Is Aargon Collection Agency Calling You?*

Is Aargon Collection Agency Calling You? Here’s What You Need to Know

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) forbids debt collectors from using hostile, abusive, and/or deceptive means to obtain money from you. If you have been contacted by a collection agency, bear in mind that under the FDCPA, you have certain rights that include freedom from harassment.

Illegal actions include:

• Refusal to provide you with information about the debt upon request
• Contacting you outside approved hours (generally 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.)
• Calling you at work after you indicate that your employer does not allow personal calls
• Continuing to write or call after you have requested them to stop in writing
• Threatening to have you arrested or imprisoned
• Presenting themselves as lawyers or police officers when they are not
• Contacting you when you are being represented by an attorney in the matter
• Using abusive language

If a debt collector crosses the line, you can sue them and file complaints with regulating bodies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission.

Aargon Collection Agency has offices in five states: Nevada, Hawaii, Florida. Colorado, and Missouri. According to its Manta.com profile, the company has been in business since 1996 and employs 50 to 99 people. A review of the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) system and consumer affairs boards indicate that Aargon Collection Agency has been sued many times for alleged violations of the FDCPA.

Ralph Sayers v. Aargon Collection Agency

According to PACER**, Ralph Sayers, a Florida resident, began getting phone calls from Aargon Collection Agency representatives. He told them that he was not the party they were looking for and to stop contacting him. He also gave them the correct phone number for the person who allegedly owed the debt, but the calls continued for around two years. Debt collectors also allegedly contacted him at his place of employment, even after he advised that he could not take such calls there.

Mr. Sayers claimed that Aargon Collection Agency had caused him a great deal of stress by persistently contacting him even though the party they wanted was no longer at that number. The complaint he filed in U.S. District Court accused the agency of using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt, phoning him at inconvenient times, and calling his business line when personal calls were prohibited. All of these activities were prohibited by the FDCPA.

The matter was later dismissed.

What to do if you get ‘the call’

The phone contact for Aargon Collection Agency is 1-800-326-7118, so if you get a call from this number, a debt collector is trying to get in touch with you. When you speak to the agent, ask for proof of the debt, which they are required to provide within five days. If they refuse and behave in a manner that can be construed as hostile (yelling, swearing, threatening to garnish your wages or send you to jail), contact an attorney who handles FDCPA litigation. Once you have legal representation, debt collectors are legally obliged to discuss the debt with your attorney, not you.

If the harassment escalates, you have the right to take the collection agency to court. Your attorney will prepare and file the paperwork and work with you to obtain compensation for any stress you experienced. If you win, you may be compensated up to $1000 for an FDCPA violation, plus additional damages for any harassment you’ve experienced.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 8:12-cv-01881-EAK-TGW, from United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division

*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 Aargon Collection Agency or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.