Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Can a debt collector call you during holidays?

The holiday season is something that you want to enjoy with your family and friends without worrying about anything. That includes calls from debt recovery agencies like Cedar Financial too. But sometimes a collector calls you during the holiday season to recover the debt. If you are one of those debtors who faced this issue, you may have a lot of questions, like is it legal to call you during the holiday season, and so on?


In this blog, we will try our best to answer your question.

Is it legal for a debt collector to call during the holiday season?

No country has any specific guidelines when it comes to holiday seasons like New Year, Christmas, Diwali, and so on. So, yeah technically a collector is not breaking any laws if they call you during the holiday season.

But if it makes you uncomfortable or takes away your time with family, you can ask the debtor to stop. They should oblige, and if they don’t, you can raise a complaint. The guidelines state that a collector cannot call you at times when it is inconvenient like early morning or late nights, or in-office if you ask them not to. So, asking them to not call you during the holidays should work.

Here are some things you can do when a collector calls you during holidays

1. Tell them to stop calling you

If a collector calls you during the holiday season, you can ask them to stop calling at that time. You can tell them a time which is good for you, and they will call you at that time.

If you want the collector to stop calling you completely, you have to send them a written notice.

Keep in mind, this won’t make the debt or the ramifications of not paying the debt go away. You still need to deal with it, and the best way is to talk to the collector at a later time. Otherwise, your credit report will get updated with collections.

2. Validate the debt and ask for a negotiation plan

If you want the collector to call at another time to sort out the debt issues so that it doesn’t escalate, that is best. When they call you again, make sure to ask them to validate the debt. Once you are sure that the debt belongs to you, you can either pay the whole sum, if you can. Or you can negotiate with the collector. They can negotiate or come up with a payment plan.

Whatever terms you agree upon, make sure that you get it in writing which is signed by all parties involved.

3. Take help from a lawyer

If you think that the collector has made a mistake calling you about a debt which you don’t owe. You can take help from a lawyer that is well-versed in this area. They can advise you on how to move forward.

Reputable debt collectors never call you again at a time which is not right for you. But if you come across a collector who does, ask your lawyer for advice.

Don’t ignore a debt collector’s call just because its holidays. Ignoring it will not make it go away. Talk to them, explain your situation and ask them to call at a convenient call to talk more about the debt.

No comments:

Post a Comment