Bad Debt

You are behind on your bills and you expect that at any time you'll start to get what will soon prove to be the first of many phone calls from bill collectors. When it comes to professions, bill collecting is one of the least favored jobs from both the workers and the borrower's standpoints! Still, when a bill collector calls there are some things to keep in mind to make the conversation as pleasant as possible.

Know Your Rights - Did you know that a bill collector from your creditor and a bill collector from a collecting agency have different rights? When the bill collector calls from your creditor they have every right to continue to call you and to ask you to pay your debt. On the other hand, if the matter has already been turned over to a collection agency you have the right to tell the collector to not call you anymore at your place of work. In addition, a bill collector must not call you between certain hours of the morning or past 9 p.m. They can, however visit you in person, or contact you by mail, by telegram, or by fax in addition to by telephone.

What a bill collector may not do, according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is to threaten legal action against you, use profane language, defame your person or to tell you outright lies. Although this act is frequently broken, you can document each incident and file a complaint.

Many bill collectors are simply trying to do their job which is to get money from you. Quite a few operate on a commission basis so the better that they do in getting you to pay up, the more money for them personally.

A bill collector is allowed to contact your attorney if you have one. In fact, if you declare that you have retained the services of an attorney then they may only contact the attorney about your credit.

Whenever there is a debt sent to a collection agency they must follow up their contact with you with a letter stating the debt owed, to whom the debt is owed, and what steps you can take to respond to their complaint.

Yes, bill collectors may never change their tactics but if they cross a line you can fight back. Owing money can bring about major headaches so if you are overwhelmed by it all, contact a credit attorney for guidance.