Which organization collects consumer complaints, stops unfair practices, and sues companies?

If a debt collector or creditor has violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act while attempting to collect a debt from you, there are a few agencies with whom you can file a complaint.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

The BBB is a non-profit consumer protection agency that collects information about companies in the United States and Canada and compiles it for use by consumers in comparing and finding trustworthy businesses. You can file a complaint against any business with the BBB as long as the complaint relates to marketplace issues. The BBB does not accept complaints about employers, people not operating a business, or government agencies. When a complaint is filed, it is forwarded to the company with a request for a response. If no response is received, the complaint is forwarded to the company a second time. The BBB will send you any response it receives or notify you if the company provides no response. To file a complaint with the BBB against a debt collector, visit the BBB's Online Complaint System.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The Federal Trade Commission is charged with protecting consumers against unfair and deceptive business practices and accepts complaints about fraud and abuse, including debt collection practices, against companies located in the United States. Complaints are used to help the Commission detect patterns of fraud and abuse for potential legal action. You can file a complaint online in a few minutes by visiting the FTC's Complaint Assistant.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a federal agency created to help protect consumers from unfair and abusive practices by financial businesses such as banks, credit card companies, and debt collection agencies. The Bureau maintains a consumer complaint database where consumers can search for companies or file their own complaint. Once a complaint is filed, the bureau contacts the business and attempts to get a response to address the consumer's concerns. Complaints are used to help the Bureau identify problems for potential action. To file a complaint against a debt collector, visit the CFPB's File a Complaint page.

Your State's Attorney General (AG)

State Attorney General's accept consumer complaints in order to help identify businesses using unfair, abusive, or deceptive practices for potential legal action. Your state attorney general cannot act as a private attorney and will not sue a company to recover money for individual consumers. Visit the National Association of Attorneys General, Who is My Attorney General webpage to find your AG.

Contact an Attorney

Although filing complaints against debt collectors who are violating the FDCPA will alert federal agencies and other consumers of the unfair practices, it may not be enough, and an FDCPA attorney might be able to help you settle the debt, get the collector to stop contacting you, or even get you money. If a debt collector or creditor is harassing, annoying, or abusing you, it is time to hold them accountable. Contact our office at 1-800-219-3577, for a free, no obligation case review.  

The OCCC frequently receives questions and complaints from consumers about the negative debt collection practices they experience. Examples of unlawful creditor behavior include excessive amounts of telephone calls to debtors, misrepresentation of the facts to third parties, threats of arrest, and illegal repossession.

If you have complaints about the collection practices of an OCCC licensed lender, please call the Consumer Assistance Helpline at 800.538.1579 or submit a complaint  to this agency.

Sometimes lenders contract with independent debt collection firms to manage their accounts. This agency has no regulatory authority over these third-party collectors. If you have a complaint about a professional agency or a third-party debt collector, you may wish to call the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Helpline at 800.621.0508. That agency accepts complaints of this kind and has additional information about debt collection. You may also want to file a complaint with American Collectors Association of Texas, an organization representing third-party collection agencies in Texas.

• Get answers from the American Collectors Association of Texas to their 25 most frequently asked questions about debt collection agencies.

Creditor Harassment: Frequently Asked Questions

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat you fairly and prohibits certain methods of debt collection. Of course, the law does not erase any legitimate debt you owe.

Debt collection practices in Texas must comply with both Texas debt collection law and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Federal Trade Commission provides an excellent source of detailed information on its fair debt collection page; most of the text from that page is presented here for your convenience. (FTC page in Spanish)

What debts are covered?

Personal, family, and household debts are covered under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This includes money owed for the purchase of an automobile, for medical care, or for charge accounts.

Who is a debt collector?

A debt collector is any person who regularly attempts to collect debts owed to themselves or others; included in this definition are attorneys who collect debts on a regular basis. Note that the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act applies only to collectors working for professional collection agencies and attorneys hired to collect debts. Texas law addresses actions taken by anyone trying to collect on a consumer debt.

How may a debt collector contact you?

A collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or fax. However, a debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m., unless you agree. A debt collector also may not contact you at work if the collector knows that your employer disapproves of such contacts.

Can you stop a debt collector from contacting you?

You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a certified letter to the collector telling them to stop. Keep a copy for your records. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again except to say there will be no further contact or to notify you that the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action. Please note, however, that sending such a letter to a collector does not make the debt go away if you actually owe it. You could still be sued by the debt collector or your original creditor.

May a debt collector contact anyone else about your debt?

If you have an attorney, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you do not have an attorney, a collector may contact other people, but only to find out where you live, what your phone number is, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting such third parties more than once. In most cases, the collector may not tell anyone other than you and your attorney that you owe money.

What must the debt collector tell you about the debt?

Within five days after you are first contacted, the collector must send you a written notice telling you the amount of money you owe; the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money; and what action to take if you believe you do not owe the money.

May a debt collector continue to contact you if you believe you do not owe money?

A collector may not contact you if, within 30 days after you receive the written notice, you send the collection agency a letter stating you do not owe money. However, a collector can renew collection activities if you are sent proof of the debt, such as a copy of a bill for the amount owed.

What types of debt collection practices are prohibited? Prohibited behaviors include harassment, false statements, and other unfair practices.

Harassment - Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, debt collectors may not:

• use threats of violence or harm publish a list of consumers who refuse to pay their debts (except to a credit bureau) use obscene or profane language repeatedly use the telephone to annoy someone

False statements - Debt collectors may not use any false or misleading statements when collecting a debt. For example, debt collectors may not:

Which organization collects consumer complaints stops unfair practices and sales companies?

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