“Who is VanSlam, Inc. and why are they coming to my house?”
“Who is VanSlam, Inc. and why are they coming to my house?”
If you have a message from “VanSlam, Inc.” or they come to your house, it is normally because you are being sued and VanSlam is the process server — the company who will give you the lawsuit papers (Complaint) which will start the clock running on your time to answer.
Apparently VanSlam, Inc. is owned by a “Ervin VanSlambrouck” and we have seen service made by a “Brandon VanSlambrouck” and a “Daniel VanSlambrouck” out of this Pinson, Alabama based business. They serve all over the state.
We have not heard any specific complaints about this company so it appears they are professional in doing their job which is to serve you the lawsuit papers.
They seem to serve many of the debt buyer lawsuits — these are lawsuits filed by companies such as Cavalry, LVNV, Midland Funding, Portfolio Recovery, etc.
So you have been served, what do you do now?
Time Limits To Respond To The Lawsuit
Remember if you don’t respond in time, the company that sued you (the “Plaintiff”) will automatically win by a “default judgment” against you. You have 14 days from when you were served (for example by VanSlam or some other process server)
Should You Avoid VanSlam So You Won’t Be Served?
Some lawyers will tell you “yes — avoid them as long as possible.”
I think that’s a foolish approach.
If VanSlam is trying to serve you, it means you have been sued. You probably already received a letter from Ferry & Nicholas and perhaps bankruptcy attorneys who don’t follow the rules about no advertisement letters before you have been served for 7 days.
So you know you are being sued.
And if you have a note from VanSlam, you now know they are trying to serve you.
Why “dodge” it?
Just make arrangements with the process server to get the lawsuit.
Take the initiative — tackle this head on. Don’t be passive and wait for things to happen to you; instead you make things happen.
Oh, and if you wonder why not just dodge it? Sometimes there are mistakes (or intentional misrepresentations) by the process server (some are better and more professional than others) who will claim you have been served, when you haven’t been. But the court thinks you were served. The lawyer representing the debt collector thinks you were served. And you didn’t answer. So a default judgment is entered against you.
Why be passive? Take the initiative and protect yourself….
“Ok, I’ve now been served, what are my options now?”
Now the process of the lawsuit is truly beginning. You have five potential options whenever you are sued:
- File bankruptcy — we don’t recommend this except in the most extreme cases as there are normally much better solutions available.
- Fight the lawsuit on your own. If you are in district or small claims court, this is normally an option for you. If you are in circuit court this is very hard to do.
- Settle the lawsuit on your own. Pay a lump sum (normally around 50% of the amount sued for) or pay the whole amount over 2-3 years.
- Fight the lawsuit by hiring a consumer protection attorney to represent you. The objective here is to win the lawsuit and then look at suing the debt collector for violating state and federal law. They don’t always violate the law, but normally they do.
- Settle the lawsuit by hiring a consumer protection attorney to help you.
“Which option is best for me?”
I can’t tell you in an article which is best for you. There are a number of factors to consider:
- Who sued you
- For how much
- What other debt do you have
- What is your income
- Do you have property or other assets at risk if you file bankruptcy or a judgment is entered against you
- How important is your credit
- What are the facts surrounding the alleged debt
- Does the debt collector who sued you have proof it owns the debt
- Which court have you been sued in
There are others but this should give you a flavor of some of the questions we will go through when we talk by phone or video chat or in person. That’s the only way for me to help you see which is the best approach for you take. Before we chat we recommend you watch this video and read this article on your 5 options — it will let us focus our time on finding the best solution for you.
So if you are interested in talking, give my office a call at 205-879-2447 or fill out the contact form and let us know who is suing you, the case number, and when you were served, and we will be glad to get back with you ASAP.
No Jennifer Webb at this address
I was given a process of service statement. I am disabled and I work as an adjunct. I barely make enough money to live and eat. Why am I being attacked?
Chris,
I’m assuming you have been served with a lawsuit by VanSlam? Even though it doesn’t make any sense, often debt collectors will sue you even if you have no ability to pay the debt they claim you owe. They are content to get a judgment and wait as it builds up interest.
If you have been sued, check out this video/transcript on your five options when sued. Quite often you can represent yourself and be successful. I’ll be happy to help you think through your options.
Call us at 205-879-2447 and ask to speak to Carolyn and she can look up the lawsuit and set us up a call. Do read the transcript or watch the video above as it will help you have a solid understanding of your options.
Thanks for your comment and sorry you are dealing with this.
John Watts
Vanslam inc is registered as a vehicle recovery service from 2006 to 2017.
Thanks for the info. I haven’t heard of them doing repossessions but they may still do that as well.
Again thank you for the updated information!
John Watts
As I watched this individual ….server of the non legal document to a women that’s been dead for 5 years. I called the number several times. To let them know. You will never get a live person. This is bs!! Legally I dont think this should be bound by any means. Plus I feel this is harrassment to a level beyond . Jesus if you can sue a company for hot coffee and win!!! when you put hot coffee between your legs.Wtf? Now your knocking on doors of dead people???
Roberta,
That’s crazy but it happens.
Van Slam (and any other process server) should answer their phones. Make sure you do leave a message as they are out serving people a lot of times.
Can’t serve a dead person but if the court thinks that she has been served then it may enter judgment. This could have an impact on property and liens, etc. All of that can be fixed but easier to fix it on the front end.
My suggestion is let Van Slam know and also let the court know in writing what has happened. You can also let the collection lawyer — the one who filed the suit — know about this as if they do the right thing (many will) that will take care of this.
Sorry you are having to do this — let me know if we can help — call Carolyn in my office at 205-879-2447 and we can see what’s happening in court and which lawyer has it to help you get this to go away.
John Watts
Apparently Vanslam tried to serve me but I wasn’t here. They left a piece of paper and I’ve called and haven’t gotten anyone. Do they serve lawsuits from company’s or people? And what if I don’t have the money or it isn’t even mine?
Carrie,
I would document your calls so if there is ever a question you can point out your efforts to reach them.
In my experience, VanSlam is mainly serving lawsuits from debt collectors, not individuals. But I’m sure they do this sometimes also.
The first step is to figure out what type of lawsuit this is. I’m assuming you are in Alabama — if so, call Carolyn in my office at 205-879-2447 and she can look up your case to see what you are being sued for and who is suing you.
Next, you figure out how you want to handle the case. It may be something that you owe and want to work out. Or it could be a debt collector (debt buyer) suing you that you do not owe and you need to fight the case. But first, see who is suing you.
Best wishes and thanks for the great question
John Watts