Lawyers will tell you to call the Attorney General. Consumer Advocates will have you call the Federal Trade Commission. Your friends will tell you to change your phone number. Logic and common decency would suggest that you just call them back and tell the truth. If the collector is abusive and threatening then, yes, you need to call those agencies. Some links on exactly how to do that are provided at the end of this article. But, first, you should try returning the call to the collection agent or collection attorney.
Collection horror stories are reported daily in the news. One recounts a sadistic collection agent who would gleefully put a pin in a map whenever someone he was pursuing actually committed suicide. Those kinds of urban legends drive ordinarily reasonable and rational good people to extreme evasive actions when they fall behind on their bills.
Understanding the Collection Process
Collectors view the collection process in several important steps. The first step is to contact the person who owes the money. If the collection agency can't find you then they can't collect the money. You may be thinking, right, that's the good news. Unfortunately, the collection agency usually has 90 to 180 days to find you. If they have your number and ring it three times a day, that's a lot of ringing in the course of six months. If you were at the agency making calls that were either unreturned or blocked, your frustration would soon turn to anger, too. If you hang up or try to evade the collector, they will be compelled to call in the lawyers. That is what court is for; to make you do the things you should have done in the first place. Why not just go with the flow?
Give the collection agency the facts they want with polite and respectful conversation. Think about how many rude and evasive people bark at bill collectors all day long. Wouldn't it be nice for them to finally talk to someone reasonable? You bet it would.
Again, there are some really bad people in the collection business who do their share of nasty barking. Hope for the best and make that call back.
A Simple Script for Handling Bill Collectors
Take a deep breath, exhale, and say, "Hello. This is (insert your name). You have been calling me about my (name of account). I am sorry I haven't called you sooner, but to tell the truth, I don't know what to tell you. I am having a really hard time now. I want to do what I can, I just can't do much right now because (the reason). If you need to contact me, please feel free, but I would prefer to call you back next on (insert date) after I have had some time to talk to all of my creditors and make a plan. "
That will usually turn a harsh demand into a businesslike discussion. If they continue to be rough with you say, "I know my rights under the FDCPA. I want to talk to you, but without all the threats." If that doesn't work, here are some links for services that will force the collector to follow the rules.
If the Nice Way Doesn't Work
The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) protects consumers from harassing collection calls. This is the complaint form.
The secret to stopping the collection calls? Do not hide - respond.
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