Ratchford Law Group Reviews and Complaints: What the Record Shows and What to Do (2026)

Who Ratchford Law Group is

Ratchford Law Group, P.C. describes itself on its own website as a law firm whose primary business is debt collection. Every page of its site carries the standard notice that contact with the firm is an attempt to collect a debt. The firm lists two offices: 54 Glenmaura National Boulevard, Suite 104, Moosic, PA 18507, and 89 Newbury Street, Suite 106, Danvers, MA 01923. Its published phone number is 800-503-1665 and its email is contact@ratchfordlawgroup.com. The contact page lists office hours of 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Friday.

The firm says its attorneys have provided recovery services since 2004. The BBB profile records a business start date of September 1, 2006. The website also shows an NMLS ID number, 2354684. Its services page says it serves clients in Pennsylvania and New England.

The named principal is Michael F. Ratchford. The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania lists him as attorney ID 86285, admitted on November 17, 2000, with an active status and Ratchford Law Group, P.C. as his employer at the Moosic address. The Board's page states there is no history and there are no pending proceedings for him. The BBB profile also lists Polina Brown as Manager of Client Services.

What the firm collects. Its services page lists consumer accounts, including credit cards, personal loans, auto loans and student loans. It also lists commercial collections between businesses, lawsuits, judgment recovery and settlement. The firm says it can transfer judgments to other places and pursue execution on them. Its about page adds skip tracing, credit report access and scoring of accounts for collectibility. Ratchford is not the only firm creditors use; read our Rausch Sturm review to see how another collection law firm's record looks.

What it is not. Its website describes it as a law firm whose primary business is debt collection, and it does not describe any lending or funding. It acts for a client. The client is the creditor or the company that now owns the account, and that client decides what it will accept. The letter you received should name that client.

The complaint record

Better Business Bureau. As of November 9, 2026, the BBB profile for Ratchford Law Group, PC shows an A rating. The firm is not BBB accredited. The profile reports 4 complaints filed in the last three years and 1 in the last twelve months. There are 8 customer reviews, with an average of one star out of five.

The reviews describe a few repeated themes. Some reviewers say they found the firm hard to reach by phone, email or web form. Some say a payment plan or settlement they believed was agreed was later not approved. Others say they disputed the balance, or felt pressured by mentions of lawsuits and garnishment. The firm posted replies to some reviews. In those replies it disputed the reviewers' accounts and pointed to its own records, such as agreements that were not returned or payments that were not made. Reviews are one side's account. They are not findings.

CFPB complaint database. A search of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's public database for the company name Ratchford Law Group, P.C. returned 72 complaints received between December 3, 2022 and October 23, 2026. Of those, 61 were filed under debt collection. The most common issues were attempts to collect a debt not owed (19), false statements or representation (15), taking or threatening negative or legal action (12) and written notification about a debt (11). All 72 show a company response of closed with explanation. The database marks 59 responses as timely and 13 as not timely. By state, 35 came from Pennsylvania and 19 from Massachusetts. The CFPB does not verify the facts in complaints, so a count is not a finding of wrongdoing.

Regulators and discipline. We did not locate a state attorney general action against the firm, and the Disciplinary Board's page for its principal states there is no history.

What the court record shows

We searched CourtListener, which indexes federal court dockets and opinions. A docket search for the exact phrase "Ratchford Law Group" returned 184 federal dockets. That number includes bankruptcy cases and lawsuits where the firm is only mentioned, for example as a creditor's contact. A search limited to case names returned 8 dockets where the firm is the named defendant, filed from 2018 to 2025. An opinion search for "Ratchford Law Group" and for "Ratchford Law" returned no published opinions. CourtListener does not cover state court cases, so this search does not show suits in state courts.

Here is what the federal dockets we read actually show:

• Walch v. Ratchford Law Group, PC (D. Mass. 3:18-cv-30125, filed July 31, 2018). A Fair Debt Collection Practices Act case. The complaint attached a June 22, 2018 letter. The plaintiff filed a notice of settlement on February 15, 2019, and the court entered a settlement order of dismissal on February 19, 2019. The docket does not show the terms or any finding against the firm.
• Clark v. Ratchford Law Group, PC (E.D. Pa. 5:21-cv-03358, filed July 26, 2021). An FDCPA case that also named Galaxy International Purchasing, LLC. On May 20, 2022 the court denied the plaintiff's motion for reconsideration and motion for judgment on the pleadings. On June 29, 2022 the court granted the plaintiff's own motion to remove Ratchford, and the firm was terminated as a party.
• Lussier v. Ratchford Law Group, PC (E.D. Pa. 2:23-cv-00597, filed February 15, 2023). A federal case against the firm. The firm filed an answer with affirmative defenses on April 24, 2023. An amended complaint filed by stipulation on May 23, 2023 added Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC. The case closed on May 25, 2023. The entries we saw do not show how it ended.
• Pettigrew v. Ratchford Law Group, P.C. (D. Mass. 4:23-cv-40136, filed October 3, 2023). A federal case against the firm. The firm was served on October 4, 2023 and the case closed on October 25, 2024. The available entries do not show the outcome.
• Magnotta v. Ratchford Law Group, P.C. (M.D. Pa. 3:25-cv-00382, filed March 3, 2025). Listed as open. We have not read the pleadings, so this page does not describe the claims.

The other three named defendant cases are Menderis (D. Or., filed 2018, closed November 30, 2018), Williams (E.D. Pa., filed 2019, closed June 18, 2019) and Concordia (D. Mass., filed 2022, closed May 24, 2022). A lawsuit is an allegation. None of the docket entries we reviewed records a judgment against the firm.

Why Ratchford contacts a business owner

Because a client has placed an account with it. On the firm's own list, that account can be a credit card, a personal loan, an auto loan, a student loan or a commercial balance between businesses. For a small business owner, the most common versions are these:

• A business credit card. Some business cards hold the owner personally responsible, so check the card agreement.
• A personal guaranty. If you signed a guaranty for a business loan, lease or line of credit, the creditor can pursue you personally when the business stops paying.
• A commercial account. A supplier or lender to the business itself may refer an unpaid invoice or loan for collection or suit.
• A personal account that the business could not cover. When cash runs short, owners often fall behind on personal cards and loans first. Those are consumer debts with stronger federal protections.

The firm's services page says it contacts people by phone and in writing before any lawsuit, with the involvement of a lawyer at the collection stage.

Your rights: validation, disputes and which law applies

Consumer debts. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act covers debts for personal, family or household purposes. It defines a consumer as a natural person. Ratchford says its primary business is debt collection and that contact with it is an attempt to collect a debt. Under the CFPB's debt collection rule, a collector must give you a validation notice in its first communication or within five days after it. The notice names the creditor, itemizes the balance and gives an end date for a 30 day dispute period. If you dispute in writing or ask for the original creditor's name within that period, the collector must pause collection of the disputed amount until it responds.

Pennsylvania law. Pennsylvania's Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act also covers consumer debts, meaning debts for personal, family or household purposes. Its definition of a consumer includes a guarantor. Under that Act, a debt collector that violates the federal FDCPA also commits an unfair or deceptive practice under state law. The Act counts an attorney collecting a debt as a debt collector, except for filing or serving pleadings or discovery, or prosecuting a lawsuit to reduce a debt to judgment.

Business debts. A debt owed by a company for business purposes is generally outside both laws. That does not leave you without protection. Lawyers are also subject to professional conduct rules, and the creditor still has to prove its claim in court. And a personal guaranty on a business debt can raise its own questions, so read it closely.

How to dispute with this firm. Ratchford's contact page has a special handling form. Its submission types include a dispute, a complaint and a request for information, which the form labels validation of debt. Whatever channel you use, put the dispute in writing, keep a copy and note the date you sent it.

What to check in your own paperwork

• Who the client is. The letter should name the current creditor and, if the account was sold, the original creditor. Match it to your own records.
• Whose debt it is. Is the account in the business name, your name, or both? Did you sign a personal guaranty? This decides who can be sued and which protections apply.
• The balance. Ask for an itemization of principal, interest, fees, payments and credits. Compare it to your last statements.
• The date of your last payment. Pennsylvania sets time limits for suing on a debt. Note the date of your last payment and ask a lawyer how the limit applies to your account before you pay or promise anything.
• Whether a case already exists. Search the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal for your name and your business name. If you have been served, the deadline runs from service.
• Anything you already agreed to. If you set up a payment plan, get it in writing. Several BBB reviewers say a plan they believed was in place was later not approved.

If a lawsuit is filed

In Pennsylvania, smaller civil claims go to a magisterial district court and larger ones go to the county court of common pleas. The papers will name the creditor as plaintiff and Ratchford Law Group as its counsel. Read the notice for your hearing date or answer deadline. If you do nothing, the court can enter a default judgment, and that ends most room to negotiate.

A judgment lets the creditor use enforcement tools such as a levy on a bank account. Pennsylvania law generally protects wages held by an employer from attachment, with some exceptions, but a bank account can be reached. Ask a licensed attorney how this applies to you. This page is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney about your case.

For a business, the risk is often the business bank account, a lien or a guarantor's personal assets. See how settlement compares with bankruptcy if the debts are larger than one account.

Can a balance Ratchford is collecting be settled?

It can be, in some cases. The firm's own services page says it has negotiated settlements on a large number of accounts. The decision belongs to the creditor client, so any offer goes through the firm to that client. Offers backed by records are easier for a creditor to evaluate: bank statements, a profit and loss summary, and a realistic lump sum or schedule.

Get every agreement in writing before you pay. It should state the account, the amount, the payment dates, and that the balance will be treated as settled once you pay. If there is a lawsuit, it should say how the case will be closed. If there is a judgment, ask for a written satisfaction once you finish paying.

Business Debt Adjusters negotiates business debt, including business credit card balances, defaulted loans and merchant cash advances. We review the paperwork, tell you what is realistic, and negotiate with the creditor or its counsel. See how business debt settlement works, or our page on business debt relief in Pennsylvania.

Sources

• Ratchford Law Group, P.C., About Us (debt collection disclosure, offices in Moosic, PA and Danvers, MA, services since 2004, NMLS ID 2354684)
• Ratchford Law Group, P.C., Services (consumer and commercial collections, litigation, judgment recovery, settlement)
• Ratchford Law Group, P.C., Contact Us (phone, hours, special handling form for disputes and validation requests)
• Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, attorney detail for Michael F. Ratchford, ID 86285
• Better Business Bureau, Ratchford Law Group, PC profile and customer reviews
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, company Ratchford Law Group, P.C.
• CourtListener federal docket search, case name Ratchford Law Group (Walch, D. Mass. 3:18-cv-30125; Clark, E.D. Pa. 5:21-cv-03358; Lussier, E.D. Pa. 2:23-cv-00597; Pettigrew, D. Mass. 4:23-cv-40136; Magnotta, M.D. Pa. 3:25-cv-00382)
• CFPB, What information does a debt collector have to give me about a debt?
• Pennsylvania General Assembly, Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act, Act 7 of 2000
• 42 Pa.C.S. 8127, personal earnings exempt from process

Facts on this page were checked against the linked sources on November 9, 2026. Business Debt Adjusters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized to represent the company described.