Dear Dave,
My older sister has run up some pretty large debts, and there’s one creditor in particular that’s giving her a bad time. She only owes them about $500, but they somehow got our parent’s phone number. They called and made my mom feel so bad that she paid part of the bill. Now this company is calling my parents four or five times a day, thinking that if they’re pushy enough she’ll pay them more money. What can they do?
Donna

Answer
First, your mom and dad should get an answering machine – one that has a memo button that allows them to record conversations. The next time these bozos call, your dad should get on the phone and explain to them that the conversation is being recorded and that they are not liable for your sister’s debt. Let them know, too, that if they ever contact them again about this matter that they will sue!

Your dad also needs to tell them that if they call them again he will file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. What this company is doing is a violation of federal law and the Federal Fair Debt Collections Act. If the caller can’t understand that, make them put a supervisor on the line and repeat it. Your dad needs to crawl all over these people, because what they’re doing is illegal, immoral and just plain mean!

Even if he did owe the bill, calling that many times a day is still a violation of federal law. He’s not going to get rid of these people by being nice!
- Dave