I was at work yesterday, and this crediter called me. and i told her that I was busy and could she please call me at home because this is my work and they don’t like for us to get personal phone calls. and she said, no that she wouldn’t because she couldn’t get a hold me there. and I told her that i don’t care and don’t call me at work again and hung in her face. It would seem to me that, that is harassment, to call someone at work about a bill. or atleast to be rude when they politely ask you to call at home. are they allowed to do this?
From what I under stand, no, they can not call you at work. It is considered harassment if they do. Also, you can ask them to stop calling your house also and they have to comply, if not they could get in trouble also.
My father, age 87, owes a $700+ bill to a hospital.
We’ve had about 5 people calling on it so far.
One said, “OH, you can afford a phone huh?”
The other day, the lady implied they could take some of my dad’s social security check to pay for this.
is this true?
I’m not sure vanilla but I do know the last post I made was accurate(at least here in Florida). I am going through a bankruptcy right now and basically that’s what my lawyer told me. Your dad might want to contact a lawyer. He could probably get them to stop calling and harassing him but he will still owe.
I had the same problem recently! I had the mortgage co that has the mortgage on the exhusbands house call me at work because he would hang up on them when they called his house! I havent lived at that house for a long time and they still called me to harrass me!! I told them in no uncertain terms that they were never to contact me at work again or there would be legal consequences. I also requested this in writing and voila! Havent heard from them since! If you request that they not contact you at work, by law, they must honor your wishes. By the way, I dont think Social Security checks can be garnished can they?
From the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act :
**The collector may pretend they didn’t know you were not allowed to receive calls at work, but once informed, they must stop calling, or they are breaking the law.
Google the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Yes, it is legal to contact you at work. But if you inform the caller that you cannot receive personal calls at work, they cannot call you at work again. A certified letter, RRR, is the best method to let them know. Just telling them on the phone is not enough.
This is not perhaps the proper option in your case, but you do in fact have the option of simply sending them a letter asking them not to contact you again. At that point they would have to employ a lawyer to collect the debt.
Just a tidbit that might be of interest to yourself or readers of this thread.
I would like to note that in many cases this is not the best course of action to follow in terms of paying off one’s debt and preserving one’s credit.
They can call you at work until you tell them not to. They cannot under any circumstances talk to anyone else about your debts. If they do, hit them with a helluva lawsuit.
I once got off the hook for a $2,000 debt over that.
That’s substantially correct, racer. The FDCPA doesn’t specify the method of notification, and telling a collector over the phone ought to be sufficient. However, if you sue, you’ll need to provide evidence that you so informed them, and saying ‘I really did tell them that on the phone!’ will likely be considered insufficient by the court. 
The collection agency call centers will often monitor their agents’ calls, of course. A reputable agency with a tape of a collector bending/breaking the law will discipline the employee. A disreputable agency with such a tape will file it next to some really powerful magnets. I will refrain from speculating on the percentages of agencies which fall into each category …
Annie-How did you do that? I have had creditors call my daughter, the place I pick up my mail, and my in-laws. Granted, they only left a message with the mail place (you got me why they called there) and the in-laws, but he actually started harrassing my daughter! I figured they were just trying to embarrass me into paying but if I could get even that would be SO sweet-That really made me mad!:mad:
By the time you have collection agents calling your place of work, your credit rating is toast already, at least as far as large loans like auto or mortgage.
I only owe $130 doctor bill.
They cannot talk to anyone else about your debt?
They have to talk to me, as my dad cannot talk (he had a laryngectomy).
Does that count?
Should they not be talking to me?
I told them I do not represent him.