Dealing with Debt Collectors

It happens to the best of us. You buy something you think you can afford, but then you can't. You miss a payment or two and before you know it you are being hounded by debt collectors calling you at all hours of the day and night.   It happens.

The best cure for this is to not get into debt in the first place. For most of us though, it's too late for that. We all make mistakes and eventually have to deal with them. Unfortunately debt collectors are not the easiest people to deal with.  So here are a few helpful hints from someone who's been there before.

Don't believe them.
Debt collectors lie. I don't know why, but they do. I hate to judge an entire profession of people, but you really can't believe anything they say.

Time for a sad story from my past: Once upon a time, my husband and I were in debt. My husband had just gotten out of the hospital when the debt collectors started calling. Unfortunately my husband's name was on most of the accounts, but not my name. So when the collectors started calling, they refused to talk to me at all.  I explained that my husband had just gotten out of the hospital and was in no condition to talk to them, but they didn't seem to care.
One debt was a $100 account from Sears department store. The collector told me that all they needed to do was just talk to my husband for 30 seconds to get his verbal okay for them to talk to me. I believed them, and I handed my husband the phone. They lied. The debt collector launched into an angry tirade berating my husband for not paying his bills and telling him he had better pay up and there would be serious consequences.
It was a measly $100, but you'd think we had robbed Fort Knox!  Don't get me wrong, it was our debt, and we owed it, and we intended to pay it eventually. But it certainly wasn't worth my husband's health. That was the first lie. I realized then, that collectors will say anything to get the person they want on the phone.
Eventually we did get them to agree to talk to me instead of my husband. The collector told me that if we could pay $50 this month and $50 next month, our account would be paid in full and we would be out of the collections process. I believed them. I got some money from family, and I sent a check that month and the following month.  The month after that the phone calls started over again. Angry, harassing phone calls. Now they claimed we owed $200 and we were going to be in big trouble if we didn't pay up right away.  I was confused, and I was scared. How could we owe more? I thought I had just paid this debt off! The collector explained that the $100 only covered late charges and that we still had principle plus intrest acruing. I told them I wanted to pay this debt off as quickly as possible. They said if I sent them $100 this month and $100 next month it would all be paid in full. I believed them. I got more money from family, and I sent them two checks for $100 each. They lied. Two months later the calls started again. Now we owed $600. SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! That's when I realized if it isn't in writing, it isn't right. A debt collector can promise you anything on the phone, and it really doesn't matter.  If it's not in wrighting, you have no proof.

Never send money unless you have specific terms in writing telling where your money is going and what exactly it is paying off. Getting things in writing is crucial to paying off your debt. Which brings me to my next point.


You can make them stop calling you (and it's easy).
You can actually request that they contact you only by mail, and they have to listen.  Seriously.  You must send them a request in writing telling them you only want contact via mail, and they have to do it.  Just be careful not to call them yourself or it negates your request for no phone contact. So sit down today and write them a letter telling them not to call. That's it.

Not only will this cut down on your stress level every time the phone rings, but now you'll have all their promises in writing. They won't be able to tell you one thing and then do another. You'll have written proof of all your interactions. Debt collectors are trained to get you riled up emotionally so you will be more easily manipulated. Do yourself a favor and only deal with them by mail. It's pretty hard to get riled up over a letter.


Good luck, and hang in there.

Marcia