Are You Being Called By TL Thompson & Associates, Inc.?*

The cost of living has gone up over the years but, for most, wages have not. Many individuals and families across the country are struggling to make ends meet. Once your financial obligations go into arrears, debt collectors will eventually start calling and demanding payment in ways that are not always professional or legal

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) makes it illegal for collection agencies to bully or deceive consumers into paying them. Abusive tactics like the following are prohibited and using them can result in penalties.

• Using profane or obscene language
• Making legal threats they have no intention of following up on
• Threatening to damage your reputation and credit rating
• Calling before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Using an autodialer to call you several times a day
• Telling you that by failing to pay the debt, you have committed a crime

Company Profile: TL Thompson & Associates, Inc.

If you are being called by TL Thompson & Associates, Inc., information about the company is below.

TL Thompson & Associates, Inc. is a debt collection company located in Garland, Texas. It was established in 1976, has approximately 40 employees, and is managed by its President, Alice Boler. Company operations, which extend across the country, are run out of a 25,000 square foot office building. Records viewable at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that some consumers who felt they were being harassed by TL Thompson & Associates, Inc. responded to legal threats by filing lawsuits of their own.

Alleged Violations against TL Thompson & Associates, Inc.

Rashaad Reed vs. TL Thompson & Associates, Inc. et al*

According to PACER, in or around early 2011, TL Thompson & Associates, Inc. started trying to collect a debt from Illinois resident Rashaad Reed. Mr. Reed later complained that he never received a validation letter and that when he answered the phone, the collectors did not always identify themselves as such and often used profane language when speaking with him. One caller allegedly said, ““We don’t do settlements and you have to pay full balance on the account. Your ass is outta (sic) gas.” There were also allegedly threats of legal action and claims that TL Thompson & Associates, Inc. could get Mr. Reed’s driver’s license suspended.

Feeling harassed by TL Thompson & Associates, Inc., he hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using profane language

• Failing to send a debt validation letter

• Failure to identify themselves as debt collectors in all communications

• Threatening legal actions it could not take

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

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

• 1-972-226-1010
• 1-800-800-5235

If either of these numbers appear on your caller ID at any time, it means that you are being called by TL Thompson & Associates, Inc.. If they use abusive language and fail to consistently identify themselves as debt collectors seeking to collect a debt, hire a consumer attorney. If you file a claim against TL Thompson & Associates, Inc. and prevail in court, you could be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus applicable court costs. This is one of the many reasons why you should never tolerate abuse from a debt collector, no matter how much you owe.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case: 1:11-cv-02835 from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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 TL Thompson & Associates, Inc., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.