Is it ever wise to say anything over the phone.

[merime]

They are calling my inlaws for petes sake!! I have not declined a phone call. Do they think intimidation works? Personally I have come to the conclusion that i would rather have them sue me than keep calling. I won't open my mouth to a creditor except to say I can't help you, because if I did i would probably say JUST GET A JUDGEMENT AND LEAVE ME ALONE.

[AngelinaCat]

You have got to send them a Cease & Desist letter. In that letter, remind them of the 'Fair Debt Collection Act', and that you are putting them on notice that they are ONLY ALLOWED to contact you by 'snail mail'. They are NOT to call you, nor your family, nor your place of work. Send this letter certified, with Return Receipt. Someone has to sign that green card and send it back to you. Put that with a copy of your letter to them in your file.

And no, it is NEVER a good idea to talk to a CA on the phone. Those conversations are recorded, and if you at any point, say 'yes' or give any other affirmative-type answer, the CA can and WILL doctor that tape to make it sound like you are acknowledging that debt. This scheme also traps people into acknowledging a debt that is not even theirs.

Take care.

[NewPage]

Last year before filing bk, my phone rang constantly. It was so bad that I swear the continuous phone messages broke my answering machine! I also became very used to screening all calls with my caller id. Then right after filing it was kind of fun to answer the phone, give out my case number, attorney's name and number, to those few that filtered through, or thought they were specially privileged. :-)

I believe it's best most of the time not to talk to them.

Exactly this! I have answered the phone to 3 creditors now, since filing last Tuesday. I give 'em the info, they are actually very nice so far, and that's that. They have also fallen all over themselves telling me that I won't be getting any more calls, but PLEASE give them at least 24 hours to get it set in the system that way LOL.

[sunshinepa]

Out of 6 cards, I answered one call. The guy was from Wells Fargo and could barely speak english.....LOL. He asked for money, told me what I owed, got nasty and told me to sell my couch. I told him to come on over and get it ......he could sell it. Never answered another call. I did get Google Voice but never actually used it except to call my sister in TX free. Just let me machine pick up all the calls unless I heard a voice I wanted to speak to.

I personally think it was less stressful just to ignore them and would not waste a stamp to send a letter as they would eventually sue me anyway!!!

[dman]

To the question...is it EVER wise to say anything...yes. It can be wise to acknowledge who you are, and to tell them that all further communication should be via mail. If they know they have good contact info for you, they aren't supposed to try to call around trying to locate you (yeah, I know, they do anyways...a supposed "legal" method of harassment).

I'd get a Google Voice number just for collectors. Give them this new number. Have the voicemail message say something like "You've reached John Doe at 555 Main St, Anytown, PA. You scumbag collectors may leave a message." or something to that affect

[IamOld]

LOVE IT!!! Especially your detailed message!!!

:-)

To the question...is it EVER wise to say anything...yes. It can be wise to acknowledge who you are, and to tell them that all further communication should be via mail. If they know they have good contact info for you, they aren't supposed to try to call around trying to locate you (yeah, I know, they do anyways...a supposed "legal" method of harassment).

I'd get a Google Voice number just for collectors. Give them this new number. Have the voicemail message say something like "You've reached John Doe at 555 Main St, Anytown, PA. You scumbag collectors may leave a message." or something to that affect

[karm43]

what did you do each time you got sued? Do you own a house, they keep going after mine , they call every 25 minutes. Its bad!!!!!

[lillymarlene]

what did you do each time you got sued? Do you own a house, they keep going after mine , they call every 25 minutes. Its bad!!!!!

I had 2 lawsuits pending last summer 2010, both credit card companies. One also had sent a letter that they were planning to put a lien on my property. I ended up attending a "pre-trial" for one in small claims court. This showed me how creditor friendly my state has become. Debtors don't have a chance at those things!

The only good to come out of it, was it motivated me to hurry up and pick out an attorney and few months later file bk.

[sunshinepa]

what did you do each time you got sued? Do you own a house, they keep going after mine , they call every 25 minutes. Its bad!!!!!

I own my home, got sued..........filed a CH7 six days before they got their judgement. They lose!

[catleg]

My favorite were the calls offering me a "free check by phone".
Usually they were Indians.
When I would ask how much of a check I would be getting, it blew out their English comprehension skills.