If I Owe The Debt, I Can’t Sue An Abusive Collector, Right?
Debt collectors have no right to be abusive towards consumers.
When you’re dealing with an abusive debt collector, you may have a troubling thought, such as “Well, I owe this debt, so I can’t sue this debt collector.”
That is simply not the case.
You see, there’s a difference between owing a debt, and abusive debt collection.
They’re two different things.
Debt collectors who are willing to violate the law try to put these two together and say, “You owe the debt, so we can collect on it.”
Owing a debt does not excuse abusive debt collection.
Whether or not you owe a debt, the debt collector has to treat you fairly under the FDCPA.
Assuming you owe this debt, the debt collector still has to treat you fairly.
They have to follow the law.
Why?
There are two main reasons.
They have to obey because it’s the law.
Just as we have to drive within the speed limit and pay taxes, debt collectors have to obey laws that have been put in place.
Also, if the debt collector breaks the law, it’s unfair to the honest debt collector who follows the law.
It sometimes is surprising to consumers, but this protection for collectors is built into the FDCPA.
If abusive debt collectors break the law, then they have an unfair advantage over honest debt collectors who follow the law.
One way to explain this is through a sports illustration:
Let’s say that a football team had 13 players on the field at one time.
Would that be helpful to that team?
Absolutely.
Would it be fair for the other team?
Absolutely not!
So we would penalize the team with 13 players.
It’s the same way with debt collectors.
Even abusive debt collectors know that there’s a line not to cross.
Let’s say this abusive debt collector says that they will call you, your friends, and your family and harass them.
If you asked them, “Is it okay to go to the consumer’s house and kick down the door?”
They would deny that they could do that, because that would be crossing the line.
“What about going up to a consumer and shooting them in the legs?”
That would be crossing the line to them, also.
Unfortunately, they think that calling your friends, neighbors, and putting false information on your credit report is right inside their boundaries.
But even abusive debt collectors understand that there’s a line they cannot cross.
So, what should you do?
If you know, or suspect, that a debt collector has broken the law, contact us.
We help consumers all over the state of Alabama.
We will gladly answer any questions have you may have.
If you have a general question, feel free to leave a comment below this post.
If your question is a little more personal or specific, you can call us at 1-205-879-2447, or you can reach us through our contact page.
I look forward to chatting with you!
Have a great day.