How to Stop Debt Collector Harassment

What is Considered Harassment?

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) outlines a set of regulations that debt collection agencies should follow in order to prevent harassment. Under this act, there are several restrictions for how and when these agencies should contact you including:

• No contact before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., depending on the time zone
• They must cease contacting you at work if you have submitted a written request to them. 
• No threats of harm, using obscene language, or excessive contact by phone in an effort to annoy the debtor.
• No false statements or misleading the debtor about the collection agent's identity or the debt.

Please note: A debt collector will ask to confirm your identity before they reveal the nature of the call. This is legally required and meant to protect your privacy in case another individual answers the phone. However, from there they must identify themselves as a debt collector and are required to provide you with verification of the debt if requested.

If you would like to find out more about the regulations outlined in the FDCPA, visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website.

How to Submit a Complaint to Convergent Outsourcing

If you have been contacted by Convergent Outsourcing, and you believe you have been treated unfairly or in a way that violated the FDCPA’s guidelines, please report your experience directly to us so we can improve. You can reach our team that deals specifically with complaints of this nature by filling out our online form here and describing the nature of your issue. 

Harassment from Another Collections Agency

If you believe you have experienced a violation of any of the regulations listed above, there a few steps you can take to end harassment from a debt collector. First, you should contact the collection agency directly and ask them to stop contacting you. At Convergent Outsourcing, we try to make this process as easy as possible by providing an online contact form with which you can make a complaint or request to be added to our Do Not Call list.

If contacting the agency directly did not provide any results, your next step is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, your state’s Attorney General or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

How to Report a Debt Collector

Finally, in extreme cases there is the option to take legal action, but this should be a last resort. 

At Convergent Outsourcing, we understand that receiving collection calls can be both confusing and stressful, which is why we try to be as transparent as possible in accordance with the FDCPA guidelines. If we have called you in error or have caused you any confusion or frustration, we apologize. Please let us know how we can improve our process by filling out our contact form or stop calls from our number by visiting our Stop Calling Me page. If you have any questions about your account or making a payment, you may contact our representatives by phone from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. pacific time on Monday-Friday at 1-800-444-8485.