"Collections" is the process by which creditors attempt to get nonpaying debtors to pay the money they owe. There are a large number of laws in Woodlake, California governing the tactics that collection agencies can and cannot do.

What if I Am Owed Money in Woodlake, California?

If somebody owes you money and is refusing to pay, you have many options at your disposal. However, in doing so, you will be governed by very strict consumer protection laws that govern the collection of debts. Breaking these rules can hurt your chances at successfully collecting, and might even expose you to civil liability.

The law prevents creditors from engaging in any form of violence against the debtor in an attempt to collect. It further bars them from using abusive language or contacting third parties about the debt owed by the debtor.

What you can do, however, is send an invoice of the debt to the debtor, along with a firm (but civil) demand for timely payment. If the debt is considerable, you might also want to hire a collection agency in Woodlake, California. You should make sure that any agency you hire is dependable, and has not been cited for violations of the laws governing collections.

What if Someone Is Trying to Collect Money Against Me in Woodlake, California?

Of course, if you owe money and have the ability to pay it, you should do so. If the collections caller is behaving cordially, you should do the same. In any case, it is never a good idea to ignore the issue, because that will definitely not make it go away.

Fortunately, you have some options in Woodlake, California. First of all, you should try to contact the creditor directly, and see if something can be worked out. If this doesn't work, you can demand that the collection agency stop contacting you by phone. When this happens, they are not authorized to contact you further. This, of course, doesn't make the debt go away, but if the calls are becoming unbearable, it might buy you a little bit of time. Usually, when this happens, the creditor gives up on extra-judicial collections, and files a lawsuit against the debtor.

If you have hired a lawyer in Woodlake, California, they might advise that you file for bankruptcy. Of course, whether or not this is a good idea depends heavily on the facts of your individual case, so you should not do so until an attorney has reviewed the facts and determined that bankruptcy is a feasible solution.

How Can a Woodlake, California Collections Attorney Help?

If you think that the collection agency is violating the law in its attempts to collect, you should probably call a Woodlake, California attorney, since such behavior on the part of the creditor might actually give you a claim for damages against it.

If you are thinking about bankruptcy, a good California bankrutpcy attorney can help guide you through the process.