Debt Collection Practices

Anyone attempting to collect a debt arising from a consumer transaction in Wisconsin, whether a merchant doing its own debt collecting or a third-party debt collector, must follow Wisconsin’s debt collection law,   Ch. 427, Wis. Stats. (external link) This is an important point because many merchants collecting debt owed directly to them mistakenly believe that they are exempt from Wisconsin’s debt collection law because they are not included within the definition of "debt collector" under the federal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. The federal law will not be discussed here, but you may access it at the link provided. Compliance with Wisconsin law does not ensure compliance with the federal law and vice versa.