Debt collectors are usually people employed by a company who call consumers to collect on their debts, they can be related to the creditor, such as an original card issuer, or they can work for a debt collection agency hired by the creditor.
They often have one goal in mind: getting the consumer to pay what they owe, this means that they’ll do anything from calling incessantly and hanging up, to making threats about taking legal action or garnishing wages.
How to Deal with the Calls
The first step to get out of debt is to take control and stop the harassing phone calls, the calls may be coming from a debt collector or even your original creditor, either way, you need to know your rights as they pertain to debt collectors.
First, there are three things that a debt collector can’t do when collecting on an account:
- They can’t use profanity or abusive language
- They can’t threaten violence
- They can’t contact you in the middle of the night
If you’re getting any of these behaviors from a debt collector, you should report them to your local authorities immediately, if this isn’t possible, then you should at least make notes of when and where the incident occurred so that, if necessary, you can report it later.
The most important thing to know is that debt collectors are not the police
They can’t arrest you, or seize your property or wages, but they can still be frightening, and they may have the power to ruin your finances with their threats and they can also make it difficult to get credit cards and loans in the future.
If you refuse to pay your debts, then a debt collector will try to contact you by phone or email and they’ll ask if you’re willing to set up a payment plan or post-dated cheque, but they’re not allowed to harass you into making payments that you can’t afford.
However, if you don’t deal with inkassobureau (debt collection agency) and start paying what’s owed on time, then there’s a risk of them taking legal action against you for non-payment if the bill becomes more than $25, this usually starts with a summons being delivered by mail.
Conclusion
Nobody likes getting calls from debt collectors, but, unfortunately, many people find themselves in a situation where they have to deal with them.
The good news is that there are things you can do to get out of debt and protect your credit and the first step is understanding how debt collectors work and what they can do to you once you know what they can do, you can better prepare yourself.
The next step is to deal with the debt collector calls, there are a few things you can do to stop them, but sometimes they won’t listen however, what should you do if you just can’t take it anymore?
Options for going forward include hiring a professional to negotiate your debt for you, filing for bankruptcy, or simply ignoring the calls.
