Consumers who are having trouble with bill collectors should be aware of their legal rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

According to the Federal Trade Commission website, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act covers personal, family and household debts and bars debt collectors from contacting consumers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. without permission. The law also bars debt collectors from calling you at work if they are aware that your supervisor disapproves of this.

The law states that consumers can write debt collectors a letter telling them to stop calling, but this will not make the debt actually go away. From that point, debt collectors can call you only to inform you of new actions on the account or to acknowledge receipt of the letter.

The FTC also notes that debt collectors do have the right to call people you may know in search of your latest contact information - although such calls are generally expected to be limited to once per person and the collectors are not supposed to discuss the fact that you owe money.

Some attorneys have advertised online encouraging people to contact them if they feel they have been abused by debt collectors. To stay on top of your debts in the first place, budgeting and responsible spending are key, along with never missing payments. Some may find that payday loans can help when it comes to avoiding credit card late fees and other debt related problems.

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