Consumers beware! This tough economy has had an effect on everyone. Jobs have been lost, homes are in foreclosure, bills are not being paid on time, families are struggling to make ends meet and the list goes on and on. One thing that we can do to prevent the economy from taking everything from us is to protect our rights and force agencies to follow the rules. I strongly believe that information is power. My goal is to arm as many people as I can with knowledge of our rights so we can all win battles without having to put up much of a fight. Through this blog, I will arm my readers with information I feel will be useful to them. If you have questions or comments, I welcome them and will do everything I can to make sure your requests are met.
Just because you owe a debt to an agency does not mean that they get to harass you if you default on your payments. There is a whole body of law that that governs third party collection of debts called The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Many debt collectors are using deceptive and unfair debt collection practices in order to collect on an alleged debt. The purpose of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is to protect consumers against debt collection abuse. FDCPA also provides consumers with an avenue for obtaining validation of debt information in order to ensure the information is accurate.
The FDPCA prohibits certain conduct from a debt collection agency such as: calling before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m., causing the telephone to ring repeatedly or continuously, contacting a consumer who is known to be represented by an attorney, misrepresent information or deceive the consumer in any way, threaten arrest or legal action, use abusive or profane language, communicating with a third party who has no connection with the debt, publishing the consumer's name on a bad debt list, communicating with consumer while they are at their place of employment after being advised that it is unacceptable, etc.
The FDCPA also requires collection agencies to do certain things such as: identify themselves, give the name and address of the original creditor, notify the consumer of their right to dispute the debt, provide verification of the debt, etc.
I can help protect you against things such as: repeated collection calls, abusive language, threats of legal action, contacting and disclosing the debt to third parties who have no connection to your debt such as your employer, coworkers, family and friends, deceptive and illegal methods of debt collection. If the economy has prevented you from being able to pay your bills on time, do not let collection agencies belittle you and stress you out any more than you are. If any abusive and/or deceptive collection methods have been done to you, please call me at 407-217-5807 or toll free at 855-582-2737 to schedule a free consultation today.
Remember, taking care of yourself and your loved ones is what is most important in life. I care about you and your future! ~ Katie
