Debt Collectors are Justified in Harassing People

There are some of you out there who believe that debt collectors are justified in harassing people. You think that these people owe the money and it’s the only way companies can get paid. To you, collection agency harassment is not personal because it’s only business. Well I can tell you that there are many debt collectors who aren’t harassing people because business is business.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a woman who was in tears because she had just lost her job. She lost her job because a debt collector kept calling her at work. She told them to stop calling her at work and warned the debt collector that if they kept calling her she would lose her job. The woman was behind on her bills, but she was working and was paying off the bills as fast as she could. She even offered to pay a monthly figure to the collector, but it wasn’t enough for them.

If it were only business, a debt collection agency would recognize that a person with a job is much more likely to pay off a debt than a person who is unemployed. Collectors are trained in what the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) says, and they know that it is not legal to contact a person at work if they know such calls are prohibited. If it were only a business decision, they would not subject their company to a potential $1,000.00 fine for violating the Consumer’s rights.

You may think that it’s okay for a debt collector to harass someone, but I remind you. An original creditor always has the right to sue someone for breach of contract. A debt collector always has the right to collect on a debt so long as they follow the guidelines set forth in the FDCPA. Just because a person owes a debt it does not give a person freedom to treat them however they want.