InfoPEI
HOME /
GOVERNMENT /
GOVINFO /
CONSUMER INFORMATION /
REFERENCE /
Collection Agencies Rights and Responsibilities of Consumers
Although businesses usually try to collect their unpaid bills themselves, if they are unable to they may turn your account over to a collection agency.
All collection agencies who collect debt from people in Prince Edward Island have to be licensed by the Consumer, Corporate and Insurance Services Division of the Office of the Attorney General.
A collector may not:
- collect or attempt to collect money without first being satisfied that you owe the money to the creditor
- telephone, visit or send mail to your place of employment
- collect more than you owe the creditor
- contact you after the hours of 9:00 pm and before 8:00 am or on a Sunday
- pretend to be someone else or use forms not filed with the registrar
- make collect telephone calls to you or charge you for telephone calls, telegrams or mail costs
- threaten you with action outside the authority of the collection agency
- make such frequent contacts as to constitute harassment
- contact other people including your employer, family, friends or neighbours except to obtain your address
- include your spouse in collection or court actions unless your spouse has also signed for the debt
- use coercive language, cite loss of employment or loss of community ranking or give false information to anyone that could cause you or your family problems at work
- contact you after receiving written notice to communicate through your legal counsel
You may wish to take some or all of the following steps:
- Keep notes or letters from the collection agency.
- Keep all written material you receive from them, including the envelopes.
- Make notes of every phone call from the collection agency, including the date, time, content and names of people involved in the conversations.
- Make notes of the same information if you learn that the collection agency has contacted anyone other than you.
For more information see Collection Agengies Act
Charlottetown
Shaw Building
Peters, Linda (Compliance Officer)
| 