If you’re going through the wage garnishment process, you may be stressed out and confused. How’d this happen? How’d you get to this point?
Wage garnishments are a result of debt and spending problems. You’ve probably spent more than you can afford and allowed your finances to get out of control. Then when things got bad, you didn’t have enough money saved up to fix the mistakes.
Need to stop wage garnishment immediately? We offer ZERO DOWN TO FILE! Call 901-327-2100 to see if you qualify.
Since you were so far behind on your bills, the creditor had to take action to get the money you owe them.
If you’re behind on your car payment, they can take your car.
If you’re behind on your house note, they can take your house.
If you’re behind on unsecured debts like credit card or medical bills, they don’t have property they can take from you, but they can garnish your wages.
The Wage Garnishment Process
Credit card debt is the most frequent debt we see that’s subject to wage garnishment. And many credit card companies are out of town — there aren’t any big ones here in Memphis.
So when you quit paying your credit card bill, these companies hire a collection agency which hires a local attorney to collect your payments. And these collection agencies and attorneys charge a fee to the credit card company, which is then added onto the overall debt you owe.
The collection agencies will harass you with phone calls at all times of the day and night to make your payments. And they’ll do this for about 3 months or so. After that time, they’ll report back to the credit card company that you’re either going to pay or you’re not. And they’ll ask the credit card company whether or not they should file suit against you for the debt.
Sometimes you’ll get lucky and the credit card company will say “no” and the debt will be written off. However, the majority of the time they’ll say “yes” and the end result of that process is a wage garnishment — 25% of your paycheck will be cut until the debt and all the interest and fees are completely paid.
How Bankruptcy Can Help You
If you’re struggling to make ends meet originally, expecting to do so with 25% of your paycheck being cut seems impossible. And with added fees and interest rates, you’re paying much more than what you actually spent.
However, this is a mess you can stop. Through bankruptcy.
By filing for bankruptcy, you can discharge your debts through a Chapter 7. Or you can lump your debts into an AFFORDABLE repayment plan through a Chapter 13. Both chapters come with their own qualifications and benefits, and an experienced attorney can help you with that.
Once your bankruptcy is complete, you’re free of that debt and have a clean slate. This creates a great opportunity to re-establish and rebuild your finances. And programs like 7 Steps to a 720 can help you with that.
Want a free bankruptcy consultation?
If your wages are being garnished, we’d like to help you put an end to that. For decades, our team of attorneys have helped people in Memphis get out of debt and onto a better life. We can help you too.
We’re detailed, informative and really care. And our clients will tell you that as well.
We also offer the terrific program 7 Steps to a 720 — mentioned above — free to our clients.
Call (901) 327-2100 today to schedule your appointment. Or you can contact us online.