Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in California
Question please...a LARGE company sends you an invoice for charges they KNOW are not legit. They refuse to correct the charges even when their own records show the cahrges are not valid. The company browbeats you and then turns the account over to collectors who browbeat you worse. All the time you can prove the charges are not valid. Now the issue is on the credit report and have had to change phone numbers to stop the harassment by collectors. This company is so large they just think they can do what they want and no concern if it's legal.
Is there anything I can do about this? Thanks!
2 Answers from Attorneys
You can report them to the FTC at www.ftc.gov and you can potentially sue them for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You can learn a great deal about what creditors and debt collection can and cannot do by reviewing the FTC's website.
Yes, there is a lot you can do to correct this and hold them accountable. Unfortunately, your story is not unique. Thousands of people each day are harassed, threatened and lied to by collection agencies. It is not right and it is not legal. No one should fear their phone ringing and no one should be forced to change their number. Sadly, even changing your number will only prevent the abuse for a limited time until they start calling your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. If you would like to discuss your situation in more detail and what we can do for you, please do not hesitate to call or email me.
Best,
Bryan
Bryan Becker, Esq.
877-201-8728
1205 Prospect Street, Suite 400
La Jolla, CA 92037