I received a call today for the first time. He said he was calling on behalf of Johnson Law Firm about a $40 bill that I owed. I honestly don't recall receiving a bill from either the medical facility or this collection agency. Why would I avoid such a small amount? Anyways, I asked him to send a letter to me and he laughed at me. Told me "the time for letters is over". Really? Why would I give my financial information to a collection agency, especially one that refuses to send a letter?
These types of calls are clear violations of your rights under federal law and you can sue them and recover damages. And the good part is it will not cost you a dime because they will have to pay your lawyer fees. Let's see how long they would laugh when they have to do that. Basically, anything that is unfair, untrue, undignified and disrespectful is a violation. In addition, any contact with a 3rd party other than to verify your location information is a violation. That means they can only ask if your name address and phone number they have on file is correct. They can't say they are a bill collector, what company they are from, why they are calling or ask the 3rd party to give you a message. If this is happening, not only do you have a claim for money damages, but the 3rd party can sue as well. If you want to find out more, go to www.MissouriDebtCollectionAbuse.com and find out what you can do to stop the madness.
Yes to the person who said this number was Johnson Law Firm (in spite of the fact that it comes up as "National Healthcare" on the caller ID) -- you are correct. Thanks for that tip! I was able to send THEM a message that I am blocking their number. They've been calling me for YEARS harassing me about a bill for Charlotte Akin. I'm not Charlotte and I don't know her, but for some reason she gave someone my phone number and now I get collection calls. This one is particularly annoying because I've been through the process to have my number removed from their list AT LEAST a dozen times, but they keep calling and making insinuations ... such as, "Well, WHEN YOU SEE HER, please tell her to get in touch with our firm..." and so on. Charlotte Akin, if you are reading this and have a legitimate bill with these pests, please call them and get them off my back!!