Is Prince Parker & Associates Calling You?*

If Prince Parker & Associates is harassing you, you need to know your rights!

Are debt collectors calling you every day and sending letters that threaten imminent lawsuits? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of Americans have debts currently in collections due to financial setbacks and other matters beyond their control.

If the collector you are dealing with is aggressive and demeaning, take heart, because the law gives you the right to tell the company to stop and sue when the company doesn’t.

Debt Collection and the FDCPA

Debt collectors can be persistent when it comes to getting your money, and not all of them are pleasant or professional. You do not have to tolerate abuse, however. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA makes it illegal for third-party debt collectors to use tactics like those below while collecting or attempting to collect a debt:

• Calling you at all hours of the day and night
• Shouting and using profanities
• Telling you that the police will arrest you if you don’t pay
• Calling you at work after you tell them that your employer doesn’t allow such calls
• Telling your friends and neighbors that you owe money
• Failing to report to the credit bureaus that a debt is in dispute

Company Profile: Prince Parker & Associates

Prince Parker & Associates is a collection agency located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was established in 1993, has an employee count of 20 to 49, and is owned by J. Parker.

Litigation records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website reveals that Prince Parker & Associates has been accused of disregarding the FDCPA during its collection practices.

Alleged Violations against Prince Parker & Associates

According to PACER, on October 2010, a Minnesota resident received a voicemail which stated:

“[Name], please return a call today at 800-276-2423 extension 2555, … call again, reference G8917, thank you.”

When she realized that the caller was from Prince Parker & Associates and failed to disclose themselves as a debt collector trying to collect a debt, she hired a consumer attorney and sued the agency for violating her rights in the following ways:

• Leaving messages that did not meaningfully disclose the caller’s identity
• Using false, deceptive and misleading means to collect a debt
• Failing to disclose that all communications were from a debt collector trying to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later dismissed.

How To Stop Harassment from Debt Collection Companies

If you are getting letters, calls, or voicemails, from a debt collector, it’s difficult to tell what to do next. If this is the case, don’t fret! You can get help from a consumer attorney.

To find out more about how a consumer attorney can help, please see our page:

• How Can an Attorney Help Stop Collector Harassment?

Stand Up To Debt Collectors! Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for Prince Parker & Associates are:

• 1-800-276-2423
• 1-704-841-2424

If either number appears on your caller ID, be aware that a debt collector may be trying to contact you. If the collector leaves messages that fail to meaningfully identify him or her and the company that is attempting to contact you regarding a debt, hire a consumer attorney. Such deceptive tactics violate the FDCPA, and if you sue Prince Parker & Associates with your attorney’s assistance, you could receive $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages.

No matter how much you may owe, guidelines must be followed when trying to collect it, or the company could be required to pay you more than you owe.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 0:11-cv-00921-PAM-JSM from United States District Court, District of Minnesota

*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 Prince Parker & Associates, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.