FL and PDL - help please I have 13 loans

Queen, first of all, it's going to be okay. You're not the only one in this nightmare. My main concern right now is that you closed your bank account on Friday; however, you have pdl debits pending. That happened to me. It "forced" my account to re-open and all the pdl debits went through causing hundreds of dollars in overdrafts and then bank fees. Immediately Monday morning, go to your bank. You have to be quick. If you find that the account has been "forced" open, dispute each and every one of the pdl debits that were put through. Tell your bank they are unauthorized charges on your account, which is why you closed the account. However, they may or may not be "nice" about it. I've heard horror stories regarding banks. Mine was okay about it. They disputed the debits - had to wait - they added fees - had to wait - I contacted the corportate office and complained - fought with the bank branch - and on and on. But in the end, we finally got it back to zero. However, rather than supposidly "closing" it again - I put a HARD DEBIT BLOCK on the account. That way you don't have to worry about it re-opening because it's still open (and they won't close it with a negative balance anyway). So you may need to put a HARD DEBIT BLOCK on it. No debits will go through. You will not even be able to use your ATM card. But do it. The pdl's will keep hitting your account with debits if it's still open - so you have to put the HARD DEBIT BLOCK on it. I can not stress enough that you need to do this FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING. If 24 hours pass (at my bank anyway) it's too late to dispute the charges. I was there the morning it happened, so I was good. With that being said, I see you've done your research and listed your pdl's. However, please list them as the amount borrowed & the amount you have paid on each one. That makes a huge difference. Not the "rollovers" or "extensions" or "fees". Just what you borrowed and what you paid. I'm so sure you've overpaid on some of these. We can then get your Florida law posted and figure out how much you really should have paid or what you've overpaid. We can then go from there. Your main thing right now is getting that bank account taken care of. The pdl's are probably going to still get their money. Act fast. Meanwhile, go through your loans, list the amount borrowed (principle only) and the amount you paid on every one of them. We are more than glad to help you. You are not alone.

If they are not registered or licensed in your state, you legally do not have to pay. They are violating the law by operating in a state in which they are not licensed to loan or collect. Tell all of the companies not licensed in your state to fuk off.

Anthony, I so love you! :D

Why thank you.

Monday morning, as Cannr stated, inform your bank that these loan companies are acting illegally by operating in your state without proper licensing. You may also want to file online reports about them to the Attorney Generals Office. This will allow the AG to be your frontman.

I was going to go on and on regarding sending the letters, revoking priviledges, filing complaints, etc. I wanted to first touch on the bank issue. That's the main concern. Then get queen's laws posted. Although, I really do like Anthony's attitude! But, my thought is that if you've overpaid (which you probably have) you MAY be lucky enough to get a refund if you scream loud enough.

She can get a refund by submitting the documents showing what she has paid to the Attorney generals office, he will send out a letter to each of them which is basically a court order to pay you back what you overpaid. I have seen it done many times.

I forgot to mention, get the Federal Trade Commission involved also, and let the AG and the FTC hit them from two sides, and it will happen quick.

That is what I always advice. Don't ever leave out the FTC. I swear to you, they do pay attention. A lot of people focus on the state AG, which is good. Please do that. However, do not leave out the FTC. It's on-line, it's easy, and it does get into the proper people's hands. I always suggest the BBB also only because I actually had about 3 or 4 resolved just through the BBB. Of course, I had filed with the AG and FTC also. But the BBB was quick and I was lucky enough to have a few pdl's go through them and resolve it. It doesn't hurt. That's also on-line and easy.

Thanks for your quick reply to both of you.
I called the bank this morning when I saw the debits to come through. You should of seen my eyes guys. I thought I was going to cry. I do have to go to the bank because the customer service cannot help. Have to see the lady that close my account. Promise to do that Monday and give the forum an update on closing bank accounts. The funny thing, nothing was pending when she close account. So even though payday loans are legal in my state, that must be store front payday loans then? The AG office said none of them where registered in the state of florida but I got a reply from ten dollar loan and they replied:

WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DISCUSS WITH YOU ABOUT THIS ACCOUNT FILE YOUR COMPLAINT AND ONCE WE HEAR FROM THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL WE WILL FAX THEM YOUR CONTRACT AND THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID SO FAR, WITCH IS NOT EVEN THE PRINCIPLE AMOUNT YOU BORROWED. YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!


The girl can't even write, she called me a witch :lol:
can I send the AG office bank statements because I have paid over thousands of dollars in roller overs fees

Please excuse me what is FTC? How do you begin writing a letter, any samples ? What about the rude people of Sonic? Dont these people call the dead people in your family too.

I spoke with Lee Dixon her fax is 850-410-9882 if anyone is in the state of florida and also wants to file a complaint. She said the legal department responds within 90 days. That is sure a long time.

Okay, queen, you're okay. I know the feeling all to well of seeing those debits on my account that was supposed to have been closed. I FLEW to the bank! I was in a panic! Just do what I posted above. Go first thing Monday morning. They will tell you that the debits were pending and it forced your account open. That was my arguement with my bank. I asked if any pending transactions were on there. I was told no. I was told my account was closed. That's when the fight began. However, like I said, it ended okay. Just had to complain to the corporate office and email the hell out of the branch manager! LOL! You need to get that taken care of. Since the debits went through, it is open again. They will not close it with a negative balance. Put a hard debit block on it. Tell them these are illegal unauthorized charges on your account. Hell, tell them you're working with an attorney regarding the illegal companies. That way they won't argue as much with you. However, enough about that until Monday! But do it quick! Now - ten dollar payday is MTE FINANCIAL. They are Satan worshippers. They are totally illegal. They will drive you insane. I'm being honest here. They send everyone the same thing. Don't feel singled out. We've all received the same emails, replies, etc. Horrible, horrible people. Sonic - Satan worshippers again. Totally illegal. You need to stop these debits, as these pdl's will debit you until you're dead and then try to debit some more. They will claim you still owe them money even if you've paid $1000 on a $200 loan. Do not be surprised by any of it. You have filed with the BBB? That's a good start. You need to file with the FTC, which is the Federal Trade Commission. They are on-line. They are www.ftc.gov. You know the site for the BBB. You can google your state attorney general and the site should pop up. There are complaint links. In my case, I have to print the form out and mail 2 copies in. I can't do it on-line. FTC you can do on-line. I also have filed with my state DFI, which is the Department of Financial Institutions. They have been most wonderful to me. I've emailed them and learned that internet lending in my state is illegal, they can't collect on an illegal debt, etc. Great site to visit and learn and file complaints. My state DFI also makes you print out the form and mail it in. Can't do that one on-line. But you can google your state Department of Financial Institutions and it'll pop up. There are complaint links. Most of these sites have links called "consumer protection". That's where the complaint links are. I also go so far as to file with www.ic3.gov. It's for internet complaints. Hell, I file with everyone. As for letters to send, there are links here on the site you can use as example letters to use to send to all your pdl's. You can use one or many. I just used one letter, typed everything in the world you can think of on it, and emailed it, faxed it, and mailed it to every pdl. I just stated my loan amount, how much I paid back, what I overpaid (or what is only legally allowed in my state), that extensions/fees/rollovers were not permitted, etc. I also put in there that I revoked their privilidge of debiting my account (doesn't matter, they will do it anyway) and I also put in there I revoke any wage assignment I may have signed with their company and also stated for them not to contact me via telephone - to only corresponde through email or USPS. You may want to include that in your letter. Phone calls will continue from the pdl's, the debits will continue with the pdl's; however, you have documentation that you told them to STOP. They key here is to have as much documentation as possible. Email them and if they respond, save it, print it, whatever. If they mail you something, keep it, copy it, whatever. Keep EVERYTHING. And if you've already filed complaints with the agencies, you can put that in your letter also. I just stated "I would also like for you to be aware that complaints have been filed with (and I named each agency I filed with). They really don't care because they'll still hound you and try to call and try to debit your account. But you will have documentation of everything. If they call you, email them and tell them you received a call on "whatever" date and you are stating again not to call you. You will have documentation. Hell, I don't take the calls! LOL! I know this is a lot and I can go on forever, but I'll stop! Post if you have any questions, queen!

Thanks Cannr for all your advice. I will sleep tonight even though my checking account is over drawn by 2610. I am going to work on this tomorrow morning gather everything together and send all the faxes I have to and mail them on Monday. You give good advice and you care. Sad I did not find this website sooner. If I have any questions, I will let you know.

We are all here for one another, and soon you will be able to pass on everything that you have learned to someone else who needs help.

Queen, you come back any time. If you have questions while doing your papers/letters/loan amounts/whatever, please post. I swear, there is a lot we can tell you. But the most important is that you'll be okay. I know you're bank account sucks right now, but it too may come out zero. And your pdl's, we'll get straightened out. You are soooo not alone. I thanked God when I found this forum. I was scared to death not knowing a single thing. At least now I can give advice! Even though it's from experiencing the "ugliness" with banks/pdl's/phone calls/etc. But that's what we're all here for. Believe me, someone has experienced something! So for any posts you put, someone will respond. I certainly will. Please know that you are now going to get some knowledge and know that you're not in trouble. You can always come here and ask for advice before doing something. I always come to the forum when I get a letter or email threatening me - ask for advice - get all I can - then I respond to the pdl. I actually would advise that to anyone. Because there are things we don't know. Or laws we don't know. Or rights that we have that we don't know. And someone here will know. So, please, feel free to ask any questions. There are no "dumb" questions (I think I asked them all!) and no one is going to put you down. We have all been there and done that! We're all working together and we're hear for you.

cannr

Question: I went into the FTC website, I will need to add up all the fees I have paid for the ipdl. How do I figure out if I paid them and then re-loaned? does it matter? the form seem easy.

Do I file Sonic as an international company since they are in Ireland? When they see all my complaints coming in they are going to wonder if I am or is crazy with all those pay day loans.

Queen, the FTC form - put down the amount of the loan (what they actually deposited into your account) then the amount you have actually paid them. If you have had more than one loan (like had one, paid it off, got another) list them separately. Show each pdl, the amount they deposited into your account and the total amount you have paid them. That's enough. If they need more information, they will contact you and ask for it. As for Sonic - use the US address. I believe I posted it for you. It is a d/b/a name. The US address is the Terminal Way Reno NV one. Whenever anyone has filed for them, we've been using the Reno,NV address. Any more questions, just ask!

Oh. P.S. - Don't worry about them thinking your crazy! Some people have had up to 20 pdl's! Hell, I had 12 to start with! I told you, you are not alone! We've been there and are still there! LOL! You're not the only one filing complaints for a million different pdl's! It's just that we are now getting the information we need and now know our rights and now know that these are illegal transactions. We were "stupid" in the beginning and didn't know a thing. I think the agencies are aware of this. Once we all realized we've been ripped off by illegal companies, we just started filing complaints! So, don't worry about that. I was thinking the same thing as I was filing my complaints. I thought "Oh Lord, these people are going to do some kind of investigation on me for having all these idiotic loans!" LOL! :D

cannr,

u r a funny person. It's 1 am in Mia and I cannot sleep reading alot of infor in the forum.

If I have any more questions and I will, I'll let you know. This is a lot of work. All worth it.

Well, at least I can entertain you while you're going through this mess! :D At least I can actually laugh again! You will, too! Get some rest. Sleep good knowing you're safe. Tomorrow is another day. And, of course, we're here for you with any questions or if you start freaking out about anything!

Cannr, very well put.

I wasn't signed in. The above comment is me.

Queen: You are in good company here. Me and Cajun Bulldog began attecking the illegal tactics of Bass and Associates months ago, and look at what happened. Bass is now being sued for 1.3 million dollars. All it took was spreading the word to other consumers who did not know how to handle them. We directed them to the Florida AG and a Jacksonville-times Union reporter. After spending many hours a day dealing with the Florida authorities and the media, two little consumers caused alot of trouble for one sleazy collection agency.

Anthony, I love reading your posts. People like you keep these forums thriving. It's always so nice to read through reassuring posts like yours while we are going through this nightmare. ;)

I agree! Anthony..you and Cannr keep me afloat!!!

Hello cannr,

Thanks for your reply last night.

I have a question about totaling up the fee's. Believe it or not, cashnet usa and payday ok have a loan history that shows the fees paid.

So in these examples, my loan from paydayok, a 500 loan from 8/2006 to present I have paid in fee's 772.16 (scary) and in cashnet usa a loan from 2/2007 to present; 900 loan has cost in fee's 1850.00 (more scary). The FL state law finance rate is 10% with no rolloever fees. Wouldn't you consider these loans paid in full and they would owe me money? And if internet payday lending is illegal why should I pay them any more? If they would sue, they would lose?
Thanks for your help.

I would advise you to file complaints on them with the AG and FTC right away, and let them deal with them.

This is just one of countless actions that the authorities are taking against these crooked companies:

Thanks for your help Anthony. I have been working on these all afternoon on all the payday loans and its
been hard work. I cannot believe how much I have spent on these roll over fees. I could of went on vacation and stayed at the most expensive Hotel in Disney for two weeks.

What do I tell these companies when they begin to call and suck out all my engery? I been reading alot on the forum and have seen alot of nightmares. I refer that I speak with them before they start calling my Manager. Any Advice.

Queen - isn't it ugly when you put it on paper how much you've paid? Oh, don't we all know! Don't worry though. It'll be okay. Just make sure these idiots don't get any more money. We can help you with sending letters, etc. Actually, in the question about "can they sue you" - if they are internet loans, the answer is no. They are not even legal. So they are not going to sue you. They are illegal. Okay? So don't worry about that at all. Don't worry that you're not giving them any more money. Please. I freaked out over that myself! Don't stress about that. Now - regarding the wonderful phone calls. Yes, they will probably call your work (isn't that pleasant?). Most of them will just leave messages to call them. If you can get to the phone yourself, you can do what I did and say "She no longer works here." I swear, I had to do it! So they didn't call anymore. LOL! But if you are unable to do that, try to field the calls to voice mail or whatever. If you have a receptionist, ask her to screen your calls. In the meantime, type up a letter/email/whatever and state to each one of them that they are not permitted to telephone you at all under any circumstances at work or at home. Also tell them not to telephone your references at all under any circumstances. Tell them the only means of communication is to be made via email or USPS only. No telephone calls will be permitted. Tell them you need to keep accurate documentation of all communication, so only use email or USPS. Fax the letter/email the letter/mail the letter to each pdl. I can't promise you the calls will stop. Some of these idoits don't read a thing you send them; however, you will have documentation that you sent them a letter stating no telephone communication. Email it/fax it/mail it. I'm notorious for emailing the same damn thing 40 times. If they don't get the picture, I keep on emailing. Any more questions - please ask! You hang in there, queen. I can tell you're up for this! And we are here for you!

Queen...you can find a cease and desist letter here in the forums..Goudah and Pollyansay have some great letters...all you will have to do is change the info to reflect your amounts,etc. That's what I did...then fax/certified mail and/or email them to the ipdls.

Hello cannr,

Guess what I went to the bank this morning and they where unable to help me. They said because of the bank name change and even I close the account it takes 24 hours to go through. I couldnt see the brach manager because she was with a client. I am
very upset and know they paid alot of the payday loans like sonic and MTE,etc in full. What do I do?
I even told her I wanted to revoke those charges because they where fraud and I sent them not to debit the account. Had my letter from Sonic and MTE.
I am wiped out clean from account and oweing the bank 2610. Please help

I would contact your attorney general stating that you were ripped off, and include the amount you owe the bank. He may contact the bank and inform them that the loan companies were taking money out of your account illegally. It can't hurt to try. If you are in Florida, the AG is already knowledgable about this subject.

Okay, queen. This has happened a lot! Hopefully we'll get you to where you'll be okay. When it happened to me, I actually spoke to the branch manager. You might need to go back and speak with the manager. That's the key person who can "pull strings". You need to have them dispute each and every pdl debit that went through. Tell them these are unauthorized charges. Tell them you are working with an attorney (they don't know) regarding these companies and they are illegal & these debits need to be reversed. They should be able to at LEAST dispute each and every one of them. They'll tell you it'll take time for this to be resolved. In the meantime, your account is overdrawn. You need to have them put the hard debit block on your account since you won't be able to close it due to it being overdrawn. That way no more pld's will hit it causing it to become more overdrawn. I then went and wrote a letter to the corporate office of my bank explaining the whole situation. Luckily, they contacted me. I wrote it to the bank president - attention complaint department. When I spoke with them, I told them the whole story again. Tell them you are working with an attorney regarding these illegal companies (they don't know). They told me it would take time to get it resolved, but in the meantime the bank would continue to charge me for having an overdrawn account. I disputed everything the bank told me and argued with them. I then emialed my branch manager and told her I had been in contact with the corporate office and they are "looking into the matter". Just to light a fire under thier ass. It took about a week and I saw all the pdl debits were reversed back off. I contacted my branch manager via email and then told her to reverse all the bank fees they added on there. Within a week, all the charges were reversed off. I got back to zero. You need to talk to the branch manager. You can write/call your bank corporate office and get them involved. Do not let up on them. The manager needs to dispute every pdl debit that went through. They do this over the computer. You need to have the manager put a hard debit block on the account since it is still considered open and active. The pdl's will continue to hit it with their debits. Do this as soon as possible. And you need to get back to that bank and get the MANAGER to help you. Queen, do not back down. I fought the bank and got it straightened out. Deal with the manager only and get the corporate office involved. Get the emails of these people so you can corresponde with them. Once these items are disputed, it will take time for them to "assess" if they are indeed fraudulent. They are. You have your letters. Again, tell them you're working with an attorney. Hell, I told them that to light a bit more spark on the fire. They will continue to put bank fees on your account. Fight those also. But, please, don't get too stressed out. This is not uncommon. Fight to get those debits reversed. Only deal with the manager and also the corporate office. Please let me know what's going on. And, do not forget to put that hard debit block on the account. It is not closed. Don't let anything else be able to go through the account because your bank is stupid. Post back with any more information or questions.

Also, see this thread -

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/paydayloan/close-account.html

It pretty much goes over what Cannr said above . . . .

I am on fire today, I already left a message for the bank to call me, Branch Manager. And, I am going to do what Anthony suggested too. I am going to fight.
But when I talked with the rep this morning who I thought close the account said they could not but blocks on the account or deposit only. They do not have these options. I wanted to kill her this morning when she said it take 24 hours once she process the to close the account. She is a total air head. I went to another location and they referred me to the that opened my account. I am super stress today, cannot think about anything else and my company is writing new software company and I am rep.
my department, how horrible. I got you guys to help me through it.

queen, you got an idiot CSR. What the hell do they mean they can't block your account or put it on deposit only? Yes, they can. Don't let them tell you otherwise. I spoke with a couple of CSR's over the telephone and they were like talking into the air, so I drove my ass to the bank and demanded the manager. I know it's easier said then done, but try to calm down and don't give yourself a stoke! I shouldn't even say that because I was having a TOTAL freak out attack when I went to the bank. They probably thought I was going to go on a shooting spree! Don't let them feed you crap that they can't put a block on your account. The pdl's will keep hitting it if it's open! They can too put the block on. It's a total debit block. Nothing will go through. I can tell you're ready for it, queen. Do not back down to them. Of course, try to be reasonable so they'll help you, but STRESS the urgency of the matter, as these are illegal transactions. Please let us know what's going on.

Yes, listen to Cannr - They can do something to stop debits on your account.

If they still tell you no, ask them this: What do you do when you find out that an account was stolen, or fraudulant activity was occuring? They freeze the account! They can do something to help.

Cannr,

This is the way I feel today :x. I feel that the bank as raped me and has the b_lls to look in my face and tell me what she said.

I am going back to the bank tomorrow morning, at 9am
and this time wait for the Branch Manager. She herself will have to do the claim for each PDL because the air headrep choose to act stupid and not help me at all. The people as Regions are horrible.

The story will continue tomorrow. If that doesnt work I am going to contact everyone in the State and all the dead people to help me. This is an abuse and
I am going to have to take a day off to drive up there
to the AG office in person. These PDL have to stop.
They cannot do this to honest people, wanting to pay the loan back and you get this instead. Can I call the police and also put in fraud in my account?

I am so disgusted.

If the bank is enabling the problem to continue, than you may also report their inaction to the banking commission.

Anthony, How do you that?

You would report it to the OCC if it is a national bank. It stands for the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. You can file complaints online with them.

http://www.fldfs.com/ for Florida State

http://www.flofr.com/banking/ Also for Floridians

queen, do as the above posts state. File complaints. Tomorrow, do as you said. Go back to the bank, have the manager put a dispute on each and every pdl debit. Tell the manager about your experience with their representative. Tell your manager that you are aware that they CAN put a block on the account/freeze the account/whatever. Don't let them feed you crap. And, if the manager is just as stupid as the representative, ask the manager for the corporate office address and telephone number. Make them give it to you. They'll know you mean business. And, by all means, contact the corporate office. And, if you're still fired up, if the manager is an idiot, feel free to tell them that you will be filing complaints since they are not willing to help you regarding fraudulent activity on your account. My experience is that even if you do get the pdl debits reversed off, it is up the the branch manager to reverse any bank charges. So, if the manager is willing to help you as much as absolutely possible, try to stay 1/2 way on their good side. That's the person that can remove the bank charges. However, if the manager is a butt, then don't worry about it. Tell them you will be filing complaints. Please be sure and tell the manager (since the rep was a ditzy idiot) that these are unauthorized debits by illegal companies. Tell the manager you are working with an attorney regarding them. At least that way they make take you more seriously. Go you for it, queen. You've really got nothing to lose. And, you might be surprised even. Maybe the manager will actually be a decent human being and help you as much as possible. Please be sure to let us know what's going on. We can help further if needed.

Good morning Cannr,

I didn't sleep much last night. I have been at work since 6 am adding up fee's, etc. I check my bank this morning and guess what happened? The bank returned everything all the PDL and now my account is pending the NSF fees, looks like they are updating the account information because my negative is only 22. The amount should be around 600. I am still going to that crazy bank and speak with unqualified employees again and demand to speak to the branch manager. It's different in MIA because if you dont have money these people dont give you their time of the day. I give an update on the bank situation later on.
You all have a great day.

Anthony, the information you provide is great and I forward on to my department. It's amazing how many
illegal companies and uncooperative people are out there.

Queen - YES! :D You at least got rid of your pdl debits! That's the hardest part right there and it's done! Now you need to have the branch manager reverse those bank fees off. You need to get that account CLOSED. If they reverse your bank fees, you should not be in the negative any longer and you can close the account. Just make sure you talk to the branch manager. They are the only one who can reverse the bank fees. Then close the whole account. Go to a different bank and open a new account. I'm so happy to hear that the pdl debits were reversed off! That is a MAJOR accomplishment! Now, make sure you talk to the branch manager. Get those fees off. Close that account so it won't be an issue any longer with pdl debits. Get rid of it. And, yes,Anthony is a WEALTH of information. He's got great information. Anything at all, let us know, queen! This is a relief off of my mind, as I was getting concerned!!!

Queen, listed to Cannr and Anthony! I'm in Florida too and one of these illegal pdls called me posing as a collection agency and through threats of jail and imminent arrest, got me to have my best friend put $300 on his credit card! I found this site, everyone was wonderfully helpful and with their assistance, I dug myself out of my situation. I cancelled my account, had it forced open, had to scratch and claw but, eventually...just telling my bank that I had filed with the AG caused them to close the account outright. Now, I'm still getting calls (which I calmly answer with the knowledge I now possess due to the individuals on this forum) and send a multiple emails a day (as Cannr can attest to :lol: ) to both pdls, filling their inboxes with versions of the letter Cannr also sent. They're SO tired of me, they ignore them and have stopped emailing me. So, moral of the story: Take a deep breath...you're not alone. Everyone here WILL help you and you WILL be okay. Take heart and don't give up! It will soon be set right and you will persevere!

Hello Cannr!

I went to the crazy bank "Regions" and their Branch Manager called in "sick" today. I saw the Asst. Mgr which was not helpful. He gave me big speach about giving my checking account access to people that I did not know. I just sat there and said, I guess you have never had any money peoples. I bet you have a big family, etc. I told him there is nothing worst losing you parent towards oral cancer; two years of suffering and not having a dime to lay them to rest when you are there only child. He doesnt know what it is to be a single parent with "sometimes" child support, and I went on and on. He just looked at me and said that he was going to speak with the csr that close my account last friday and ask her what had happen. I told him she said that the account took 24 hours to the account to close and these items came in. Believe or not this witch was also off today. Does anyone work at banks on Wednesdays? Gosh!
I am just glad that they did reserved the payments to the PDL and I can dal with that for now.

oops i'm sorry - i am writing faster than i can think and spell

Ok forum, got two emails requesting payment options and to call ASAP.

Should I ask them for their license number that proves they are legal in FL. :)