Some courts use collection agencies to do their dirty work. If you have an unpaid ticket or two that’s gone into warrant status, the government will resort to collections agencies to scare you into paying more than you actually owe on your ticket by threatening you with a lawsuit!
If you got a speeding ticket, red light ticket, or any other type of ticket in El Paso, San Antonio, or Odessa and forgot about it, you might hear from a law firm threatening to sue you if you don’t pay.
Yes. A law firm …
The people who are supposed to be helping you with your legal problems will threaten you, and when you pay them, they will get a cut of that cash.
Un-freaking-believable.
TICKET COLLECTIONS ARE A SCAM.
LET US HELP YOU.
Collections law firms will try to collect money for unpaid tickets even if you’ve never been to court. If you have never been to court but pay what the collection agency tells you to pay, you will be considered to have entered a plea of “No Contest” and give up your right to trial. You now have a criminal conviction which could hurt your future, your driving record and drive up the cost of your insurance.
If you pay the ticket through the agency, the agency can charge you an additional 30% of the total amount owed as a fee. As an example, if you owe $100, the collection agency can charge you an additional $30 for a total of $130. If you owe $300, the collection agency can charge you an additional $90 and may you pay $390. Crazy!!
Even if you are receiving notices or calls from a collection agency, you still have the same rights as everyone else. The notices will often say something like, “Please return your payment in the amount of $300 (or whatever amount you owe) immediately.” But you can still choose to deal directly with the court and seek an alternative sentence, bypassing the collection agency.
YOU CAN PULL YOUR TICKET OUT OF COLLECTIONS WITHOUT PAYING!
You need a traffic warrant lawyer ASAP! Lawyer Alexandria Serra is also a traffic ticket dismissal lawyer in El Paso, San Antonio and Odessa. She removes warrants and spends her days fighting red light tickets or defending speeding tickets. If you’ve gotten a ticket for no insurance or driving while using a cell phone, she helps with those too!
REMEMBER: ALWAYS FIGHT YOUR TICKET!
You have the right to plead “Not Guilty” and have your guilt or innocence determined at a trial, if you have not already entered a plea. Even if you have already entered a plea of Guilty or No Contest or been convicted at trial, you have a right to a hearing before the judge to consider whether you are unable to pay what you owe. You still have the right to an alternative sentence like a payment plan or community service if the judge determines you are unable to pay.
In short, you do not have to pay the collection agency and can instead contact the court directly and ask to set up a hearing (you can do this by yourself), or ask us to handle it!
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