Fear will make people do things, or not do things, and fear can be paralyzing. Jon and I recently had a client forward an email they had received from a collection agency. There wasn’t much way we could respond to the party that sent the email, there was no mailing address, and the phone number hit a dead line when we tried to return the call. The threats made to our client included about everything short of a plague of locusts. There were threats of every civil litigation known to mankind, threats of criminal prosecution of every sort, threats against their drivers’ license, and just about anything you could think of, short of huffing and puffing and blowing their house down. It was an obvious violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but many collection agencies that make such a blatant violation of the act will conceal their identity where it makes it very difficult to pursue prosecution. But the difference here was we could assure our client none of those threats were going to happen. If someone were to actually try to carry out the threats, we could beat them down with a bankruptcy stay order.
The easiest way you can tell what might be a legitimate collection action or someone making generalized threats is to let us take a look at your situation. Many people stop answering the phone and opening their mail because of fear of what might be lurking out there, or they’ve had their ears blistered with the threats of a rogue debt collector. We can put an end to the collection process and stop the harassing phone calls.
Frequently we have clients that have never met with an attorney and are fearful of the process, but it’s the fear of the unknown that makes it more painful. The most difficult part is admitting you are in financial difficulty and making the first phone call. We will take time to meet and explain the legal processes, and that often will allay your worst fears. Our office is in the West Nashville/Sylvan Park area. We’re the guys with a flag pole out front and a bird feeder on the side. You do not have to pay to park; in fact you can park in front of the office and walk right in. But do contact us for a free appointment today.
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