People take on debt for a variety of reasons. In some cases, people slowly but intentionally accumulate debt through credit card use. Other times, their debts are a result of an unanticipated experience, such as a car crash or a violent crime that leaves them injured. In general, people have an obligation to pay their debts to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, those with high levels of debt or low levels of income sometimes find themselves unable to remain in good financial standing with their creditors.
Creditors may then begin debt collection efforts. In some cases, they may even sell the debt to third-party collection agencies. Debt collection can often be a very dispiriting experience. Sometimes, those responsible for collecting a debt will repeatedly contact someone at their place of employment. What happens when creditors keep interrupting someone’s work day?
Employers may punish the person receiving the calls
Many businesses, ranging from restaurants to manufacturing facilities, have employee policies that prohibit all but emergency communications during work. Someone who receives multiple phone calls a week from debt collectors at their place of employment could face disciplinary action.
Their boss might start scheduling them less or might write them up for the constant calls. In more severe cases, workers might potentially lose their jobs. The risk of employment consequences is significant enough that debt collection rules protect people from this type of conduct.
Workers who inform collection professionals that they cannot accept calls at work should not have to worry about future attempts to contact them at their place of employment. Sadly, collection professionals often don’t care about the harm that they can do through their aggressive behavior. They may choose to continue contacting someone at work, especially if someone doesn’t answer their mobile phone or respond to letters.
Such behavior could potentially lead to civil litigation. People can fight back against abusive conduct. Just because someone owes money does not mean that they have to tolerate abusive collection efforts. They still have the right to assert themselves, a process which might include taking a collection company or a creditor to court.
Typically, maintaining personal records of when creditors call and when someone asks them to stop calling them at work is important for such lawsuits. Provided that someone can show the courts that a violation of their rights occurred, they could obtain compensation and possibly even force the company to change its frustrating company practices.
