Sometimes you buy something, and almost immediately it stops working. Sometimes this is bad luck. Unfortunately, there are also unethical manufacturers and salespeople who are more than happy to make money by selling defective or unsafe products.
Many times, for high ticket items like a vehicle or an appliance, they even have the nerve to threaten consumers with lawsuits or collection actions after you stop making payments because you can no longer use the item you purchased in good faith. Other times, you might have had a warranty purchased along with the product and been given an excuse that the reason your product isn’t working isn’t covered by the policy.
There are a number of different laws that protect consumers. Even better news for our clients, many of the laws that protect consumers even have provisions that will allow you to collect punitive damages (extra money beyond what you’ve paid for the product) and / or your attorney’s fees. At Music City Law, we’ve helped many of our clients get justice after being sold defective goods. We’re always happy to hear about your individual case during our free intake process to determine if we’re the right firm for you.
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
Bless their hearts, a big part of a debt collector’s job is to harass a debtor relentlessly until they’ve been paid off. However, unbeknownst to most consumers, there is a federal law — the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — with strict rules that limit debt collectors’ behavior. Every time debt collectors break one of these rules, there’s a civil penalty of $1,000, and they can ultimately be responsible for paying your legal fees.
Sometimes, we can even get the debt collector to discharge some or all of your outstanding debt as part of the settlement.
Sometimes, we can get them to notify credit reporting agencies that their mistakes or misdeeds should not have impacted your credit.
If you think a debt collector is harassing you or has used unethical means to contact you, please call or email us for a free consultation so we can determine if your situation is covered by the FDCPA.