Hawkeye Adjustment Services Associates Scam Debt Collector Calls Can Confuse Consumers

Are you being called by Hawkeye Adjustment Service? Here’s what you need to know.

Company Profile: Hawkeye Adjustment Service

Hawkeye Adjustment Service is a debt collection agency located in Sioux City, Iowa. It was established in 1947, has a small staff of five employees, and is managed by its President, Thomas M. Smith.

The agency appears to specialize in medical debt collection services. Litigation records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that consumers who believed they were being harassed by Hawkeye Adjustment Service have asserted their rights by fighting back in court.

Your Rights Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

If a collection agency is harassing you, they’re breaking the law and can be fined or even lose shut down. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, regulates the actions of third-party collection agencies and prohibits collection methods like the following:

  • Using profane or obscene language
  • Threatening legal actions that they have no intention of taking
  • Publicly posting details of a debt on social media and other public outlets
  • Calling you at work after you’ve told them that your workplace doesn’t allow such calls
  • Telling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you owe money
  • Contacting you after you have sent a cease and desist letter

Alleged Violations against Hawkeye Adjustment Service

According to PACER, sometime in mid-2004, a consumer received a demand letter from Hawkeye Adjustment Service for approximately $5,800 for the alleged medical bills. When she asked for debt verification, Hawkeye informed her that the matter had been turned over to their attorney, the Vakulskas Law Firm.

The consumer eventually determined that the agency was attempting to collect a debt from her ex-husband’s medical bills that he had incurred after the divorce. The remaining bills were medical bills for her children, most of which should have been covered by her health insurance policy.

Hawkeye Adjustment Services, by Vakulskas Law Firm, P.C. sued the consumer in South Dakota, although she had never lived there and the medical bills were not incurred in South Dakota. She also alleged that they sent collection letters to her place of employment. She told them that she could not receive personal mail at work, but the mail was sent anyway. She was concerned that the personal mail would have an adverse effect on her job.

Feeling harassed by Hawkeye Adjustment Service, she hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

  • Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
  • Threatening actions that could not legally be taken
  • Sending the collection letters to her workplace
  • Filing a civil case against her in the wrong venue

The matter was later dismissed.

When you owe money to one of their clients, there isn’t much that a debt collector won’t do to make you pay. They will call you day and night and threaten to drag you into court or destroy your credit if you don’t give in to their demands. When this happens, it is important to stand firm and know your rights.

Closing off your credit card can be more complicated than it may seem. You may want to do it to consolidate your debt, streamline your finances and stick to a budget or avoid unwanted annual credit card fees. They can be an annoyance at times, and closing off a credit card may be the only solution you see at that moment. Whatever the reason may be, you don’t want to jump into it straight away. You want to make sure your credit score does not get impacted in any negative way, and your financial management outlook is appropriate.

But, first, let’s consider why your credit score may drop. It is because your available credit will experience a downfall, and your utilization rate may increase. Your utilization ratio is essentially the amount of credit you owe in comparison to the amount of credit you have available.

Thus, the credit utilization ratio is a crucial factor in determining your credit score, so you better keep a close eye on it going forward. The lower the utilization score, the better depiction of your financial health is highlighted. This is exactly what you want to achieve.

So, if you’re thinking of closing off your credit card, here are a few tips you should consider before doing so. You’ll be glad you took the right precautions needed to prevent your credit score from dropping.

Close Off the Most Recent On if You Have To

Closing off an older credit card will hit your credit score hard. It will pull down any other positive indicators which may be beneficial for you in the future, especially when you seek to acquire a loan of a large amount.

Also, make sure you pay off any outstanding credit before closing off a card. By doing so, your credit history will depict a positive trend, and this is the financial self-care approach you want to move towards.

Close Off Your Credit Card Under These Circumstances

There are several other factors to consider while closing off a credit card. Here is an insight into when you should close off a card.

  • You have a habit of overspending – your habit of impulsive shopping may cause a pile of credit to accumulate; thus, closing off a credit card would be a wise decision here
  • You have all your outstanding bills and credit paid off
  • You don’t use that particular credit card anymore – it’s better to close it off than have it lying around

Closing a card off here may help you stay organized and save a lot of money for a rainy day ahead. It will also help you in re-examining your debt payments and focus on repaying them off without any distractions.

Avoid Closing It Off Under These Circumstances

If you can’t find a good enough reason to close off your credit card, then you might want to let it stay open. Having available credit on hand is okay sometimes; just try to avoid carrying it around with you if you have a habit of buying items that you do not have a need for. But, before doing so, read up on the terms and conditions of your bank regarding credit card policies.  Some credit cards are automatically closed off if they stay inactive for a certain period of time.

If you’re at risk of account closure, call up your bank representative for further information and guidance. You can even use that particular credit card for small payments to keep it active. For instance, Netflix monthly payments are a good option to use that particular credit card for.

Make Sure You Are Proactive with Payments

Try to pay off your bills before their due date. This is usually three weeks before it’s due. Why is this so? Well, it’s because credit card issuers report balances at the end of the statement period, which is usually three weeks before the bill’s due date. Thus, paying beforehand will not only improve your credit score but also bring down your credit utilization ratio.

Inquire About Product Changes

Ask your credit card issuer about any possible product changes. Some allow the client to retain the same account and credit limit but avail a product change to a different type of credit card. This is usually better suited if you want to avoid annual credit card fees or upgrade to a card that has a higher cashback rate than a basic rewards card.

Here’s the Bottom Line

Carefully planning out decisions regarding your financial discourse is an important component of practicing efficient money management. You don’t want to go wrong with this as it plays an important part in how you sustain your financial needs and wants. Your financial health reflects on who you are as a person – remember this always!

If you still have any further concerns and queries, you can call up your bank representative and set up a meeting. They will guide you further on what to do and how to make the decision without hurting your credit score. Their advice is important here, so make sure to take it. Also, share this article with your friends or family members who may be thinking of closing off a credit card; they will surely thank you for it!

PLEASE NOTE:

Hawkeye Adjustment Services is not affiliated with Hawkeye Associates, a leader in procuring debt consolidation loans for consumers with excessive credit card debt.

This is a Contributor Post. Opinions expressed here are opinions of the Contributor. Influencive does not endorse or review brands mentioned; does not and cannot investigate relationships with brands, products, and people mentioned and is up to the Contributor to disclose. Contributors, amongst other accounts and articles may be professional fee-based.