Are You Being Called By Westside Recovery Services, LLC?*

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

If you’re being harassed by debt collectors, you might be at the point where you’re willing to declare bankruptcy to make it stop. Before you contact a trustee, however, learn more about your rights as an indebted consumer.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to protect consumers from harassment by third-party debt collectors. Since then, tactics like those below have been illegal when used to collect a debt:

• Calling you at work after you tell them that you can’t take personal calls there
• Contacting your friends and family and telling them that you owe money
• Demanding amounts that exceed the original debt
• Call at inconvenient times, normally before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m., in your time zone
• Threaten to report the debt to the credit bureaus until it is paid
• Threaten to have you arrested or garnish your wages

Company Profile: Westside Recovery Services, LLC

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

Westside Recovery Services, LLC is a debt collection company located in Los Angeles, California. It was established in 2009, has less than 10 employees, and 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 that they were being harassed by Westside Recovery Services, LLC refused to cave in to pressure and fought back in court.

Alleged Violations against Westside Recovery Services, LLC

Daniel Montag and Memphis Montag vs. Westside Recovery Services, LLC et al*

According to PACER, in February 2012 Westside Recovery Services, LLC began trying to collect a consumer debt from California residents Daniel and Memphis Montag. On February 14, the following message was allegedly left:

“This message is for Daniel or his wife. It’s Leonard Gilbert. Telephone number is 323.549.9998. I’m following up on our discussion from last week. Thank you.”

The Montags complained that no such discussion had ever taken place, but the calls allegedly continued, resulting in messages that did not identify the caller as a debt collector.

Feeling harassed by Westside Recovery Services, LLC, the Montags hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA by:

• Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors in all communications
• Failing to send a debt validation notice
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt

A judge later ordered the company to pay $1000 for violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, $5,525 for attorneys fees and $646.30 for other litigation costs, for a total of $7,171.30

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are:

• 1-818-859-7966
• 1-323-549-9998

If either of them on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that you are being called by Westside Recovery Services, LLC. If they leave messages that fail to identify them as debt collectors, contact a consumer attorney who can help you file a claim against Westside Recovery Services, LLC. If the judge decides in your favor, you could potentially receive $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus reasonable court costs and attorney fees, so when a collection agency pushes you too far, let the law help you push back.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 2:12-cv-02539-SJO-SH from the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

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