Dealing with collection agencies can be a nightmare that no one ever wants to go through. The good news is that most people will at some point have to deal with a bill collector and that doesn’t make them bad people. The fact of the matter is that you do have rights that are guaranteed by the government that collection agencies have to respect. And that by educating yourself about the law and these rights you can actually make the process a whole lot easier to deal with.

The fact of that matter is that there are a number of rights for consumers that the US government has spelled out quite clearly. The law, known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act establishes certain rules that bill collectors must obey when dealing with you. There are many elements to this law but you should know that it works to provide protection from bill collectors for ordinary Americans.

Some of the features of this bill include:

  • No harassing phone calls between 9 pm and 8 am
  • No threatening jail time or imprisonment for failure to pay
  • The bill collection agency can only speak to you not to members of your family or your co-workers

With this act the government has tried to establish a level playing field. A collection agency must respect these laws when attempting to collect a debt. The point of this legislation was to try to stop abusive debt harassment techniques that were illegal. For the most part this bill has been a success. Unfortunately, most consumers are  not aware of many of the provisions within it.

In fact most people who are contacted by collectors do not know how to deal with collection agencies. They don’t know their rights nor do they know that in many cases their debt has been sold to a collector who is willing to settle for pennies on the dollar. Because of the intimidation tactics of bill collectors and because of the lack of education among the populace, this situation continues.

The fact of the matter is that if you find yourself in a situation where you are being harassed by debt collectors your best option is to educate yourself. There are numerous organizations and credit counselors who can help guide you and ensure that the collection agencies play by the rules.

In nearly all cases you can, through the use of a cease and desist letter, get the harassing phone calls to stop. You can request that communication be conducted through the mail for instance. Now, you should also be aware that just because you get the calls the stop that does not mean that you have satisfied the debt. But at least the calls have stopped.

Another thing that you need to be aware of is that ignoring the calls and letters is the biggest mistake that you can make. As your debt goes forward it accrues fees and charges that cause it to get bigger and bigger. In the end, your creditor may be forced into suing you and taking you to court. Which is an outcome that nobody wants obviously. So by taking action and working with your creditors you are likely to get the best settlement possible and stop the harassing phone calls.