Posted on 15. Sep 2026
Posting this because I wish I'd known sooner. I moved back to Oahu last year and a collector started blowing up my phone, sometimes 4 or 5 times a day, including before 8am. I kept asking them to stop and one rep called my work line after I specifically told them not to.
I finally looked into it and found out Hawaii doesn't just rely on the federal law. We have our own statute under HRS Chapter 480D, and collection agencies here also have to register and hold a bond with the state. That means there are two layers of protection, not one.
A few things that surprised me:
5 days to get written notice of the debt, 30 days to dispute it in writing
6 year statute of limitations on most debt here
Social Security and most federal benefits are exempt from garnishment
You can send a written cease letter by certified mail and they have to stop contacting you
I ended up sending a certified dispute letter and the calls stopped. If you're on the islands dealing with this, don't assume distance from the mainland means you have fewer options. It's the opposite here.
Anyone else deal with collectors here? Curious if the DCCA complaint process actually went anywhere for you.
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