Many of us know that many people suffer from credit card debt every day! Why do I say suffer? Credit card debt is a horrible thing it causes stress and anxiety! It is also medically proven that because of the stress and anxiety credit card debt can lead to serious health problems. This is one of the many reasons people need to search for help with credit card debt!
Now your first question is probably “How can I repair my credit card debt?” well it is not an easy process. One of the first steps I recommend is to try to balance your household budget. Watch were you spending your money and cut back on as much as possible to help consolidate your credit card debt! Keep track of your credit card debt, many people get to the point that they know they have too much debt. They want to get rid of their credit card debt but they do not even know how much they owe! Every month put it on the refrigerator, you will hate it every time you look at it, but it will help push you towards your goal. Another major tip is that you do not go back to your credit cards! Especially around the holidays people accumulate a massive amount of credit card debt. You must resist the urge to buy things, remember you have that balance you hate on your refrigerator!
One of the last tips I can recommend is to avoid credit cards! Many people repair their credit card debt and then go right back to their credit cards. Do not sign up for them; credit is not a necessity in your life! If you need help with your credit card debt though I would recommend visiting a great credit card debt relief website, they can help you with your credit card debt right away!
How You Can Repair Credit Card Debt
How are consumers benefitted by the debt laws?
Consumers can default in their debt payments. Sometimes apart from daily expenditures, consumers may not be able to pay toward their debt payments and then the collection agencies keep calling day and night to harass for debt payments. To make payments toward your debt, you must calculate your debt-to-income ratio to check how much should be your debt payments as compared to your income. The debt laws prohibit unlawful activities by the creditors and collection agencies. Take a look at how they do it.
What are the debt laws?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has enforced the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) under which the creditors are prohibited from using unfair, deceptive and abusive practices to collect debt from the consumers. But the laws cannot stop them from suing you for not paying them their money. This is for the debt collectors who regularly collect debt from the debtors. The debt collectors can be lawyers, collection agencies and companies that buy delinquent debt and then try to collect them. Check out which practices under the FDCPA are off limits.
Which practices are prohibited under the law?
As mentioned above, there are certain practices that are not allowed by the law and hence if the debt collectors don’t abide by them, they can be sued for their illegal activities. The practices prohibited by the FDCPA are given below:
- Time and place
As per the FDCPA, the debt collectors are not supposed to contact the debtors before 8 am and after 8 pm. If any debt collector is seen not abiding by this rule can be sued in a court of law. The debt collector should also abide by the restrictions regarding the place of contact. If the debtor is in the office and is not allowed by his employer to discuss all these things in his employment region, then the debt collector cannot talk to the debtor regarding debt collection. The debt collector is also not supposed to call in the office time if not allowed.
- Contact the debtor only
According to the debt laws, the debt collectors are not supposed to contact any other person apart from the debtor himself. The debtor has to be contacted for the debt collection and no relatives or neighbors should be harassed. If the debtor is represented by any lawyer, then only the debt collector can talk to the attorney or else contact the debtor first. If the court allows the debt collector to talk with the third party, then he can communicate with his credit reporting agency, attorney or any other person connected to the debtor.
- Harassment or abusive language
This is completely prohibited by the law. The debt collector is not supposed to use any abusive language to threaten the debtor or his relatives. The debt collector is also not supposed to threaten to put the debtor in jail for not paying off the debt. The collector also cannot advertise any sale of debt to coerce the debtor to pay off the debt. The debt collector has to reveal his identity and cannot pose as someone else to collect debt. Traumatizing a debtor for debt is not allowed as per FDCPA.
If you have debt, check your debt-to-income ratio and try to pay off your debt fast. If you’re continuously harassed by your debt collectors, complain about them to your state Attorney General or the FTC offices.
Legal Aid: As a Florida Debt Collection Attorney, Taras Rudnitsky would be honored to help you determine whether you have a Counterclaim against the debt collector or its lawyers. For a free consultation, please feel free to call toll-free at 1-888-834-5297.
Some questions that you may have about the FDCPA law
If your rising debt has become a constant source of trouble and debt collectors are causing harassment in your daily life, then you must be aware of the debt collection laws that are meant to protect you. Even if these laws do not help you in debt elimination, awareness about them will help protect you from the ill treatment that some debt collectors resort to.
The FDCPA or the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act is a law that governs how debt collectors can and cannot collect debt from you. It protects you from the unethical and the illegal debt collection practices of debt collectors.
Some of the questions that the law answers for you are as follows.
Can the collector contact you if you think you do not owe any money?
A debt collector is not supposed to contact you if you do not think that you owe him money. For this you have to send a letter 30 days after you receive the notice. This letter should be sent to the collection agency and should state that you do not owe any money. However, the collection activities can be renewed if the collector is successful in providing a proof of the debt that you owe.
How can you stop the collector from contacting you?
You can write a letter to the debt collector and ask them to stop contacting you. After receiving this letter the debt collectors will not contact you and even if they do it will only be to inform you that there will be no further contact. The collector may also contact you to tell you that some specific action will be taken against you. However, it is very important for you to remember that sending such a letter does not make your debts vanish magically. If you owe the money, then you will have to pay it eventually.
Can your debt collector contact a third party to collect your debt?
The debt collector is not to contact a third party regarding your debt. Only if you have an attorney, then your debt collector may contact the attorney instead of you. If you are a minor your parents can be contacted. However, a debt collector may contact third parties to find out your address or your phone number. The debt collectors are permitted to contact these third parties for such information only once. In usual cases the debt collector is not supposed to contact any one except you and your attorney regarding your debt.
The answers to these questions should make it clear that the law is there to protect you against any harassment from creditors.