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subject: Free Debt Relief Advice – How To Legally Stop Collection Harassment [print this page]


This example would qualify as debt collector harassment: Your phone rings at 7:45 am on a Saturday morning and wakes your entire household. When you answer the phone, there is a debt collector on the other end. You are thinking "Hey wait - they can't call me this early!" and when you voice your frustration at their call, they use vulgar language toward you. Well, you were right - they CAN'T call you that early. Just like any other business, there are rules of business (called laws) they must abide by. This does not change just because you are in debt and owe a few creditors some money.

Some collection companies out there do not follow the rules. As a consumer, it is wise to know what they can and cannot do when attempting to collect a debt. We will take a closer look at how you are protected by the law, and how to deal with debt collector harassment.

This is how the law protects you from being harassed:

o You can be called on weekends, but you cannot be called before 8am or after 9pm. However, and this is important - if you request not to be contacted by phone, they have to stop calling you.

o If you are on the phone with a collector, they cannot threaten you or use obscene or vulgar language.

o When they call you, they have to be completely truthful with you about whom they are, and cannot mislead you with false information about their company. For example, they cannot act as if they are a long lost friend looking for a friend, they cannot act like they are calling from an attorney's office, or they cannot threaten legal action when they are not in a position to follow through with it. In other words, they cannot try to scare you by making false statements or empty threats.

o Debt collectors cannot send you a collections notice by mail that is on a post card for everyone to see. All collection letters must be sent in a sealed envelope.

o If you give a collection agency a post dated check, they cannot deposit your payment before the agreed upon date.

If collectors violate these or any of the rules in the Fair Debt Collections Act, you may have the right to sue them.

Yes, you may owe a debt but it does not mean you have to deal with being harassed. There is a solution. How you deal with debt collector harassment is simple. Tell them to stop calling you, and do it in writing. Simply get the mailing address of the company that is calling you and write them a letter asking to be contacted by mail only. Send this letter certified with a return receipt requested. (Your local post office can help you with this.) Once they receive your letter, by law they cannot call you anymore.

Now you have to deal with the debt itself and that is simple too. Take a look into a debt settlement program. When you get into a settlement program, debt-relief professionals proceed with getting your debt reduced on your behalf. Many times your balances can be reduced by more than half, and you will not be responsible for paying the rest. Once you do this, you are back in control with a plan and payment you can easily afford. The collections calls will have stopped because you told them to stop calling you, and your debts will get under control because you are doing what you need to do get them settled. Many times, debt settlement programs will even roll their fee into your overall debt settlement plan so you don't have to pay anything up front. If you are seriously in debt, it's worth a look. Either way, once you deal with your finances, you will have the peace of mind you need to get back on your feet.

Free Debt Relief Advice How To Legally Stop Collection Harassment

By: Clyde Archer




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