How and Why You Can Sue a Debt Collector By Sean Payne

If you're in debt, you may be worried about getting sued by a debt collector for not paying your debt. But did you know that there are several instances in which you can legally sue them instead?
With the understanding that I am not a lawyer and am not giving any legal advice, here are the facts:
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, outlines specific behaviors in which debt collectors are forbidden to engage. According to this law, if a collector does engage in these forbidden practices, you may have the right to sue them in a state or Federal court.
So, what are these forbidden practices?
The first, and most common, is harassment. Under the FDCPA, harassment means use of "threats of violence or harm", using obscene language, or annoying someone through repeated use of the telephone.
Another forbidden practice is making false statements. The FDCPA forbids debt collectors from lying to try to collect a debt. Examples of this include falsely claiming that they are attorneys or that they represent the government, lying about how much you owe them, or falsely stating that your outstanding debt makes you a criminal. Debt collectors have a long history of saying what they have to in order to collect on a debt, including outright lies and subtle misrepresentations.

Debt collectors also may not make public the fact that you owe a debt. This includes contacting other people about your debt, publishing a list of names of people who have outstanding debts, or contacting you via postcard. The only instance in which a debt collection agency can contact other people about your debt is in order to find out your current address, phone number, or place of employment.
So, what happens if a debt collector does engage in one of these forbidden practices?
Your first action should be to inform them that you are aware of your rights under the FDCPA, and that they must cease their illegal actions. Most of the time, this will resolve the problem without you having to resort to legal action.
If that doesn't work, however, you have up to one year from the date that they violated the law to sue them in state or Federal court. You can sue the collector for any damage that you can demonstrate you suffered because of their collection practices, such as medical bills or loss of wages.

Even if you can't prove that they caused any actual damages, the judge can still require that they pay you up to $1000. In addition, the judge can require them to reimburse you for your attorney fees.
Keep in mind that just because the debt collector violated the law in trying to collect your debt, the debt does not just disappear if you actually owe it. Their violation of the law only entitles you to sue them under the FDCPA.
Know the law. Know your rights. And if your rights are violated under law, make sure you use the law to enforce your rights.

Sean Payne is a personal finance and debt reduction enthusiast. After getting out of debt himself, he spent several years learning all he could about how debtors can use the law to protect their rights and their peace of mind.
Learn more about how to sue debt collectors for violating your rights at Sean's fascinating website at http://www.debtpayofftips.com

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How To Take Advantage of 0% APR Balance Transfer To Get Rid of Credit Card Debt By Jennifer L Todd

If you have a better option to get rid of credit card debt, don't choose balance transfer option as its promotion period has expired date and it carries high interest rate, higher than your existing credit card interest rates upon expiry of the cheap interest rate promotion period. However, if you choose the very attractive 0% APR balance transfer to get rid of credit card debt, you have to know how to take advantage of it so that you can get out of debt successfully.
The features of Credit Card Balance Transfer
Balance transfer is a popular promotions by creditors. It normally comes with very low, or even 0% introductory APR. But, there are a few important features that you have to watch out for:

• The 0% or cheap interest rate has expiry date. Normally, the date given is typically 8 to 24 months in the future. You have to aware of this period if you want to take advantage of 0% APR on balance transfer.
• The interest rate will normally jump back to regular rate after the promotion period. You have to check the rate, it may be higher than the existing credit card rate before the balance transfer.
• Most balance transfers do charge a processing fee. If you want to truly benefit from this option, you have to take into account all the costs involved.
• There are always some remarks in the fine print agreement. You may not be told about them verbally. So, you have to read the fine print to ensure that you have understood all the terms and conditions before signing on the dotted line of the agreement.

3 Steps to take advantage of 0% APR Balance Transfer
Once you aware of the balance transfer features and you decide to transfer the credit card balances that are currently at high interest rates to save interest with the 0% APR, below are the basic 3 steps you can do to take advantage on this option.
Step 1: Choose the best offer
There are many offers of 0% APR on balance transfer, you have to choose the best offer. The longer of 0% APR last, the more you can make. The rule of thumb, you are advised to wait until you receive an offer that is at least 0% APR for 12 months. Of course, you have to read the fine print to ensure there are not hidden costs that may cause you pay more. Then, you have to compare various offers by calculating all the costs involved before deciding the best offer.

Step 2: Plan to pay off the balance before the 0% APR expiry date
In order to maximize the benefit of balance transfer, you want to pay off the balance before the expiry of 0% APR. The monthly payment amount can be calculated by dividing the transferred amount with the number of months for 0% APR offer. For example, you transfer a $5000 credit card balance with 18% of interest rate to enjoy the 0% APR for 18 months, you will need to pay at least $278 a month to clear off the balance before the expiry date.
Step 3: Set a backup plan
If you can't afford or fail to settle the balance within the 0% APR promotion period, what is your alternative plan of action? You may want to consider debt consolidation or other debt management options if you can't payoff the transferred balance during the 0% APR period.
Summary
0% APR balance transfer is a very attractive offer for you to get rid of high interest rate credit card debt, but you have to understand how to take advantage of the offer if you want to benefit from it. You are advised to consider it carefully with the above information before making your decision.

Jennifer L. Todd is a Finance Expert focusing on debt management and credit counseling. Visit her at http://www.debtconsolidationmakeeasy.com for more information about various options for getting rid of debt.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_L_Todd

How to Make Payment As Easy As Possible for Your Clients By Jon Lambert

A debit collection agency is a great way to get help settling unpaid invoices your business is owed. However there are a few steps you can take so that you give your clients the best chances of being able to make their payment on time. Here, we've listed a few ways in which you can not only encourage prompt payment, but also make it easier on your clients, which they'll appreciate:
Contact information - It can happen all too often that you send out an invoice, only to have it sent back return to sender as the contact details are incorrect. In order to overcome this, it's a good idea to get in to the habit of confirming contact details with your client every time a sale is made. This will remove any confusion, and ensure they receive the invoice and have the chance to make the payment by the due date.
Clear Communication - This seems like an obvious one, but can easily be something that's overlooked. Make sure that before the sale is processed the client knows the terms of trade so that when the due date of the payment comes around they know that they need to pay the amount in full. If the trading terms are clear from the get go, everyone will be happy and understand clearly what is expected.

Payment Options - Giving your clients a number of different payment options will help to assist them to make prompt payment. Some people prefer making payments using a specific method so opening up your options will allow the client to not only be able to make the payment the way they want, but they also won't be able to use it as an excuse for not paying on time because you don't have their preferred payment option available.
Payment Plan - Organising a payment plan may be a great way to ensure that clients are able to make payments, even if it is over a period of time. This may even encourage more sales as they are able to handle smaller repayments on an ongoing basis rather than one lump sum payment.
Of course, even if you do all of the above, you still need to be aware of who to trust.

Be cautious with who you provide credit to - It can be very easy to provide credit to someone who has bad credit if you haven't done the proper checks. Many companies that specialise in debt recovery services can screen customers before hand so you can see who has bad credit ratings and shouldn't be given credit. For a little bit of money up front you can save hundreds if not thousands in the long run by doing this.
By making it easier for your clients to make payment, you'll find that they will not only enjoy doing business with you even more, but having to chase up invoice after invoice will be a thing of the past. I hope our tips have outlined a few steps you can take to ensure your customers are given the best chances to make payment quickly and correctly.

By the way, do you want to learn more about Finance?
If so, I suggest you check Debt Collection Agency and Debt Recovery Services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Lambert