Your Rights In Dealing With Collection Agencies
(CBS 5) One of the top complaints to the Federal Trade Commission is poor treatment and unfair tactics used by collection agencies.
Yet, what many consumers might not realize is that there are laws in place to prevent you from being harassed. These laws are meant to protect consumers whether they owe the debt or not.
Once you are sent to collections it’s tough to win the battle… even if you feel you have a good reason why you shouldn’t have to pay the debt.
“It is your right as a consumer to dispute anything. So, for instance if it does go to a collection agency, it’s on your credit report, you have the right under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to dispute that information.” Said Erica Sandburg of Consumer Credit Counseling.
Sandburg also says if for any reason you feel you should not have been sent to collections fight it, otherwise, “they’re going to assume that you do owe it and they can make your life pretty miserable.”
Whether you owe the debt or not, here are the rights consumers have against debt collectors.
Collectors can’t contact you before 8AM or after 9PM. They can’t contact you at work if your employer disapproves.
Also, collectors cannot threaten to attach your wages unless they intend to legally do so. And you can send a letter telling them not to contact you again, but this doesn’t erase the debt.
As for co-signing a contract? “You are responsible. As a co-signer you are 100 percent responsible,” Sandberg said. “They fail to pay, it ends up in your lap and on your credit report.”
Thanks to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors have to follow strict rules and guidelines when contacting you. If you feel they are breaking the law, you have a right to sue them.
- Source: Summarized from CBS5.com, June 12, 2007
