is it okay to be rude to creditors?

[DM20]

I have no answering machine. I stop the ringer when it comes up with an toll free number if I even look at it. I got tired of them leaving the must call today messages! I don't give them an outlet. Have even considered getting rid of it completely and saving the $$ per month. We rarely use it anymore.

[Mi Bankruptcy]

or will it come back to bite me when we file? Today a guy from chase told me my debt with them is not dischargeable because I incurred the debt 8 mos ago. I just said yeah whatever and then told him I couldnt' pay obviously because I had lost my job. He said "well I hear your microwave in the background so you obviously have money to pay your utilities and you are on the phone with me so you pay your phone bill!" Oh yeah you are right I should pay you rather than feed my kids or keep them warm. I was kind of snobby with him then hung up, but now I am wondering if that will make them sue faster or say I was rude to them in my bankruptcy?

Geez, I should know better than to stay on the phone with them.

If you feel you have to answer your phone create a script and don't deviate from it. Here is a thread with my script if you want to use one.

http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.php?t=27825

[BigJohn]

If you swear back to them, you make the call personal and if they take your swearing as being hostile, which they will, you might be selected for special treatment. So don't make it personal.

If you are nice to them, they might look at it as if they might be able to lower your guard so as to get some money.

If you tell them to call your lawyer, they probably will but some might try to persuade you to give them a payment or at least agree to make a payment. If you tell them to call your lawyer and then you tell them you have to take another call, you have in effect terminated the conversation.

If you don't answer, it makes them wonder are you there or not. After a while, they might give up.

[anime-chicka]

I have on my outgoing cell phone message that I do not accept calls from unknown name, unknown number calls and to call back with identifying information.

Of course all my creditors are calling my cell as that's my default contact number. One of them left a nasty message that I'd better be answering the damned call or there would be serious trouble. I just noted the time of the call, and from where they were calling from (Juniper), and forwarded the info to my lawyer.

And that's also why I like privacy manager too. I've been tempted to take the numbers already on my caller id list and put them in the blocked number feature I have on my landline. But that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

[jandrl2001]

We stopped paying everything in August and the CC and HSBC Mortgage are calling relentlessly, atleast i think that's who it is. We don't answer any call that's a number we don'tknow or says unknown. Bank of Arkansas however got smart and called from a local area code and i answered it, well only took one time and i learned my lesson nothing gets answered unless i know for sure who it is. They are sending letters in the mail now wondering why they can't get in touch with us.

[Flamingo]

Read this informational thread I posted the other day in the Bankruptcy News forum:

http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.php?t=30143

[pageturner]

I give them my lawyers name, address and phone number. She told us we only need to talk to the creditor once giving them this information. After that when the calls keep coming the lawyer contacts and tells them to cease.

[heyu]

I have been in debt where my bills got ahead of my income since the beginning of this year then things started sliding downhill and it just picked up speed with each passing day, but I have still got to, it has'nt yet, where I get rude and vulgar bills collectors calling me, the people who do call and that have gotten me on the phone have been quite polite and some sympathetic at times as I explain my situation to them, now Chase has an automatic system that calls and leaves a message when you do not answer, its the same message if you do answer only it ask you to wait for someone to get to you, at which time I usually hang up. It gets to people, I know, down on your luck and things not going the way it should to strike out, I have avoided that and I find that people have been very understanding, to those who call its just part of their job and some have the same problems as you or I, now I am not saying that some who call are not nasty but you must remember that we are all humans and that person may have just gotten of the phone with someone who treated them like s..t, so be thoughtful and kind and just wish them a great day.

[beachymama]

I have a DO NOT DISTURB button on my phone at home (Uniden). The phone lights up when it rings instead of ringing, so I can pick up the calls I want and I just ignore the ones I don't want to talk to. Works pretty good for me!

[Bell30656]

I tell them I have a new accountant... Her name is Helen Waite. If they think I owe them money go to Helen Waite for it.

If you don't answer the telephone they can keep dialing your number all day. They can call all the people listed on your application as references. They can call your JOB. Now on the other hand if you answer and basically tell them thank you for the call and informing me that you believe that I have a debt but I'm not inclined to discus this with you now. They'll hate you but can't call back until tomorrow. And more importantly they can't start dialing all those other phone numbers they have.

Giving out too much information can come from questions asked by the debt collector like "Can we debit this against your Bank of America account on Friday?" You can accidentally confirm that Bank of America is your bank or not. Another question that can get you in trouble is, "Will you have enough to pay some on this Friday or do you get paid every other week?" They are good at this stuff.

I went to an arbitration on a debt once where I had to pay half the arbitrator's fee and so did the JDB. When I handed the arbitrator my check for $50 the JDB reached for it and asked if he could see the check. The answer was absolutely not and I quickly informed both the arbitrator and the lawyer that if the arbitrator showed it to him we'd be in the judge's chambers in a few minutes. Now I will pay any arbitrators with a money order. That JDB's lawyer could have determined who my bank was and my account number from that check.

[Mi Bankruptcy]

This was why when I created a collection call script for me and my wife had to tell my wife to make sure she never responds to any question with a Yes or No. The can take a tape and dub..it to make it look like you agreed to a debit.. I thought this was a far fetched method until a lady in my office was having financial problems with one of those companies that attaches themselves to gas cards and wants to bill a monthly fee for something. I told her to call Michigan' attorney general office, they got involved and the person saying "yes" to allow a debit on her card did not even sound like her when the Attny Gen asked them to produce the tape.

So.. the point is don't be conversational be professional. Get a script stick to it and get off the phone.

[whome]

You should try to always be nice to CAs when they call, along with arming yourself with pen and collection cal logs so you can write down what they say to find if they are doing something actionable in violating the FDCPA.

And if you have been rude, so what! While it may not put you in the best light it is also not actionable so don't worry about it.

[getmeoutofhere]

good one

....I tell them..."I am waiting for the new Obama economic stimulus check to come in!"

[BigJohn]

I should tell them "I am waiting to get bailed out." especially if the creditor is citibank.

[magyar123]

I should tell them "I am waiting to get bailed out." especially if the creditor is citibank.

Right on !!!!