First, let me say that I know it is important to pay your bills on time. Sometimes, however, life puts you in a situation where you cannot. Since at these times you are already stressed, it does not improve the situation when you have to deal with Green Tree.
The day my payment to Green Tree is due, they begin to call my home -if they have not already recieved it. They continue to call multiple times a day, every day, until they have the payment.
It doesn't matter if you schedule a future payment with them. They will continue to call until the day the payment is actually recieved by them.
My daughter, age 12, has answered the phone before when Mary Ann Brown of the Birmingham Alabama office has called. She has told my daughter that if she wants to keep living in her house, that I need to make a payment.
I have spoken to Mary Ann Brown multiple times telling her that I will be making a payment at the end of the week, next week, whatever... And she says "Thats not good enough". Of course, this is when I hang up on her and why my family dodges phone calls.
The green tree people have also called my inlaws and told them my husband needs to make a paymnet or we will lose our home.
All of these instances have happened many times in the last 5 years.
I recently read the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Green tree is generally good at barely staying inside the law, but I thought others may want to know what I found out.
First, section 804 states that 3rd parties can only be contacted if the creditor doesn't know your address, phone number, place of employment location. They can only call this 3rd party 1 time - and only if they do not have the information that I just stated. They can only discus your contact information. It is illegal for them to tell the 3rd party that a debt it owed.
Second, section 805 states that they can only call between the hours of 8 A.M. And 9 P.M. - your time. You have the right to tell them that certain times are inconvenient for you to accept calls. On the weekends for instance or if you work nights and sleep during the day. The first time they don't listen is ok. The second time they are in violation.
If they call you at work, all you have to do, is verbally tell them that your employer does not allow you to recieve this sort of call. If they call you at work again, they are in violation of section 805.
Finally, section 813 states that you can sue the debt collector for violating the FDCPA. This can be for an amount up to $1000 per violation plus the cost of attorney fees.
I'm sure this letter won't make any difference to Green Tree practices, but I feel better and I intend to tell the GT people of their violations from this point forward.
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