Are You Being Called By Optima Collection Services, LLC?*

Are you being called by Optima Collection Services, LLC?* Here’s what you need to know

Some collection agencies will do absolutely anything to get you to pay up. They will call your boss, embarrass you on social media, and threaten to send you the jail. What they won’t do is tell you that these tactics are highly illegal. For more information about your rights as an indebted consumer, keep reading.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to protect consumers from being harassed by third-party debt collectors. This consumer protection law prohibits actions like the following during the collection of a debt:

• Using obscene or profane language
• Calling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers and telling them that you owe a debt
• Trying to collect after you have formally disputed a debt
• Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors seeking to collect a debt
• Harassing you by telephone (e.g. calling and hanging up)
• Calling you at work if they know what such calls are not allowed

Company Profile: Optima Collection Services, LLC

If you are being called by Optima Collection Services, LLC, information about the company is below.

Optima Collection Services, LLC is a debt collection company located in Knoxville, Tennessee. It originally opened for business in 2003, has 15 employees, and is managed by its President, Bob Paylor. It specializes in collecting medical debt. A review of litigation records at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website reveals that consumers who felt they were being harassed by Optima Collection Services, LLC refused to intimidated into paying what they did not owe.

Alleged Violations against Optima Collection Services, LLC

According to PACER, on or about September 28, 2011, Optima Collection Services, LLC filed a collection lawsuit against an Indiana resident. The suit demanded $943.23 plus 20% attorney fee for a total amount of $1,131.87. It added, “Contract calls for cost of collections, pre-judgment interest, and reasonable attorney fees, finance charges, plus the cost of this action”, although Ms. Jones had not signed such a contract.

Feeling harassed by Optima Collection Services, LLC, she hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using false, deceptive and misleading means to collect a debt
• Misrepresenting the character, amount, or legal status of the debt

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are as follows:

• 1-865-862-0590
• 1-865-862-1200
• 1-866-288-6980
• 1-877-755-9800

If you see any of these numbers on your caller ID when the phone rings, be aware that you are being called by Optima Collection Services, LLC. If they file a lawsuit claiming terms that you never agreed to, hire a consumer attorney who can help you pursue your rights in court. If you file a claim against Optima Collection Services, LLC, you could be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus associated legal costs. The law must be followed when collecting a debt, and any company that ignores it may end up owing you money instead.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 3:12-cv-00512-TAV-CCS from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.

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 Optima Collection Services, LLC, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.