Palisades Collection

Many times, unpaid debt held by one company can be sold or collected by another company. These agencies are called debt collectors and they are enlisted to get accounts paid, often using methods which violate the law. The consumer may not realize the connection between the original creditor (for example Visa, Mastercard or Discover) and the collector now contacting them by repeated phone calls and threatening letters.  To deal with these collection calls, the consumer must learn a little about how debt is collected and then decide to either speak to the collector, such as Palisades, or not.

We recommend that all contacts with the debt collector be recorded or accounted for in some form.  Make notes of phone call times, dates, and numbers that you receive in connection with an attempt to collect a debt.  Next, make sure to keep all letters sent by debt collectors. Often, these letters contain language which violate your rights, and if so, may prevent the collectors from having a right to collect payment. If you decide to consult with a lawyer eventually, these letters will be the best evidence as to how your rights were violated. Keeping everything you receive can only benefit you even more because these records can help an attorney win your case.

If you are served with a lawsuit seeking payment for the debt, don’t panic. Read all instructions carefully and note all dates, such as the date an answer may be due or an appearance in court is required.  Lawsuits are time-sensitive and not reacting immediately will directly affect the way in which a consumer lawyer can help you.  Once you have followed the instructions, contact a debt harassment consumer lawyer immediately. Ask any and all questions you may to determine if you need to retain the lawyer (we suggest you do so).

Next, gather all necessary documentation associated with your case.  Records of the debt, statements, contracts, and copies of payments are all helpful. If necessary, contact your bank or credit institution and obtain copies of cancelled checks and your account history, indicating when payments were made.  Also, have a copy of the original contract indicating the agreement between you and the creditor.

While it is possible to defend yourself against a debt collector, such as Palisades Collection, we would advise against it.  For one, Palisades’ lawyer will be concerned with getting payment, not discussing how his client has collected the debt. You will feel overwhelmed and defenseless if the intent is to debate the debt with their lawyer.  Second, limited knowledge of debt collection law and rights often has the effect of working against the consumer, especially when dealing with a collections lawyer.  A misunderstanding of your rights, or how the law has been interpreted by the courts, can and will negatively impact your ability to fight or reduce the claim against you. This will cripple your case in a manner that even a consumer attorney may not later be able to fix.  Third, lawyers who collect debt for companies such as Palisades are experienced in dealing with unrepresented consumers and often will engage in strategies that result in substantial consequences to the consumer.  Some tactics include failing to give you documents to which you are entitled to defend yourself, overstating the debt, demanding fees and costs that the contract does not provide for, or even re-aging the debt so that it appears to still be within the statute of limitations.

A consumer who is properly represented and heeds the advice of counsel can very often defeat the debt collector. Palisades is no different.  If your rights are in any way violated under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), you are entitled to as much as $1,000, plus attorney fees all payable by the debt collector.  Getting such results depends entirely upon selection of a qualified consumer attorney who knows the FDCPA well.  Why go it alone when you can be represented for free?

If you have been contacted by Palisades Collections and feel that your rights have been violated or just feel harassed and threatened with nowhere to turn, make the call to a qualified FDCPA attorney today. We can stop debt collectors from creating additional anxiety in an already stressful financial situation.