Personal Finance Knowledge – Do You Know How to Deal With Debt Collectors?
February 28th, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized — Finance Author
One thing most people do not consider as part of their personal finance knowledge is how to deal with debt collectors. Or how to deal with any other contacts you may encounter in your financial dealings. It is important to see the point of view of the debt collectors you are dealing with. They have ‘bought’ your debt off your finance company and their profits come from getting more than they paid back from you. If you know and understand this you will be in a far better position to deal with them to your advantage.
This does not mean debt collectors are all sweetness and light. Remember it is in their interest to get your money; as much of it as possible and as fast as possible. The people you are dealing with will lose their jobs if they do not perform, but that does not mean you should just do what they say.
Your debt collectors are well aware the majority of the people they deal with simply do not know their rights in these circumstances. They rely on this to persuade you to pay more than you can reasonably afford and faster than you can afford. The best way to counteract this is to know what they can legally do and what they legally cannot do.
They can only contact you at your workplace if you do not do anything. All you have to do here is send them a letter stating they are not to contact you there. So write them a letter as soon as you know they are after your money.
They are not allowed to contact you excessively either. This is classed as harassment. Obviously definitions of ‘excessively’ could very well be different on each side, so it is best to inform them of your position in writing.
They are only allowed to contact you between 8am and 9pm. At least initially they are. If you inform them not to contact you at all in relation to your debt, they must comply. In this case they can only contact you if it is to inform you of additional action they will be making to recover the debt.
Make no mistake, debt collectors, because of the nature of this work, can become aggressive in recovering the debt. Your best defense is to know your rights and not be bullied into making payments you cannot afford.
The absolute best way to deal with your debt collectors is to increase your personal finance knowledge to include how to deal with such people and firms. Contact them immediately and try to work through your money problems with them. Once they see you know your rights, you will not be bullied and are willing to make an arrangement, it is in their interests to come to an agreement.
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