Record numbers of people are falling behind on their financial obligations and their debts are being sent to collections. If you're one of them, you know that being contacted by debt collectors can be stressful, especially if they are harassing you, threatening you, and/or using abusive language. However, the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) gives you legal rights when it comes to debt collectors. Stop Debt Collectors: How to protect your rights and resolve your debts tells you how to exercise those rights in order to solve your debt collector problems. It gives you all of the practical advice and information you need to resolve your debt and fight back against unfair debt collection tactics.
Stop Debt Collectors is published by Credit.com, one of the Web's leading sources for reliable consumer credit information, and written by three credit and debt experts. They are Gerri Detweiler, a national expert on consumer credit and debt; Mary Reed, a personal finance writer; and nationally-known consumer law attorney, John Ventura.
Among other things, Stop Debt Collectors explains:
- The very first thing you should do when a debt collector contacts you.
- Your options when a debt collector wants you to pay a past due debt.
- What debt collectors can really do to collect the money that you owe.
- Common high-pressure tactics collectors use and how to respond to them.
- How and when to hire an attorney to help you deal with a debt collector.
- Why debt collectors are lying when they say they can ruin your credit "forever", or that paying a debt will automatically improve your credit scores.
- Four tactics for removing collection accounts from your credit reports.
The book also tells you:
- Why you should never give a debt collector a post-dated check.
- The most dangerous way to pay a debt collector.
- How to manage your past due medical debts.
- What to do if you're worried about losing your home in a foreclosure.
- How to avoid having your car repossessed.
Step Debt Collectors features an appendix that is chock full of helpful tools and resources. They include sample letters to write, a worksheet, links to information about state debt collection laws, and a bonus CD. The 80-minute audio CD features Gerri Detweiler and John Ventura discussing many of the key topics in the book.
