Categories |
I'm being hounded by collection agents-- what can they legally say and do?
Knowing what collection agents can and cannot do puts you in a much different frame of mind when you get those terrible phone calls. Here's what you need to know... If you have ever been seriously late in paying a bill you may have had to deal with a collection agents. They can sometimes be pesky as they will send frequent letters and call repeatedly to your home or place where you work. The best thing to do to avoid being visited by collection agents is to pay your bills on time. There is a set of rules which monitors the actions of collection agents which is called the Collection Agents Act. Any business that employs collection agents has to follow the guidelines of the Act. If that business does not follow the rules that are laid out by the Collection Agents Act they may have to give up their bond, have their collection license suspended or even cancelled, and can have their bond forfeited in order to pay compensation to those who had financial losses. According to the Act people employed in this profession are prohibited from doing a variety of actions. The collection agents can not collect more money than what is owed or add any fees to the debt of the debtor. They can not make the debtor pay without giving the information to the debtor such as name of the creditor, the balance that the debtor owes, and the identity and authority of the party who makes the request for the payment. The collection agents can not use the telephone to call debtors before 8 in the morning or after 9 in the evening and can not call on Sundays and holidays. They are required to give information which is correct as not to mislead the person who they are trying to request payment from. A debtor’s employer can only be contacted to verify that the debtor is employed or if payments that have been specified by court order in garnishing wages have been made. Agents also have no legal course of action as they can not send the debtor any documents that look like legal court documents.
Commercial Collection Agency Association - Code of ethics. I bet most collection agents who call you have never read this. If they cross the line, feed it back to them. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse - What to do when collection agents start playing hardball.
Within the scope of their restrictions the agents can still get in touch with you by ways of phone, in person, or by mail. Sometimes in any of these instances the agent will do so many times until the debt is paid. It is their job to make sure that the debtor pays the bills from the company in which they are employed. Collection agents can be seen in a negative light considering they can be annoying at times contacting you many times but know that they are just employees of the company in which you owe the debt to. By paying your bills in a timely manner than you will not have to deal with collection agents.
The first steps to get out of debt - No matter how deep in debt you are, it is possible to get out of debt over time. The most initial positive is that you are researching how to get it done. That's a great start.
|
|
Header graphic courtesy of Digital Westex Gallary
Home | Site Map | About