Is JNR Adjustment Company calling you? You need to know your rights!*
When you reach the point that you are unable to maintain your financial obligations, such as credit cards, student loans, and medical bills, the accounts are eventually turned over to third-party collection agencies.
At that point, the situation quickly escalates from bad to worse, as many debt collectors are not exactly civil when it comes to getting your money.
You may even consider giving in and declaring bankruptcy just to get the calls and letters to stop.
The good news is that you don’t have to tolerate abuse or harassment.
Debt collection agencies are barred by law from using abusive, high-pressure tactics to collect on the debts that you might owe them. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was enacted in 1977 to combat these unethical debt collections agencies.
Under the FDCPA, a debt collector may not do any of the following:
- Call you at inconvenient times, such as before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. your time
- Fail to identify themselves as debt collectors
- Call you at work if you tell them that your employer does not allow it
- Contact you after you have sent them a formal cease communications request
- Use abusive or obscene language
- Discuss the debt with any third party except your spouse, attorney, or co-signer
- Threaten legal actions they cannot take or have no intention of taking
Alleged Violations against JNR Adjustment Company, Inc*
Despite these restrictions, some debt collectors will still resort to bullying and abuse to get you to pay.
JNR Adjustment Company, Inc is a collection agency located in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
It was established in 1974, has offices in Maple Grove, Minnesota and Orlando Florida, and is a member of the Association of Credit and Collections Professionals. Records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicates that JNR Adjustment Company, Inc has been accused of violating the FDCPA.
Cassandra Wegner v. JNR Adjustment Company, Inc.
Sometime in or around September 20, 2012, Minnesota resident Cassandra Wegner received two voicemail messages from Rollie Taylor, a collection employee of JNR Adjustment Company, Inc, regarding a debt she allegedly owed to Sprint Communications.
When she spoke to Mr. Taylor and disputed the amount demanded, he stated that he would get a report from Sprint regarding this alleged debt and get back to her later.
On or about October 17, 2012, Ms. Wegner received a collection letter dated October 4, 2012. (She later claimed that she never received the required validation notice within the 30-day period afterward.)
Upon receipt of the letter she called Mr Taylor at JNR Adjustment Company, upset because she believed that the agency would not contact her again until he had received the report from Sprint and completed his investigation.
She was also upset because this letter had a 10-day deadline that had long since passed by the time she received it. The letter indicated that after this deadline, JNR Adjustment Company was going to report her to the credit bureau for this alleged debt.
Mr. Taylor allegedly stated, “That letter was not supposed to go out,” or words to that effect. She pointed out to Taylor that the letter had his signature block on it, and he reiterated that the letter was not supposed to go out.
When JNR Adjustment Company allegedly continued to make collection calls and send letters, Ms. Wegner hired a consumer attorney and filed a lawsuit accusing the agency of the following FDCPA violations:
- Calling her at the early and inconvenient time of 7:45 a.m.
- Making false, deceptive, and misleading representations to collect a debt
- Misrepresenting the character, amount, or legal status of the debt
- Threatening legal action that it had no intention of taking
- Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
The matter was later dismissed.
The phone numbers for JNR Adjustment Company are 1-800-279-2567 and 1-866-812-2345. If either number appears on your caller ID, it means that a debt collector is trying to contact you.
If JNR Adjustment Company calls you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone or attempts to collect a debt from you during the dispute period, see a consumer attorney who can help you ensure that your rights are not compromised further.
If you decide to sue the agency, you may be awarded $1,000 per violation, in addition to attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. As a consumer, you have rights and protections that debt collectors are wise to remember.
*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number 0:13-cv-00617-JNE-JJK, from United States District Court, District of Minnesota.
Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against JNR Adjustment Company, Inc or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.