Times that creditors call.

[Quagmire]

Has anyone noticed a pattern that creditors call or is it just me?

I am now almost 90 days past due on about 8 credit cards, and I have noticed that I seem to get calls from them starting from 8:05 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., then I get no more calls until about 10:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., then I get calls from about 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., then all those calls go silent until about 4:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., then the calls go silent again until about 6:00 p.m. until about 6:50 p.m., then I start getting calls again starting from about 7:30 p.m. until about 8:45 p.m.. This happens pretty much every Monday through Friday (about 20 to 28 calls from creditors per day). Then on the weekend, I only get about 12 calls per day (both Saturday and Sunday) from creditors. Thus far, I have not bothered to track the weekend telephone calls, because I am so sick of those creditors calling, but so far I have been able to seemingly track the times during the weekdays that they seem to normally call in that 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. that they can call. I live in the Los Angeles area and I am on Pacific Time.

Has anyone else have similar creditor telephone call times?

Quagmire

[Flamingo]

Creditors can call between certain hours. They call at times when you are most likely to be home. If they cannot get you, they keep calling. They will continue to call until you (1) send them a payment or (2) file BK and give them a case number. Do a search on this forum as to collection calls - there are numerous informative postings that can help you.

[frogger]

The calls do fall into a pattern. The pattern will change every few weeks if they can not get in touch with you.

It's called a "predictive auto-dialer".

[ryan]

I have to say I've found in general a pattern similar to the OP.... after 12 noon calls get very rare until about early evening, when they start hot and heavy again. and go right up until 8:55pm.

[Quagmire]

Thanks Everyone, I appreciate your input and comments.

Quagmire

[lovemybugs10]

Early morning, late afternoon and from 7-9 is when they call a lot here.

[Quagmire]

Since I am coming up to 90 days past due and this is my second full month of being past due, I notice that I seem to be getting many more calls per day during the last week of each month. Since this past Monday, I am getting at least 28 to 35 calls per day, and I noticed the same thing during the last week of last month. I wonder if the credit collectors employees get some sort of bonus by getting some money for past due accounts before the month ends? It is 1:07 p.m. right now here in California (where I am), and I have already received 18 collection calls since 8:16 this morning (several are calls from the same company though).

Quagmire

[lovemybugs10]

They do have quota's to meet and deadlines to meet them. I'm guess it could fall at the end of the month.

A collector friend (a while back) told me the fastest way to get under a collectors skin is to tell them you are going to send a check by a specific date- they will then count that amount in their goals met for the month....and when it doesn't happen.....

I haven't done it, because I want to work with mine- but I've heard it drives them crazy. If I were going to file bk- I would do it. In fact, if I do end up filing, I'm going to call them and offer them the full amount. Then file. Just to drive them bonkers.

[lovemybugs10]

Oh, and I only get 2-3 calls per day. I'm going on 13 months not paying mine.

[wonderingrov]

They do have quota's to meet and deadlines to meet them. I'm guess it could fall at the end of the month.

A collector friend (a while back) told me the fastest way to get under a collectors skin is to tell them you are going to send a check by a specific date- they will then count that amount in their goals met for the month....and when it doesn't happen.....

I haven't done it, because I want to work with mine- but I've heard it drives them crazy. If I were going to file bk- I would do it. In fact, if I do end up filing, I'm going to call them and offer them the full amount. Then file. Just to drive them bonkers.

I actually worked in corporate accounts receivable (collections) for a while. When we were given a commitment to pay by a certain date, we had the option of either forecasting it or just marking it as 'committed.' A lot of the people I worked with would mark it as forecasted, because that counted towards your goals for the month and you didn't get hassled by management about when the customer was going to pay. The risk you ran was that if you didn't get the money by month end, it then was counted against your numbers (it basically didn't give any recourse for the company if they didn't follow through with the commitment to send the check).

I would never do that. I always marked it 'commited.' Then, if they broke the commitment, by contract we could issue a code for broken commitments and place the account in "COD" status - meaning they had to prepay for anything they ordered from the company going forward.

Amazingly, I never had a customer try that tactic with me more than twice.

[lovemybugs10]

"Amazingly, I never had a customer try that tactic with me more than twice."

That is why I would only do it if I were going to file bk that day. (and only to the ones that have been exceedingly rude to me) I can only imagine the retaliation.

[Quagmire]

Thanks Lovemybugs10, and Wonderingrov , I appreciate your input and comments.

Quagmire