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How a Consumer Advocate can Help You Handle Debt Collectors
A Consumer Advocate specializing in Debt Collection Practices can be an effective option to help you get through the credit collection process. Consumer Advocates or Unions such as ACU (American Consumers Union) or UCAN (United Consumer Advocacy Network) are set up to act as a layer of protection between you and the creditor/collector once your debts fall behind. Most Consumer Advocate’s help their clients through a combination of client Education and Protection.
The first goal of the Consumers Union is to educate clients on their rights when they are being pursued by a debt collector. These rights are granted by state law and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). These laws are commonly violated by collectors either because they are poorly trained or counting on the fact that the consumer does not understand or are unaware of their rights. Being in debt and getting creditor calls can be an extremely stressful and intimidating situation. Even some people who do know their rights are too frightened by the collectors to take action. This is where the Consumers Union can step in between you and the creditor to offer the protection you need in this vulnerable situation.
Tags: advocacy, advocate, advocates, attorney, communication, customer, customer service, education, managementRelated posts
Are You A Good Advocate ?
As a team leader you often have to be an advocate and speak on behalf of another person or group of people. Do you analyze how good you are at communicating the needs and expectations of yourself or others? An advocate is someone who supports another person either by speaking on their behalf, or by helping them to communicate their own thoughts, feelings or ideas. Advocates need to have inter-personnel skills, be effective communicators and negotiators; be able to understand and implement the balance required between listening to people and talking; and between advising a course of action and allowing individuals to discover their own solutions to the issues that they need to address. Advocates must also be sensitive, diplomatic, and use discretion with individuals and their team. Successful advocacy therefore contains elements of both mentoring and coaching. Indeed, as team leaders this is one of our key responsibilities if we want our teams to remain positive and function well.
Tags: advocacy, advocate, advocates, coachingRelated posts
Become Your Own Healthcare Advocate
We know that in politics lobbyists hope to have influence on important political decisions. They are advocates for their specific causes. They are respected for their expertise and they keep focused on getting the results they desire. Wouldn’t you assume the same is true when applying the analogy to your own healthcare? When diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness it’s important for you or a care partner to become knowledgeable about advocating for the best outcome from treatment.
Be Intelligent
No one expects you to take a crash medical school course after being diagnosed with an illness. It’s not necessary that you understand anatomy and physiology or cell biology. It is important that you know how your own body works. What are the unique features of your body? What illnesses and injuries have you had? What medications are you allergic to? How do you respond to medication? It’s also important that you have at least a basic understanding of your diagnosis. You should know the actual diagnosis and all its particulars. If your specific disease has stages, phases or degrees, know where you are on the continuum. Do enough research so that you aren’t buried in information on your first doctor’s visit.