Why The TCPA Is Putting Consumers In A Disadvantage

Why The TCPA Is Putting Consumers In A Disadvantage

If you work in the Debt Collection or Call Center industries, you must know about the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), enacted in 1991 as a response to the growth in telemarketing calls.

Its purpose is to protect the consumers by not letting debt collection companies leave pre-recorded messages on cell phones, text messages and faxes, among other restrictions. But, now the TCPA is putting, not only to debt collection companies in disadvantage, but also the consumers. Why?

ACA International produced a document last month where they researched How the TCPA Fails to Keep Pace with Shifting Consumer Trends and it shows us the demographic differences in wireless-only households, and how this trend and the lack of modernization of the TCPA is making the communication between debt collection companies and consumers increasingly difficult.

The report explains that 72.7% of 25-29 year-olds live in a wireless-only household, while only 23.5% of individuals aged 65 and over live in a wireless-only household. The use of wireless technologies has been increasing and the use of landline has been declining. This means that a majority of American homes report having at least one wireless telephone and no landline.

The TCPA’s failure to adapt to the use of new technologies trends has brought several consequences:

  1. The number of litigation has increased considerably. Companies that decided to call only those consumers who possess a landline phone in an effort to minimize potential TCPA liability, can only reach roughly 29% of 25-34 year-olds, according to the study.
  2. This 29% of consumers can be deprived of beneficial information.
  3. The increase of litigations about this matter is not letting courts attend the needs of the real victims of harassment and abuse.

For this reason, ACA International is constantly addressing the limitations of the TCPA asking for the modernization of this Act to have better practices in the credit and collection industry.

If you would like to talk further about debt collection or our services, meet us at the ACA International Convention & Expo 2017. You will find us at Booth #331. Contact us to set up a quick meeting during the event.

About ACA International

The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, is the comprehensive, knowledge-based resource for success in the credit and collection industry. Founded in 1939, ACA brings together third-party collection agencies, law firms, asset buying companies, creditors and vendor affiliates, representing more than 230,000 industry employees. ACA establishes ethical standards, produces a wide variety of products, services and publications, and articulates the value of the credit and collection industry to businesses, policymakers and consumers.

About Call Center Services International

CCSI is a World-Class Contact Center strategically located in Baja California, Mexico (minutes from San Diego, California) and Mexico City (with direct flights from major United Sates airports), helping US companies establish high-performance "nearshore" Contact Centers in Mexico.