Recording calls with CA's (or OC's)

You can start the conversation by saying "Please note that this call is being recorded. By remaining on the phone you are agreeing to this conversation being recorded."
It is not, however, necessary to record a call to prove harrassment. The number of calls received is enough. CAs will settle quickly out of court as part of the cost of doing business. They can't afford to waste their time on difficult cases as a rule. OCs would depend on the laws of your state as they do not fall under the FDCPA.

Yeah, I've only had a few CA's refuse to talk to me after I tell them up front I'm recording the call. I always ask them why they don't agree, if they're going to behave above-the-board and legal then what should it matter if I record the call? I also tell them it's going to be there only chance to talk to me on the phone too, since I do all my communications with CA's by USPS only; no phone calls!

I'm going to have some sort of documentation of all my communications with a CA either recorded or written. I'm not going to have some CA putting words in my mouth saying I agreed to something that I never did.

I also do like NASCAR_devil suggested and when I send that first DV letter in, I have at the bottom of the letter that "all calls to me will be recorded" disclaimer.

If it is a 2 party state they have to tell you that they are recording, right?

What if when you first call and the recorded message says "This cal MAY be recorded",,,,,Do they still have to tell you when they are recording or ask for your permission?

I remember reading somewhere, if you call a CA and you get that disclaimer at the start of the call, then you don't have to tell the CA you are recording them. If you reside in a 2-party state, that is.

I did do some research into that, on the internet, and remember seeing that somewhere, I just cannot remember where.

More than likely the agent will refuse to be recorded, at which point you tell them that they will need to hang up because this call WILL be recorded.

Don't hang up first because they will use that as a refusal to pay notation. Also don't get into any conversation until the person accepts the recording. If they start into something else just say "So you accept being recorded?"

I would also state that any violation of the law will be turned over to your lawyer, state and federal agencies for prosecution.

You do not have to record just make it look like you are recording and you will either get a legitimate conversation or they will hang up.

LOL!

Well, I've done that too Cellular. Told a CA I was recording a call, when I really wasn't.

Believe me, I didn't get a legitimate conversation either!

I called a CA that was bothering my mother, looking for my brother, and I called them for my mother because she has had some nasty experiences with CA's when has told them to stop calling her. I can't even begin to tell you how nasty and unprofessional the CA rep. was. I even started out the call by telling him I was recording it (he had no objection) and it went downhill from there. I finally hung up on him and the @$$ called back telling me I would be getting a call every morning at 8 AM.

I finally wrote up a Cease and Desist letter and faxed it to them telling exactly what happened in the letter along with the threat of getting a call every morning at 8 AM, and telling them to never call my mother's phone number agian. I then faxed it to every number I could find for them and even E-mailed it to every E-mail address I could find on the company website.

I was seriously PO'd at this point.

I did get one E-mail response back, advising my mother's name and phone number had been removed and she will get no more phone calls.

I wish I had actually been recording the call, because I would have an open-and-shut FDCPA violation case right there. So now I record every single call I make to any CA for just that reason.

Seriously, I guess I'm pretty challenged electronically, but what are you using to record the conversation? I'm just picturing myself with my old boom box and having to lean over it with the phone right next to it so that it can pick up the conversation coming from the phone receiver. Isn't there a better way to do this?

You can buy a digital recorder just about anywhere. I got a pretty reasonably priced on at Wal-Mart. I had to go to Radio Shack, however, in order to get the device that you have to plug into your phone line in order to record the calls; I couldn't find them anywhere else.

As of this date, I don't know of any to record cell phone conversation, though.

ball_mich, I had a good laugh and visual on your last comment about the scenerio with the boom box!

I actually use a small tape recorder from radio shack but I paid about $50 a few years ago (we needed it to play testimony tapes for court reporting school) but I also have a very small one that uses mini tapes that someone gave me. I'm sure those are a lot cheaper and they may even be available at a store like walmart or even walgreens. I just place the call on speaker and speak to them that way. I'm in a one party state so I'm recording the calls regardless because they have been extremely nasty to me.

LOL Ron. You're right, an honest agent should have no problem agreeing to record the call.

DCC used to have where you could call into their system, and use it to record a call. Then the recording would be available on this site. I don't know if that's still available or not.

There are also website like @spoofcard.com@ where you can buy minutes on a card, and then use their service to record calls. (Their main deal is that you can spoof your caller ID [might be funny to make call a CA using their own #], but the recording option is available nonetheless).