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Are Debt Collectors Violating Your Consumer Rights?

| Apr 27, 2017 | Creditor Harassment

If you have overwhelming debt, you undoubtedly think about your unpaid balances on a regular basis. You may wonder how you can get out from under your liabilities in a timely and effective manner. Because the debt itself can cause you to experience significant stress, your situation may worsen if you begin to feel harassed by debt collectors.

Though collection agencies have a job to try to get individuals to pay on their debts, you may feel that some collectors take their actions too far. In some cases, these individuals may even violate the law in their attempts to contact you about your outstanding balances. Therefore, you may wish to recognize when a debt collector violates your consumer rights and take action against their illegal behavior.

Collection calls

The phone ringing off the hook due to collection calls worries many individuals. However, you can prevent such action if a collector contacts you. For instance, you can request that collectors do not contact you while at work. Once you tell them not to take such action, they should not call your place of employment again.

Additionally, it violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for collectors to call you several times a day. If they do take this action, it constitutes harassment. Collection agencies also cannot attempt to call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you specifically request that they call before or after these times.

Unaccepted speech

When a collector contacts you, he or she should act in a civil and professional manner. If he or she calls you names, uses profane language or threatens you in any way, that individual has violated the law by verbally abusing you. Another illegal act involves implying that you have acted illegally by not paying your debt. A collector cannot threaten to have you arrested if you do not pay your outstanding balances.

Stopping contact

If you wish for collection agencies to stop contacting you, you may submit a written request to cease contact. Agencies must honor this request, and the collection calls should stop. However, just because their calls and other direct contact with you ends, your debt does not go away. They can still sue you for outstanding balances.

In order to truly address your debts, you may wish to consider your options for filing for bankruptcy. Speaking with an experienced Ohio attorney could allow you to gain useful information on how to handle debt collectors, what to do if they have violated your consumer rights and how bankruptcy could improve your situation.

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