Student Sues Premiere Credit for Aggressive Debt Collection Methods
By Amanda Antell
Texas plaintiff Vanessa Smith is suing debt collection company Premiere Credit of North America LLC for allegedly making harassing phone calls regarding a student loan debt she owed. Smith accuses Premiere of using aggressive language and automated systems to contact her, despite her request to be taken off their phone list.
According to Smith, she received the first communication from Premiere Credit regarding her student loan debt by typed letter on October 23, 2012, which said she owed $10,308.95 and instructed her to confirm with them about whether or not this amount was accurate. The letter stated that she had 30 days after receiving this notice to dispute this amount, otherwise the company would assume the amount to be valid.
While Smith does not dispute the amount she owed, she does dispute the way the company has handled collecting her debt. According to the lawsuit, Premiere Credit violated the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in numerous ways, including by misleading her into believing she had to confirm or dispute the debt in writing within 30 days.
Premiere Credit is facing numerous lawsuits for allegedly violating the FDCPA and another federal law called the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA prohibits companies from contacting consumers on their cell phones without prior express consent. Oftentimes debt collectors will violate this rule in an attempt to collect money owed to a third party.
Any company can violate the TCPA – even those that are not debt collectors. However, numerous consumers have alleged that Premiere Credit specifically violated the rules of this federal law.
Smith’s Premiere Credit Debt Collection Lawsuit is Vanessa Smith v. Premier Credit of North America LLC, Case No.: 3:13-cv-02467-B, in the United States District Court of Northern Texas, in Dallas.
If you were contacted by Premiere Credit in violation of the TCPA, you may be able to claim up to $500 or $1,500 each time you were contacted. Learn more about your rights and receive a free case review at the Text Message Spam, Cell Phone Call TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation.
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5 thoughts onStudent Sues Premiere Credit for Aggressive Debt Collection Methods
This company has harassed my wife and my cell phone 5-10 times daily. I had set her up on a rehabilitation program which we had one payment yet to make when I had my bank card numbers stolen from a theft at an atm machine. Persons responsible were caught and are being prosecuted in federal court. However, my card was canceled and a new one issued but I did not think to contact her student loans and they threw her off the program and tacked on an extreme amount in the process. My wife is unable to work due to many medical issues and we have had many nights of no sleep along with her needing psychiatric help after several of the harassing calls. I have started setting up the program again with them and I have had to go to extreme measures giving them new info because they would not except all the old info. I even had to give them 2 different references due to them not excepting the old ones. They have taken money out of my bank account for the monthly payments but still say she’s not on the program till I give them proof of my income which I won’t have till end of year in the form of a 1099. My wife has not been able to work in almost 15 years and has absolutely no income yet companies like this still harass and hound people to the point of hospitalization in some cases. I pay all my bills and try my best to work with companies like this but at what point is enough enough?
Premier Credit NEVER contacted me because they had my wrong address..Mean while I had forwarded my address to the Post office when I moved .. They currently Garnished my pay 15% though my place of business I had no idea this came from nowhere ..I cannot afford this and want to sue them immediately…HOW COULD THESE PEOPLE TURN YOUR LIFE UPSIDE DOWN !!!WITHOUT ANY NOTICE….
You are an idiot. It is not their responsibility to keep track of YOUR mailing address. It is YOUR responsibility to update your new information with any and every debt or obligation you have that would need your address.. You have no leg to stand on with this. ALSO, before they garnish your wages, they give you ample amounts of time to call in before the begin the process.. At some point, you have to face the fact that YOU DID NOT WANT TO TAKE OF THIS IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER. Your refusal to take of your debts has resulted in consequences. Live with it.
This company has contacted and harassed me. Ending in me closing the account and paying off when I could. They called me cell phones constanty and even sometimes my job.
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