Harassment by a bill collector is against the law and it’s about time it stops!
Bill Collectors Harassment and the Million-Dollar Settlement In Canada, bill collectors have frequently used the phone to harass those termed “deadbeats” by the bill collectors. They are, however, regulated by the provinces and territories. Most of the regulations are quite alike, and those regulations strive to allow the bill collectors to try to collect from the debtors but maintain the dignity and the debtor’s rights. In other words, they are allowed to be persistent in their collection efforts, but they cannot telephone at unreasonable hours, nor may they jeopardize the debtor’s work by unreasonably calling them at work.
In 2007 Canada saw its first million-dollar settlement in a harassment case. To avoid being sued in a similar case, employers are urged to perform employment reviews that neither harass the employee nor can be called an unwarranted review. Bill collectors have similarly been warned to not harass debtors. By studying the US harassment laws, suits and settlements, Canada has been able to observe the how’s and when’s of harassment suits and issue adequate warnings against the use of any kind of harassment.
Bill collectors and how to stop the harassment Whenever someone is harassed, whether by a bill collector or an employer the goal is to stop the harassment. Various means for this are available to the one being harassed. First, the person being harassed needs to notify those above them in rank. Should this not prove successful, the person should seek again to go higher in rank, and of course bring evidence of the harassment including careful documentation of each type and time of the harassment.
Bill Collectors Harassment and the lawThe Saskatchewan Act of Canada was an Act promulgated by the Canadian parliament that became effective in 1905 and whose purpose was to establish the new province and government of Saskatchewan. Further Saskatchewan established a very strong anti-harassment law that specifically disallows such acts as intimidation by behavior, assault or even confinement, criminal harassment which basically means that the person fears for their life due to your harassment, intimidation which includes using your car as a threatening weapon, uttering threats, and harassing phone calls.
First, it is suggested that you call the police, followed by changing your phone number. If you cannot change your phone number, keep good records of when you were called and the nature of the harassment. You can ask your phone company to put a tracer on your line, as evidence. Finally, you can ask a Crown prosecutor or the police for a peace bond. Because the failure to comply with the peace bond is a criminal offense, the harasser rarely will jeopardize employment and chance jail to continue to harass you.
The Deal with Harassing Bill Collectors Many complaints alleging harassment by telephone concern the Accounts Recovery Corporation of Canada. This is a privately held collection agency whose headquarters are in Victoria, British Columbia. If you feel as if you’ve been harassed by the ARC, it is highly suggested that you use the Internet and read the Consumer’s Protection Act and follow that up by contacting the Trade Practices Division of Government Services, or the Canadian Better Business Bureau.