Are You Being Called By Hawkeye Adjustment Service?*

Are you being called by Hawkeye Adjustment Service?* Here’s what you need to know.

When you owe money to one of their clients, there isn’t much that a debt collector won’t do to make you pay. They will call you day and night and threaten to drag you into court or destroy your credit if you don’t give in to their demands. When this happens, it is important to stand firm and know your rights.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

If a collection agency is harassing you, they’re breaking the law and can be fined or even lose shut down. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, regulates the actions of third-party collection agencies and prohibits collection methods like the following:

• Using profane or obscene language
• Threatening legal actions that they have no intention of taking
• Publicly posting details of a debt on social media and other public outlets
• Calling you at work after you’ve told them that your workplace doesn’t allow such calls
• Telling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you owe money
• Contacting you after you have sent a cease and desist letter

Company Profile: Hawkeye Adjustment Service

Hawkeye Adjustment Service is a debt collection agency located in Sioux City, Iowa. It was established in 1947, has a small staff of five employees, and is managed by its President, Thomas M. Smith. The agency appears to specialize in medical debt collection services. Litigation records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that consumers who believed they were being harassed by Hawkeye Adjustment Service have asserted their rights by fighting back in court.

Alleged Violations against Hawkeye Adjustment Service

According to PACER, sometime in mid-2004, a consumer received a demand letter from Hawkeye Adjustment Service for approximately $5,800 for the alleged medical bills. When she asked for debt verification, Hawkeye informed her that the matter had been turned over to their attorney, the Vakulskas Law Firm.

The consumer eventually determined that the agency was attempting to collect a debt from her ex-husband’s medical bills that he had incurred after the divorce. The remaining bills were medical bills for her children, most of which should have been covered by her health insurance policy.

Hawkeye Adjustment Services, by Vakulskas Law Firm, P.C. sued the consumer in South Dakota, although she had never lived there and the medical bills were not incurred in South Dakota. She also alleged that they sent collection letters to her place of employment. She told them that she could not receive personal mail at work, but the mail was sent anyway. She was concerned that the personal mail would have an adverse effect on her job.

Feeling harassed by Hawkeye Adjustment Service, she hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
• Threatening actions that could not legally be taken
• Sending the collection letters to her workplace
• Filing a civil case against her in the wrong venue

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for Hawkeye Adjustment Service are:

• 1-712-258-7145
• 1-800-879-1524

If either number appears on your caller ID, be aware that you are being called by Hawkeye Adjustment Service. If they use bullying and unethical collection attempts that violate the FDCPA, hire a consumer attorney. If you file a claim against Hawkeye Adjustment Service and win, you could potentially be awarded $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. Don’t tolerate abuse because you owe money: fight back instead.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 5:04-cv-04079-MWB from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, Western 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 Hawkeye Adjustment Service or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.