Law Offices Howard Lee Schiff
Reviews and Complaints

A year ago , Someone from this Law Firm contacted me about a old Target account.Took all the information they needed,Next thing i was served with a court date,but i was told to mail a letter from Social Security reguarding what i collect a month. Then i was told that i was well under the income that was suggested and that it would be taken care of. The onley thing i remember was the court date was set for 6/28/23 and i didn't hear anymore about it,I just assumed that it was all taken care of. Now today 8/18/23 I recieved a letter from Target stating that This Law firm is no longer handling my case, That a Rausch Sturm LLP is handling it now . I need to know if this issue was resolved or not and why wasn't i contacted. Please contact me in this matter ty. Chistina White [protected]

I received a notice to appear in court 9-26-16 in 4th District Court, State of RI, Washington County, IN RI, Wakefield R.I. were I am facing a Motion for Summary Judgment over an alleged bill. I have never heard of this law firm who represents Portfolio Recovery Association, LLC; I have no idea who these people, nor am I aware of any debt owed. I lost my home, car, and all that I had when National Disaster Hurricane Sandy wiped out the ocean shore houses in Westerly, RI. I became homeless, until FEMA stepped in.
Point being, I am 68, disabled, and have zero records. All my digital records were wiped out 4-15-16 or so when my PC network got his by a Ransom Hack; ((Google it)) - I paid some $1, 000 to several professionals who could NOT recover the encrypted files left behind by the serious {{USA}} hack.
Of the 17 pages of documents sent me by the DEBT collector/ their Law office... there is NO phone number and no fax number and NO email address with which to contact their R.I. addressed office. We all know that the US mail is way to slow to try for a continuance; SO WILL SOMEONE OUT THERE PLEASE GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO SCHIFF'S LAW OFFICES, 10 Dorrance St. Suite 515, Providence. RI 02903 ? PLEASE RUSH-- I must get a continuance since A) my wife just totaled our only working car and needs to seek medical attention, and B) I’d like to get prepared to meet who these people are, in court. I am NOT an attorney and hence must represent myself; all this for an alleged $5000 or so?!
I am Not someone who had not paid off a credit card in full each month.
As best I can tell Portofolio bought this debt from someone (who I do not know) and who knows who else is in the chain of buyers.

Please send RUSH ME, a valid email address to reach someone in their RI law office. I did, FYI, send a request for same, on their CT website. NO REPLY! Gee no surprise. Any help is much appreciated.
Respectfully,
Allen -- Elder Care Advocate- not for profit, volunteer.
9-19-16 WRITE ME DIRECT: [protected]@COMCAST.NET

God be with you all and may the SOB's disrupting my life feel the hammer of justice.

Howard Lee Schiff law has been stalking me for over a year about a bill that I didn't make when I was notified I went to the court house to find out what was going on. Im now dealing with the courthouse in regards to this judgment that started out at $450 a year later it is now $1600 with threats to put a lien on my home falsifying me as a bad person calling my place of employment. I just need them to stop harassing me so I paid the bell requested a letter stating that I paid the judgment price now they giving me the runaround continuing to harass me stating that I still owe them money I now need a lawyer to sue a lawyers this does not SENCE why are there so many crooked lawyers out there just trying to get something out of someone this is a terrible law firm they are horrible rude disrespectful nasty unbelievable I have never in my life been treated so bad by someone who calls themselves professional and the bad part about it I can't understand anyone's name that works there this is terrible shame on them.

I was pulled into court by Howard Lee Schiff for money I owed to a credit card company. Being out of work and not collecting made my options slim but I agreed to pay $10 a month. I guess that wasn't good enough for them because six months later I was back at court to fight against the money they had taken from my checking account. I was dead broke and had no food. I eventually got the money back but a year later they did it again. There were 4 other people with the same complaint that day. That was $700 I couldn't afford to lose and I got no warning that they were going to do it.

I have already been to court to have a lien removed from my home. The judge ruled in my favor for many reasons, among them are incorrect addresses, dates, names, falsified records and the fact that this is a debt from my ex, now deceased from 1997, and that the home I am in was inherited many years after my divorce.
On Christmas eve of this year, 2011, the last bit of my savings (for Christmas gifts for my children of course) disappeared. On inquiry with the bank I am informed that there has been an "execution" against my account. I asked for copies of the paper work, once again there is an error, using the wrong last name, one I have not used in 15 years, the bank permitted them to withdraw from my account, again.
I am at a loss to understand why we have no rights to be notified of such executions, before they happen and why the bank allowed this when the name on the paper work clearly did not match the account, and why this agency is allowed to run rampant through the legal system.
I am currently unemployed, have been raising my family on my own for 14 years, live from week to week with the help of family and do not know how to make this stop!
It has been a source of extreme mental anguish, causing me great anxiety, and made me fearful to trust the banking institutions as well.

on feb 8, 2010 i was served a summons to go to court that howard lee schiff was representing ge money bank for a credit card debt that wasnt mine as i had never applied nor recieved anything. this was the first i ever heard of this. never a bill or notice or anything, but how could i i never did it. i told them i didnt even live here at the time. the phone number they had wasnt even mine. i have written them faxed them information requests but they have not complied, told me it takes time to gather. shouldnt they have it all in a folder to go to court tomorow? hmm and the affidavit for fraud specifically says do not contact federal trade commission. why not its my right. ive asked to speak to the attorney but no all i get is someone who sounds like a telermarketer. please advise. i go to court tomorow and cant afford a lawyer.

This is the worst bunch of people that I have ever had to deal with. We had a Bernie's (GE Money) account sent to Bernie's because they messed up the contract. Even though we were making our payments, they were not being credited to the account properly. It was a 12 month contract no inetrest if paid in full within 12 months. We fought with them forever to provide us with documentation showing where our payments were posted. We never received anything. So we quit paying until the account was straightened out. In the meantime this was sent to Howard Lee Schiff . Our balance has went from $3800.00 original contract to $1457.00 (balance owed) all the way to $5200.00 since Howard Lee Schiff has taken over. I have fought with them since August 2010. They are rude, talk to people like they are dirt and they are not willing to provide you with any information. We have offered to pay the $1500.00 but they refuse stating that GE money will not settle. This is a bunch of BULL...I think the Attorney Generals office should definitely shut this place down.

I don't understand why the Attorney General has not shut this company down, but I do feel that all complaints to her office go on deaf ears! This Collection Agency by the name of Howard Lee Schiff needs to be Stopped! We had three (3) credit cards charged off by HSBC after contacting HSBC the would not work with us. We received notification by US Mail from this Collection agent in which I sent Certified return receipt "Request for Validation" which we never received. Instead they evidently went to court without notifying us and got a default judgement on two of the cards. Within two days last week we got a Sheriff's Capias Warrant and the following day a Sheriff's Levy on our home. We have a Homestead on our home but I am being told that they Sheriff can still go after my home for the $800.00 debt, my husband did go to court on the warrant but when he showed the "Request for Validation" they continued the date but the Sheriff's Dept is saying they will levy our home in the two weeks. SO basically this doesn't make sense at all. Not sure what we are going to do can't get a loan because of the Judgements and I still don't have the money. What I don't understand is what makes these collection people think that people have this money now. I wish some Big Law Firm would go after this company and shut them down for good. I really wish Atty General Coakley would investigate this company and its practices! SHe needs to shut them down, they aren't even licensed to collect in Mass, but that doesn't seem to matter.

i received 2 letters from the company . i on june 23rd 2010 that stated that i am offered to pay a settlement of 60% of the amount due in a lump sum before july 23rd, 2010 or i can pay the 70% of the settlement in 3 months of july 23, august 23, and sept 23rd. The other letter is stated that i have to pay the lump sum of the amount due before 10 days which is totally a different letter . Both of the letter is kind of misleading to me since i need to pay the 60% lump sum of the amount due before july 23rd.

Howard lee schiff has been nothing but a pain in my side. I had agreed to a payment plan with them through my settlement company and am on payment #3 and this people are calling my house all the time saying they are trying to collect on my debt.. I have documents from both my settlement company and schiff agreeing to the payment plan and so far have not missed one payment but yet they are calling again.. someone need to put a stop to these people and take them to court over false practice's. They will stop at nothing and have no shame in what they do.

They sent us a letter stating that they were representing a company called midland funding stating we owed them 13, 000 both shciff and midland funding both appear to be total sleaze operations. We called and got the run around they would not tell us what it was regarding or who we owed or anything about midland funding. IF YOU GET A LETTER FROM THESE LOWLIFES YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THEM WITH YOUR STATES ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE

The so called customer service is something less to be desired, horrible, horrible. I called to try and find out about anything that involves my so called case..without any resolution at all! The person who answered the phone was very, very rude and unprofessional and sounded like i was calling some fly by night place i don't know i must do more research!

I have HAD IT with these people! I was unfairly and deceptively scared into signing a judgment with these ###, I was not informed that I had the right to dispute the debt (which I believe they are required to do by law) was told that I did not want to waste the courts time and could go to jail which is illegal and I did not know this. I met them in the hallway BEFORE the courtroom, they acted like my best friend and I was basically scared into signing it and I personally NEVER stepped foot in a court room. I wish I knew then what I know now.
I have filed complaints with the Massachusetts Division of Banks, The Massachusetts Attorney General, I have written to the Governor of Massachusetts also my State Rep and the FTC. These people need to be stopped doing what they are doing, basically skating the line of the law because while they are attorneys, in reality they are debt collectors but are not subject to licensing as so because of their attorney status . I am currently looking into filing a class action lawsuit against them for deceptive practices but need more people that have been deceived like I have been. please email me at [protected]@yahoo.com

I wouldn't normally go this far as to write something online regarding a company. However, these rotten, ruthless individuals had me over a barrel in the beginning of the year and I'm still seathing over it. Due in part to the fact that they appear to be untouchable. I contacted the Atty. Generals office not once but twice with no response. I decided to do a little research and come to find out...one of the Attorney's in that firm appears to hold a seat in the State of Ct.
I owed Capital One $916.00. I sent everything but $200.00 to them. Schiff's office compared what they had to what I had and there was an amount of $316.00 I sent that they didn't have. They wanted proof. I got them proof from the bank and had the VP of the bank contact them. They told us to fax the statement to them which had all the information they needed and that would satisfy them. Now keep in mind they have put a $750.00 freeze on my account! Well because Capital One does an ACH Draft, it means I, nor the bank ever gets a copy of the check back. The cash is automatically withdrawn.
The freeze is still on my account a week later. I called Schiffs office again. Explain the situation and they tell me that the statement faxed with all the information, (who it was payable to, my name, the dollar amount and date) was not good enough! They wanted the account number to Capital One that it was paid to. Well Capital One won't talk to me because it's in collection with Schiff. I asked if they would call their client, Capital One. The guy tells me..."No Way, we will not do that it's not our responsibility" Continued to tell me "it's my problem and they will not help me. I can call whoever I want...a lawyer, my bank, it didn't matter they were not doing anything for me"
Needless to say, I could never obtain this information, therefore these low life people have now received $316.00 more than what they should have. May not seem like a lot of money to most but it certainly did some damage to my budget.
Good Luck to anyone who has to deal with these people. I despise them with all of my being. How these people sleep at night is beyond me. I just hope that one day when they fall upon difficult financial times someone treats them just as they have treated all of us who have been tortured by them.