Credit

• Credit Reporting
• Collection Agents

The Credit Reporting Act requires the agency to provide you with an accurate summary of the information. If the information is wrong or out of date, you can request that the credit reporting agency investigate the matter. If the agency finds that the information is wrong, they must change it and notify everyone who received the information in the past year. If the agency says the information is correct, you may file a statement of dispute and the agency must then notify everyone given that information over the past year that it is being disputed.

• someone who needs the information with respect to your application for credit, insurance, employment, tenancy or other legitimate business purpose;
• the assignee of an agreement for credit, insurance or tenancy;
• any federal, provincial or municipal government agency or a police officer acting on behalf of a government agency;
• yourself (the consumer who is the subject of the report).

• information about a bankruptcy that is more than 14 years old;
• information about court proceedings more than one year after the date of issue if the current status of the proceeding is unknown;
• information about any actions, judgments or debts that the courts will not enforce due to the expiration of a limitation period;
• any other unfavorable information that is more than seven years old unless it is voluntarily given by the consumer; and
• any information that has not been confirmed.

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• You will receive a letter giving notice of the debt and stating that if you do not pay by a certain date, you will be sued in court. This is called a demand letter.
• You will be served with a Statement of Claim that explains the reasons you are being sued, the amount of money or remedy sought and what you may do in response to the claim.
• If you are sued in small claims court, you have the chance to tell the judge your side of the story. The judge then decides if you must pay the collection agent.

• harass you, your spouse or family;
• harass your employer or threaten to do so;
• harass your friends to find out where you live or work;
• try to collect more than the amount owing;
• call you before 8:00 am or after 9:00 pm and on Sundays and holidays;
• make a demand for payment without indicating the name of the creditor, the balance owing and the identity or authority of the person making the demand;
• make a telephone call with reversed charges;
• send documents that appear to be court documents; and
• start or continue a court action in the name of the collection agency unless the debt has been assigned to the collection agency in writing and the debtor knows about the assignment.

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