Should I call the creditors back?

[megiepoo]

So I am saving up my $ to file & stopped paying my credit card bills. Now they call me like crazy around 6-10 per day. (thank god I only have 2) However I have not been answering my phone because I am scared. Would it be better to answer the phone & give them my lawyers #, or not even bother?

[keepmine]

If your lawyer has given you permission to have creditors contact their office then, do so.

[cyn5]

I have also been scared to answer the phone. We are not filing for another month or so and we now have an attorney. I was getting sick of Dell calling every hour and answered today. The guy was really nice on the phone (and not from India!). I just told him we are filing, and he asked if I paid a retainer to a lawyer yet and I said yes, then he asked for the name and # of my lawyer, I was very hesitant to give it and said I did not want to give it if they are going to call and harras my lawyer's office. He said they just note the account and it stops the collection calls and in about 6 weeks or so if they haven't received a case # yet, they will eventually call the lawyers office.

Dell is the only one I have said anything to. Don't want to tell Chase yet since I also have a checking account with them (I am waiting until everything is transferred to my new account). I think that probably the original creditors are easier to deal with. Collection agencies might be anothe story.

[epiphany]

Dell is the only one I have said anything to. Don't want to tell Chase yet since I also have a checking account with them (I am waiting until everything is transferred to my new account). I think that probably the original creditors are easier to deal with. Collection agencies might be anothe story.

I actually found this to be the other way around. The collection agencies are able to return the debt to the original creditor in many cases, and once they hear BK (assuming they believe you) most don't hesitate to do so. Of course, the OC will not hesitate to once again farm it out to another party and the nasty cycle will begin again.

An OC who still owns the original debt (and believes you are a blood filled turnip) is far more tenacious than a junk debt buyer in my experience.


ep

[ease]

Our attorney is giving us a number to give to the creditors once we pay his retainer fee. We'll be able to do this early next week, thank God.
We need to wait a month or so to file, but he'll handle the calls.

[OhioFiler]

Our attorney is giving us a number to give to the creditors once we pay his retainer fee. We'll be able to do this early next week, thank God.
We need to wait a month or so to file, but he'll handle the calls.

I'm having fun with the collectors on the phone at this time. I give responses that are not on their cheat sheet so they're not sure what to say back to me.

One was indignant when I told her the little annoying beep indicating the call was being recorded was causing my blood pressure to rise. and to please make it stop.

The only direct answers I provide are my name, address and telephone number. Everything else gets either an "I don't understand what you're asking me" or an answer that is completely unrelated to the question asked.

Usually by the end of the conversation they're frustrated, I'm laughing inside and i leave knowing it was I not them who controlled that phone call.

[kenshirley]

Creditors can call you until you file, period. It's their right.
I have caller ID as most do. Learn the numbers they use and don't answer.
My attorney told me to have them call them, some did and stopped calling as they know know via his office that we are filing this next week.
If you do talk to them they will deal with you trying to get money anyway they can.
They don't want any excuses in most cases and really don't care but it's their job so what would you expect??

[dingdong]

There is an easy way to tell if a creditor is calling if you don't recognize the phone #.

Google the #.

There are many sites that allow visitors to post the # and then the posters list who it was that was calling.

Even if it is a funky #, that isn't typically used, like a cell #, the millions of people being harassed by creditors are posting #'s and reporting who had called.

[kenshirley]

Many of the numbers will not Google at least for ID porposes.
Many that call me show they have been reported but nothing about them.

[frustrated7]

If I don't know the number, I don't answer the phone. When the calls became unbearable, I turned the ringer on my cell phone off and did the same for my husband's cell phone. We don't have a landline. We check our messages a few times a day and delete any from creditors. I used to answer the calls sometimes, but those I spoke with were usually absolutely awful and would lie and make all sorts of illegal comments and then they would call right back. To give an example of what I have dealt with, one bank that we had been with for about five years and always paid on time, we were three weeks late making our payment. They had started calling at two weeks late, but I first answered at three weeks. We were waiting for payday, which was one week away. I explained the situation to the woman on the phone, who demanded I send them a post-dated check. I refused to do that and said I would make an online payment on the day we were paid, but I was not going to give her a post dated check or authorize her to take money we didn't have out of our account that day. She argued and argued with me and then finally told me that she would not stop calling until I gave her the money. I told her she was wasting her time and that I would pay in one week on payday. She said fine, hung up, and then called back five minutes later and asked me if I was willing to give her a post dated check then. She said she was going to call every five minutes until I did what she wanted. I hung up on her and turned my phone off. That was three weeks late on one card, after paying on time for over five years. Within a couple of months, it was obvious we couldn't keep on the way we were doing, with killing ourselves to make minimum payments and not going anywhere and that was when we realized we had to do something. It was much later before we began considering BK, but in hindsight I wish we would have done so well before this point.

[kornellred]

Once creditors are certain you are going to file for BK, the calls will stop. There is no longer a point to calling. They will contact your attorney only to verify information.

[lclounge]

I answer the phone

I've started picking 1 day a week that I will answer the phone. Most of our creditors (except 1 of the collection agencies) have been very nice. I'm honest about our situation and always let them know that we're working on retaining a lawyer to discuss our options. They ask for the number and I tell them I can't give it out yet. They ask when, and I say "as soon as we can get an appointment". It takes 5 minutes and they put the calls off for a week.

I find answering the phone is worth it - and 9 times out of 10 the person is very sympathetic. Some have even told me they've been where we are and that it will get better. They're making $10/hr, so I believe it!

It is so worth spending a few minutes to let them know you're not ignoring them! Our phone usually starts ringing on Sunday mornings, and by Monday afternoon I've got a call-free week!

[lalap123]

I have to say that I agree w/ you (lclounge)...everyone I've talked (save 1 person from Discover) has been extremely nice, and I'm over 60 days late on almost all cards. A couple have already extended some offers to cut the balance and reduce the interest rate. I have days when I don't mind answering the phone, then I'll take a few days off b/c I'm tired of telling 7 creditors the same thing over and over. When I talk to them it does usually buy me a little grace time. It's interesting to hear how much their treatment of people and call patterns can differ...I wonder if it's just luck in who you talk to or if they have notes like "be nice to this person b/c she'll be more likely to pay us something if you don't yell at her" LOL

[limage]

If you have a verizon cell phone number, you can pay 4.99 a month to block up to 20 numbers. I haven't paid cc and mortgage for about 90 days now. I probably get 1 phone call a week that squeakes through.

I have found the creditors (when I do answer) have been surprisingly pleasant. I tell them I am filing. They ask for my attorney number and I tell them I will provide it once I have paid for my full retainer. They have all wished me luck and said I am not alone.

I think telling them you are filing (even without attorney info) will slow down calls.

[frustrated7]

I'm glad that others have better luck with creditors than I do. Back when I would talk to creditors, some would call back literally five minutes later. All of them called back the next day. The one who had my husband's phone number called and spoke to him three times in 15 minutes, because even though he answered the phone and told them we had an attorney, gave the attorney contact info, and said not to call us again, they told him they did not believe they were speaking to the real debtor and then called back five minutes later. This went on several times in the course of only 15 minutes, each time my husband identifying himself and telling them the same thing, and each time they saying they didn't think he was who he said he was and they were going to call back. We ended up turning the cell phone off because I was about to lose what remained of my sanity by that point.

We have always been nice on the phone to our creditors. Some of them have been fine towards us. Bank of America was always very respectful and "helpful" towards us when we would talk to them. Sears was always fine and so was Home Depot. But throw in US Bank, Circuit City, Beneficial, and suddenly it's awful.

I will be so glad once we file and can say forever goodbye to those calls!