. All of this threatening, berating, intimidating, and harassing. All of this making false representation about the debt, I had no idea who I was talking with - was it National City, was it this "law firm" debt collection agency. Why wouldn't anyone explain to me the reason why after 13 years from my original complaint this was coming back at me. No one would reason with me or hear me. Now I realize, anyone can claim to be a debt collector, write a letter to anyone and if they sound scarey enough, intimate you into paying them!!!!

Oh, WWR, I received a letter in January of 2008 supposedly from National City again saying they were accelerating the balance now due and owing in full. I needed to mail the account balance to them at an address in Portage Michigan (National City, POBox 500, Portage MI). I was to "consider this a fact"; "A charge off account remains on a debtor's credit report for seven (7) years. This may adversly affect your credit rating". I was to contact the person undersigned.

A couple things. The undersigned - never signed the letter and this debt is 13 years old. Was already on my credit report for seven years the first time unlawfully then! I didn't know about this law then and just found about it now!

WWR's harassment continued after this letter 'from national city' I received another unsigned letter in June of 2008 now from the Law Firm hired by National City.

At this point, I am making no contact whatsoever with anyone pertaining to this. Everytime I do, someone berates me into making a payment. I found out last night, that the payment I made extended the life of this debt!

Just Friday, February 13, 2009, a sheriff served my boyfriend with papers suing me. I was not home. Is my boyfriend considered a third party who received something pertaing this debt that revealed private info about me?

On February 18, 2009, I received a letter from WWR from a Pittsburgh address saying that they want me to contact them to work something out before this goes to trial.

Am I being sued? I am trying to find an attorney to help me. I don't want to spend any more money than this is worth. The debt itself is not that much, but I don't owe the debt to begin with!

Since I just found out about my rights and the unlawful behavior, I am going to overnight a cease and desist letter anyway to WWR and see what happens there. I only have until March 6th to respons to the civil action they filed.

Which by the way I am receiving all kind of mail to my house and hang up calls on my home machine from other kinds of attorneys thinking I am going backrupt! and need their help mediating this or other help. Geeez! What a mess.

The way in which WWR obtain my current address is somewhat disturbing as well via experian under my former married name which I have officially changed back to my birth name over 9 years ago now. And WWR is sending everything in duplicate to both me under the wrong name now and to my ex husband to my current address.

This is all a mess.!!!!

Jacaqueline

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

U.S.A.