questions about some agencies calling

Hi TMD

Oh no! Don't file for bankruptcy just because of these collection calls. They have violated the federal laws by harassing you and you should not make this suffering elongated for 10 years. Bankruptcy will hurt your credit adversely and you will be denied credit because of this filing.

There are stronger and legal ways to deal with such debt collectors who don't go by the fdcpa laws. Account solution group is one of the companies regularly violating the FDCPA laws. ???Larry??? does not have his calls monitored and so he helps the company in making illegal money. The company trains the reps to tell anything to the consumers. They mainly stress them to get money by any means.

Do not waste your valuable time by talking to them over the phone. Send a debt validation letter as you have the legal rights to know the details of your accounts. The federal laws allow you not to make any payments to them until your debt is accurately presented. If you just make a payment arrangement with them, you might be losing your hard earned money without any valid details about your accounts.

And yes, they have been very abusive to you and caused harassment on the phone. So, you need to file complaints against them at the state attorney general office as well as in the FTC and the BBB. Consult your attorney and file appropriate charges against them if they harass you again.

Don't feel low about what has happened. I can realize the pain you have gone through but you need to act strong rather than getting tensed.

Regards
Roxette

Thanks for the reply, but we actually have around $34,000 in debt right now, not including our house. That is why we are considering bankruptcy, although we have really been struggling to decide. We have called debt consolidation companies and they either want way too much of a payment, or they tell us they can't help us. Right now, we can barely pay our basic bills. My parents have had to help out for the last few months so we quit paying on our credit cards, etc. Although things will change when I graduate in 4 months, that does not help us now. I did want to ask a question though, when I call CAC and ask for someone other than Shannon and who very verbally abusive, she refuses to give me anyone else and states she is a supervisor, which I know is a lie. But apparently I only have her direct number, and she will not provide me with any other info.So what can I do about that? The address she gives is a PO Box which I find to be a little odd. Secondly, can I ask creditors to contact me only by mail and to stops all phone calls to any number? Because they keep calling family members and my husband's POE. Thanks again.

TMD

Federal laws allow recording of such illegal collection calls. Some states require permission from the other party. You can inform at the beginning of the conversation that the call is being recorded and you wish to take legal actions. Hopefully, they will come within the best of their behavior. Or, you can present the recording to your lawyer for further actions.

Talk to your lenders and know the latest standing of these accounts. If they are still with them, they will be able to work with you and arrange payments. But they won't be able to work if your accounts have already been sold to a third party collection agency. Talk to your lenders so that you can act accordingly.

The federal laws restrict third party collection calls if it is placed more than once. Send a cease and desist letter so that you can restrict them from calling you further. If they call after receiving your letter, you can take legal recourse.

Send all your letters through certified mail with return receipt requested. This way, you will be sure that the CA has received your letters on the dates specified and you will have enough reasons to defend yourself.

Regards
Roxette

tmd, if you called a 1-800 # to get the company, that is how your # showed up. blocked or not, your phone # will always show up if you call a 1-800 #. no way of blocking that. through a skip-trace process, collection agencies are legally allowed to use your social security # to find old phone #s of your family, friends, old jobs etc. perfectly legal. i do not agree with the way they treated you at all. by law, they are required to send you ONE letter validating the debt to the last known address they have on file. however, if you never receive that letter, you will probably have a hard time getting another. they are only required to send you one letter. if you are that far in debt, you might want to just file for banko. it's really not as bad as most make it out to be at all. there are still plenty of credit card companies, loan companies and car dealerships who will gladly work with you!

also, sending letters, disputes, ceases, complaints, etc - probably won't get you far. especially if you owe a valid debt. i suggest you either file for banko or just try your best to work with those companies.