WTF?!! Can collection agency do THAT?

[AnyMal]

I get home few minutres ago and there is a message on my answering machine. It goes something like this: "Hello, my name is Dave and I'm despsrately trying to get in touch with so-n-so residind at so-n-so address (couple of houses down the street, I do not know these people). Please help me get in touch with them, I would really appreciate that (toll-free number follows) Curiousity got the best of me and I called the number. It's a fugging collection agency, so I hung up without asking for the guy.

Are they legally allowed to do sh1t like that? :disgust:

 

[FleshLight]

Yes.

 

[intogamer]

file a compliant...

 

[DaveSimmons]

They might have violated the Do-Not-Call list rules if you are on that, but since they aren't trying to sell you anything it might just as easily be OK.

 

Are you disgusted at the person who DIDN'T PAY THEIR BILL (thereby bring the collection agency hassle upon themselves), or are you disgusted at the collection agency tactics? Both are deplorable.

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: jumpr
Are you disgusted at the person who DIDN'T PAY THEIR BILL (thereby bring the collection agency hassle upon themselves), or are you disgusted at the collection agency tactics? Both are deplorable.

I do not know the other person's situation so I can't really say anything about them. Agency's tactics are despicable no matter how you look at it. Not to mention, I am on a DNC list.

 

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Not to mention, I am on a DNC list.

Aha! You're a Democrat...well, that explains a lot.

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Not to mention, I am on a DNC list.

Aha! You're a Democrat...well, that explains a lot.

:laugh: you obviosuly never visit P&N :laugh:

 

[Ornery]

Exactly what is "deplorable" about a collection agency?

 

[sixone]

They called my local post office looking for a deadbeat who used to live here, trying to get a forwarding address. It is illegal for the PO to give out that info, so they didn't have any luck, but they will try anything. The more they collect, the more they get paid. There's no incentive to be polite, considerate, reasonable, fill in the blank.

EDIT: I hope you'll call them back and tell them they have to pay you for any info. If you're going to do their job, you should get paid for it.

 

[nageov3t]

it's a common tactic.

when the repo guys are out looking for a person's car, they also check the houses/garages of neighbors and relatives (I used to work at a collection agency... heard all kinds of great repomen stories lol).

 

[huesmann]

So it's all just like the movie?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Had a collection agency call trying to locate my 1st wife the other day, we've been divorced >10 years, evidently she listed me as a "relative" on her credit app.

I told them to call me if they found her, she owes me thousands...:|

 

[Descartes]

Per section 804 of the FDCPA:

Any debt collector communicating with any person other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring location information about the consumer shall --

(1) identify himself, state that he is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, and, only if expressly requested, identify his employer;

(2) not state that such consumer owes any debt;

(3) not communicate with any such person more than once unless requested to do so by such person or unless the debt collector reasonably believes that the earlier response of such person is erroneous or incomplete and that such person now has correct or complete location information;

(4) not communicate by post card;

(5) not use any language or symbol on any envelope or in the contents of any communication effected by the mails or telegram that indicates that the debt collector is in the debt collection business or that the communication relates to the collection of a debt; and

(6) after the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with regard to the subject debt and has knowledge of, or can readily ascertain, such attorney's name and address, not communicate with any person other than that attorney, unless the attorney fails to respond within a reasonable period of time to the communication from the debt collector.

Section 805 subsection b then says:

(b) COMMUNICATION WITH THIRD PARTIES. Except as provided in section 804, without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector, or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, or as reasonably necessary to effectuate a postjudgment judicial remedy, a debt collector may not communicate, in connection with the collection of any debt, with any person other than a consumer, his attorney, a consumer reporting agency if otherwise permitted by law, the creditor, the attorney of the creditor, or the attorney of the debt collector.

So, it looks like they were likely in the right. Had they not been you could likely file suit in violation.

The FDCPA. Consumers should educate themselves as to their rights in these situations.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: sixone
They called my local post office looking for a deadbeat who used to live here, trying to get a forwarding address. It is illegal for the PO to give out that info, so they didn't have any luck, but they will try anything. The more they collect, the more they get paid. There's no incentive to be polite, considerate, reasonable, fill in the blank.

EDIT: I hope you'll call them back and tell them they have to pay you for any info. If you're going to do their job, you should get paid for it.

Read section 806 of the FDCPA.

 

[Thegonagle]

When they're trying to locate someone for whom they no longer have current contact info, it's called "skip tracing," and when they're doing that, they'll try anything. They often walk the grey areas of the laws, but they very rarely care.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: AnyMal

Originally posted by: jumpr
Are you disgusted at the person who DIDN'T PAY THEIR BILL (thereby bring the collection agency hassle upon themselves), or are you disgusted at the collection agency tactics? Both are deplorable.

I do not know the other person's situation so I can't really say anything about them. Agency's tactics are despicable no matter how you look at it. Not to mention, I am on a DNC list.

They shouldn't need to use "tactics" to get people to pay money they rightfully owe.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: loki8481
it's a common tactic.

when the repo guys are out looking for a person's car, they also check the houses/garages of neighbors and relatives (I used to work at a collection agency... heard all kinds of great repomen stories lol).

i'd like to hear some

 

[bockchow]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: AnyMal

Originally posted by: jumpr
Are you disgusted at the person who DIDN'T PAY THEIR BILL (thereby bring the collection agency hassle upon themselves), or are you disgusted at the collection agency tactics? Both are deplorable.

I do not know the other person's situation so I can't really say anything about them. Agency's tactics are despicable no matter how you look at it. Not to mention, I am on a DNC list.

They shouldn't need to use "tactics" to get people to pay money they rightfully owe.

true but just because the collection agency says they owe it doesn't me the rightfully do.