Daily Digest – February 2. Consumer Advocates Send Letter Opposing TCPA Reform; Collection Agency Entangled After Client Failed To Send Bills

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CONSUMER ADVOCATES SEND LETTER TO FCC OPPOSING PETITION TO RECONSIDER TCPA CHANGES

• The battle lines are forming. Eighteen consumer advocacy groups sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission yesterday, opposing a petition from three student lending servicers to reconsider rule changes that were made to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act that limit how often individuals can be contacted for their delinquent student loans. Among the many sections in the letter is one entitled: “Debt collectors are known for abusive calling patterns.”

COLLECTION AGENCY ENTANGLED AFTER CLIENT FAILED TO SEND BILLS FOR UNPAID SERVICES

• An apparent error led to an ambulance service sending 70 unpaid accounts to collections, before ever sending those individuals a bill for the services. Many of those contacted by the collection agency complained to a local TV station, which looked into the matter. In most cases, the debts were wiped off the individuals’ accounts and were never reported to credit bureaus. But maybe agencies should double check that their clients have sent bills or statements to individuals before initiating collection activities to avoid getting mixed up in a situation like this collection agency did.

FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN DEBT COLLECTION SCAM 

• Short on details, a Florida man has pleaded guilty to his role in a debt collection scam, after allegedly defrauding up to 12 homeowner’s associations of more than $100,000. A published about the plea said that the man had not held a valid debt collector license in Florida for the pat five years.

ASSISTANT AG IN ILLINOIS LEAVES FOR LAW FIRM

• A former assistant attorney general in the Consumer Fraud Bureau in Illinois has left public service and joined the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson and will work in the firm’s consumer financial services group.

WORTH NOTING: January car sale numbers weren’t that terrible, and consumers were willing to pay more to buy cars … A computer beat professionals at poker … The compromises people are making to buy homes … How much people are paying to go to, watch, and bet on the Super Bowl … Daily habits that will make you a happier person … Studies show that working overtime is basically pointless … Here is the $30,000 gift bag that presenters and performers at this weekend’s Grammys will get … Some mind mapping apps that may help you stay organized … President Trump is alienating heads of state of other countries now.

Jon Stewart has President Trump’s next executive orders

Bad lip reading: The NFL version

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The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide.