Category: Top » Finance » Credit »

Author: tanderson | Total views: 390 Comments: 0
Word Count: 666 Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 6:41 AM

6 Things You Need to Know To Stop Collection Calls

Being plagued with debt collection calls is a miserable experience. It's bad enough when they call you at home in the evenings, or on your mobile phone. Calls at work, calls to family and friends...it can feel like you've lost control.

Want to stop these harassing collection calls? Arm yourself with some key facts about debt collectors and your rights as a consumer. Be an educated consumer, and take back control of your phone! These facts about debt collection calls just may surprise you.

* When can collectors call?

Unless you have given them permission to call you at specific times, collection agencies are only legally allowed to call you between 8 am and 9 pm. These are the hours that are "presumed to be convenient" for most people," according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

Debt collectors are not allowed to call your during work hours if they know that your employer does not allow that type of contact. Be sure to tell them this the first time they call, and make a note that you did so.

* How many times a day can bill collectors call?

There is no hard and fast rule on this. However, the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that debt collectors may not call you "repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass." If a debt collector is calling you repeatedly, one call right after another, you are within your legal rights to insist that they stop.

* Can bill collectors call my cell phone?

Yes they can, if you provided a mobile number when you applied for the credit account. To make them stop using this number, you'll need to send them a "cease and desist" number.

* Are bill collectors allowed to call other people about my debt?

According to the FDCPA, bill collectors may only call a third party to verify information about your whereabouts. It's important to note that they are not allowed to call third parties "under pretense of gaining information already in [their] possession."

This means if the bill collector already knows where you are and they have been in touch with you by phone, they are absolutely not allowed to call your friends, neighbors or family. If they do, they are committing a serious legal violation. Report them to your state's attorney general's office.

* Bill collectors are calling me at work. Is this legal?

The only time they may call your place of employment to speak to anyone other than you is to verify that you work there. They are absolutely not allowed to discuss your debt, or any other private information!

Be aware they are allowed to contact you directly at work, unless you or your employer has specifically told them that collection calls are not allowed. Make sure you tell them this the very first time they call. If the collection agent continues to call you at work after they've been notified, they are breaking the law.

* I have a lawyer who is handling this for me. Why are they still calling me?

If you've notified the collection agent that you are being represented by an attorney, he or she is no longer allowed to call you directly.

There's another important distinction here. The collection agency may be aware you are being represented by an attorney. The agency does not have to provide this information to each debt collection agent. So three different agents might call about three different debts. You'll need to tell each one to contact your attorney.

Being hounded by debt collectors can be an excruciating experience. Knowing your rights as a consumer will go along way to alleviating the anxiety and the strain. Learn the facts about fair credit collection...the ones the credit agencies hope you never learn!

About the Author

Are you being harassed by creditor phone calls? Get the facts that the collection agencies don't want you to know! Tony Anderson offers a highly effective tool to stop the collection calls. Get back in control of your phone...and your life. Learn the facts at www.ProtectionLetter.com.

Rate, comment or bookmark this article

Seed Newsvine

Bookmark this article in your preferred program

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment

HTML code

Popular Articles in this cathegory

1: Credit Report - How Do Late Payments Affect My Credit Report And Score?

Of course you don't want to make any late payments on your credit cards or loans and affect your credit report and score unless you absolutely have to, but what happens if you're unable to avoid it?

2: Do You Need Bad Credit Help

Do you need bad credit help? Are you one of thousands with no credit and no collateral to help secure approval, or you just have extremely bad credit and no one wants to help you, and all you hear is ..

3: How to Check Your Credit Rating And How It Affects You

Did you know that each time you take up any kind of credit or loan, or pay one back, it adds to your credit rating. Who keeps a record on you will vary according to where you live, but the three major..

4: Getting The Best Home Equity Loan Is Easy

So, you have a beautiful home and you are looking to make it even better through improvements. But where is the cash for it? Well, the cash is in the home itself. Yes, it really is. And the concept of..

5: Credit Damage: Getting Compensated

Until recently lawyers for victims of credit damage had little possibility to collect for damages beyond medical treatment, lost wages and property loss. Insurance companies threw up their hands in sy..

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.