Broadly, the term "Collections" refers to the practice of creditors attempting to force debtors to pay what they owe. There are various laws and regulations in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania that govern collection agencies, and strictly limit the types of tactics they are authorized to engage in.

What if I Am Owed Money in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?

If you are owed money and the debtor refuses to pay, you have some options at your disposal. However, you must tread lightly when it comes to collecting your debts. Creditors and collectors are governed by strict consumer protection rules. Violating these rules can hurt your chances of recovering what you are owed, and even subject you to civil or criminal penalties.

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 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. 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 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?

If you know that you owe the money being sought of you, and have the ability to pay it, you should do so - this is the quickest and surest way to end collections calls. Of course, this is not the case for everyone. Whatever your situation, you should always behave civilly with the collection callers, especially if they are doing the same. Whatever you do, you should not ignore the matter, because this will never make the problem go away, and will make things worse in the long run.

Luckily, you have some options in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. First of all, you should attempt to directly contact the creditor, and see if some modified payment plan can be worked out. If this doesn't work, you can ask the collectors to stop contacting you by phone, and they will normally be obliged to do so. Of course, this doesn't make the debt go away, but it might give you some time to collect yourself and prepare a legal defense. Once this happens, the collection agency can only contact you to inform you that it intends to sue you for the debt owed.

If you have hired a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania attorney to help you through this process, he or she might advise that you declare bankruptcy. Once this occurs, creditors are legally barred from attempting to collect against the debtor. Of course, this is a major decision, and should not be made lightly.

How Can a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Collections Attorney Help?

If you believe that a creditor is violating the law in its attempts to collect from you, you should get in touch with a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania attorney, since you might actually have a claim for damages against the creditor.

If you are thinking about filing for bankruptcy, a good lawyer in Pennsylvania can help you with that process, too.