"Collections" is the process by which creditors try to get nonpaying debtors to pay the money they owe. There are a huge number of laws in Lake Worth, Florida governing the tactics that collection agencies can and cannot do.
What if I Am Owed Money in Lake Worth, Florida?
If you are owed money and the debtor won't pay, for whatever reason, you are entitled to seek collection by any lawful means. Of course, the means of collection that are considered "lawful" are quite limited. You should be aware of the rules that govern collections before you proceed, as violating them can hurt your chances of collecting, and even expose you to liability.
Several practices that collectors cannot engage in include the use of abusive language, contacting third parties about the debt, and threatened or actual violence.
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 significant, you might also want to hire a collection agency in Lake Worth, Florida. You should make sure that any agency you hire is reputable, and has not been cited for violations of the rules governing collections.
What if Someone Is Trying to Collect Money Against Me in Lake Worth, Florida?
Of course, if you owe money and have the capacity to pay it, you should do so. If the collections caller is behaving courteously, 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.
Your best option in Lake Worth, Florida might be to contact the creditor directly, and try to work out some type of new repayment plan. The earlier you do this, the more receptive to your ideas the creditor is likely to be. If this isn't successful, you can demand that the collectors stop contacting you by phone, and they will usually be obliged to do so. Of course, this doesn't make the debt go away, and you should only take this route if you are ready to defend against a lawsuit from your creditors, since demanding that they stop contacting you generally leaves them with no other option but to sue.
If you have hired a lawyer in Lake Worth, Florida, they might advise that you apply for bankruptcy. Of course, whether or not this is a good idea depends strongly on the facts of your particular case, so you should not do so unless an attorney has reviewed the facts and determined that bankruptcy is a viable solution.
How Can a Lake Worth, Florida Collections Attorney Help?
If you believe that a creditor is violating the law in its effort to collect from you, you should get in touch with a Lake Worth, Florida attorney, since you may actually have a claim for damages against the creditor.
Also, if you are considering bankruptcy as an option, a seasoned Florida attorney can help guide you through the process.