When a debt collection agency like Ad Astra Recovery Services calls you at home almost every day, you wonder if you have legal protection against a third party debt collector that makes numerous calls within a short period.
According to a consumer protection law enacted by the United States Congress in 1977, bill collectors don’t face any limits on the number of phone calls made to consumers.
Ad Astra Recovery Services can call multiple times a day until you resolve the outstanding credit card or personal loan account in question.
Simply ignoring the phone calls made by a debt collection agency do not make the calls stop.
In fact, most third party debt collectors turn to other tactics to get you to pay off a delinquent debt, including filing a civil lawsuit asking the court to require you to pay off the debt, as well as the interest and penalty fees that have accrued since the original creditor sold the debt.
Moreover, by not paying off an outstanding debt, you run the risk of a blemish appearing on your credit report. The resulting lower credit score will negatively impact your ability to apply for future lines of credit.
How to Make the Phone Calls Stop
One of the most methods for getting Ad Astra Recovery Services to stop calling you at home is to ask for a debt settlement.
By negotiating with the bill collector, you can reach an agreement that settles the debt for as little as 25% of the original debt.
You should hire a licensed consumer protection lawyer to handle the debt settlement negotiations.
An experienced consumer protection attorney knows when to stand firm and when to agree to a proposed settlement. Your lawyer will also have a thorough understanding of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
The FDCPA represents the consumer bill of rights. Under the groundbreaking federal law, bill collectors are not allowed to call consumers between the hours of 9 pm and 8 am.
Ad Astra Recovery Services can call you a few times between 8 am and 9 pm every day, but the first time the debt collection agency calls you in the middle of the night, you have the right to file a lawsuit in civil court.
A third party debt collector is prohibited from using deception to collect a delinquent credit card or personal loan balance.
Deception can include impersonating law enforcement or denying the existence of your state’ statute of limitation for collecting delinquent consumer debts.
Any violation of the FDCPA is legal cause to get a bill collector to stop calling you.
Compensation for FDCPA Violations
One of the side effects of receiving debt collection agency phone calls is the destruction of personal and professional relationships.
The emotional toll of dealing with constant phone calls from Ad Astra Recovery Services can trigger marital woes and put your job on the line.
When a bill collector crosses the legal line by violating the FDCPA, you have the right to seek monetary damages for the emotional pain and suffering caused by the third party debt collector.
The FDCPA permits consumers to seek monetary damages for a wide variety of reasons that include emotional distress.
Since emotional issues typically don’t produce physical evidence, your consumer protection lawyer will ask expert witnesses to testify on your behalf.
Your lawyer might also call friends and family members to the stand in an effort to collaborate your emotional duress claims.
Speak with an attorney to learn more about the FDCPA and its many legal consumer protection provisions.
Additional Resources
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Ad Astra Recovery Services or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.