You CAN fight back against abusive debt collectors. The laws (including the FDCPA — Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) are on your side and juries understand abusive debt collectors must be stopped. Discover your rights and take immediate action now. You can learn from our articles and videos and then call us when you are ready to turn the tables on abusive debt collectors. Call us at 205-879-2447 — we will be glad to help you. John Watts
Can a debt buyer truly collect against me? We are frequently asked if debt buyers can really collect against a consumer. I’ve been a consumer protection lawyer for a long time, and a big part of my practice is dealing with these debt buyers who claim to have bought a debt. They will tell you they have bought the debt, but is this true? Do they have any right to collect? Does it make a difference if they have bought… (Read more)
What happens with your credit report after you win your collection trial? When you are in court and you win, what happens with your credit report after the trial? You want the debt removed from your report, but how does this happen? Do you ask the judge? Does this happen automatically? In this post, we’ll discuss how to wrap things up after you win. You’ve won your court case. What happens with your credit report now? The judge does not… (Read more)
FDCPA: Get a statement when a debt collector calls a third party One of the most terrible violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) that debt collectors make is contacting a third party about a debt. What is a “third party”? A third party is anybody other than you, your spouse, or your lawyer. Everyone else in the world is a third party. There are very strict rules about when a debt collector can contact a third party,… (Read more)
What should I do if I want to defend my own collection lawsuit? You’ve been sued and you’ve made the decision to defend yourself in your own collection lawsuit. You’re not going to hire a lawyer, or give up, or even settle. You want to defend yourself and fight the lawsuit. What should you do? If possible, go to court and watch your particular judge. At the time of this article, in 2020, we are still in the middle of… (Read more)
What happens with credit reporting after you win your collection trial? When you are in court and you win, what happens with your credit reporting after the trial? You want the debt removed from your report, but how does this happen? Do you ask the judge? Does this happen automatically? In this post, we’ll discuss how to wrap things up after you win. You go to court and you win your case. What happens now? The judge does not control your… (Read more)
Why do credit bureaus believe furnishers over consumers? Today, I wanted to talk with you about why do credit bureaus believe the creditor, or the debt collector, or a “furnisher” over you when you do a dispute? You believe there’s something wrong with your credit report. So, you reach out to the credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian) and tell them there is a problem with your Capital One account, your Portfolio Recovery account, or other debt collection account. You tell… (Read more)