Debt Collection Information. Not "Legal Rights or Legal Advice"

These are tough times or haven't you heard? You pay that charge bill at the minimum payment. Lord those card people love that minimum payment of yous. You now have a friend for life. A friend you do not want or need. Your next statement comes with a great offer, and you negotiate that you must have it. Your cool you have it under control.

Soon your monthly statement becomes a noose around your bank. You actually read your statement and see your monthly dollars are only paying "Mob-Interest." Sometimes "The Mob" may be easy to deal with. So now you loose your job, your kid gets busted, are you are your spouse are hospitalized. You are late on your card payment. Your "Old Friend"at the card company is not interested in your country sad song.

A person should pay what they owe. This is not a writing about screwing your creditors. Personally I think the companies induce you to owe them. Mosquito's suck blood because they have to. People are given a choice, bugs are given genes for blood sucking.

Alright, now they are calling you at home, they are calling you at work. They call you at dinner, they call you at break feast. They call your neighbors and your beloved relatives. They call you more than your son or daughter. Now the following things are not intended as legal advice. Laws vary from state to state so here goes.

1. If a collector calls you at work request that they do not to the calling party. Get the debt collectors legal name and extension. Write down the time and date 'Guido calls." Keep a record of your coversations.

2. Different states have variable laws on the time they can call you. After lets say nine P.M. in some states they call you at home. If you know your states collection laws and applicability let them know that.

3. Try to work out a decent payment plan. Stop using the card period. You may want to remove the interest or finance charge. Ask them about that.

4. Do not assume that you will send them something that they will accept it. If you lent your Friend a grand and he was to pay you a hundred bucks a month, and within two months he sends you fifty bucks, without your consent, would you like that?

I am amazed at people who think they can send a hospital ten dollars on a bill for two thousand dollars without the hospital agreeing to that. That is crap. When you pay debt collectors use a money order. Keep the stub from the money order. The money order you purchase will probably have the date of purchase on it as will the stub you keep.

Some places love to tell you they have not received your payment. Mail your bill from the post office and get it metered. For a small fee you can get a " Proof of mailing certificate." It is much cheaper than a certified letter. Certified letters can be refused. A poof of mailing certificate may not exonerate you on a late payment but you have created a paper trail on your transaction.

My personal favorite. This one can end up in civil court depending on your jurisdiction. You have finally paid off your bill. You have been diligent, and the collection agency has "erred" and starts to collect on your account all over again. Guess what. That may have just violated civil law, by collecting on a bill which has already been paid.

Debt collectors are hired out in many cases as a third party. They may get a hefty percentage of your debt if they can collect from you. They may even get a bonus for doing so when company efforts have failed. Try to get a street address instead of a box number of a collection agency. Try to get a real name of the collector who calls you. Ask for the spelling even if the collector tells you there name is "Smith." Try to get a toll free number from them.

I don't take abusive language and or implications that I am a dead beat from anyone. Try not to cuss them out. Technically they can report telephone harassment too. Try to remember you should pay your bills. If they are reasonable they can work something for you if you both agree on the terms.

If you are cussed, harassed, or threatened you do have rights. The attorney general of your state is probably the one to contact. Save all paperwork. Legally, privacy laws vary from state to state,

Check with legal professional before ever recording a telephone call. If someone is stupid enough to leave a cuss out call to you on a telephone message machine some states may see that as a voluntary statement. Other states may see a message on a machine as inadmissible. Check with "Legal Aid" if you can with the law that you as a consumer would be dealing with. If you tell a collector that you have a lawyer, they will probably imply, "How can you afford that but not pay your bill?" Creditors have rules and laws they must abide by. They can call your neighbors and relatives just to look for you. Depending on what state you and your relatives live in they may not be able to disclose YOUR debt to them over the telephone.

Several years ago a utility company denied me credit because a relative in the same town I lived in was a credit risk. The utility told me that because of someone else having a credit risk that I would have to pay my bill in full. Like somehow bad blood creates poor credit. The utility breeched a privacy law in my state at that time by telling me about a relative owing past due money to them without there knowledge. When I was done legally with them that action ceased, I believe fore-ever. I display all apology notes in my den from companies who screw up.