Is Premier Monetary Solutions calling you? Here’s what you need to know.
Many people have had unpaid bills go into collection, and through no fault of their own. They’ve been laid off, become disabled due to illness or personal injury, or encountered an unexpected setback that consumed a lot of their income, such as divorce or car repairs. These reasons don’t matter to debt collectors, who can be rude and intrusive when pursuing your money. If you’re being contacted to the point of harassment, be aware that such behavior is illegal and you have recourse under the law.
Your rights under the FDCPA
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a consumer protection law that was passed in 1977 to curb abusive third-party debt collectors. It gives you the right to request proof that a debt actually exists and tell a collector to stop contacting you. The FDCPA also prohibits unethical and underhanded collection methods like the following:
- Using abusive or obscene language
- Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
- Calling you at work after you’ve told them that your employer won’t let you take such calls
- Misrepresenting how much you owe
- Threatening legal action they have no intention of taking
- Claiming to be an attorney or a law enforcement official
Company Profile: Premier Monetary Solutions
Premier Monetary Solutions is a collection agency headquartered in San Diego, California. It was established in 2007, has fewer than 10 employees, and is owned by Michelle Torres. According to the civil litigation records retained by the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website, Premier Monetary Solutions has been sued for allegedly using debt collection practices that violated consumer rights under the FDCPA.
Alleged Violations against Premier Monetary Solutions
According to PACER, on or around early 2011, a California resident began receiving calls from Premier Monetary Solutions about a $3000 personal debt. He later accused the collectors of being rude and offensive: on one occasion, when he said he was unemployed and could not pay the debt, the collector allegedly retorted, “You are full of sh*t. All you are is a liar.”
In other instances, collectors from Premier Monetary Solutions allegedly threatened to garnish his income if he did not immediately pay and warned him that he could be arrested and prosecuted. He also alleged that they called him constantly and even discussed the debt with his parents, ex-wife, girlfriend, and his girlfriend’s mother.
He finally hired a consumer attorney and filed a lawsuit accusing Premier Monetary Solutions of the following FDCPA violations:
- Using profane and abusive language
- Harassing him by causing the phone to ring incessantly
- Discussing the debt with third parties
- Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors in all communications
- Failing to send a debt validation letter
The matter was later dismissed.
Hire an attorney
The phone number for Premier Monetary Solutions is 1-858-271-5531. If you see this number on your caller ID, it means that a debt collector is trying to collect money from you. If they use demeaning and abusive language, call several times a day, and talk about your debt to third parties, hire a consumer attorney. Your attorney will help you fight back in court, where you could potentially win $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. When debt collectors ignore your rights, they could be ordered to pay you instead.
*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 3:11-cv-01332-H-MDD from United States District Court, Southern District of California
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 Premier Monetary Solutions, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.