Thousands of people across the country are pursued by collection agencies that harass and abuse them by phone and letter. If this happens to you, be aware that you have rights that protect you from such mistreatment.
Your Rights Under the FDCPA
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, regulates what third party debt collectors may say and do while trying to collect a consumer debt. Examples of illegal activities include:
- Asking you rude questions like why you don’t pay your bills
- Calling you at work after you tell them that you are not allowed to talk to them there
- Pretending to be attorneys, police officers, or federal agents
- Calling at unreasonable and inconvenient hours
- Reporting false information to the credit bureaus
- Use profane or obscene language
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Company Profile: Giove Law Office
If you are being called by Giove Law Office, here is more information about the firm.
Giove Law Office is a debt collection law firm in Niagara Falls, New York. It opened for business in 2003, has fewer than 5 employees, and is managed by Rodney Giove. Consumer litigation records at the PACER website reveal that consumers who believed that they were being harassed by Giove Law Office took a stand in court.
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Alleged Violations against Giove Law Office*
According to information on the PACER website, on or around June 8, 2007, Giove Law Office allegedly called the mother of a Florida consumer and asked to speak to him. The caller allegedly told her that her son was being sued and if he did not pay $1,100 immediately, or they were going to garnish his wages.
On or about November 7, 2007, the consumer received a written letter notifying him of the debt. On November 19, 2007, a collector allegedly contacted his employer, the U.S. Navy, requesting information from his personnel file. When a naval officer told them that he was not allowed to give out any information, the collector allegedly informed him that the consumer was “not paying his bills and (would be taken) to court.”
Shortly afterwards,the consumer contacted Giove Law Office and requested validation of the debt. A representative allegedly informed him that it would cost $600.00 to retrieve the information from microfiche and if he wanted to see it, they would be more than happy to show him the information in court.
The consumer replied that he was entitled to validation of the debt. The collector allegedly informed him that “she was tired of his f*cking attitude and she was calling his commanding officer to have him fired and ruin his job.”
Feeling harassed by Giove Law Office, the consumer engaged counsel and sued the agency for:
- Using abusive language
- Contacting third parties about his debt
- Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
- Threatening legal action it did not intend to take
The matter was later dismissed.
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Hire a Consumer Lawyer
The phone number for this debt collection agency is 1-716-284-0483. Its presence on your caller ID means that you are being called by Giove Law Office and should seek legal advice. If they call your family and employer without your consent and use abusive language, hire a consumer lawyer and file a claim against Giove Law Office. You could be awarded $1,000 in statutory damages plus your legal costs, so see a lawyer when you’ve had enough.
*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 8:08-cv-00356-EAK-TBM from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.
Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Giove Law Office or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.