How long before they start calling relatives?

[Migal]

I've heard the cc companies will call your family if they can't talk to you. How long before they use those tactics? Are there any cc's more known for doing this?

[hnhlvr]

The only call I got was one year after my DH quit paying on his credit cards. Long past the time in which his debt had gone to collections.

[kenshirley]

If you do not respond via mail or by phone they most likely will call others when you are more than 30 days late, or so my experience has shown.

[OhioFiler]

If you do not respond via mail or by phone they most likely will call others when you are more than 30 days late, or so my experience has shown.

This is correct. It doesn't take long.

[ShorterSN]

I concur. They started calling my wife's mother, my parents, even my sister-in law after just 60 days. Filing our BK and giving them the # did shut them up.

[albacore44]

90 days late so far. have not spoken to any of them.plenty of calls though. none to my relatives yet. probably because they cant find any.

[LuciluS]

Stopped paying late last Sept. except for 1 CC was paid through Dec. because of a Balance Transfer.

To my knowledge (believe all would tell) not one person has contacted my relatives or in-laws regarding past due payments. I knocked on woodright before I began typing LOL!

[AshShep01]

I've heard the cc companies will call your family if they can't talk to you. How long before they use those tactics? Are there any cc's more known for doing this?

I have only experience this with American Express, they contacted my ex boyfriend when I was about 65 days past due. Guess what? He gave them my new number. LOL

[veggirl]

How would they find your relatives numbers? I don't understand

[StartingOver08]

How would they find your relatives numbers? I don't understand

One of the posters (I forgot who already) on here recently listed several sites where all of your information just pops up - neighbors, friends, relatives....phone numbers, addresses etc. All for free. There is even more detail if you want to pay for it. search under skip tracing...

[kenshirley]

Initially they get the phone numbers and addresses and such from your credit applications.
Remember when they asked for for your nearest relative? There was not any intent to send them a birthday card.
Many people fill these things out giving the required information and never think another thing about it.

[liz417]

I stopped paying my cc's a year before I filed. I picked up the phone every once in awhile to let them know I was still around. Although I told the Original Creditor(s) that I was planning on filing BK, I only received calls when my accounts transfered hands.
As far a I know, no one's ever called family or friends. Yikes!

Kenshirley: It NEVER occured to me why they wanted "a nearst relative not living with you" on applications, until I read it here on this forum...makes sense now Since then, I now "make up friends and family" for anything I fill out (I keep it pretty consistent, change a number here or there, and change the person's last name a little)....

[pookieny]

I had a collection call for my neice, they asked if I would give her the message to call them. I said I would for $25. Dead silence on the other end and then he asked how they would get a payment to me. I said, send me a check for $25, I'll deposit it and wait for it to clear and then I will give her your message. He hung up on me, how rude! Hey, my time is valuable too.

[aces67]

My mom stopped paying hers in May and her creditors started calling me in June. As if I don't have enough of my own debt to worry with. Now her creditors are harassing me too.

[justplaintired]

The best way to avoid them calling family is to answer the phone when they call. We quit paying and did not file for 1 1/2 years. I always answered the phone, I always told the truth. Now maybe we are the odd ones, but no one ever got nasty, not one time and we had alot of cc.

You know in our case all the collectors were nice and almost all of them wished us luck! it was weird, but it is the truth. We did have an attorney who we had paid in full and even though we hadn't filed, I gave them the phone number which my attorney said was fine. He was paid in full, so we made them work for their money!

Good luck!