How does one stop those annoying calls from credit card collectors when you are in debt?

Question

They are very annoying. how do you stop them other then paying them?

Answer 1

You do have rights when it comes to bill collectors. You can write them a letter stating that you only want written communications with them. There are many of these letters out there on the web. They are usually form letters where you just have to fill in your information applicable to your situation, or copy the letter and fill it in. The government also has this type of letter on their website. They cannot call at certain times of the day I believe it is before 8am and after 9pm at night. Also they cannot harass you, but harass has a broad meaning, so you probably should check out some of the sites.

Answer 2

If it has been less than thirty days since the original contact you can request verification of the debt. This has to be done in writing and must be sent to whoever is contacting you about the debt. Once you have filed a timely dispute, all collection activities must cease until the verification of debt is provided. This does not mean that they must send you every statement or bill. This simply means that they must send you some verification that they are attempting to collect a debt in good faith and that the balance is in good faith correct.

If it is past the thirty days from initial contact, you can still send a cease and desist letter. You can limit this letter to simply no phone calls.

I would suggest sending either of these letter via certified mail.

But as you mentioned above, the best way to get them to stop is to take some personal responsibility and simply pay your bill. If you cannot make a reasonable lump sum offer, then work out a monthly payment plan. They would probably accept something that has the balance paid in full within two years.

Answer 3

From the FTC's Web site: "You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter to the collector telling them to stop. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again except to say there will be no further contact or to notify you that the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action. Please note, however, that sending such a letter to a collector does not make the debt go away if you actually owe it. You could still be sued by the debt collector or your original creditor."

The offshore drones who are calling you are completely powerless to stop the calls, although they may act like they have some say in the matter. If you tell them to make the calls stop, they will say something like "Yes i am terribly terribly sorry to have bothered you upon this time and you will be on our no-call list in 48 to 72 hours upon this time." (They really do say "upon this time.") The calls will continue in perpetuity.

However, the collectors are required by law to give you the name, address and phone number of the party responsible for the debt collection if you ask. You can write to that address and call that phone number. Usually, a call will do the trick (they will have you fill out a form over the phone), but a certified mail should absolutely do the trick if sent to the right address. If sent incorrectly, it will languish in some bank's corporate bureaucracy and nothing will happen.

Answer 4

mystry72 is right when she says to send them a letter saying that they can only communicate in writing.
That is a limited cease & desist.

Never send a full C&D unless you are past the collecting SOL and you include in the letter the statutes to prove it.
Sending a full C&D will tie the collectors hands as far as trying to collect. If you are still within the collecting SOL, you would be giving them no option but to sell the account or to legally file suit.

A limited C&D is something like the following:

I am requesting, in writing, that no telephone contact be made by your offices to my home or place of business as it is inconvenient to me.
All future communications with me must be done in writing and sent by USPS to the address noted in this letter.


If you are wanting to request validation from them, include the request with the limited C&D

Answer 5

write a letter to them to stop calling you.