The following is a review of third-party debt collector, the collection law firm of Zwicker and Associates PC (a.k.a Zwicker & Associates):

Name: Zwicker & Associates, PC
Address: 80 Minuteman Rd
Andover, Massachusetts 01810-1031
Telephone: 800-370-2251
866-367-9942
Fax: 978-686-3538
Website: http://www.zwickerpc.com
President: Paul W. Zwicker (admitted to Massachusetts BAR in 1979)

DFL Review

Zwicker and Associates PC practices civil litigation and specializes in creditor lawsuit filings on consumers that are delinquent on their debts. The collection law firm represents various plaintiffs, including Chase, Discover, GE Money, and American Express. They incorporated in 1991 in Massachusetts, where they are presently headquartered and have branches in Alabama, Georgia, California, New York, Texas, Nebraska, and Utah.

WARNING: If you reside in any of the aforementioned states and received a collection notice from the law firm of Zwicker & Associates, you probably received a legal demand for payment or were served with a creditor lawsuit (summons and complaint).

Being that Zwicker & Associates has notoriety for filing collection lawsuits, their legal threats must not be taken lightly. However, as a third-party debt collector, they DO NOT have the same collection rights as an original creditor or debt buyer. Being a “third-party” debt collector, this law firm MUST abide by state and federal collection laws, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

Under the FDCPA, a third party debt collector CAN NOT threaten to sue you unless they follow up with a lawsuit. They CAN NOT make false threats against you, such as threatening to take away your property or garnish your wages. They CAN NOT harass you or use profane language. Furthermore, Zwicker must be licensed to practice law in the state in which they are attempting to collect a debt.

Company’s History of Consumer Complaints

On the Rip Off Report website at http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/Body/Zwicker-_-Associates.aspx a total of 11 complaints were filed against Zwicker and Associates.

On 03/2012, on the BBB website at http://www.bbb.org/boston/business-reviews/attorneys/zwicker-associates-p-c-in-andover-ma-19172//complaints – the Better Business Bureau reported that in the last three years, a total of 80 consumer complaints were filed by consumers against the law firm of Zwicker and Associates PC. Additionally, 43 of those complaints were closed in the past 12 months and 65 were related to billing/collection issues.

The online BBB Customer Reviews Summary includes a consumer review posted on 9/15/2011 alleging that Zwicker “did not respond to a debt validation request for a mentally challenged family member.” The complainant also intended to “contact an attorney to protect a mentally challenged family member and get advice on how to sue GE Money and Zwicker and Associates for unfair debt practices and violating the FDCPA.” (See full review here: http://www.bbb.org/boston/Business-Reviews/attorneys/zwicker-associates-p-c-in-andover-ma-19172/customer-reviews).

In July 22, 2009, in the New York Attorney General website at http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/attorney-general-cuomo-sues-throw-out-over-100000-faulty-judgments-entered-against-new, Attorney General, Andrew M. Cuomo announced his office sued 35 law firms (including Zwicker & Associates) and two debt collectors in New York State to throw out an estimated 100,000 default judgments improperly obtained against New York consumers. The lawsuit against unlawful debt collection practices, which was filed in July 21, 2009 in New York State Supreme Court, Erie County, alleged that the defendants “failed to notify New York consumers that they faced debt-related lawsuits and failed to properly serve consumers across the state with legal papers, causing thousands to unknowingly default and have costly judgments entered against them without the chance to respond or defend themselves.”

Zwicker & Associates, PC has also been sued by consumers for violations of the FDCPA. However, the overall amount of consumer complaints and lawsuits filed against the law firm seems consistent with their size.

If you owe a legitimate debt and are being threatened or sued by a collection law firm, you may have been a victim of collection abuses. And, you should pursue whatever legal means necessary to protect your rights. You can also contact Debt Free League at (800) 213-9968 for debt relief assistance. Hiring a seasoned negotiator can help you convert a creditor lawsuit from a potential judgment into a satisfactory out of court settlement.

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7 Comments

  1. Charlene says:

    It is so upsetting to hear about these companies that take advantage of people who have happened upon hard times! To not notify people of lawsuits, and to mistreat them is totally unacceptable, especially from an organization such as a law office, which should be professional and know better. I had no idea that the FDCPA had so many protections again debt collectors or that they had different laws than the original person to whom the debt was owed. Thanks for the information, I learned a lot.

  2. Amanda Chase says:

    About 10 years ago I was in a serious crisis and had too much debt to handle. Thankfully my family helped me out in the end but collectors were harassing me day and night and were extremely rude, and yes they even used profanity. I was dealing with even more stress from them too. Terrible times. I am not sure if protection from that was around back then but it is great to know it exists now because times are tough and people are going into more and more debt, and need help.

  3. Jen M says:

    What these collectors do is just beyond horrific. It is bad enough if you are in debt due to outrageous medical expenses, but to be harassed over and over again for not being able to pay your bills on time is so bad you cannot put the pain they inflict onto you into words. Thank you so much for this post as I was not aware that debtors are protected from this kind of harassment. More and more people in this situation need to be aware of this. It will slash their stress levels in half, or at least 1/3 at least.

  4. Miriam says:

    I am in Canada and I wonder if there is a similar kind of law. There should be and I wish I had looked into it because once upon a time I had a debt issue too and collectors were calling me and harassing me at very bad hours I should add. Everywhere should have some kind of protection against abusive collectors.

  5. Dan Spark says:

    See, this is why I dislike credit cards and only use them when I absolutely need to. Thankfully I have not run into this problem and hope it never happens. But if I ever do it is good to know I am protected. Thanks for the post.

  6. Jackie says:

    I actually knew someone who worked at one of the major credit card’s (can’t say which one) collections department. And she actually admitted she enjoyed harassing debtors, and they were there for her to take frustrations out on them. So that tells you right there that those who work in collections get something from it. There is never an excuse for that kind of abuse and I am glad there are those such as yourself to bring awareness out to debtors that there is help and protection. Thank you.

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