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After suffering a heart attack, a Floridian man had to quit his job. Since then, he had difficulty paying his mortgage. However, the issue is whether the harassing calls made by the debt collection agency might have contributed to his death.

Your phone rings at 7pm while you’re having dinner with your family. Press 1 for sales, 2 for reject. You roll your eyes and let the answering machine take the call. As a result, these annoying telemarketers have just spoiled your dinner again.

After suffering from a heart attack, a Floridian man had to quit his job. Since then, he had difficulty paying his mortgage. Thereafter, a debt collection agency began harassing Mr.McLeod regularly and often throughout the day. As a result, McLeod’s stress level and blood pressure increased. The issue is whether the harassing calls made by the agency contributed to his death. Although increased stress levels and blood pressure can put a strain on your heart, only a medical specialist can determine whether these factors played a role in his death.

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Mr. McLeod saved some of the taped messages on his answering machine. One message read:

“Get your act together and make the payments on your mortgage. Why don’t you have that helicopter pick you up and bring that payment to the office.”

After grabbing a copy of those messages, Bill Howard, consumer protection agent of Morgan & Morgan Law Firm, filed the lawsuit.  In order to stop debt collection abuse, the partners of Morgan & Morgan recommend that Floridians save all their recording messages as evidence that these calls have been made.

If you live in the State of Florida, it is important to know the law regarding debt collectors. For instance, Florida Law requires that collectors send a written notice within five days after you are first contacted telling you the amount of money that you owe. Secondly, they should call you at a reasonable time and that doesn’t include dinner time. Third, they should stop contacting you if you have already notified them in writing that you are not responsible for any charges. By law, these agencies can’t use threats or violence against the person or their property. They are not allowed to make numerous phone calls throughout the day with the intent of harassing someone to pay, although they are still guilty of this. And last but not least, they aren’t allowed to say they will arrest you if you don’t pay or things like we will seize or garnish your property or estate unless they have a legal right to.

There are plenty of other things that you should become familiar with regarding unfair business practice. You can go ogle and read more about it.