If you have significant debt, you more than likely already feel stressed about how you will pay off your debt. Your stress increases though when you get multiple calls from creditors each day. You may be more than tired of these creditor calls and want them to stop.
But how can you get these creditors to stop harassing you? Here are four tips to keep in mind:
- Know your rights. Creditor calls are covered by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Fair Debt Collection Practices acts forbids creditors from threatening you with violence, using obscene language, repeatedly calling you to harass you and threatening to arrest you.
- Keep records. You want to have a record of which collectors repeatedly contact you. If you speak with them, you should make note of the collectors’ name, the number to call them back at and the company they work for. You’ll need this information if you decide to file a complaint against a specific agency.
- Ask for verification of your debt. You should be able to get information on how much you owe and which collection agency you owe that amount to. You have 30 days to dispute the validity of the amount of debt you owe.
- Consider filing bankruptcy. If you don’t think you will ever pay off your debt, you should consider filing bankruptcy. When you file bankruptcy, you receive an automatic stay, which prevents creditors from contacting you. You won’t have to worry about harassing calls from creditors until your bankruptcy is resolved. If you receive a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you likely will have your debts discharged. So creditors will have no reason to call you. If you receive a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you will reorganize these debts and set up a plan to pay them off, again shielding you from future creditor calls if you meet your payment obligations.
Having to answer calls from creditors all the time is mentally and emotionally exhausting. Sometimes, through seeking bankruptcy, you can not only stop these calls, but get a fresh financial start and build toward a better future.