Home > Blogs > Katerina Gasset > Get It Done For Me Virtual Services, UTAH REALTOR

Florida Attorney General Cracking Down On Debt Collectors

By Katerina Gasset

Real Estate Agent with The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services 13253167-SA00

November 11, 2009 12:05 PM

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is asking the state legislature to pass some new state laws that will make it easier to regulate and prosecute debt collectors who violate the law in their collection practices. The Attorney General's office would like to be able to sue the debt collectors that overstep their legal bounds. He also wants to make it easier to pursue these collectors instead of having to pose undercover to catch them in the act of abusing their powers with consumers. He also wants to make it easier to connect the consumer who has a complaint with his office as well as passing that information and documentation on to the Office of Financial Regulation. It is cumbersome right now to lodge a complaint against a debt collector which keeps people from following through with the complaint process.

CFO Alex Sink will be asking to broaden the powers of the Office of Financial Regulation. The current complaint form needs to be notarized and she is asking that a consumer can file a complaint without notarizing the form. She is also seeking to increase the fines for debt collectors who keep breaking the law.

Consumers and attorneys have said that debt collectors have really gone overboard in this economy towards people who can no longer pay their bills. The state of Florida has received over 1,400 complaints so far this year and not one of those complaints has been investigated.

If you have been harrassed by debt collectors you can file a complaint by going to the State Attorney General's office website at myfloridalegal.com.

Here are the phone numbers for your convenience.

Main office telephone numbers
Switchboard: 850-414-3300
Citizens Services: 850-414-3990
ADA Coordinator: 850-414-3900
Florida Relay/TDD: 800-955-8771
Florida Toll Free: 1-866-966-7226

T o view Florida Short Sales- Click here . We know Palm Beach County Short Sales and Port St Lucie Florida Short Sales and will help you get your home Sold if you need to Sell your home and help you buy your home in Palm Beach County Florida : Call us today.

Re-Blog

Comments(11)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

Sharon Alters

Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty - 904-673-2308 - Fleming Island, FL

Realtor - Homes for Sale Fleming Island FL

Katerina, debt collectors are bullies. When people are struggling they feel so powerless that many allow these predators to bully them and even when they ask them to quit, sometimes that doesn't work.

Nov 11, 2009 01:05 PM

Janna Scharf

Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene - Coeur d'Alene, ID

Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate Expert

This is great news for Florida consumers. I can only hope that Idaho will follow suit.

Nov 11, 2009 01:59 PM

Dick and Dixie Sells

Sells Real Estate, LLC - Trinity, FL

Realtors, Tampa Bay Florida Homes For Sale

Some of our clients have had terrible trouble with this. Looking forward to the legislation becoming law. I had seen a documentary on the awful practices. Hopefully this makes it to law quickly. We should all contact our local representatives to let them know of our support. I am.

Nov 11, 2009 08:04 PM

Loreena and Michael Yeo

3:16 team REALTY ~ Locally-owned Prosper TX Real Estate Co. - Prosper, TX

Real Estate Agents

As they should..... scum bags. Watching the Maxed Out documentary made me so sick. It is NOT a numbers game when you drive people to commit suicide. I'm so sorry to sound this boiling mad, but you hit my high note this morning.

Nov 11, 2009 09:50 PM

Laura Giannotta

Keller Williams Realty - Atlantic Shore - Little Egg Harbor, NJ

Your Realtor Down the Shore!

Good for Florida! Many people don't know their rights...this is definitely an area that consumers need more protection...as many have already said most of these collection agencies are bullies!

Nov 11, 2009 10:23 PM

Barb Van Stensel

Chicago, IL

I am glad to see this. I have had calls from friends who were going to commit suicide because these type of debt collectors made them feel worthless, called them "loosers" and asked them what they were good for. Yeh, I am with Loreena when I she said "I'm sorry to sound this boiling made, but you hit my high note this morning." I'm glad something is finally being done in some of the states!

Nov 12, 2009 12:54 AM

Carol Culkin

Diamond Partners Inc - Overland Park, KS

Overland Park Residential Real Estate

Katerina - It's about time. A short sale client of mine has shared some of the harassing and calculating tactics which have been used on them. Some people are not deserving. Not everybody experiencing financial hardship is a deadbeat.

Nov 12, 2009 03:54 AM

Laura Cerrano

Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY

Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Katerina, I hope they do it in Florida and it's followed by NY. I get calls at 7am from someone who has the wrong name and number and will not take me off the list. I don't owe any money and I don't know who the person is but that's not right to call so early.

Nov 12, 2009 11:02 AM

Vickie Nagy

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate - Palm Springs, CA

Vickie Jean the Palm Springs Condo Queen

And it's about dang time. I'm glad to hear about this! Hopefully other states will soon follow.

Nov 12, 2009 03:51 PM

Katerina Gasset

The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT

Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

Thank you every one for your comments!

I have been a witness to some really nasty ones! When I was going through my divorce my X stopped paying his half and then so did I until we went to court to have a judge tell him to pay his part. This is before I met Nestor. This one credit card company would go to my neighbors and tell them that I did not pay my bills! I was so humiliated! Then when I told this company to stop harassing me and answered a few of his questions, I told him I had 5 kids to feed and feeding them comes before the bills and that when the divorce judge orders it to be paid, they would get paid. Well, he told me to SELL one of my kids to pay him! I was already being abused, had a restraining order on my x, etc, and then this? I can see how people melt down!

Nov 12, 2009 04:00 PM

Eva Erdmann

Lion International Inc. - Holiday, FL

interior decorator

Hi Katerina and Nestor,

It's a great news.

Zijuzijazijana

Jan 01, 2010 11:38 PM

Florida Attorney General Cracking Down On Debt Collectors

Comments(11)

Katerina Gasset

Service Areas

Real Estate Resources

Recent Posts

Popular Posts