Pay your credit card or receive a visit from Capital One

Imagine a bill collector coming to your door: your instinct would be to punch them in the face, or at the least slam the door. Well, Capital One representatives may arrive at the door of their company’s clients, according to a recent contract update.

The story was first spotted by the Los Angeles Times and it found that the credit card issuer “may contact you in any manner we choose” and this could possibly include telephone calls, emails, texts, faxes or perhaps even a personal visit at your home or workplace.

After the news made the rounds, the Fourth Amendment had been brought up repeatedly. However, legal experts say that Capital One might not necessarily be violating the Constitution, but there are laws against harassment and stalking.

In response to the outrage by some clients, Capital One confirmed that it would be revisiting its policy and noted that the clause has been included in its contracts for years and there hasn’t been a single instance of a representative showing up at a person’s home.

“The agreement was recently sent to a group of customers as part of the ongoing HSBC integration,” Pam Girardo, a spokeswoman for Capital One, told USA Today in an email.”We are reviewing the language because we do not want to create any unnecessary insecurity among our customers and we apologize for the confusion.”

Although many are displeased with the revelation, other industry professionals understand Capital One’s point of view. Since the economic collapse, customers have been quite adamant in not paying their bills on time. According to figures from TransUnion, the ratio of borrowers 90 days late on their credit card bills stands at 1.48 percent and is projected to rise to 1.57 percent by the end of the year.

Capital One isn’t stopping at in-home visits, though. Another provision in the updated contract includes suppressing caller ID. This means that the credit card company could very well “spoof” their number and trick you into answering it by making the number look like a local number or from a respected organization. Spoofing is legal.

How should you avoid this? Well, one particular way to incite anger at Capital One – and any other credit company – is to pay off your bill entirely and never be charged interest again. It is possible to do and to bring back peace of mind.