How to Respond to a Call From Zwicker and Associates
The onslaught seemingly came out of nowhere. Day and night, you’ve begun getting incessant calls from an agency called Zwicker and Associates that’s doing its best to strongarm you to collect on a debt that you aren’t even sure you owe.
You already have money woes so the last thing you need right now is a collector hounding you. You’re at your wit’s end and wonder just how you should respond to a call from Zwicker and Associates. Read on.
What is Zwicker and Associates?
It’s a venerable 50-year-old law firm that mostly handles collections. So, it’s essentially a Massachusetts-based debt collector. It handles many kinds of consumer debt, including credit cards, for companies that hire it after all other attempts have failed. It also purchases delinquent accounts. For its efforts, Zwicker’s annual revenues total somewhere between $100 million and $500 million.
Make Zwicker Verify the Debt
Did you know that up to half of debts cannot be verified? That’s one chief reason to ask for verification: no verification means you don’t have to pay.
Plus, mistakes are so frequent that collection companies just may be contacting you about a debt you don’t owe. Maybe you’re a victim of identity theft or the account is outdated. But move quickly; you have 30 days from when Zwicker first contacted you to seek verification.
Do check to see what the statute of limitations is in your state. If that clock has run out on your debt, Zwicker or another agency cannot demand payment
Do You Know Your Rights?
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Zwicker and Associates or another collection firm may only phone you after 8 a.m. and before 9 p.m. Such agencies are also prohibited from calling you constantly to try to wear you down and get you to pay. Further, collectors may not call you on the job if you tell them your employer doesn’t play that, and they must cease bothering you while they’re checking into your debt’s validity.
What’s more, if you’ve made it known that you have a lawyer representing you, Zwicker cannot call you about said debt. Finally, collection agents are barred from using profane language, making dishonest claims about amounts owed, threatening legal action, or publishing your info on so-called “bad debt” lists.
What You Can I Do if Zwicker is Violating Your Rights?
You can contact the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and your state’s attorney general. Because some states have debt collection laws that vary from federal measures, that’s another reason to contact your AG.
You can also sue Zwicker or any other collection firm for harassment or threatening behavior, if the agency engages in it, and be awarded $1,000 plus attorney fees and damages. If you racked up medical bills – for stress, for example – or lost income due to some illegal Zwicker action you can sue for those damages. The rub is that you must file suit in state or federal within 12 months from when your rights were breached.
Now that you know how to respond to a call from Zwicker and Associates, you needn’t take any gratuitous guff from the collection agency. You know your rights and you’re on to the agency’s tactics.
Now, if your debt is valid and you’re considering settling it but don’t want to deal with Zwicker, perhaps can get a debt settlement company such as Freedom Debt Relief to step in for you. Don’t be pressured by Zwicker. Slow down … and make the best moves for yourself.
