they have called me at work and at home and have left messages but i am never around during the time they call or it is too late they caught me right before i was going to bed but it was a personal cell phone can they do that by law?
2007-09-27 10:34:14 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
They can call you from wherever they want, but they can't violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by harrassing you. I don't think that calling you from a personal cell phone violates the act. You should probably call them and try to settle your account for less than you owe. A lot of times they will do that for as much as half of what you owe, or they will let you get on a payment plan.
2007-09-27 10:40:42 · answer #1 · answered by Tara P 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sure they can use their personal cell phone to call you. They often use computers to call the numbers in their database at least twice a day.
You may need to consult an attorney about your options. I suggest this before consumer credit counseling as they rarely are successful in resolving these situations. I know they claim to reduce interest rates and then you make one low monthly payment. In reality, you end up getting hammered with over the limit and late fees and APRs near 30%! Before you know it, you are further behind and getting more creditors calling.
The lawyer can evaluate your situation and tell you if credit counseling will work or if bankruptcy is the only answer.
If you have small debts, you can negotiate for favorable payment options. You can always threaten bankruptcy and then check back with them to see if they are more interested in negotiation.
2007-09-27 17:44:32 · answer #2 · answered by hensleyclaw 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What does it matter? Somebody has the job of collecting money you owe, so they can call you from any phone. There are rules about frequency and time of day, but really, if you owe, you may as well work out a payment plan.
2007-09-27 18:05:12 · answer #3 · answered by Flatpaw 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋