Consumer Help on the World Wide Web
We cannot guarantee the information or accuracy
provided by these links, but we promise to add only useful
consumer links which we feel might benefit our clients. If you
have been treated unfairly, illegally, or abusively by a debt
collector and you live in Minnesota,
contact our office immediately.
Tape Recording Collection Calls:
Five Easy Steps
Step #1: Read This First, Before Recording Any Collection Calls
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Several states prohibit such recording phone calls
without the consent of all parties to the call and make it a crime
to do so without that permission parties. You may also get
sued.
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Always make sure to seek advice from
a competent attorney before taping debt collection calls in your
state.
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It is a federal crime to record any conversation
when you are not a party to it. This is known as wiretapping
and the civil and criminal penalties for this conduct are huge.
Don't ever do it.
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Check out Can We Tape?
- A Practical Guide to Taping Phone Calls and In-Person
Conversations in the 50 States and D.C.
This is an excellent guide to current state laws regarding the
recording of collection calls throughout the United States.
Always verify this information with a competent attorney before
you record.
Step #2: Buy a Tape Recorder
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We don't recommend using the new all-digital recorders for
recording collection calls.
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Oftentimes these recorders are expensive, lack the necessary
input and output jacks, and make they make it really easy to
inadvertently erase your recording. This could be disastrous
to your legal case.
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All recorders require batteries and blank tapes. Get plenty when
you're shopping at Radio Shack.
Click here to go to to their
www.RadioShack.com.
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Our bottom-line advice: stick with the good old fashioned tape
recorder. Their easier to handle and understand, and their
relatively foolproof when it comes to accidental erasures.
Below are three good tape recorders we have used from Radio Shack®.
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Radio Shack® Tape Recorder
R/S Part
No. 14-1184
This is an excellent microcassette tape
recorder which can be used to record collection calls in
conjunction with either of the taps listed below.
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Radio Shack® Telephone Recorder
Tap
R/S Part No.
44-533
This is the tap used on most home
telephones. It can also be used with non-digital work
phones. PROS: Cheap, simple and virtually foolproof.
CONS: If your phone is digital or on a office PBX-switch, this
recorder will likely not work for you. You may need to
contact your phone system vendor for more ideas.
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Radio Shack® Cell Phone Recorder Tap
R/S Part No. 17-855
This tap also requires that you use any standard cell phone
headset. Fits most current cell phones.
Step #3: Buy a Stereo Patch Cable
Step #4: Buy Digitizing Software
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Now that you have the tapes, what do you do with them? The
best idea is to preserve them digitally so that they can be
emailed to others or posted on the web.
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The best Windows based tape digitization software we have found to
use is made by a Dutch company called
www.polderbits.com.
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You will need to purchase and download the software for your
computer to digitize your tapes. The utilities included
within Windows® are just not enough to
do what you want to do and you will have to look elsewhere to get
good software that will do what you want to do.
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Polderbits® allows you to transfer
your tapes over a cable to your computer and digitize them as an
.mp3 file.
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It is also inexpensive at around $20 and well worth the small
investment.
Step #5: Digitize Your Tapes
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Pop out the small plastic recording tabs on the tape you want to
digitize before you put it in the recorder. This will
prevent accidental erasures.
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Connect the stereo patch cable to the Earphone or Out Jack on your
tape recorder.
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Connect the other end of the patch cable to the sound card Mic or
Input Jack on your computer.
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Turn the recorder volume down low.
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Start Polderbits recording then press the play button on your
recorder.
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You will have to adjust and experiment a little with the audio
levels on Polderbits and the volume control on your tape recorder
to get the optimal digitization levels of your tapes. Every
tape and tape recorder is different in this respect.
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Make sure you listen to the digital recordings using Windows®
Media Player or Apple QuickTime® after
you have made them to ensure they are good quality.
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The Rule of Thumb: Less is more. The lower the volume
adjustment on the recorder, the better the digital recording.
Also, the Polderbits input level
slides should be initially set to mid-range. Again,
experiment with this a little to find just the right combination.
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Make sure to move your tape recorder and the stereo patch cable
away from any source of electronic interference when you are
digitizing the recordings. Oftentimes, fax machines,
computer speakers and other electronic devices will seriously
impair the quality of the digitized recordings if you aren't
careful.
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Save your digital recordings of the tapes as .mp3 files using
22,000Khz stereo quality. If the files are too large, you
can always open them back up in Polderbits re-save them later
using a lower quality to reduce the size.
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Polderbits actually has two components: a digital recorder and a
digital editor. While ideally these functions would be
integrated better, the software functions great as advertised.
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The editor allows you to digitally splice segments of a tape and
save them as their own recordings. This feature is
particularly great if you have multiple calls on a tape or you
have unrelated calls inadvertently recording within a series of
collection calls.
Consumer Lawyers in other states
We regret that we cannot assist clients outside of Minnesota.
These consumer law firms do excellent work and are members of the
National Association of Consumer Advocates. We recommend that you
contact them if you live in their respective states:
Southern California -
Hyde
& Swigart
Northern California -
Law Office of Ronald Wilcox
Georgia -
Law
Office of Lisa D Wright
Maryland -
Valentine
Legal Group, LLC
Texas -
Ahmad Keshavarz, Attorney at Law
Other Minnesota and Federal Government
Links
Minnesota Attorney General's Office
- This links you to the AG's website. You can download a complaint
form to file a consumer complaint for problems such as siding and
roofing disputes and insurance problems. The Attorney General's
office has done a fantastic job of protecting consumer rights in
many areas and this website is a product of that commitment.
Minnesota Commerce Department
- This is where you can file a formal complaint against
most licensed professionals within the State of Minnesota. For
example, roofers, builders, real estate agents, and others are
licensed through this state agency.
All 50 State Attorneys General and/or Consumer Affairs Departments
Identity Theft Affidavit
- Click here to get download an Identity Theft Affidavit designed
and implemented by the Federal Trade Commission.
Declaración Jurada de Robo de Identidad
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Click here to get the Spanish version of the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit.
National Association of Consumer Advocates
- This is a great place to find an consumer rights attorney
outside of Minnesota.
National Consumer Law Center
- An excellent resource center for lawyers and laypersons alike
who have consumer law interests. NCLC has a wealth of printed and
electronic resources targeted at both consumer law practitioners
as well as individual consumers.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- This government agency regulates a variety of industries
including debt collection and credit reporting. Click here to file
a complaint with this Washington D.C. based agency. If you have
been abused or mistreated in any way by a debt collector,
click
here.
All 50 State Attorneys General and/or
Consumer Affairs Departments -
Click on your state's link for more information on
making a consumer complaint in your state.
General Directories for Consumer Assistance
Credit and Credit Counseling
US Trustee Credit Counseling list
- The best source for finding a “real” qualified credit counselor.
Financial Rehabilitation Inc. -
A local credit counselor for budget counseling, credit repair
assistance, homeowner issues and pre-bankruptcy counseling
Annual credit report
- The web site set up by the major three credit reporting agencies
to meet their federal obligation to provide consumer their free
annual copy of their credit report without all the credit
insurance/watch scams.
Automotive
US Trustee Credit Counseling list
- The best source for finding a “real” qualified credit counselor.
Autoissues.org
The Consumer Task Force For Automotive Issues is a non-profit
organization founded by Ralph Nader and Remar Sutton. CTF-A
monitors auto fraud developments for many Attorneys General,
consumer groups, and consumer law firms. The site has a lot of
useful information about car buying leasing, etc.
National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
Information on cars including crash test results, service
bulletins and recall notices.
Autosafety.org
A good site for auto safety and lemon law issues
Edmunds.com
Kelley Blue Book
National
Automobile Dealers Association
Good sites for researching cars and prices, whether you are
looking at new or used. Each has free, third party automotive
information, tools and services for consumers. extensive
automobile reviews, shopping advice, incentive and rebate
listings. Check all three as they often have slight variations in
their price ranges on cars.
HOUSING ISSUES
US Dept. of Housing
and Urban Development
All sorts of information for homeowners, home buying, renters etc.
A lot of information if you dig around a bit.
HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
HUD sponsors housing counseling agencies throughout the country
that can provide advice on buying a home, renting, defaults,
foreclosures, credit issues, and reverse mortgages. This page
allows you to select a list of agencies for each state.
ACORN
Housing Counseling provides one-on-one mortgage loan
counseling, first-time homebuyer classes, and helps clients obtain
affordable mortgages through unique lending partnerships.
Predatory Lending Counseling Counseling about protecting
yourself from predatory lending.
Northside Residents
Redevelopment Council
Mortgage foreclosure prevention service for the North side of
Minneapolis
Lutheran Social
Services
Mortgage foreclosure prevention, credit counseling and other
services throughout Minnesota
Twin
Cities Habitat for Humanity
Mortgage foreclosure prevention assistance
Homeline
Free legal, organizing, education and advocacy services for
tenants throughout Minnesota. They provide Tenet and Renter Rights
legal advice - 612 728-5767
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