Dealing with the dreaded debt collector has become easier with the advent of the internet. With just a few key strokes, a lot of patience and motivation, one can find all sorts of interesting information on dealing with collection agencies and their scoundrel collectors.
One such informative website is www.budhibbs.com Here you can find a plethora of useful information, research about the collector who is calling or contacting you and see how you can deal with them without hiring an attorney. The power to deal is with the people now, not the collector.
Are you being harassed with several never-ending phone calls at home, work or are they running up your cell phone bill? Squash their harassment with just a few simple keystrokes and you'll be much happier. How does one do this? Simple.
The first thing you should do when you're contacted in any manner by a debt collector, is to send them a cease communications letter. This will stop all of the harassing calls, letters and contact cold. If they violate the cease communication letter, there are severe federal laws enacted by Congress under the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) that will put the collector in their place.
Did you know that there is NO law that says that you have to work with a collection agency? Nope! You are under NO obligation to work with them, let alone talk with them. (You'll relay this to them in the cease communication letter.) It's funny that the U.S. Congress had to actually enact a law to protect people from the scoundrel debt collectors, but it's all too true!
Here is a quick sample of a cease communication letter. Very brief, but to the point with no question as to its intentions.
Date
(Name of Collection Agency)
(Address of Collection Agency)
RE: (Their account number and creditor if known)
Dear Collection Agency,
This certified letter shall serve as your formal notice that you are to CEASE AND DESIST ALL COMMUNICATION with me in ANY manner. Should you violate this ORDER, your company and/or employees will be subject to several various remedies available to me, both legal and criminal.
Violation of this ORDER knowingly violates the federal law under the protections of the FDCPA.
I have decided that I don't want to work with a collection agency in any fashion and will discuss this matter directly with the alleged creditor only.
Give this matter the attention it deserves and govern yourselves accordingly.
Very truly yours,
(Sign your name here)
(Type your name here)
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Ok, this very simple form makes dealing with the harassment of collection agencies an easy and very un-stressful event. That's it, the calls go away, the letters go away...the harassment everywhere goes away. Now, they can send you one last LETTER only stating what legal action they are taking, if any. If they threaten legal action, but don't file, that is a violation of FDCPA and you can file a complaint against them and even sue them if you so desire.
Another topic I'll touch on is the Junk Debt purchaser. These scoundrels, such as Collect America via their various companies, will purchase your charged off debt from creditors for pennies on the dollar, and then attempt to collect or sue (or threaten to sue) you for the full amount of the alleged debt. One thing you can do with these people is to keep up on your state's statute of limitations for debts as these people are notorious for trying to collect on debts that are as old as 14 years! That's the worst I've heard of.
I've personally dealt with Collect America via one of their companies, CACH, LLC, which is Collect America Collection Holdings. One of their networks of attorneys attempted to sue me for an alleged debt. I filed an answer and counter-sued CACH, LLC back for the harassment their attorney had inflicted on me in the course of his attempting to collect an alleged debt. They had tried to sue me for over $17,000, but after 2 years now, they have settled and received nothing. However, they did have to pay for their own court costs and attorney fees. I hope that taught them a valuable lesson.
Now, if we can just get the public to realize that they don't have to fear these scoundrels anymore. They really can be tamed like puppy dogs.
