The telephone is one of the greatest inventions of all time. It has evolved a great deal since it’s invention in the 1800’s. Long after it’s inventors have gone to their better place, it is still being celebrated, enhanced, and sometimes cursed.
Why would such a life transforming invention be cursed, thrown, and sometimes, just unplugged. Since their beginning, telephones made it possible to talk to people who lived too far away to see on a regular basis. It gave people more personal ways to communicate with their loved ones.
The telephone quickly became so much more than a luxury, it became a necessity. When a family member became sick, a doctor could finally be called in an instant. The business world reaped the infinite benefits of this ground breaking technology almost immediately.
Today we have the invention of answering machines, caller I.D., and call blocking, used just as much, as the phone itself. The truth is, it isn’t always somebody we want to talk to on the other end of that phone line. Sometimes it’s the dreaded bill collector calling to ruin your day.
Bill collectors used to routinely go to the residence or place of business of their debtors. Although the phone was already long invented, they preferred to speak to the person who owed them money, face to face. They believed their presence would impel or embarrass prompt payment. They found, as time went on, that people became less interested in unwelcome visits to their homes, and saw them as intrusions, they became defensive and evasive. At times bill collectors were met with violence. Now the telephone is second, only to the mail, as communication of choice, of many businesses, when attempting to collect a debt.
In early days, bill collectors could, and did, call to the point of harassment of the debtor. Not only did they call at all hours of the night and day. They made threats, that they would not have considered making in person, and regularly insulted anybody who did not agree to pay the debt. It got so bad that people could be told anything, and this caused them to feel so much pressure they were committing crimes, and even committing suicide.
Something had to be done about these, and other telecommunications violations. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nations consumer protection agency was created in 1914. Since then additional laws have been passed giving the agency greater authority. In addition, in 1977 the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed specifically to protect the rights of the debtors. It’s important for all consumers to be aware of their rights, and to know that the FDCPA is consistently reviewed and updated. It is also the law, and any violation of this law is highly enforced and severely punishable. If you know these laws and you owe money, it is now okay to plug in your phone. If bill collectors violate this act, they could be the ones owing you money