Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Consolidating Credit Card Debt - Be Fair Uncle Sam is Watching

By Elanora Kelly

Getting behind in your debts can need a debt collector getting in touch with you. Infrequently , you would feel nervous as thoughts of maltreatment or aggressive behaviour from the collector cross your thoughts. To guard you, the Fed Trade Commission ( FTC ), America's client protection agency, enforces the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) that restricts debt collectors from employing unfair and false practices to gather from you.

Under this Act, debt collectors are people who collect debt from others. They might be collection agencies, barristers who collect liabilities on a consistent basis, and corporations that buy obligations and then attempt to collect them.

The Act covers private, family and household obligations, as well as cash owed on a private Visa card account, auto loan, medical bill and mortgage. It doesn't include debts generated to help a business.

This Act limits the means of contacting debt collectors. They may not contact you at inconvenient places or times, say before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night, unless you agree to it. They may also not contact you at work unless you have been informed either orally or in writing.

After getting the facts to rights from the collector, and you decide that you don't wish to have another encounter, it is definitely possible to make him stop touching base with you thru writing. Make a copy of your letter and send the first by authorized mail. Pay for a "return receipt" so you can record what the collector received. Once received, the collector may not reach you again, with 2 exceptions : he may tell you that no further contacts shall be made or the opposing party will take an action, like filing court action. This can not eradicate your debt, but should suffice stop the contact.

If you employed a lawyer to represent the debt, the collector must contact the solicitor and not you. Otherwise, they may contact people only once solely to get your location, telephone number and any important details.

If you think that you do not owe anything or at least not all of the money, they must stop contacting you provided that you respond to their mail within 30 days after receipt of notice. However, they can contact you if they send you a verification notice of the bill.

Debt collectors are not allowed to make false statements, harass or perpetrate unfair practices on the consumer. If you experience any problems with a debt collector, report them to the state Attorney General's Office and the Federal Trade Commission. Debt collection laws may vary from state to state, so your Attorney General's Office can help you determine your rights under your state's law. - 29904

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment