Can a Collection Agency Call Me at Work?

There are few things more annoying than unbridled collection attempts from very rude and aggressive collectiong companies. In far too many cases they cross over the line, and there is indeed a line in place. It was drawn through the passage of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This piece of legislation spells out the rules with regard to fair debt collection practices, and you should understand your rights if you are under siege by collection agencies.

First of all, to address the specific question that serves as the title of this blog post, collection agents may not contact you at your place of employment IF they have been made aware of the fact that you are not allowed to receive these calls. You must tell them to not call you at work.  You also have rights when it comes to the times of day that collection agencies are allowed to contact you. Generally speaking, they can only try to get in touch with you between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 o’clock in the evening. However, if you work unusual hours and they know it, they would be required to adjust their actions accordingly.

Collection agencies are not allowed to threaten you in any way, and they cannot publish your name on any type of lists that are meant to embarrass you or diminish your reputation.   Additionally, collection companies are not allowed to call you repeatedly, and they are breaking the law if they use foul or abusive language when they are speaking with you.

These are all important and useful provisions for debtors, but there is one section of the law that may be the most valuable of all. If you send a collection agency a cease and desist letter demanding that they stop contacting you, they are required to comply.  The only contact they can make after that time is to serve you with a lawsuit.

Lastly, if they know you have hired an attorney, they can only discuss your debt with the attorney and the must leave you alone.

Retain a Bankruptcy Attorney!

As you can see, there are many restrictions placed on collection agencies by the federal government. Again, if you have a lawyer representing you, collectors will be required to contact your attorney, so you wouldn’t have to deal with them at all.  In addition, when they know you have an attorney, they know you have the ability to sue them for violating the FACPA,  We have offices in many different cities in Oregon, including Coos Bay, Klamath Falls, Bend, and Portland, and we would be glad to provide you with a free initial consultation. You can set the wheels in motion if you call us right now at 800-682-9568.

Discuss Unfair Debt Collection With a Bankruptcy Lawyer

If you are getting phone calls from collection agencies that are getting out of hand in one way or another, you may want to discuss your situation with a bankruptcy lawyer. We serve clients in Salem, Roseburg, Medford, Klamath Falls, and numerous other cities in Oregon, and we also have offices in Washington. Many of our clients reach out to us because they simply cannot tolerate the nature of the collection calls that they are receiving, and we can always provide solutions.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) spells out guidelines that collection agencies must abide by when they contact debtors. We should emphasize the fact that it is not applicable when a creditor is contacting you directly. The FDCPA protections do not apply until and unless the debts are handed over to a collection agency.

One of the provisions contained within the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act will provide you with immediate relief if you engage our firm to represent you. Once the collection agency is aware of the fact that you have legal representation, they cannot contact you directly; they would have to communicate with us. This is a very efficient way to get the collectors off your back as we work with you to develop a debt relief strategy.

Bankruptcy is going to be the right choice for many people who are struggling with a significant level of unmanageable debt. After you engage our services and the collection calls come to a halt, you could potentially file for bankruptcy. If you decide to go this route, you would get an automatic stay. This would temporarily stop most collection efforts, and this could apply to your original creditors as well as the collection agencies.

You would typically choose between a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13. With a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, unsecured debts can be completely discharged, and you can go forward with a fresh start. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a reorganization that allows you to use your disposable income to pay back your debts, or a portion of your debts, over time. The form of bankruptcy that is right for you will depend upon the circumstances. In either event, the collection calls will cease, and you will be able to move on with your life free of debt collector harassment.

There is no reason to accept abuse from a collection agency representative who is stepping out of bounds. Help is just a phone call away, and our firm offers free case evaluations for people in Vancouver and Tacoma, Washington and just about everywhere in the state of Oregon. If you would like to reach out, you can give us a call right now at 1-800-682-9568.