Is Redline Recovery Services calling you? Here’s what you need to know:
Although many say that the economic outlook is brighter than it has been in years, hundreds -if not millions- of Americans are struggling with their own personal recessions. If you are receiving calls and letters from debt collectors about overdue credit card bills, student loan payments, and other obligations, it’s important to know that they have to be professional and ethical when dealing with you. To behave otherwise is illegal.
Your Rights Under the FDCPA
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to protect consumers from being intimidated and harassed by third-party debt collectors. It imposes strict guidelines on what collection agents may or may not do during their communications with consumers and prohibits actions like the following:
- Calling at inconvenient times, normally before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m., in the consumer’s time zone
- Yelling and swearing
- Threatening to garnish your wages or have you arrested
- Disguising the fact that they are debt collectors trying to collect a debt
- Revealing details about the debt with anyone but you, your spouse, or your attorney
- Ignoring you when you dispute the debt
Company Profile: Redline Recovery Services
Redline Recovery Services, LLC is a collection agency located in Houston, Texas. It was established in 2003, has 160 employees, and is managed by Michael Fletcher. Records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that Redline Recovery Services, LLC has been accused of violating the FDCPA while attempting to collect consumer debts.
Alleged Violations against Redline Recovery Services
In 2012, a Colorado resident started getting calls from Redline Recovery Services about a debt she allegedly owed to Discover. During one conversation on January 25, 2012, an agency representative allegedly told her that she had to pay the debt to get it off the credit bureau reports and that it would remain on the credit bureau reports until paid.
She hired a consumer attorney and sued Redline Recovery Services for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:
- Using false, deceptive and misleading means to collect a debt
- Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
The matter was later settled.
Hire an Attorney
The phone number for Redline Recovery Services is 1-716-250-4800. If you see this number on your caller ID, be aware that a debt collector is attempting to reach you. If they threaten to damage your credit if you don’t pay immediately, hire a consumer attorney.
Such unethical collection tactics are against the law, and if you take the matter to court with your attorney’s help, you could potentially be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. If Redline Recovery Services tries to pressure you into paying, the law could eventually force them to pay you instead.
*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 1:12-cv-01838-LTB-MEH from United States District Court, for the District of Colorado
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 Redline Recovery Services, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.