Debt collection agencies are notorious for aggressively pursuing consumers that owe money on outstanding credit accounts. You might receive a phone call one at work from a third party debt collector such as Harris & Harris Ltd.
Although the phone calls from the bill collector to your cell number was bad enough, now you have to contend with phone calls at work. Can Harris & Harris Ltd.
Call you at work? The answer is yes, if the debt collection agency does not violate one or more provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Passed by the United States Congress in 1977, the FDCPA forbids third party debt collectors from implementing a wide variety of aggressive debt collection tactics.
However, the FDCPA does not prohibit bill collectors from calling consumers at work unless your employer has made it clear it does not want debt collection agencies to contact employees at work.
Known as “Reason to know,” the provision of the FDCPA allows you to ask Harris & Harris Ltd. to stop calling you at work because your employer forbids calls from third party debt collectors.
How to Get Harris & Harris Ltd. to Stop Calling You at Work
Even with the FDCPA protecting consumers, many bill collectors want consumers to feel uneasy simply because the companies contacted them at home or at work. The primary goal of a debt collection agency is to trigger enough stress to motivate you to take action to settle a delinquent credit card or personal loan account.
Outside of “Reason to know,” do you have other methods for getting a third party debt collector to stop calling you at work?
The first step is to work with a licensed consume protection lawyer. An experienced lawyer will review your case to determine the proper course of action to take. He or she might send Harris & Harris Ltd. a certified letter requesting the bill collector stop calling you at work.
Your FDCPA might invoke the statute of limitations in your state for the collection of consumer debts. If Harris & Harris Ltd. Violates one or more provisions of the FDCPA, your lawyer will seek monetary damages by filing a civil lawsuit against the debt collection agency.
Are You Entitled to Monetary Damages?
A consumer protection law without a monetary damages provision is a consumer protection law without teeth. The FDCPA allows consumers to sue third party debt collectors for using illegal tactics when attempting to collect outstanding credit card and personal loan balances.
Monetary damages cover physical and mental distress, as well as the wages lost from fewer hours on the clock and the garnishment of wages to settle a consumer debt.
Having to deal with third party debt collector phone calls produces considerable stress, which often lead to physical ailments that include heart problems and severe migraine headaches.
If you suffer from one or more physical issues because of the stress and anxiety caused by a bill collector, your lawyer will present documentation of the medical care provided and call healthcare professionals to the stand as expert witnesses that bolster your case.
Receiving phone calls from a debt collection agency at work is a big deal. Make sure you take advantage of the legal rights granted by the FDCPA by speaking with a highly rated consumer protection attorney today.
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*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 Harris & Harris Ltd. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.