The calls just started and I LOOOVE Google Voice!

[ready2file]

I hear what ya'll are saying, but when I have each creditor calling 10-15 times in one day....I don't have the time to take the calls. I've got a job which doesn't allow me to have my cell phone in my office and a toddler who seems to want all of mommy's attention in the evening. The best I could do was that - for some sanity until I file my chap 7.

[JEM]

I hear what ya'll are saying, but when I have each creditor calling 10-15 times in one day....I don't have the time to take the calls. I've got a job which doesn't allow me to have my cell phone in my office and a toddler who seems to want all of mommy's attention in the evening. The best I could do was that - for some sanity until I file my chap 7.

Same here, the phone rings allllllll day and evening. It would be a FT job answering the phone.

One thing the attorney I had the consult with yesterday told was that if I chose to answer *some* of the calls--keep it VERY brief and just saying "Yes, I'm aware of the situation--we;re working on it" That's it.

[landofpoor]

its been over 16 months since i quit paying on credit cards one roughly is 25k other one is 21k and have only spoken to first collectections by mistake once when it went outof the oc hands.i am on my 4th different collections now .bout every 3 months it changes to new aholes all they ever get is a phone recording verifying who they have reached.if they have contacted anyone trying to talk to me i dont know about it.they can all go pound sand

[flyinbroke]

Catleg, this is why I take the calls once or twice a month. This tells them they have me, and have no need to "locate" me. I don't answer 99.9 percent of the calls; I actually have answered several where once I IDed myself as me I was asked to hold and hung up on. Not sure if answers actually register on them though. Answering 17 calls a day is a FT job and I have to tell them that my situation has not changed in the 44 hours since I spoke to them last.

And yeah, I got that "we must document this as refusal to pay...even though you are not really refusing" and I replied that he had to do what he had to do as it was his job. I also mentioned that I have to do what I have to do and IF my situation changes I will let them know.

[ApresMoi]

Well, I HOPE they call a relative or two who had the prissy nerve to pass judgment on my long-term unemployment. And I hope they keep calling them. Because these wet noodles will get flustered, and/or feel embarrassed that my pending bankruptcy is now common knowledge among family and (more importantly) their inlaws. That's why.

So the debt collector's tactic only works if you have fear, or actually care what others think.

Personally? I'm AWFULLY close to jumping the shark on 'what others think'.

I can't say for certain, but in my opinion the willingness to throw a "block party" (call your neighbors) or an "office party" (call your office/boss) is strictly related to the meanness of the collector, or a policy by the creditor that they really must bring you to the phone every so often for a little chat.

I suspect that if they get voice mail long enough they will eventually try to "locate" you like this, which stretches the meaning of "locate" to mean "force to have a conversation with us."

I realize this is splitting hairs but it may affect those of you using voice mail diversion strategies to avoid this nasty behavior.

[coolmom04]

So the debt collector's tactic only works if you have fear, or actually care what others think.

You know.. you have an EXCELLENT point! The only person I've been worried about finding out is my MIL and we're dropping the bomb on her tonight!

[flyinbroke]

Collectors prey on fear and ignorance. They hope that people will roll over without a fight; many will suggest you blow off rent/mortgage or insurance to pay them. They will harp on ruining your credit score (even if they pretty much did that with ratejacking and CLDs that max you out.) And a majority will fall for the BS and pay, to their own detriment.

If you don't give a crap about what someone on the other end thinks of your "refusal to pay", if you refuse to be a slave to the credit score, if you fight back....they may sue but they may also go for more profitable low hanging fruit who will roll over and give the diaper money to them.

[catleg]

So the debt collector's tactic only works if you have fear, or actually care what others think.

Believe me that I'm on the same page here, even my wife realized that if I called them in response to the block party, then "the terrorists win".

It's tougher with a spouse to worry about, I don't know what I'd do with kids asking about it. Luckily my dogs just lay there and wait for their bellies to be scratched.

[GoingDown]

its been over 16 months since i quit paying on credit cards one roughly is 25k other one is 21k and have only spoken to first collectections by mistake once when it went outof the oc hands.i am on my 4th different collections now .bout every 3 months it changes to new aholes all they ever get is a phone recording verifying who they have reached.if they have contacted anyone trying to talk to me i dont know about it.they can all go pound sand

This is exactly how to handle it if you are worried about them contacting relatives etc. trying to find you.

Have a voicemail or answering machine slowly and clearly say your name and direct callers to leave a message for you. Remember it takes a while for the automated dialers that call your number to pass your call to a live operator and if you talk too quickly on your message, the live debt collector will never hear your name on the recording.

To deal with this problem, I would often make some noise at the beginning of the message such as the sound of rustling papers or air blowing up against the microphone, which seems to fool the computer into thinking they have a live person on the other end of the phone, and it gives the computer time to pass the call over to a live operator, and then I would slowly say my name and repeat the phone number and then tell the caller to leave a message.

BUT NEVER TALK TO THEM ON THE TELEPHONE. ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD WILL EVER COME FROM IT! LET THE ANSWERING MACHINE OR VOICE MAIL DO YOUR TALKING FOR YOU.

Fortunately, I no longer get any phone calls from debt collectors. It has been over 5 years since I stopped paying on my debts and they have given up on me.

[GoingDown]

[QUOTE=flyinbroke;369911]Collectors prey on fear and ignorance. They hope that people will roll over without a fight; many will suggest you blow off rent/mortgage or insurance to pay them. They will harp on ruining your credit score (even if they pretty much did that with ratejacking and CLDs that max you out.) And a majority will fall for the BS and pay, to their own detriment.

If you don't give a crap about what someone on the other end thinks of your "refusal to pay", if you refuse to be a slave to the credit score, if you fight back....they may sue but they may also go for more profitable low hanging fruit who will roll over and give the diaper money to them.[/QUOTE]


Exactly! Debt collectors have bills to pay and they don't want to waste their time going after someone who makes it hard for them to get the money. They go after the people who are easy to scare and shake loose money from them.

Just remember this... if a debt collector never gets to speak to you on the phone, then he or she doesn't make any money from you.

They can't afford to sue everyone. If every debtor in the world would wise up and stop talking to debt collectors on the phone, the debt collection industry would go out of business.

[GoingDown]

I can't say for certain, but in my opinion the willingness to throw a "block party" (call your neighbors) or an "office party" (call your office/boss) is strictly related to the meanness of the collector, or a policy by the creditor that they really must bring you to the phone every so often for a little chat.

I suspect that if they get voice mail long enough they will eventually try to "locate" you like this, which stretches the meaning of "locate" to mean "force to have a conversation with us."

I realize this is splitting hairs but it may affect those of you using voice mail diversion strategies to avoid this nasty behavior.

For those that call you at work or call your neighbors or relatives, I would certainly follow up with a Cease and Desist Communications Letter in the mail to them. If they that cross that line, then it is time to at least try that. It doesn't work on all original creditors but I have found that it does work on the majority of them. The majority of them seem to voluntarily follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, eventhough they are not required to do so. But it must be in writing and in this case, it should be sent by certified mail. Send it to the address listed on the collection letter you get from this creditor so that it gets to the right location, not the payment address.

[nickifan]

BoA called and I took it...not even 60 days out and already collections is calling. I told them I can't afford it and when they asked why I said "insurance went up, rent went up, gas went up, food went up, utilities went up...salary went down." I will owe the IRS too. She put me on hold and I got a manager. He babbled on about "valued customer" and I fired back that I am so valued I was ratejacked AND CLDed to the tune of 9K, maxing me out. I apologized and said there was no money anymore. He said he had to document a "refusal to pay". Yeah, I know. I figure I bought a week or two of radio silence though, and in fairness they were pretty nice. They have a job to do, but I have needs that need cash.

.

Hi flyinbroke. Sorry things are getting tough for you so quickly...I have two BoA cards and have only spoken with one person representing one card, and he was very nice, but I know that won't last. I'm still within Month One of starting not to pay cards...and I'm still making payments to the ones I'm still using. I will likely not have the "luxury" of NOT using any CC's before filing.

But...what exactly is the importance of their marking down "refusal to pay" vs. "debtor says she "can't" pay right now?? Does refusal to pay send the account to the dreaded third-party collectors?

[ApresMoi]

I absolutely LOVE Google Voice! I've had BOA call me from two different numbers 3x a day yesterday and today. I set it up so that they automatically get sent to a VM that states, "You've reached XXX & XXX of (our address) and yes, we are aware that we are late on our payments. Thank you for your reminder call."

So... is that okay? I remember reading that as long as they know they've got the right contact information, they tend to not call quite as frequently... or is this totally incorrect? Do I actually need to answer every once in a while? Is it okay to say I intend to send payment in a couple of weeks even though I obviously do not intend to??

BTW - I have three invites left for google voice, so if anyone is interested, PM me!

I agree...it's the greatest. I changed my voicemail today (on the advice of someone in this forum) so they know they are reaching me. I am not returning ANY of these calls (hope to file next month, or at least be ready to file if I am served with a summons).

[GoingDown]

Hi flyinbroke. Sorry things are getting tough for you so quickly...I have two BoA cards and have only spoken with one person representing one card, and he was very nice, but I know that won't last. I'm still within Month One of starting not to pay cards...and I'm still making payments to the ones I'm still using. I will likely not have the "luxury" of NOT using any CC's before filing.

But...what exactly is the importance of their marking down "refusal to pay" vs. "debtor says she "can't" pay right now?? Does refusal to pay send the account to the dreaded third-party collectors?

"Refusal to Pay" is a phrase that all debt collectors are taught to say. It is psychological warfare against the debtor. It is meant to draw the debtor into a conversation where they eventually end up agreeing to pay some or all of the debt or to make payments.

They will not accept the fact that you can't pay. One time they told me if I can afford to pay for the phone I was talking to them on, then I could afford to make a payment to them.

The less you talk to a debt collector, the better off you will be.

[flyinbroke]

I was going to say it is a psychological phrase to goad you into paying. GoingDown beat me to it. They have key phrases while they are in the good cop phase, then they browbeat you in the bad cop phase.

I do not consider the convo all that tough; I can only do what I can do. Unfortunately for them, I like the idea of having cash. I also found out I will owe the IRS nearly 2K and they WILL go after your paycheck successfully. I have to take care of immediate issues first.

And I will have to change my voicemail. That way they can leave a message though most of the time they won't bother.