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 Tyler, Texas that govern collection agencies, and strictly limit the types of tactics they are authorized to engage in.
What if I Am Owed Money in Tyler, Texas?
If someone owes you money and won't pay, you have some legal options to seek repayment of your debt. However, you need to be careful in this area. There are many laws and regulations detailing what debt collectors can and cannot do. Breaking these laws, even inadvertently, can harm your chances at collecting, and maybe even expose you to civil penalties.
Some 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 considerable, you might also want to hire a collection agency in Tyler, Texas. 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 Tyler, Texas?
If you really owe the money that they are trying to collect, and are able to pay it, doing so would be your best option for ending the collections calls. Of course, this is not everybody's situation. When dealing with collectors, you should try to maintain the high ground by behaving in a calm and civil manner. In any event, you should never ignore the problem, as this usually makes things worse.
Luckily, you have some options in Tyler, Texas. 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 Tyler, Texas 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 Tyler, Texas Collections Attorney Help?
If you think that the collection agency is violating the law in its attempts to collect, you should probably call a Tyler, Texas 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 filing for bankruptcy, a good lawyer in Texas can help you with that process, too.