Fed up with MBD Attorney’s constant harassment at your cost? Finding it hard to get any feedback from them? Are you constantly frustrated with the arrogant behaviour of their so called ‘consultants?’ Are you still waiting for a breakdown of the ‘legal fees’ that are charged, or even an indication of the interest rate charged?
If you said yes to any of these questions above, or any such related issues – you have come to the right place.
For those not acquainted with MBD Attorneys – here is a quick update:
(You can also visit: http://www.mbd.co.za/aboutus/history.htm to read more.)
MBD Attorneys is a law firm that specialises in debt collecting. They also buy debtors books from large corporate companies and then follow up on the outstanding debts on their own behalf. Kind of reminds one of a certain species of large bird, doesn’t it? Picking over the leftover bones of other, more able hunters…
It seems that MBD Attorneys have no real interest in actually recovering the outstanding debts. Instead they let it simmer a while to gain interest (at an undeclared interest rate, normally reflected as 100% of the initial amount) before initiating step two, the harassment. After a first call out of the blue (remember these are usually old debts that have been disputed by the client) the fun starts. Regardless of your level of cooperation you will receive calls and sms’s on a constant basis – office hours, after hours, weekends (right after or during Saturday afternoon Rugby is a favourite) any time reminding you of the payment due, or else they will ‘proceed with legal action.’
What they conveniently forget to tell you is that you get billed for each and every sms or phone call made, regardless if you pay the agreed monthly installment or not. Again, it is not for us mere mortals to know how much we are being charged as the ‘consultants’ are ‘unable to send detailed accounts’
The best you will get looks something like this:
Initial amount owed: R1100-00
Interest on amount: R1100-00
Legal Fees: R5700-00
Payments: R4000-00
Total outstanding: R3900-00
Any attempt to get more specified info will most certainly result in failure, coupled with more phone calls and sms’s of a threatening nature.
From where I stand it looks like they are ‘farming’ with old debt – I shall call it Debt Farming. A lot of the debtors are already in this position because they cannot afford to pay the debts due to some or other financial challenge. By increasing the debt amount drastically, MBD actually ensures that this debtor will never, or with great difficulty be able to repay the debt. They can often afford a monthly payment, to keep their name clean. Good one for MBD – they now have thousands slaves for life… Is this how one practices law? I wonder when is the last time they handled a real legal case – being the great law firm an’ all?
Evidence of this is the fact that no one ever seems to receive (as far as I have been able to detect) a subpoena or any other direct action to actually recover the debt. In my case I have been waiting 7 (yes, seven) years for my day in court to fight this, but how do you fight a predator that stays in hiding? I can only deduce from this that it is actually in MBD’s interest to raise the amount owed, instead of really trying to recover the original outstanding debt. Who will want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs if you can keep it alive for ever?
I am also one of the victims of this unscrupulous company with it’s rapacious attitude and systems and have decided to strike back at them. After all, we are still consumers and what these guys are doing is unacceptable. I call on everyone with an MBD story to tell, to share it with us here. Just mail it, and I will publish it (names and contact details will be treated as confidential.) If your letter is not published, not to worry, we will add you to our database and contact you if more info is required.)
The data that we receive will help us to deliver a comprehensive report regarding this company to the SA Legal Council, SA Debt Collectors Association, Carte Blanche and all journalists or other interested parties that we are able to contact.
The aim is to create public awareness of this issue, as well as to expose any possible unlawfull practises in order to stop this blatant harassment and exploitation of the system.
Companies dealing with MBD must also be made aware of who they are dealing with and what the consumer has to say about it.
To get a better idea of how widespread this problem is, visit Hello Peter. You will be horrified…
MBD No More!!!
Hi there
I feel the same about MBD. Today I spoke to them and of the 4 (four) times that I phoned today none of them could answer the phone properly, it was either a “Yes” or “Hi”. Now, being in a business and working with public, if I should answer our company phone like that I will be fired on the spot as it is not professional at all.
The dear lady that left a nasty message at my dear elderley mother in-law was at this time no where to be found as their shifts changed. And only at my 4th call could I speak to somebody that could at least tell me that she will get back to me after I said that my paperwork is ready if they want to get in to the story further. A small mistake on their clients side.
Is somebody doing anything about them?? Nobody is supposed to be above the law. How can they do business being so unprofessional?
It is strange how MBD is conducting its business, I too thought I was alone in this quest,
In 1999 I enrolled with Lyceum college, paid my registration fees and had an outstanding balance of R622,00. In 2001 I received a message from MBD Attorneys telling me to make arrangements to settle the debt [then it had increased to R700.00]. I made arrangements to repay the debt in instalments of R200 every months. My last payment was in May of 2002. I never received any clearance letter from them, I was just glad that they were off my back. Then on the 3rd of August of 2002 I receives a call from an MBD consultant telling me that I owe National Private Colleges R1000 plus. I told her that the debt that I know of has been settled in May. I refused to pay and told them to check their system. From then on I was bombarded with calls and sms’s. The calls then completely stopped, until one day in 2006 when I received a message advising me to make arrangements to pay them, by then the debt was quoted at around R4000,00. I told them the same story that I had settled the account in 2002. The calls then resumed, day and night, to get them off my back I decided to pay them ‘again’ provided that they give me a detailed statement. In around August of 2006 I made a deposit of R400 to them. They agreed that they were going to post a statement through to me. The statement I got from them had nothing more than the initial debt of R622, on top of that interests and Legal fees were added and increased the debt to R3 560.34. On seeing that I never made any payments again. Every time a consultant called they quoted different amounts. They even went to a point of sending their debt collectors to my place of work. I have now been handed to the credit bureau for a debt that was paid off. I am tired of this people, were is the professionalism in all that, I believe that it is time that we stand together in order to stop this nuisance. They need to be exposed.
Together we can stop this nuisance. MBD has been robbing people. Let us show them that we know our rihgts as consumers.
I found this reception work by a friend. It doesn’t pay much. So i cannot fight these attorneys and they ar enot going to stop. I don’t know what to do. Can’t afford to pay any more. I am a single mom and it is very difficult to clear my name with people like them. Others are also doing this. I don’t know any more.
I am continually harassed by MBD Attorneys for an account of someone I don’t know. (Mistaken identity). I get threatening calls and sms’s on a continuous basis. I have phoned their offices and have told them that I am not the person they are trying to trace and don’t even know the person and to please remove my number from their system. I have spoken to a person with the name of KABELO and he said my number would be removed. But lone and behold, early the next morning Saturday at 07h25 I got another call of harassment. Can I lay a charge of harassment at the police station and if so, where would this lead too?
I am fed-up with MBD Attorneys. Literally on the verge of suicide. I cancelled my Virgin Active account for several reasons in 2002. I didn’t receive any confirmation from them although I sent constant letters and e-mails reminding them of my membership cancellation. (of which I have records). I heard nothing from Virgin Active until 2005 in which they then confirmed that my membership was cancelled at the beginning of 2003 and somehow acknowledgement and confirmation from their side had gotten lost in the system. Nevertheless, although difficult to understand, I am human and am aware that with the underskilled people in crucial and critical positions, that errors and mistakes do occur and that paperwork can get lost continuously FOR 3 YEARS!!!! Nevertheless my complaint is not with Virgin Active but with MBD Attorneys. I get threatening sms’s. I am contacted daily by either Samantha or Gavin or Renchia (the list is endless) and every day I explain the same story over and over and ask them for their fax number so that I can send all the documentation confirming my cancellation through to them and the very next day they contact me again and the story starts all over. Today, in attempt to send them the 32 pages of correspondence that I have accumulated over the past 7 years, (not to mention those that got lost during relocating), they kept stopping the fax machine so that I can’t send my faxes through, yet, that is what they ask for everytime they phone me. “Mam, can you please be sending dat infawmation frew to me so I can be taking your case off are sihstam cos we didn’t be rahceiving da last one”. I lost it today. Blew my top. I started faxing them at approximately 11h00 am this morning, it’s almost midnight and I am still faxing it through to them and to every single fax number I can find for them. I will harass them constantly as they have been harassing me for the past few years on a daily basis. I will not stop until they stop … I will use up all their fax machine paper and ink … I will keep their lines engaged and I will freak them out until they leave me alone and if that doesn’t work, I will take legal action against them for harassment. I have had it with them and their constant whining and wasting my time. In my profession, as in theirs, I too bill by the hour and for every session they keep me busy, I will invoice them and I will use my debt collectors to collect the money from them … even if I have to opt for doing it in an ‘unethical’ manner. If anyone can assist me with any fax numbers for MBD Attorneys that you may have on record, please send them to me so that I can successfully continue my mission and by doing so, hopefully keep them off the backs of other victims of their abuse and harassment.
Bernadette, please let me know if you are able to lay a charge of harassment and I will standy by you and join you in opening one as well. I cannot take it with them anymore. It’s starting to make me ill and stressed, so much so that I am on prescription medication and I will seek compensation for that as well when the case goes to court.
Good luck guys and if you have time …. fax them, harass them, drive them crazy! MBD Victims Unite! Whoohoo!
Take care …
Chantelle
Guys if we can lay a charge of harassment against these A-holes let me know.
I have been harassed for 6 years with no correspondence from these people claiming I now owe them almost R10 000 ‘s worth of interest!!!
Every month I get a call from them, I answer my phone and they have all my details. They swear that they have sent the documents through but I never ever get anything.
i cant handle this either let us all get our facts and take them to court please
Let us all get together and take them too court as a large group to stop them from stealing and harrassing us.
Isnt there something legal we can do to stop them??
I recon just phone these people and star harassing them the same way they harass us.. stupid stupid stupid….
MBD Tel (011) 560 4396 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (011) 560 4396 end_of_the_skype_highlighting / 4705
Hi.
I have just had very interesting chat to Woolworths whose name MBD has been using to exort money from me.
According to their records my VERY old account has been paid up.
I therefore refuse to pay these Vultures a cent more and cannot believe that that i was stupid enough to fall for this.
I am going to have extreme fun in being as rude to every one that calls me as they have been to me!
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
DOWN WITH MBD!
I am in a DEBT REVIEW PROGRAM. Notified MBD and THIS MORNING AT 7.30 they started harrasing me again
I call MBD to arrange payment,but they want me to pay for ever, even their consultants they don’t respect customers,
I am the victim
I have huge problems with this MBD they logg trace alerts on your credit profile with ITC please can some one help us???
Received a account for monies I dont even have a account with them as I have already been sequenstrated 10years ago.
I am also fed up with mbd attorneys they have been pestering me for over six months about a heritage collections account that was paid at least four years ago I received another call tonight and I really lost it I keep asking for information as to what and when I am supposed to have bought as the last time I dealt with heritage was four years ago their consultant told me just to pay the ac count I am afraid I told her where to go and hung up on her, I have never had any correspondence from heritage collection only rude calls from mbd.
Hi,
MBD are calling me continuously over a non-existing DSTV account. I have asked them to issue a summons and attach a copy the contract for which they are supposedly instructed to collect from me. They cannot do so, as there is no such contract, yet they keep on calling.
Regards
(Name withheld)