Dealing with Debt Collectors

[Insane]

The same thing happened to me when I first moved into my new place. To make things worse, then police were also showing up at my house looking for the previous occupant.

I had rented my very first place. I knew that the previous people were evicted. Well, I had been there maybe 2 weeks and cops come banging on my door demanding I open up. I nearly peed my pants! I was a young thing on my own for the first time and here were a bunch of cops demanding I open the door.

Fortunately I never got calls for them. But I did get collection notices in the mail. I just returned to sender.

[amestp]

Do not pay the collection agency, but the company you owe directly. I had a $25 charge that I never saw before closing an account and then move a few times. Finaly a few years later I get this agnegy harrassing me and asking me something like over $200 and we finaly settle for a bit less.

Then I went to get a mortage and I had to pay again Mastercard ebcause they had never receive any money so they had never remove that mark from my credit score... Anyway I paid $50 again with them. I should have dealt directly with them, I would have save myself a lot of trouble and money

[l4d]

somewhat related to debt collectors this phone number calls everyday since a week ago with an automated message saying it's for somebody that i don't even know and they call non stop

googled the phone number and seems like it some sort of debt collector
http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/9054138624

how to stop this?

[KristenB]

Well I'll tell you.. I had quite the run in with a collection agency ... which I have dealt with before... they were very rude and harassing...
long story short I learned a few things right from the gov of Canada;
you can always phone them and make a complaint, they thouroughly investigate every complaint... by law they are only allowed to phone 3 times a week. And they have to be nice... Long story even shorter after making a complaint about this collection agency ..the gov has asked me to go to court against this company for their actions... yay me that will teach them
And on another note I was also informed that NO they can't take you to court , only the original company that you have the debt with can. They aren't a legal entity. They are not able to take you to court. They are only hired to try and collect it. Don't let them push you around ... you can pay them how much you want when you want.

[FallenPixels]

They are also not allowed to call you again if you tell them it is not your debt, unless they can prove that it is. Good information for people who get calls for people with a similar name or who used to have your phone number... I know it's their job and all but they drive me crazy with their desperate attempts to track people down. I had to talk to a dozen people before I convinced one company to take me off their call list.

That doesn't stop them though - we have one that we have showed them does not show on our credit reports etc for a vehicle that we have no ownership details for (we got a letter from the MTO to show that) but its someone with the same name as my BF. They will call here and type in his office number to get past the no phone number screening thing because we refuse to answer their calls now - it took months to get them to stop calling

[robertdouglas]

Hey Tecoma Joe i agree with you. That's interesting.

[tjthemanto]

Lot of them just try to intimidate & bully you ..very rarely you will get sued in court for collecting the amt.

[mhk]

But I guess your credit rating is affected.... well whether or not the collector calls, when you run up a debt - the credit rating is affected.

But I agree - its horrid to be called when you are not even the person who owes!

[DaveP]

A fun thing to do is say:

"Oh good! I'm glad you called because I want to clear this up. Just hang on for a minute while I grab some papers."

Then clunk the phone on your desk or whatever, and keep listening while you watch TV or click away on the computer. See how long it takes them to figure out you're not coming back.

[DaveP]

But I guess your credit rating is affected.... well whether or not the collector calls, when you run up a debt - the credit rating is affected.

Abslutely. If you have a bad debt that you can't pay, your credit rating goes into the toilet, no way around that. But sometimes because of life circumstances, that's unavoidable.

[recessionisnotfun]

what if you have cc debt and you call them and ask if they can lower the amount you owe, say all the interest, does that call go on your credit score?

[Ciel]

Two things to note here:
Credit collectors are regulated under provincial laws. If the caller does not acknowledge the information you give them about the person they seek as not being at your number/address, let the ministry that deals with consumer affairs know about it. The local paper used to have a few consumer complaints about how another person with the same name as a debtor had months of hassle to get herself/himself cleared from the other person's collection calls etc. Do note the caller's name, date and time of call and their company name. Many callers today slide by on a first name without saying the company they represent. I make it an issue to find out the company calling me for whatever product or service--if caller won't ID self & company, I have better things to do than stay on the phone. I DO thank people who do the above without my prompting--that shows attention to detail and good customer service.

Telephone communications are regulated by the CRTC, a federal body. I'm sure there are rules about harassment that apply to these calls.

I used to have a store charge card debt and remember despite promising a portion of any tax credit, I was asked if I could borrow money from someone. I said no. I was also asked about my job prospects/any income. I still was asked on subsequent calls if I could get the money from anyone. Lesson-don't use store charge cards when there is no income stream; seek community resources, agencies and your network of friends and family and neighbours--possibly barter time/services for things needed (esp. if you are a foot or clothing size hard to get in the stores). The interest rates when compounded put a person on hard times under pressure and the rates are not worth the stress.

[Jellybean]

My questions:
1. - I have been unsuccessful at settling the $30k debt so far. I have got them down to $7,000, but I cannot come up with the money. I can only come up with $3,000 (borrowing from a relative). They are threatening to sue. I am motivated to get rid of this as it is the worst thing on my report. What is the chance that they will sue, instead of accepting $3k or $4k? And if they do sue, what is the usual outcome of these lawsuits? (I have to admit, they are starting to scare me a little with the thought of lawsuit and being forced to pay the entire $30k).

I myself have gotten myself into some trouble mainly because my spouse lost his job about a year back so being a one income family has hit us hard. That being said I'm currently considering a consumer proposal it's the same as Bankruptcy but you don't lose your assets. You'd have to talk to a trustee and explain your situation and see what they can do to help. I don't think it would matter that you declared 20 years ago if you were excepted for a consumer proposal. Not sure what percentage they would except but there are a few factors to consider. One being what you can afford to pay back on a monthly basis. The other is will your creditors except the proposal. Is it possible to remove yourself from your ex's house title? After all it's a legal document may be worth for her to check into.

I can tell you I really feel for you. I've had many sleepless nights about our financial matters and I hope to resolve it soon. I don't own a home I rent one and my fear is that our landlord will try and sell next year and we're out looking for a smaller place with sh#! credit. We can always dream about winning the lotto

[CICA-Team]

Yes, sometimes the agents can be very rude....

We've had few encounters...The key is not let them get to you

If they refuse to be polite and keep screaming and being manipulative...remember... you have the right to HANG UP!