citibank already calling

[havetodecide]

I had to stop paying my cards and it's been only 2 weeks and citibank is already calling me everyday, couple times a day, started yesterday. Is this normal? Just wondering...

Thanks

[juststupid]

I don't know how normal it is for them to start calling so soon. But it's such a pain. We get so many calls during the day. I just turn the ringer off.

[treehugger1]

It might depend upon how long you have had the account. I had mine for 14 years and stopped paying. They finally contacted me after 60 days showing "concern." I told them there was no way I could afford the $238/month payment. I asked what they could do in the meantimte, and they offerd a no interest payment plan for $100/month for a year. I accepted and have been relatively concsistnet getting them their $100. They will take a look at this in a year and we can discuss "further options." I sat down one night and determined that I had paid them 180% of the principle in interest charges the past five years, so maybe that led to cutting me some slack. I also told them that I might be forced into a 13. I think they calculated my total monthly payments (easily obtained on a credit report), looked at my monthly income and thought they would do better with $100/month than run the risk of getting close to nothing in a 13. But, who knows what their manual says when dealing with all their accounts. I do know I had to wait at least 60 days before they would even consider a temporary negotiated plan.

[SamanthaJones]

If they called you really after only two weeks-

then that may an indication of things to come. Maybe the escalating lates, bankruptcies, foreclsoures, and etc. are starting to concern these creditors.

[CPO]

Yes. Citibank was calling me after two weeks and they have called me as much as 26 times a day, seven days a week if I don't answer them.

Of course, this includes two CC's I have that are Citiclown originators (British Petroleum and Home Depot).

They will call you everyday, multiple times a day and if you speak to them they will freely admit to trying to harass you into payment.

Since they are original creditors, they are not legally bound by the FDCA and could care less about your requests to stop calling. I have sent them both "cease and desist" letters, and they ignored them. They are, however, bound by state law, but dare you to sue them.

I record the calls I answer that are Citicard because I'm building a case under state law (Texas) for my collections attorney.

If you don't want to be harassed by them, I suggest an answering machine with a on/off ringer. Delete the calls. Return calls as you wish.

P.S. I've had calls from Citiclown that I have answered early in the day, spoken to the moron on the other end to gather information and record them, and then not received another call for many hours and possibly the next day for that account. It seems that perhaps answering the calls "resets" their automatic dialer to remove you from the daily call list...at least for some of Citiclown's many collection call centers.

Good Luck,

CPO.

[CPO]

P.S This IS normal. Set into your mind that your creditors WILL harass you to no end.

But, understand that they will, in almost all cases, only use the phone to do so.

Don't obsess over phone calls. Take charge, don't be the victim.

Use whatever method you can come up with to get yourself off that phone. Disable the ringer, get an answering machine with an on/off ringer that you can turn off.

Set your message to include your first and last name. This may discourage calls to work, family, friends etc. (They figure they have "found" you).

Don't answer the phone. Enjoy the peace and quiet. These people use automatic dialers...the creeps on the other end really don't care if you answer or not. Their computer just moves to another number if you don't answer.

Or, leaves some pathetic message. Erase it.

Make the decision that it's your money, your phone and your life. You take orders from nobody, and you are in control.

If you have no money to pay, then it serves NO PURPOSE to allow yourself to be harassed anyway.

You are already under economic stress, don't make the problem worse by "negotiating" with idiots. THEY DON"T CARE ABOUT YOU. ALL THEY WANT IS MONEY.

Don't kid yourself.

Organize your collection letters in a nice folder system, screen your calls, pay your living expenses with relish and satisfaction, and let the money monsters talk to an answering machine until you can get on your feet and get help.

Whether you answer the phone or not really does not change the process and/or time frame involved....only if you pay them does anything change. If your broke, why set yourself up to be harassed?

I wish you the best.........

CPO

Oh....and visit this site daily, a few times a day if available, and educate yourself on all your options and read of others experiences...

http://www.bankruptcyforum.com/showthread.php?t=12887

[havetodecide]

I have this account with Citibank for 12 years and was never late, maybe that's why so soon the calls started? I just got the money to pay my rent today, thank God i am living at my friend's house, so there's no point to answer the call to say i have no money right now

Today they have called 6 times so far. The thing is i only have a cell phone, that's where they are calling and i sent my resume to a number of companies and everytime the phone rings i think it is from one of the companies but it is always citibank!, frustrating

Although i said in another thread that i will be filing for BK i still have hopes to get a good job and start paying the cards, i don't know, let's see how it goes with my job hunt

Thanks everyone for the support

[ciacbw]

bofa and chase are the worst.

[havetodecide]

bofa and chase are the worst.

hmmm, i also have accounts with them

[wayne-o]

I know the calls are annoying, but actually citicard was easier to deal with than most of my other creditors. While I was still trying to salvage myself and not file, they were willing to go no interest plans. The more I communicated with them, the less they called. In my case it was AMEX that pushed me over the edge, by deciding one day to decrease my spending limit even though I had NEVER been late.

[jal1129]

I had a couple of cards who stared calling the next day after I missed a payment.

[SamanthaJones]

Why would anyone not simply change their phone number?

THAT'S the way we do it Manhattan~

[SinkingFast]

Doesn't matter if you change your number. The Creditors still manage to get it. May slow 'em down a bit, but they'll still call.

We moved. I did not update our phone info with our Creditors. Changed the address but left the phone number the same. Got an UNLISTED phone number in the new place and they still called.

Save your money. Don't bother.

They don't call it Skip Tracing for nothing.

[demismom]

You know, I've not experienced this except with one creditor, HFC. All the others stopped calling once they had my attorney's name and phone number. Occasionally one will call to see if I have a case # yet, but other than that, nothing.

[havetodecide]

I was going to change my number but then i already got all my resume out there with the number i have now so that would not be good, but if it wasn't for that, i would change the number