Individuals tasked to collect tardy payments are called account collectors or bill collectors. These collectors can work for a company's internal debt collection department or can be employed by a debt collection agency. In some cases when bills or accounts collections are outsourced to call centers, the bill collectors may be employed by another party apart from both the original creditor (the company to which the debt is originally owed) and the credit collection agency.
Whoever their employers are, bill collectors perform the same essential function of collecting debts through established and accepted means. Everything that debt collectors do is aimed at collecting full payments.
Bill collectors are in charge of getting in touch with the debtors to inform them of their overdue accounts or bills. Bill collectors do this by sending out letters informing the debtors about their total amount due, the details of their debt, and the period of time that they have to make complete payments. These letters also detail the repercussions of noncompliance. More commonly, however, debt collectors communicate with the accountholders through the telephone. After all, this method has a faster response time than mailed correspondence. For more efficiency, bill collectors usually use software that automatically dials the numbers of accountholders. This saves them time because the software checks the phone numbers for validity and only those numbers from which a response is obtained are put through.
In debt collection by telephone, debt collectors must abide by legally sanctioned debt collection practices like calling within the hours of 8 am to 9 pm unless the debtor expressly allows calls beyond these hours. Bill collectors may not also call a debtor's place of employment if the employer explicitly forbids it. Bill collectors may not also misrepresent themselves when calling the debtor as well as trick the debtor in accepting collect calls. Debt collectors may not also threaten and harass the debtor or use profane and obscene language. These and all other debt collection guidelines are stipulated in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Debt collectors are also tasked to find and locate missing debtors. If a debtor cannot be contacted through the recorded phone number and address, debt collectors will call former neighbors, relatives, coworkers and other third parties to find the debtor. They will also check postal and other public records for the same purpose. Bill collectors are aided in this by advanced computer applications.
Bill Collectors Calling At
For anyone who has fallen behind paying their bills, or had their debts turned over for collection, you know what it's like to get those calls from bill collectors. They call you at all hours at home, call you at work and constantly send you notices in the mail. Is there anything you can do to stop these debt collectors, or at least slow them down? Yes there is.
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, all debts for personal, family and household, are covered. Debt collectors must abide by the rules set up under this act. Some of the debts this act includes are: car loans, medical bills, credit card debt, personal loans and home mortgages.
A debt collector can contact you over the telephone, by mail, or even in person. They can call you anytime after 8:00 AM and before 9:00 PM. A bill collector can also call you at your job unless you tell them to stop. A debt collector can't contact anyone else about your debts other than your attorney if you have one.
What can't a debt collector do?
Every bill collector has certain rules to abide by. They may never: - Harass or abuse you - Threaten you with violence - Use profane or obscene language toward you - Call you repeatedly over the phone just to annoy you - Make false statements or imply they are attorneys or government reps - Make false claims such as you will be arrested if you don't pay your bills - Use false names or deceive you into believing they are someone they aren't - Give false information about your account to a credit bureau - Tell you that you have committed a crime falsely - Deposit a post-dated check before the date that is written
What options do you have if a debt collector violates the law?
You can actually sue any debt collector who openly violates the law. You have one year from the date of violation to file a suit in court. And if you win your case, the debt collector may have to pay you money damages, court costs and attorney fees.
How do you report a debt collector?
Anytime you believe your rights have been violated by a debt collector, you can call your states Attorney General and report them. They can assist you in what to do next. The Federal Trade Commission should also be notified about the situation.
How can you stop a debt collector from contacting you?
If you want to make a bill collector stop contacting you, simply write them a letter and tell them to stop immediately. When they receive your letter, they can no longer contact you unless it is to tell you that your creditor is taking some other legal action.
This doesn't mean that the debt is going away. If you actually owe the money to your creditor, you can still be sued to collect on it.
While no one enjoys getting calls from debt collectors, you don't have to live with any harassment from them. Knowing the laws and rules can help you make the best of an upsetting situation until you can get your debts paid off and get back on your feet again.
Both Tristan Andrews & Michael Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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