Phone call from a debt collector

[Corzhens]

In the olden days, I had to suffer the so called perennial debt syndrome where after fully paying a loan, I would take out a new loan to cover up my other debts. It was one hell of a time when someone would call to remind me of the payments that I promised. I never had the intention to renege on my promises but sometimes finances are really down that I cannot fulfill my obligations to my creditors. It came to a point that I would get nervous at the sound of the ringing phone (there was no cellphone yet at that time). A colleague had advised me to change phone numbers but I cannot just do that because my parents would be suspicious. Recalling those days, I was almost near to a breakdown because of my fear of those calls. And fortunately, I was able to pay all my debts and now I am free from the bondage of those calls from the creditors.

 

[fuzyon]

I remember having similar feelings when I broke up with my girlfriend in high school, we ended up on a really bad note and I got into a fight with her parents as well. They threathened to call my parents and they even came to my school once (talk about dating someone with crazy parents). Whenever someone's phone rung in the house I had really bad anxiety and I was always alert, thankfully they ended up not calling and I've not heard from them ever since.

 

[CarlosTL]

I know these tactics, they also send intimidation letters. These people should really be tried for harassment. Even if you owe something you are free person who has rights and is entitled to due process and fair trial. So no one should take these intimidation tactics that seriously (then again, I guess it depends on where you live).


I've had experience with lawyers and dealt with these kind of firms before. Their strategy is to scare you into paying. What they want is money and not going to court because that will cost them of fortune and would take probably years before they get a ruling in their favor, sometime the amount is so ridiculous that all courts of the world would immediately rebuff their request. So my advice, do not take these people seriously, and if you can, sue them for harassment. Take action don't let yourself be intimidated by these scammers, even if you owe money to their contractors (not to them directly) that doesn't mean they have a right to bully you.

 

[RichE8475]

Congratulations on becoming debt free!! That is really amazing to hear. I understand completely about those dreaded phone calls. I, myself, do not even have a cell phone anymore. I think it is because everything is bad news; at least it seems that way. I have a panic attack when I think about just checking the mail. I understand it is not the person callings fault, they are just trying to do their job and make a living. I worked as a telemarketer in college. If you ever get into a situation with some of these companies, do as I do, apologize for the inconvenience and You will pay as soon as you can. Like I said, they are just doing their job, and they have to rebuttal you like three times. Again, I do not even own a cell phone, but I do have a free internet number if I need to call my parents. My mom calls me through facebook.

 

[lexinonomous]

I am constantly receiving calls from debt collectors due to my bad decisions in the past. I ran up five credit cards and took absolutely no responsibility at the age of 18. I am now fighting to get my credit score back up. It'll be such a wonderful day when I can get everything taken care of. Luckily, the calls have lessened, but I am still receiving them on a regular basis. Every time the phone rings, I get overwhelmed with anxiety. I'm not sure why, since they can't do much except talk to me. I think that as a child my mother painted a terrifying picture of what it's like to be in debt, so the phone calls make me incredibly nervous.


Congratulations on getting your debt paid off! I can't wait for that day on my end.

 

[Houille]

Congratulations on becoming debt free!


I have a similar phobia, but not because of debt collectors. Back when I used to live alone, my mother had a bad, bad habit of calling me in the middle of the night to check up on me. Most of the time I was in my apartment, sleeping soundly, and the phone call always ruined my sleep. What's worse is that it left me really disoriented, so my voice sounded all groggy - and my mother would hear that and accuse me of being either drunk or high on drugs...! Ridiculous.


But because she kept doing that, I started developing a really intense hatred for phone calls. Whenever I felt my phone vibrate, I hated looking at it, in fear that it might be my mother again, accusing me of something or another, or bearing bad news once again.


Almost ten years after the fact, I still have a really bad reaction towards phone calls. They just get me all anxious and nervous and tingly.

 

[amy88]

I definitely think anytime a person is having financial troubles it can cause a great deal of anxiety. I think as well it can cause people to spiral into depression - I've seen it happen to friends of mine. I'm glad to hear that those days are behind you, I'm sure that it's a relief to not have that anxiety weighing on you.

 

[NormaD]

Congratulations! Being debt free is a goal many people do not ever attain. I was in your situation a few years ago too, and it took its toll on my health and my marriage. I've come a long way since then and I've made myself a promise that I will never find myself in such a situation again. I've been living debt free for some years now, and it feels really good to be able to answer your phone every time it rings and not have to worry about whether it's a friend or a debt collector.

 

[John Snort]

I've also had such feelings but it was for something different. Yes it involved money but the people who were calling wanted me to replace two expensive defective products I'd sold them and we [the business] didn't have the money. Anytime time the phone rang it brought on a headache and as I was always expecting the phone to ring this anxiety made me sick [literally]. I had to quit the job because the employer wasn't willing to keep his promises to the customers — bad for my health it was.

 

[kgord]

I don't the answer the phone personally unless I have a pretty good idea who is calling. If it is important they will leave a message. Debt collectors will give up after a time anyway. Of course some are more persistent than others. Also, in case you do get one on the phone, hanging up is always an option. There are more people I don't want to talk to, then I do, in most situations. I am sad to say, because truly I am a pretty sociable person, but the anxiety of having an unwanted call is not worth it.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I honestly hate the sound of the phone ringing. I have changed the ring tone to be more pleasant, but it still bothers me. I have some unpaid medical bills, as well as a few older debts that have been written off and sold to others who call. I have no money to give them, and it is very anxiety provoking just to hear the phone ring. I put myself on the do not call list in the past, but even that doesn't seem to help with the unwanted callers. I'd prefer that the phone not ring at all, unless it's the few people I want to talk to.

 

[judyd1]

Having worked as a social worker, I learned to dread the phone ringing, as it usually was one of my 200+ clients calling to complain about some benefit that had not been on their card, whether it was money or food.


Many times, they'd only been in to apply the day before. It's as if they assumed that you were just waiting on them to come in in order for you to have some work to do.


They almost never understood that you are actually working on someone else's case when they were filling out an application. And I know people need their benefits, so I always worked as quickly as I could, but this newest client is not more important than my last.


I don't think I dreaded the sound of the phone before that job. And I no longer work there, but that feeling of dread still comes over me every time I hear it. Why is it never good news?

 

[simonsaysdifferent]

I understand this perfectly. Had to default on some student loans because of hard times, and I couldn't pick up the phone no matter who called. Everytime my phone went off I assumed if it was a number I didn't recognize: creditor, my mother: she was calling because she got contacted by creditors, my sister: she was calling because I wasn't answering my mother about the creditors and so on. I've only recently been picking up the phone more consistently for the sake of my family.