Vulgar voicemails force debt collector to pay $1.5 million

[Dis]

You agree with the court's decision as fair and reasonable. You don't like the amount. Why?

You don't have to pay it, this corporation does and they ought to know better. They deserve to pay through the nose. The voice mails were not only vulgar, but racist and harassing.

Some years ago some guy name "Jorge Accabado" apparently gave my wife's phone number when applying for some sort of credit. Now we get calls from credit agencies every now and then for this guy. Collection agents are asshole morons. One called up asking for the guy once - I said "I've never met the guy in my life, you have the wrong number" and he replied "Well do you know where he lives?" Fucking idiots.


A friend of mine passed away a few years ago, way to young, in his late 20's. He had thousands in credit card debt - the credit card company's collectors went after his parents directly, and were calling them and harassing them and wrongly claiming that they owed the money now and would have to pay.

I was late paying on my student loans many years ago. A credit agency called my dad pretending to be a college friend who wanted to invite me to her wedding. My dad gave them my number and they harassed me at work. They are slime.

But you aren't, and it's perfectly ok for you to ignore bills and calls made to you, but when they find a way to get ahold of you, they're slime?

Interesting take on life you have there..

 

[Dis]

I didn't say they were hate mongering bastards del. I paid my debt btw. I say that their methods were illegal and wrong. Can you understand that distinction?

Thanks.

i'm glad you paid your debt. how long did they have to chase you?

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Actually, you specifically said you were *late*.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

I didn't say they were hate mongering bastards del. I paid my debt btw. I say that their methods were illegal and wrong. Can you understand that distinction?

Thanks.

i'm glad you paid your debt. how long did they have to chase you?

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Legally, it is not harassment for a debt collector to call you at work unless you tell them - either orally or in writing - that you do not want them calling you at work. So if they called you at work once - its not harassment - but if you told them to never call you there again and they called again, esp. if they called multiple times again (since they might reasonably call again by mistake), it is harassment and you'd be entitled to statutory damages.

 

[xotoxi]

I've got ankle spurs which produce a cocktail of venom so don't mess with me!

I have the power to kill a yak from 200 yards away...with mind bullets!

 

[SpidermanTuba]

Some years ago some guy name "Jorge Accabado" apparently gave my wife's phone number when applying for some sort of credit. Now we get calls from credit agencies every now and then for this guy. Collection agents are asshole morons. One called up asking for the guy once - I said "I've never met the guy in my life, you have the wrong number" and he replied "Well do you know where he lives?" Fucking idiots.


A friend of mine passed away a few years ago, way to young, in his late 20's. He had thousands in credit card debt - the credit card company's collectors went after his parents directly, and were calling them and harassing them and wrongly claiming that they owed the money now and would have to pay.

I was late paying on my student loans many years ago. A credit agency called my dad pretending to be a college friend who wanted to invite me to her wedding. My dad gave them my number and they harassed me at work. They are slime.

But you aren't, and it's perfectly ok for you to ignore bills and calls made to you, but when they find a way to get ahold of you, they're slime?

Interesting take on life you have there..

Most collection agents are slime. Scaring people into paying is part of their job.

Most bounty hunters are assholes, too, doesn't mean they don't provide a benefit to society. In both professions, there can be bad apples that go to far.

 

[Sky Dancer]

i'm glad you paid your debt. how long did they have to chase you?

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Legally, it is not harassment for a debt collector to call you at work unless you tell them - either orally or in writing - that you do not want them calling you at work. So if they called you at work once - its not harassment - but if you told them to never call you there again and they called again, esp. if they called multiple times again (since they might reasonably call again by mistake), it is harassment and you'd be entitled to statutory damages.

That's exactly what happened. I didn't know I was entitled to damages. I would have settled for them leaving me alone or just working out a payment plan.

 

[Dis]

I was late paying on my student loans many years ago. A credit agency called my dad pretending to be a college friend who wanted to invite me to her wedding. My dad gave them my number and they harassed me at work. They are slime.

But you aren't, and it's perfectly ok for you to ignore bills and calls made to you, but when they find a way to get ahold of you, they're slime?

Interesting take on life you have there..

Most collection agents are slime. Scaring people into paying is part of their job.

Most bounty hunters are assholes, too, doesn't mean they don't provide a benefit to society. In both professions, there can be bad apples that go to far.

Why are you not putting the blame where it lies - on the people who borrowed money, and didn't pay it back? Don't borrow unless you know for 100% fact you can pay it back without delay..

 

[del]

I didn't say they were hate mongering bastards del. I paid my debt btw. I say that their methods were illegal and wrong. Can you understand that distinction?

Thanks.

i'm glad you paid your debt. how long did they have to chase you?

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

how were you harrassed? a phone call is not harrassment.

 

[Dis]

And y'all wonder why there seems to be no money for the people who supposedly need it.

*shakes head*

Pathetic.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

i'm glad you paid your debt. how long did they have to chase you?

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Actually, you specifically said you were *late*.

The collection agency is still bound by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a law which anyone who wants to can read - such as a potential creditor. Whoever loaned Sky Dancer the money was well aware that they -or their agents- would not be able to legally call Sky Dancer at work to collect the money should Sky Dancer not be making payments on time and should Sky Dancer tell them to not contact Sky Dancer at work.

 

[Sky Dancer]

i'm glad you paid your debt. how long did they have to chase you?

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

how were you harrassed? a phone call is not harrassment.

One phone call is not harassment. Multiple calls to me at work after I tell them to not call me at work is harassment.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Legally, it is not harassment for a debt collector to call you at work unless you tell them - either orally or in writing - that you do not want them calling you at work. So if they called you at work once - its not harassment - but if you told them to never call you there again and they called again, esp. if they called multiple times again (since they might reasonably call again by mistake), it is harassment and you'd be entitled to statutory damages.

That's exactly what happened. I didn't know I was entitled to damages. I would have settled for them leaving me alone or just working out a payment plan.

I believe the statutory penalty is $1000.

 

[xsited1]

I seriously doubt any company in this day and age would condone such behavior. My hunch is that this is a rogue employee who operated under the radar and was fired as a result.

Well heck, your hunches and generalizations are certainly much more important in this case than the jury and judge who actually sat through the trial and got to see the evidence presented by both sides.

It happens. So why should the guy who claims to have paid his bill (which I seriously doubt) get $1.5 million??? That's just ridiculous IMO.

More of your serious doubts. What do you even base that on? A "serious doubt" What the fuck does that mean? How do you know he didn't already pay his bill? I got a collection notice a few years back for a debt that was paid several years prior - I sent them a copy of the canceled check - they dropped the charge. Collection agencies - believe it or not - are not infallible and can make mistakes and go after people who have already paid.

You appear to have "serious doubt" that the guy already paid it while also "seriously doubting" that a collection company would ever condone the harassment of debtors - seems to me like you just assume companies always do right and individuals always do wrong.

People lie. A debt collection agency calls people who they've been told are late in making their payments. And companies can't afford to hire racist people.

Here's what we know: A person working for ACT attempted to collect a debt from someone who they were told was late. The collector used racial slurs on the phone calls. The debtor sued and won $1.5 million.

I'd be more than happy if this happened to me. Unfortunately, I'm not a member of a protected class so I seriously doubt I would be awarded $1.5 million.

 

[Sky Dancer]

But you aren't, and it's perfectly ok for you to ignore bills and calls made to you, but when they find a way to get ahold of you, they're slime?

Interesting take on life you have there..

Most collection agents are slime. Scaring people into paying is part of their job.

Most bounty hunters are assholes, too, doesn't mean they don't provide a benefit to society. In both professions, there can be bad apples that go to far.

Why are you not putting the blame where it lies - on the people who borrowed money, and didn't pay it back? Don't borrow unless you know for 100% fact you can pay it back without delay..

The incident I wrote about occurred in 1979. I was a young adult and not hip to the ways of the world. I learned the hard way. The only debt I have now is a mortgage.

 

[Dis]

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Actually, you specifically said you were *late*.

The collection agency is still bound by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a law which anyone who wants to can read - such as a potential creditor. Whoever loaned Sky Dancer the money was well aware that they -or their agents- would not be able to legally call Sky Dancer at work to collect the money should Sky Dancer not be making payments on time and should Sky Dancer tell them to not contact Sky Dancer at work.

Perhaps if Sky Dancer had taken the *responsible* road, and contacted them prior to them having to *find* her, things would not have progressed as they had, huh? Especially since bill collectors generally send a *few* letters prior to calling. She chose to ignore them.. She also CHOSE to ignore the initial letter they send stating specifically WHEN she is to start paying back her student loans, and those letters are generally dated more than 60 days IN ADVANCE.

She willfully chose to ignore them, and then started crying when they found her.

 

[del]

What's with the personal angle del? I would have paid the debt without the harassment. I had just finished my time of delayed payment and had started a new job. They are not supposed to harass people at work. They were wrong.

Actually, you specifically said you were *late*.

The collection agency is still bound by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a law which anyone who wants to can read - such as a potential creditor. Whoever loaned Sky Dancer the money was well aware that they -or their agents- would not be able to legally call Sky Dancer at work to collect the money should Sky Dancer not be making payments on time and should Sky Dancer tell them to not contact Sky Dancer at work.

anyone who can read, a legion which apparently doesn't include you, would know that as long as the collector doesn't know that sky dancer's employer doesn't allow calls of this type, it's perfectly legal to call her at work. whether or not sky dancer wants to be called at work has nothing to do with it.

Can a debt collector contact me by phone?

Yes, but within limits. A debt collector cannot:

Call you before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. unless you agree.Call you repeatedly or use the phone to harass you.Trick you into accepting collect calls or paying for telegrams. Use obscene language, make negative comments about your character, or make religious or ethnic slurs.

Call you at work if the collector knows your boss does not allow such calls.

If you have an attorney, the collector should call that person, not you.



Debt Collection Practices: When Hardball Tactics Go Too Far | Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

 

[SpidermanTuba]

But you aren't, and it's perfectly ok for you to ignore bills and calls made to you, but when they find a way to get ahold of you, they're slime?

Interesting take on life you have there..

Most collection agents are slime. Scaring people into paying is part of their job.

Most bounty hunters are assholes, too, doesn't mean they don't provide a benefit to society. In both professions, there can be bad apples that go to far.

Why are you not putting the blame where it lies - on the people who borrowed money, and didn't pay it back? Don't borrow unless you know for 100% fact you can pay it back without delay..

You are assuming that all debts claimed by a collection agency are valid. This is simply not the case. They make mistakes all the time. I personally had the experience of checking my credit report to find a debt that I had already paid was now being pursued by another collection agency. I had to send them a copy of the canceled check and check my report again to make sure the item was off. I believe it was an honest mistake on their part, but point is, collection agencies are wrong all the time.

I also have a collection out for a $50 alltel bill (now owned by verizon) that I do not owe. I disconnected my phone 3 days after the billing rollover date, and they told me on the phone since I hadn't used the phone in those 3 days, I should not be billed for that month, but if I was, to call them and they would remove the charge. I was billed, they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about when I called them back, and now they have assigned the debt to collection. I don't pay debts I don't owe.


But I guess you would - since the corporation is always right in your world.

 

[Dis]

Most collection agents are slime. Scaring people into paying is part of their job.

Most bounty hunters are assholes, too, doesn't mean they don't provide a benefit to society. In both professions, there can be bad apples that go to far.

Why are you not putting the blame where it lies - on the people who borrowed money, and didn't pay it back? Don't borrow unless you know for 100% fact you can pay it back without delay..

The incident I wrote about occurred in 1979. I was a young adult and not hip to the ways of the world. I learned the hard way. The only debt I have now is a mortgage.

It doesn't matter. You were *wrong*, and to this day, you're still whining about how "unfairly" you were treated, even though it was 100% without a doubt YOUR FAULT. You are STILL trying to lay the blame elsewhere, instead of looking at who INITIATED the problem in the first place - YOURSELF.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Most collection agents are slime. Scaring people into paying is part of their job.

Most bounty hunters are assholes, too, doesn't mean they don't provide a benefit to society. In both professions, there can be bad apples that go to far.

Why are you not putting the blame where it lies - on the people who borrowed money, and didn't pay it back? Don't borrow unless you know for 100% fact you can pay it back without delay..

You are assuming that all debts claimed by a collection agency are valid. This is simply not the case. They make mistakes all the time. I personally had the experience of checking my credit report to find a debt that I had already paid was now being pursued by another collection agency. I had to send them a copy of the canceled check and check my report again to make sure the item was off. I believe it was an honest mistake on their part, but point is, collection agencies are wrong all the time.

I also have a collection out for a $50 alltel bill (now owned by verizon) that I do not owe. I disconnected my phone 3 days after the billing rollover date, and they told me on the phone since I hadn't used the phone in those 3 days, I should not be billed for that month, but if I was, to call them and they would remove the charge. I was billed, they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about when I called them back, and now they have assigned the debt to collection. I don't pay debts I don't owe.


But I guess you would - since the corporation is always right in your world.

I have known people who are debt collectors who go about their work in a classy manner. It's not necessary to be rude and insulting. A courteous approach works wonders.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Why are you not putting the blame where it lies - on the people who borrowed money, and didn't pay it back? Don't borrow unless you know for 100% fact you can pay it back without delay..

The incident I wrote about occurred in 1979. I was a young adult and not hip to the ways of the world. I learned the hard way. The only debt I have now is a mortgage.

It doesn't matter. You were *wrong*, and to this day, you're still whining about how "unfairly" you were treated, even though it was 100% without a doubt YOUR FAULT. You are STILL trying to lay the blame elsewhere, instead of looking at who INITIATED the problem in the first place - YOURSELF.

I was wrong to not pay the debt in a timely manner. I did not deserve to be harassed at work. That happens to be against the law. I was wrong in being late with my payment. The collection agency was wrong in harassing me at work.