Debt Collection Tops 2007 Consumer Complaints List
The FTC said earlier in the year that complaints against collectors were up. Now a state attorneys general group is saying the same thing.
Complaints against debt collectors topped a national list of consumer complaints for 2007, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) said Tuesday.
The NAAG said that debt collection complaints moved up one spot from the 2006 list to take the lead. Auto sales, home repair, telecommunications, and general automotive complaints rounded out the top five on the list.
The list was compiled by the NAAG based on an informal nationwide survey conducted by the group. The NAAG was formed in 1907 to “serves as a key resource to assist Attorneys General and their staffs to respond effectively to emerging state and federal legal issues,” according to the group.
In March, the Federal Trade Commission also said that complaints against debt collectors topped its list for last year. In 2007, the FTC noted that it received 70,951 complaints against collection agencies and accounts receivable management firms, up from 69,249 in 2006.
Complaints against collectors amounted to 20.8 percent of all complaints received by the FTC.
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Comments
Comment from Anonymous on September 25, 2008 at 8:58AM EST
With so many web sites and companies explaining to consumers how they can get out of paying their debts, is this really a shock. I understand that some collectors in the industry do things in an unprofessional manner, and that some complaints are warranted, but today all you have to do is google debt collections and you will find out how to make complaints and get out of your debt. As long as these things are out there no matter how hard we work to do things professionally complaints will be high, and I hope the FTC recognizes this as part of the problem
Comment from Miguel Gomez on February 18, 2009 at 1:23PM EST
My complaint is that I've actually been trying to pay my account and no one has contacted me. Money was being taken out monthly and it has stopped. I feel like I've been paying thousands of dollars to someone who doesn't exist. Scary.