Debt collectors can bring so much stress into your life. If you are in debt and you have been delinquent in your debt payments, you can expect that they will start calling you. They will keep on pestering you to pay up what you owe your creditors. Until you make your account current, you can expect that collection agencies will not cease to communicate with you.
While it is easy to hate collectors, there is actually nothing wrong with what they are doing. If it is indeed your debt, then you have the obligation to pay what you owe. You made the decision to put yourself in debt and even though a wide scale economic crisis made things worse, that does not remove the responsibility from your hands. You have to understand that the collection is happening because of your failure to make smarter financial choices in the past.
These collectors may become abusive at times and if you are fed up with their attitude, there are several options to consider to stop collection agencies from calling you.
First of all, paying up will get them to stop. As soon as you make your payments current, they will be satisfied. And if your funds cannot meet their initial demands, you can always negotiate with them. Express your sincere intention to pay back what you owe and at the same time be honest about your financial standing. This will take some time but communicating your concerns and forcing them to believe your current lack of finances is far better than ignoring the problem.
Another option is getting in touch with a debt professional. Credit counseling involves a debt professional who will take over the collector communications for you. They will negotiate on your behalf by using the debt management plan (DMP) that you created at the beginning of the program.
If you can, borrowing money will also stop the collection calls. The idea is to close the account by paying it off completely. You can borrow money from someone that you know and pay them back in installments. Or you can opt for debt consolidation loans. This is another debt relief option that gets you to apply for a loan that is big enough to pay for your other debts.
You also have the option to send the collectors a cease and desist letter. This letter states that you want them to stop calling you about a particular debt. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA states that the collector has no choice but to follow as you requested. If they will communicate with you, that is only to say that they will honor your wishes and they can also tell you that they will now take legal action against you. If you are ready for a lawsuit because you are in a real financial crisis, then go ahead with this option.
Any of these options will help you deal with debt collectors. While it may be frustrating and intimidating to talk to them, being polite will help you case. You are, after all, the one at fault. Be friendly, patient and always be polite even when they are not. You may find them to be more inclined to listen and cooperate with you if you are not hostile towards them.
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