Few occupations are as maligned as collectors these days. Given, given the conduct of some in the industry, that damage is self-inflicted. Complaints against the industry submitted with the Federal Trade Commission are at an all-time-high. Cases from the FTC are also increas-ing.



Individuals sue-happy



Collectors do not have a simple job, trying to get people to pay debt they incurred and cannot pay. Several individuals in the debt collection firms are honest and hardworking individuals. The profession has a bad name due to the few bad individuals that have been involved.



Fewer individuals complain about online cash advance lenders than they do about collectors.



The Federal Trade Commission has been working hard to make sure debt col-lectors do better at following the laws about the trade, according to USA Today. Though suits against collection agencies are often left to the states, FTC suits brought against collectors are reaching an all-time high. During the past three years, there have been 10 suits against debt collection agencies brought by the FTC. Typically a three year period would have far fewer suits. There were only six in the three years before that.



All of the grievances



In 2008, the FTC received 104,766 grievances about debt collectors. ABC explains that the number went up easily. By 2010, it went up to 144,159. Identity theft was the only thing consumers complained about more than debt collectors to the FTC.



People hate continuous calling. That is what is reported the most, according to CBS. Debt collectors cannot call numerous times throughout the day because it consti-tutes harassment, and they can’t call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. without permission from the person they're trying to collect from. In all, 46.5 percent of complaints in 2010 were about violating these rules.



There were many other grievances as well. These integrated revealing debts to those other than the indebted party, making threats, refusing to provide written notice of debt, attempting to get more than what is owed and calling the person at work. There were a small number of grievances, 4,182, as reported by USA Today, of threats of physical violence.



Know the rules



The Federal Trade Commission’s site has all of your rights in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act listed on it. Abuse actions are not okay. You do not have to put up with the. Ac-cording to CBS, the FTC will not file a suit over an individual complaint, but it could do so if there are sufficient grievances about a single compa-ny.



Consumer complaints about collectors should be filed jointly with the Federal Trade Commission and your state Lawyer General’s office, as there may be a state action which can be brought.



Information from



USA Today

ABC

CBS

USA Today

FTC Fair Debt Collection Practices webpage

Here in the UK, we have exactly the same issue.

[Edited 11/25/11 11:08am]