Fight back against unfair debt collection practices : know your rights and protect yourself from threats, lies, and intimidation

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, Fred O., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Collecting of accounts.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vi, 207 p.) : ill.

Edition:

1st edition

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] FT Press 2011

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file

Summary:

This year, America’s enormous, poorly regulated debt collection industry will make more than 1,000,000,000 collection calls. They will threaten. They will lie and mislead. They will intimidate. Over the past five years, they’ve racked up more than 300,000 complaints to the Federal Trade Commission: more than any other industry regulated by the FTC. Financial reporter Fred Williams knows more about the industry than anyone else. Not only has investigated America’s debt collection agencies, he spent three months working for one of the largest firms in the business. In Fight Back Against Unfair Debt Collection Practices Williams reveals what he learned and shows you exactly how to fight back and protect your rights. Williams weaves indispensable practical advice together with stories straight from his collection agency cubicle. You’ll learn what to do first if a collector calls; what collectors can and can’t do; which debts you are and aren’t responsible for; how collectors choose accounts to focus on; how to stop harassing or abusive calls; how to keep the advantage in a negotiation for a lucrative debt settlement; even how to take the offensive with a lawsuit that can halt collection and win yourself a $1,000 penalty!

Contents:

Debt collection secrets

Lessons in deception

Credit is king

Anger can be power

Closeout : "no tomorrow"

The shakedown industry

Pif means payment in full

Payday, the tables turn

Debtors' rebellion

Debt for sale

The golden rule : money today

Strengths and weaknesses

Collector of the week

Retention

A complaint

Data minefield

Graduation day

On the floor

NLE means no longer employed

Solutions

Coping with collections

Stopping collection calls

Checking out a collector

Using collection law

Reading your credit reports

Preparing a complaint

Negotiating a debt settlement.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9786612638442

9780132122122

013212212X

9781282638440

1282638440

9780132122115

0132122111

OCLC:

1027173346