Is Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc Calling You?*

Is Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc calling you? Here’s what you need to know.

At some point, all of us get will get behind on a debt payment or two (or more). If you miss too many of them, your creditors will eventually turn the accounts over to a debt collector.

Stress over inability to pay your bills is bad enough, but when an aggressive collector gets thrown into the mix, it becomes a lot worse. If this happens to you, don’t do anything drastic. As a consumer you have rights that limit what third-party debt collectors can say and do to get your money.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

As an indebted consumer you are protected under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, which dictates how third-party collection agencies may interact you during the process of collecting a debt. Prohibited behaviors include:

• Swearing and calling you names
• Calling at all hours of the day and night
• Calling you at work after you’ve told them you’re not allowed to talk to them there
• Talking to uninvolved parties such as your friends, family, and co-workers about the debt
• Threatening to seize your assets
• Reporting inaccurate information to the credit bureaus

Company Profile: Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc

Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc is a collection agency located in Medford, Oregon. It has two Oregon branch offices: one in Grants Pass and one in Roseburg. It has less than 25 employees and is managed by its President, Brian Watkins. Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc holds memberships in the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals and Oregon Collectors Association, but records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that the company has been accused of FDCPA violations during its years in business.

Alleged Violations against Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc

On or around October 31, 2014, Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc filed a complaint against two Oregon residents in Jackson County Circuit Court. The plaintiffs insisted that they did not owe a certain portion of this debt, specifically an amount allegedly owed to “Cynthia Dreyer, MD”.

Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc allegedly attempted to collect interest accrued from the dates of service on accounts allegedly owed to Asante Ashland Community Hospital, Ashland Emergency Associates, and Cynthia Dreyer, MD. The plaintiffs insisted that since they did not owe anything to the latter, no interest was payable. They also claimed that a portion of the debts owed to the other two creditors had already been paid, and alleged that Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc contacted them directly even after learning that the couple was represented by an attorney with respect to their debts.

The plaintiffs hired a consumer attorney and filed a complaint of their own against Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Falsely representing the alleged amount of debt, including principal and interest
• Trying to collect an amount not support by law or agreement
• Contacting them after learning that they had legal counsel

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire a Creditor Harassment Attorney

The phone numbers below are all connected to Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc:

• 1-800-283-0222
• 1-541-773-6238
• 1-541- 479-9390
• 1-541-464-8414

If any of these numbers appear on your caller ID, a third-party collection agency is trying to settle a debt with you. If they misrepresent the amount you owe and contact you directly instead of your lawyer, hire a consumer attorney. Southern Oregon Credit Services, Inc could be ordered to pay you $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. You may owe money, but it has to collected in accordance with the law, and any collector who forgets that can get a costly reminder.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is1:14-cv-01986-CL from United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Medford 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 Southern Oregon Credit Services, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.