Learn how to make creditors stop harassing you!
You are enjoying a quiet dinner at home with your family. The phone rings. You pause for just a moment. It rings a second time and you go to the phone to check the caller ID. It's a long distance number you don't recognize and you know it's another one of those annoying creditors.
It can be so embarrassing and nerve wracking to have creditors harassing you. They call you all the time, even at work. Don't you have some rights? Isn't there something, anything you can do?
There are actually several things you can do to stop creditors from harassing you. You should act quickly - first time you receive a harassing phone call from a creditor, send the creditor a letter by certified mail to make sure they receive it. This is known as a "Do Not Call" letter. In it, you will ask that they no longer harass you with phone calls and tell them how to properly contact you
The best way to make creditors stop harassing you is to prevent the situation from coming to that in the first place. As soon as you know you will be unable to pay a bill on time, call the company to whom you owe the debt and try to work out a payment plan. This shows good faith on your part and makes it less likely that they will harass you.
Keep a record of each and every time a creditor tries to reach you by phone. Log the date and time, the debt they are calling about, the caller's name and the creditor they are calling on behalf of. If it is not against the law (and this varies by state), record the call; or at least tell the caller that the call is being recorded. This may make them think twice about calling you again
Federal statutes are in place to protect people in your situation too. Creditors are not permitted to call you before 8 in the morning or after 9 in the evening, and may call you only one time after sending them as "Do Not Call" letter - and this is a call to tell you they will stop calling. Creditors may not under any circumstances call you at work, ever. If this ever happens, tell them so.
Additionally, creditors may not threaten your children, threaten action which they cannot by law take, or talk to anyone but you or an involved party such as a spouse or your lawyer about your debt. Creditors can't put you in jail - and without a court order, cannot seize assets or garnish your wages.
By law, there are three things a creditor can do. They can sue you to recoup what you owe, they can refuse to do business with you any longer and they can report your debt to a credit bureau. It is exceedingly unlikely that they will sue you, as this will generally cost more than what you owe. The one case in which they may seize assets is in the case that you have something as collateral on a loan.
You don't have to be a victim of creditor harassment. You, as a citizen and as a human being, have rights. If you feel that you are being unjustly harassed or verbally bullied by a creditor, there are actions you can take to stop the embarrassment, mental stress and scare tactics of creditor harassment. You deserve respect as a human being and shouldn't be treated like a criminal just because you are a little behind in a bill that you fully intend to pay.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
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