Apr
Would you pay because the Collector demanded/ ordered that you pay Him/ Her right now? Or would you not because it's an order from Him/ Her? Presuming you already own the debt.
Answer:
I don't think it matters if they demand the money or not - if someone doesn't have the money to pay their bills they can't give them the money anyway.
Answer:
I ignore debt collectors, that is what caller I.d. is for. if I happen to accidentally pick it up, I just hang up on them, they don't get a chance to ask me for money
Answer:
They would not call me because I would not have any overdue debt.
But you should request validation of the debt before paying anything if it is not the original creditor, so you are sure you are not being conned.
Answer:
If you owe the debt, the right thing to do is to pay. However, if you cannot afford to pay, nicely tell the collector that you cannot pay and that you will contact them when you are able to. And if they continue to call, use caller ID or change number.
Answer:
by law as (I understand it ) they must own the debt paper or have an assignment on record with the state before they can demand payment. Plus be a BAR attorney. most aren't .
challange them to prove the debt . in my experiance very few can prove it.
Answer:
If you don't want them to call you anymore, I believe that if you tell them that you do not want to be contacted by phone and only by mail. Legally they can not continue to call you. I worked collections over 5 years ago, not sure if that law has changed.
Answer:
Never give out bank information on the phone. Collection agencies use scare tactics all the time to get you to pay. The most common tactic is posing as a law firm and giving you a certain time to pay or "we will have to take necessary measures,"
However, you're still responsible for paying your debt. Request any and all information to be put in writing.
Answer:
It is important to understand that it is the debt collectors job to make you pay. They get paid when you pay. Debt collectors deal with unpaid debts on a daily basis and they do not have the emotions that you may have about your debts. Debt collectors, from the nature of their business are most of the time aggressive and have no problem putting stress on you and pressuring you to pay.
Know Your Rights
When dealing with debt collectors you need to know your rights. Debt collectors normally will not tell you your rights and possibly will break the law when trying to recover debts. There are many rights you have, but a few of the most important ones are the following:
1. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) - This is a federal law that requires debt collectors to treat you fairly. This law places limitations on the way they can collect. This act places limitations on when the collector can call, who they can contact, obscenities, amounts they are entitled to collect, suing in locations far from residence, threatening remarks, and many more. The following website gives great details on the FDCPA: (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consume… If you feel a collector has violated one of your rights, you should contact either an attorney or a credit company that can help with this.
2. Statue of Limitations - With all debts there is a time limit to how long creditors or collections agencies can sue in order to collect debts. Depending on what state you live in this time frame varies from 4 to 25 years. A creditor may be contacting you about a debt that is outside of these limitations and you may not be entitled to pay. This is important to find out before paying anything to a creditor because if the statue of limitations has expired and if you make even a tiny payment, this will restart the statue of limitations and you will now legally owe this debt. It is important to get detailed information about your debts owed with dates and amounts from the creditor.
3. Privacy - A debt collector is not suppose to tell anyone about the debts that you owe other than a co-signer or a spouse. They can call neighbors and employers, but only to obtain contact information and that is it. If they cross that line, you may be able to take legal action against them.
4. Harassment, False Statements, and Unfair Practices - This may be very common among debt collectors. They will almost say anything they can in order to make you pay. They are not allowed to make false statements or harass you in illegal ways. It is smart to keep records of what was said and if you believe something may be illegal, contact an attorney.
Answer:
Your legal right is to demand them to verify your debt just as they are demanding payment from you. You can also tell them under federal statutes that you only want to be contacted via mail so they have to stop calling you. Here is a good resource that you can use to find samples of letters to send the debt collectors and other useful info, its a free site http://www.adviceontime.com/Credit/Credi… Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList