This time of the year, our inquiry centre tends to receive quite a few calls regarding debt collection. One topic that seems to confuse people happens when people receive calls and feel they are not the debtor.
At that point, our team needs to determine which of the scenarios below applies to the situation:
Scenario 1: You are not the debtor they are trying to contact.
Example: You receive a call regarding an outstanding amount for “Fred”, but there is no one named Fred living in your household.
In this example, you are truly not the person the collection agency is trying to contact but are receiving phone calls for that person. In this instance, you can stop the calls by filling out this form – “Stop the Calls Because You Are Not the Debtor” and send to the collection agency by registered mail, fax or email.
Scenario 2: You don’t think you should have to pay the debt the collection agent is calling you about.
Example: You had a dispute with your cell phone provider about a bill you received. You have been trying to deal with it but now it has been sent to collections.
In this case, the collections agency is calling you regarding a debt that you disagree with and you don’t feel you owe the money. You can find out some useful information under “I want to dispute the debt” on our website.
I hope this helps clarify the difference between a “not the debtor” situation versus a “debt in dispute” situation. There is a lot to know about this topic. For more information about our role around debt collection and information for consumers, please visit our website or explore our blog posts listed below.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Asking a debt collector to only communicate with you in writing: what you need to know
New things to know about BC’s debt collection laws
What would you do? A guide to being a savvy consumer: debt collection calls
Hi Michelle,
I declared bankruptcy in 2000 after I left my husband through a bankruptcy agency. I am no longer under their care and guidance and was hoping for a little advice.
I received a call from my ex husband the other day, and he said he received a letter in the mail from a collection agency for a credit card we had when we were married. He knew that I had declared bankruptcy but insists this is my problem and was informed by the collection agency to get the police involved.
Can he do that, and am I still legally bound to that credit card even after bankruptcy?
Hi Diane — thanks for your question, sounds like a difficult situation. Why don’t you contact our Inquiry Centre (either info@consumerprotectionbc.ca or 1-888-564-9963; ask for Shantel) and I’ll provide you with some helpful information.
I have talked to Telus many times about a charge to my old account where we lived a year ago, I explained to Telus and now to their collections agent, that any last payment was made at that time. After going through all the trouble and stress , Telus found their accounting problem and sent an e-mail to me to show there was indeed a mistake on their part, I can not get a clearance letter or e-mail from their collections agent, what now ?
Hi Donald, thank you for leaving your question here. Is the debt collector still contacting you? We would like to get a bit more information so if you could call us, we would be able to further assist you. Our toll-free number is 1-888-564-9963. You can certainly check your credit report though, and the instruction on how to obtain credit reports from Transunion and Equifax, free of charge is here on our blog.