Advantages of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Posted by Survivingyourmortgage on January 21st, 2015

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects consumers like you from abusive practices of some debt collectors. It was designed to promote fair debt collection, prevent unfair debt collection methods, and give consumers the power to validate and dispute debt information. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides guidelines on what your rights are as a consumer—because you do have rights even if you owe your lender money. This act also directs debt collectors in terms of proper conduct. It prescribes the remedies and penalties for violations of such stipulations.

For people who feel threatened and harassed by their creditors, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects much-needed protection against abusive collection practices. It prohibits several types of abusive, deceptive, and sometimes downright inhumane conduct that collectors may engage in as they attempt to collect payment. It can protect you from:

1. Phone harassment – This act limits phone contact hours, so your creditor can only call you from 8AM to 9PM. If they call you to remind you of your missed payments outside of these allowable hours, you can report them for abusive practices.The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act also protects you from being constantly and repeatedly contacted by a collector in your office or place of employment to annoy and harass you into paying. Once you advise them that your employer does not allow such phone calls, they should stop calling your office.

2. Misrepresentation/deceit – Some debt collectors pretend to be attorneys or law enforcers in an attempt to intimidate you into paying your debt. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, they can no longer use deception of any form to try to get money from you.

3. Unjustified amounts – This Act protects you amounts not permitted under the applicable law or applicable contract.

4. Threats for non-permitted legal action or arrest that the lending agency has no intention of seeing through.

5. Verbal abuse – The collector cannot use profane language or verbally harass you during the communication.

6. Contact through embarrassing media.

7. False reporting of information.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is certainly formulated to protect consumers like yourself from abusive debt collection practices. Still, some collectors fail to follow its guidelines—and they continue to prey on consumers who don’t know any better. If you suspect that your creditor might be harassing you, call an expert lawyer right away. You want an attorney that specializes in handling unfair debt collection cases. He or she can help you take action against creditors and debt collectors who violate the act.

About The Author:
The Law Offices of Justin McMurray, P.A. is dedicated to helping the people of Jacksonville, FL with all of their bankruptcy and foreclosure defense needs. They strive to help each and every resident of Jacksonville understand their options and their rights when it comes to bankruptcy. If you are suffering from difficult financial circumstances and are worried about losing your home or filing for bankruptcy, then call them for a free initial consultation.