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Useful Information About Professional Collections

By Teri Farley


Professional collections methods should be consistent with industry standards that forbid harassment and abusive behavior. Federal and state laws specify how a collector ought to behave when trying to collect an unpaid obligation. The job of a collector is to work with the person owing the money to find a mutually agreeable payment plan. It is not the collector's job to punish and threaten people.

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. It is counterproductive to harangue the debtor. People tend to get defensive and passive aggressive when they are treated harshly. On the other hand, if the collector's attitude is one of being helpful and trying to resolve the problem they more likely to get a positive outcome.

When the collector receives a written request from a debtor to verify the debt, then all efforts to collect from the person must be suspended. The debtor must be given verification of the debt. If verification is not provided, the person's credit reports must have the item either removed or flagged as disputed. Both the creditor and the debtor must be notified in writing that the debt was unable to be verified.

Time-Barred debts must be recognized. After a certain period of time a debt can no longer be collected. This time period is based on the statute of limitations, which is different from state to state. A debtor can not be sued for an obligation that is time-barred.

One of the biggest problem in the industry currently is identity theft. The popularity of the internet has made this crime easier to commit. Part of the process of determining if an obligation is valid is finding out if there has been identity fraud. Everyone should review a copy of their credit reports from time to time to make sure their identity is safe.

The telephone is the primary method that a collector uses to communicate with a consumer. Some unethical collectors have used the telephone as a tool to harass and annoy debtors. Collectors are not permitted to make frequent phone calls in a continuous manner. Debtors can only be contacted via phone between eight in the morning and nine in the evening. Telling a person that they will be sued if they do not pay by the end of the day, or that they have violated tax laws and will go to prison, can be a possible violation of federal law.

Contacting other people besides the debtor is not allowed. Collectors used to contact neighbors, friends, family members, and employers often in an attempt to embarrass the debtor. These types of methods could possibly be illegal and are, at the very least, unethical.

The industry standards of professional collections demand that the consumer is being contacted only about legal valid debts. The standards demand that the members of the public are treated with courtesy and respect. No one should ever be insulted or humiliated with abusive language or harassed in any way. These standard not only protect the public but helps those in the industry do a better job. Collectors will have better results when they work cooperatively with debtors.




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