Don’t let collection agencies scare you!
I hate it when collection agencies call people and make threats, or offer payment plans that people can’t possibly keep. All too often, the collection call or letter will put fear and fright into a persons mind.
The fact is, collections agencies are suppose to adhere to specific federal and state standards, (FDCPA) Fair Dept Collections Practices Act established by the federal government, but many of them use tactics that go way beyond what the laws allow. Often, when an agency can not collect from you, the account is given to another more aggressive agency that will stop at almost nothing to get your money. In some cases, the agency calling you is a scam. They get your information from credit reports, or boxes of collection agency reports improperly discarded.
Here are a few suggestions I recommend when you are first contacted by a collection agency.
Keep an accurate record of the agency name, the callers name and ID number, and the time and date of the call or each letter you receive.
If you don’t believe the bill is yours, send them a letter or e-mail requesting all of their supporting documentation, including original credit applications if applicable. This is not only your write, but a legal requirement if requested. Remember to keep copies of any letters or e-mails you send to the agency.
If you don’t want to be called at home or at work, send them a letter, e-mail or fax to let them know. If you tell the agency in righting, they have to stop the calling.
Never, and I mean never give anyone your Social Security number, date of birth, or banking information. Ask the caller what they have for information, and only verify the accuracy. Do not correct the information if it is incorrect, just politely tell the collector it’s not accurate, but don’t ever correct it for them. Scam artists will often use the information YOU provide to gain access to your credit or banking information.
If the letter or especially the caller is threatening or rude, contact the original creditor, and file a complaint about their collection practices.
Don’t panic if they threaten or begin legal action. If you don’t owe the money, can’t make the payments they offer you, or even if the bill is not yours, and you can prove it, you stand a much better chance going in front of a judge or clerk magistrate.
If you are on a fixed income, such as Social Security, veteran’s benefits, or public assistance, offer to send the agency proof of your limited income. Federal law and the laws of some states prohibit collection agencies from using certain public or government assistance as a form of repayment.
Lastly, if you have already made payments to the original creditor, or another collection agency, offer to send proof of your payments, but only after you verify that the company is a legitimate collection agency. To do this, you can check with your states Attorney Generals office, or your states consumer protection agency.
If you need help, or an advocate to help you, you can call us at 877-969-3463, or log on to www.directcomplaint.com to fill out a Collections Complaint form in our Consumer Complaint Center, or send us an e-mail at www.support@directcomplaint.com
As a consumer, even when it comes to collections, the power is in your hands, use it.
Texting While Driving
Texting and Driving don’t mix; at least that’s what the federal government thinks.
We have all heard arguments for and against using our cell phones for texting while driving. I would even bet that most of us who do text while driving have been asked on at least one occasion to stop texting by passengers in the car. If you have young children in the car or mini van, and you are texting while driving, you are probably already distracted by the children, and they don’t have a voice to ask you to stop texting.
I am totally blind, and there are not many things that scare me, but hearing the driver text while he or she is going sixty miles an hour down the highway does not leave me with a safe feeling inside.
The federal government via congress, seems determined to get into the argument. Pending legislation would link the amount of federal highway funds a state receives directly to their texting while driving laws. In affect, the federal government won’t tell individual states what they should pass for laws, but they will with hold valuable resources if states don’t conform to the federal mandates.
As a passenger, I want to be able to talk on my cell phone, and if I could see to text, I would do that too. But, if I were a driver, I would not talk on the phone, and I definitely would not text, even if the texting screen is in the middle of the steering wheel, no way, not me.
What do you think? This is an important issue that will effect us all in the future. To learn more about proposed legislation check out the link provided.
