Don't Disclose Your Identity
Are collectors ringing your doorbell? |
Prevent Debt Collection House Calls
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act notes that collection agency employees cannot contact you using methods that you have made clear are inconvenient to you. While this generally refers to making phone calls to your place of employment, showing up at your door easily falls into this category. If the last thing you want is to find yet another bill collector at your door, write the collection agency in question a cease and desist letter. Note in your letter that under no circumstances are any company representatives to come to your home to conduct collection activity. Send your letter via certified mail return receipt requested. Should another bill collector pay you a physical visit, you can then file a police report as proof of the incident and sue the company for violating federal law. Regardless of the outcome, its almost a given that the collection agent in question will find himself unemployed.
Debt Collectors on Your Property
There is one situation under which a collector has every right to come onto your property and that is to repossess secured debt. While credit card company representatives and unsecured collection agents are highly unlikely to come knocking on your door, a bank won't hesitate to send a crew over to your house to repossess your car if you don't make the payments. In this case, however, the bill collector isn't likely to knock on your door and ask you for the keys unless the car is locked away in a garage. If the debt you owe is unsecured by property, however, you have the law on your side to ensure that collection agencies can't simply show up at your door and, if they do, that history will never repeat itself.
Related Articles:
Send a Cease and Desist Letter to Debt Collectors
Can Bill Collectors Call Your Family?
How Debt Collectors Find You
I'd like to add few additional points.
ReplyDelete1) One should also do basic research of agencies involved in unlawful collection conducts before.
2) Even though you owe debt, one should not harass, humiliate or threaten the debt collectors.
By signing a retail installment contract, you have given the credit agency or creditor's representative permission to enter upon any premises where said property may be to inspect, collect or remove the property without process of law in the evewnt of default.
ReplyDeleteTo repo a car yes. To collect an unsecured debt, no.
Delete