Violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Can Prove Very Costly

December 17, 2015 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman
Violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Can Prove Very Costly A Maryland plaintiff is suing Discover Financial Services for allegedly violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by using an automated dialing system to contact her without permission. According to Andrianna A., Discover began contacting her in 2015 in order to collect a debt. Despite the plaintiff requesting Discover to stop calling her, the financial services company continued to call her multiple times a day. Andrianna believes the calls were place using an automated telephone dialing system (robocaller) because of the frequency, number, nature and character of the calls. This lawsuit describes Andrianna's fight to stop the purported telephone harassment between March 30th and August 30th whereas Discover reportedly used an automated dialing system to call her at least 931 times. During this time period, Discover called Andrianna multiple times a day, once even calling 22 times in the same day [1]. Federal Communications Commission The Telephone Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 1991 to protect consumers from annoying telemarketers and other types of solicitors who do not have permission to contact them or who break other TCPA laws such as:
  • Placing robocalls (using an automated dialing machine and/or pre-recorded message)
  • Sending solicited text messages
  • Calling or texting people who never established a business relationship with the company
  • Not providing an option to opt out of the calls/texts
  • Calling numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry or on company-specific “do-not-call” lists
  • Sending unsolicited advertisements to any fax machine—both businesses and residences—without the recipient's prior express invitation or permission (i.e., “junk faxes”)
  • Other TCPA violations
Consumers who encounter businesses that violate the terms listed above or any other TCPA violation not listed may be able to collect between $500 and $1,500 per violation by filing a TCPA lawsuit [2]. New Updates to the Act Over the summer, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 to move forward on Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposed revisions to the TCPA that will attempt to “close loopholes” and give consumers more control over how they are contacted. In was the FCC is calling “one of the most significant FCC consumer protection actions since it established the Do-Not-Call Registry with the FTC in 2003,” the ruling is in response to the more than 20 pending petitions requesting clarifications on a number of issues.
  • Definition of Automated Dialer- To keep up with technology, the ruling expands the definition of an automated dialer to include any phone with future capability of becoming an automated dialer.
  • Robocall-blocking Technology- Carriers now have the green light to offer consumers “robocall-blocking” tools.
  • Revoke Consent- Consumers will have the explicit right to revoke consent to receive prerecorded messages and text messages by any “reasonable way,” including verbal notification.
  • Calls to Reassigned Numbers- If a number has been reassigned, a caller must stop calling the number after one (1) call.
  • Limited Exemption for Urgent Circumstances- The FCC will allow very limited and specific exception to permit the use of “robocalls,” such as alerts to possible fraud on your credit card or a reminder to refill a prescription [3].
These regulations are tougher than ever, ensuring compliance will only improve relations between consumers and businesses. Negligence in this regard can ruin a business's reputation, brand and credibility as well as offer consumers a way to fight back if a business is trolling their phone numbers. Florida Law Florida law prohibits much of the same conduct outlined above, as well as, among others, the communication or threatened communication with a debtor's employer before obtaining a final judgment against the debtor (unless the debtor gives permission in writing to contact the employer or acknowledges in writing the existence of a debt after it has been place in collection). Other federal laws such as the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) contend that debt collectors are required to disclose certain information when speaking with you about the debt you owe and are also limited as to how they are allowed to go about collecting that debt. Certain words and mechanisms utilized by debt collectors-such as an abusive language or falsely claiming to be an attorney- simply are not tolerated under Federal law. Florida's Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) applies not only to debt collectors, but also to original creditors. Both laws are aimed at putting an end to abusive and deceptive debt collection practices and mirror the TCPA. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our creditor harassment attorneys are well versed in Florida's Consumer Collection Practices Act as well as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and we are willing to take serious action against all types of debt collectors for violating the rights of consumers. For assistance in dealing with harassing debt collectors, please contact our office at 727-451-6900 today. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA 800 North Belcher Road Clearwater, FL 33765 727-451-6900 https://www.dolmanlaw.com/ References: [3] https://www.business2community.com/communications/fcc-votes-adopt-tcpa-updates-01254792#HTi5hXxSsiEj2hqk.97

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

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