Around some parts of the United States, the regulations surrounding reclamation of credit card debt apply singularly to the bottom feeders of the industry – the bill collectors that buy the obligations formerly offered by the reputable banking institutions for pennies on the dollar well after they’ve been designated as default – but California statutes explicitly reserve the same rights for consumers with the original lenders as would apply to telemarketing collection agencies under the Rosenthal legislation (the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act). On the other hand, ensuring that the debt collectors stay within the parameters set down by the State Congressmen and women can actually be more difficult – despite the comparable comforts allowed by the relevant pieces of legislation – because the state laws also preclude borrowers (or any residents) from electronically recording any conversations that take place over the phone to be utilized for evidentiary documentation within the California court system.

As a result, borrowers seeking to merely keep the bill collectors from overstepping the strictly prescribed behaviors will just have to keep a pencil and notebook next to their home phones, and, if the bill collectors have begun to ring up your cellular device, you’ll just have to carry writing materials in your pocket for as long as the problems continue. Should the collection agency representatives persist in bothering you and your family, transgressing the boundaries of their mission according to California law – or at least your amateur interpretations of what they should and should not be able to do – write down notes concerning all the important information regarding the date and specific time of the call, the phone number the bill collectors are using at the moment (this will almost certainly change), the identification data for the agent (this should fluctuate as well, even if you’re nearly positive it’s the same rep assigned to your case file each time), and anything else which could be useful to the government or your own attorneys while trying to end harassment.

Of course, the most effective method of avoiding credit card debt collection agents would be to employ one of the more effective methods of debt relief to remunerate the lenders and eliminate the balances altogether. Now that an increasing awareness of the harsh regulations surrounding United States bankruptcy code has convinced Californians worried about their possessions to avoid bankruptcy courts as anything but a final (and ultimately bleak) debt relief option, such techniques as Consumer Credit Counseling and, though the strategy remains somewhat controversial, settlement negotiation have to a noticeable extent replaced filing for Chapter 7 protection from rapacious creditors.

Here, too, however, the propensity of our elected officials midst the Sacramento capitol to continually fiddle with the pillars of consumer finance deserves a thorough investigation before talking over settlement prospects with a counselor from one of the more respected firms doing business within California. Specifically, you should learn all that you can about the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection bill rumbling through the halls of state government. While it’s unlikely that the planned changes – largely concerning the timing of fees charged and the information to be given prior to formally agreeing to any debt settlement plan – would be implemented before January, consumers curious about entering one of these programs beforehand may well wish to insist that any prospective debt relief provider already comply with the forthcoming regulations.

Author's Bio: 

Cole Collins is a freelance writer in the field of personal finance with a concentration in consumer debt relief. For Help with debt please visit http://www.totaldebtrelief.net/