Debt collectors phone calls??
Ok lately we have fallen on some hard times and fallen behind in our credit card payments -- we've paid them but some not for all the amt due or maybe a week or 2 late than due- but we've been doing our best to get back on track. Its gotten to the point where I am affraid to answer the phone cause its always a debt collector or credit card company.
My question is I was told years ago that credit agencies can not make these calls on Sunday's its against the law its considered unreasonalbe hours - like they can only call between 8am and 9pm - but is it true this is only for colleciton agencies and not credit card companies??
I felt somewhat safe to answer my phone this morning but lo and behold it was a credit card company I told them you can't call me on a sunday its agains the law and he said it wasn't I said well I'm not talking to you today its Sunday and you can call again tomorrow and hung up
But anyway is it true that the original debtor can call on a sunday to collect?? And only the no sunday calls applies to collection agencies??
Anyone know for sure? Here I thought I'd have at least one day to answer the phone with no fear LOL
I do have fun with them on the phone but sometime the way they treat me its there own fault it used to scar me but now i know my rights.
I do feel for the ppl who do this job aa its not there fault and I used to call them bfore the due date but got the same bad attitute so now i just let my bf handdle things as he can be so funny when hes annoyed.
I would never file for bankruptcy though unless it was the absolute last resort.
Also about the callers on sunday question I actualy got a caller about my late phone payment on christmas day. Now thats just sad!
Hears something iv been doing the company say hi it xxx can I speak to Miss Owston please
which is me
So I say sorry shes not home at the minute can I take a message they have no way of knowing its really me.
Iv tried to reason with these ppl but 99% dont seem to be reasoned with though you do get the odd one thats ok and understanding. Its like yes i will pay you on friday well the deadline is thursday ok i will pay you with thin air then or would you prefare cholate buttons.
Hey I can even get my monoply money if you like
But the worst of all are the ones who ask you to do a confrence call with your mother , freind , gran its like who the hell do you think u are!!!
As for filing for bankruptcy, think long and hard before doing so. Yes, it helps relieve debt..but be prepared to pay a pretty large deposit before setting anything up into your name in the future.
This is not always the case. My mom had a bankruptcy and finished with it (whatever the term is) about 5 years or less ago. She just bought a 70,000$ home, got financing with a decent enough interest rate, put way less than 7,000 or less down, and has decent payments. Yes think hard before one files and talk to someone who handles bankruptcies.
Original Post by bether_gee:I strongly disagree with this. My job consists of credit/collections at times, all over the phone..and I want to do it full time, being the person who actually comes to the door to collect. I am by no means "collector scum" and neither are any of the people I work with. Yes, times are tough..and the best way for a company to understand your sitation is to CALL them. No company knows what is going on in your life, and when you plan to pay/what you plan to pay, unless you keep in contact. And, as someone mentioned..it is YOUR debt, and it is your responsibility to pay it. Of course they will try to get you to pay anything you can..YOU OWE IT. My advice is to call the companies you owe money to, set up payment arrangements that are suitable for both you and them, and stick them. If something comes up, and you must change these arrangements, be proactive! Call before the arranged date. Don't pretend as though the debt doesn't exsist, and then get angry when you are called, sent letters, or worse yet, cut off.
I know there are some very rude collectors out there..and I am by no means excusing it..but keep in mind in some cases they HAVE to be that way.
As for filing for bankruptcy, think long and hard before doing so. Yes, it helps relieve debt..but be prepared to pay a pretty large deposit before setting anything up into your name in the future.
I want to clarify two things to you and alibuch - I'm not talking about people working in the deliquency department at credit card companies or department stores. For the most part, these people are polite and not a problem. I'm talking about the scumbags who work for the collection agencies that buy bad debt ("charge-offs") from the credit card companies. They buy this debt for pennies on the dollar, and then try to see how much they can get suckers to pay. You can make moral arguments if you want, but as a person with kids on a SUBSISTENCE income, I had to make a decision to NO LONGER PAY or not be able to feed my kids, and I do not see any prospects of income increases in the future sufficient to make a dent in the debt. I continue to pay on my student loans because they don't go away, and the government will not hesitate to garnish your check.
So no, I don't feel much guilt about not paying collectors who bought my debt for a song from the CC companies years ago. The credit card companies wrote it all off long ago. I paid for my choice with the loss of my credit rating, and I felt it was worth it. A better question is; Why do the credit card companies continue to give people more and more credit cards and more credit, when they KNOW that they are already overextended from a credit and income check? Because they want people enslaved to the minimum payment for LIFE. I paid them a quarter of my income for years and GOT NOWHERE. The debt never went down. When my MIL died and we inherited 10 grand, I sent half to the CC companies and half to the student loan co. and it barely made a dent.
It's not just a matter of "times are tough". About half of Americans have not seen their income increase in 20+ years, (in fact theirr real earning power has dropped) and they have been aggressively targeted by credit card companies to replace that lost income with "easy credit. Even the cost of a studio apartment in most cities is $1000/mo. now and the prices of everything else is going through the roof.
The credit card companies are part of the political alliance that has made it a priority to export jobs, keep wages low, drive up the price of housing through rampant speculation, etc. and regular working people are under enormous pressure to either pay the grocery bill with the credit card or watch their kids go hungry.
I didn't buy big-screen TV's, leather jackets trips to six flags or other fun stuff. I got into debt because of basic living expenses being so high, income never going up (wife's business failed) oh, and lovely medical bills. Not that I should have to defend how I got into the predicament I was in. I agree that bankruptcy is a big decision and should be carefully considered, but if it's the social stigma that is keeping someone from filing, I would suggest they put that out of their minds, because getting on a stable financial footing should be priority 1. People eventually recover from bankruptcy. It's not the end of the world.
Original Post by momto2siameses:
As for filing for bankruptcy, think long and hard before doing so. Yes, it helps relieve debt..but be prepared to pay a pretty large deposit before setting anything up into your name in the future.
This is not always the case. My mom had a bankruptcy and finished with it (whatever the term is) about 5 years or less ago. She just bought a 70,000$ home, got financing with a decent enough interest rate, put way less than 7,000 or less down, and has decent payments. Yes think hard before one files and talk to someone who handles bankruptcies.
Besides, there are worse things than putting down a deposit to buy a home. There are millions of people losing their home right now because they did NOT put down enough deposit.
Also, BTW - house prices in CA, FL, DC metro, Las Vegas, Phoenix, MA, etc. are still barely off of their bubble peak highs, and still plummeting monthly. This is NOT a good time to buy in any of the areas that had 10+% annual appreciation in the 2000s because those gains were purely speculative and prices will most likely fall back to 2000 levels before leveling off. If you live in these areas and a realtor tries to tell you "it's a good time to buy", they're trying to get you to catch a falling knife.
Original Post by udokier:
Original Post by momto2siameses:
As for filing for bankruptcy, think long and hard before doing so. Yes, it helps relieve debt..but be prepared to pay a pretty large deposit before setting anything up into your name in the future.
This is not always the case. My mom had a bankruptcy and finished with it (whatever the term is) about 5 years or less ago. She just bought a 70,000$ home, got financing with a decent enough interest rate, put way less than 7,000 or less down, and has decent payments. Yes think hard before one files and talk to someone who handles bankruptcies.
Besides, there are worse things than putting down a deposit to buy a home. There are millions of people losing their home right now because they did NOT put down enough deposit.
Also, BTW - house prices in CA, FL, DC metro, Las Vegas, Phoenix, MA, etc. are still barely off of their bubble peak highs, and still plummeting monthly. This is NOT a good time to buy in any of the areas that had 10+% annual appreciation in the 2000s because those gains were purely speculative and prices will most likely fall back to 2000 levels before leveling off. If you live in these areas and a realtor tries to tell you "it's a good time to buy", they're trying to get you to catch a falling knife.
Neither me nor my mom live in any of those states. The way its budgeted they will have this new house paid for in about 10 years. And thats with making extra payments through the year and dropping a grand or 2 towards the principal every year (something most homebuyers probably don't think about). Right now we are in the process of trying to get an interest free mortgage. Right now we stand a high chance of getting that and are payments will be a little more then what we pay in rent down and our down payment will be between 500-1000 if even that much. Right now we pay 250 in rent on a 3 bdr trailer 12 miles outside of our town.
People should definitely do their best to pay their obligations, but creditors should not be claiming exorbitant amounts that vastly exceed the amount they ever put at risk by loaning out.
Original Post by momto2siameses:Neither me nor my mom live in any of those states. The way its budgeted they will have this new house paid for in about 10 years. And thats with making extra payments through the year and dropping a grand or 2 towards the principal every year (something most homebuyers probably don't think about). Right now we are in the process of trying to get an interest free mortgage. Right now we stand a high chance of getting that and are payments will be a little more then what we pay in rent down and our down payment will be between 500-1000 if even that much. Right now we pay 250 in rent on a 3 bdr trailer 12 miles outside of our town.
Wow - $250 a month! You can't even get a storage locker for that in San Francisco. I think this is a big part of the political disconnect in this country. People who live in these cheap areas have no idea of how expensive it is in the big cities, esp nearer the coasts, and the wages are NOT much higher for a bunch of people. If the cost of living was more evenly distributed across the country, I don't think people would still be voting for the status quo. (PS - I finally got out of CA - even Japan is much cheaper...)
That's fine, udokier. And I wasn't making any "moral arguments".
However, if you are rude to people, they're going to be rude right back. And mine was sent to a collections agency... not the collections department of the credit card. Mine got way past that.
Original Post by alibuch:
I'm talking about the scumbags who work for the collection agencies that buy bad debt ("charge-offs") from the credit card companies.
That's fine, udokier. And I wasn't making any "moral arguments".
However, if you are rude to people, they're going to be rude right back. And mine was sent to a collections agency... not the collections department of the credit card. Mine got way past that.
The extent of my rudeness was saying "I'm sorry, but I can't afford to pay", and then "I'm hanging up now" on their nth time calling to bug me. I'm glad you were able to work things out, but in my case the debt was too huge to ever pay off. I had consulted with one of the credit counselor services, and the payment plan they worked up for us was ABSOLUTELY not doable. We would have spent every cent on rent and CC payments, with zero, zip, nada for food, gas or any other daily expenses. The only way I could have made that plan work would have been to move back in with my parents, something that my parents would have been annoyed with and my wife would not have even accepted. I supposed I could have divorced her and done it anyway, but I guess I value my family more than my credit rating.
Original Post by udokier:
Original Post by momto2siameses:Neither me nor my mom live in any of those states. The way its budgeted they will have this new house paid for in about 10 years. And thats with making extra payments through the year and dropping a grand or 2 towards the principal every year (something most homebuyers probably don't think about). Right now we are in the process of trying to get an interest free mortgage. Right now we stand a high chance of getting that and are payments will be a little more then what we pay in rent down and our down payment will be between 500-1000 if even that much. Right now we pay 250 in rent on a 3 bdr trailer 12 miles outside of our town.
Wow - $250 a month! You can't even get a storage locker for that in San Francisco. I think this is a big part of the political disconnect in this country. People who live in these cheap areas have no idea of how expensive it is in the big cities, esp nearer the coasts, and the wages are NOT much higher for a bunch of people. If the cost of living was more evenly distributed across the country, I don't think people would still be voting for the status quo. (PS - I finally got out of CA - even Japan is much cheaper...)
I trust me I understand. Just because my rent is cheap does not mean everything else is around here. Our food prices are sky rocketing around here. Also I am from Florida and our rent was very high there. For the same amount of space and a trailer no less would cost me 500-600$ or more. The only reason the rent is so cheap is because of my landlord mother. That is who he is buying the property from and her one thing when she sold the property to him was keep the rent cheap. It was her believe that rent should be affordable. Not everyone in the area is that lucky.
Gas and food are the big killers right now. Gas is nearing 3.50 in almost all locations. I live 12 miles outside the city. So I go through a bit of gas just going to town and back. To fill me car (a 98 Malibu) is now into the 30-40 dollar range. To fill the husband truck (00 Blazer) is in the 50 range. The food prices are a killer as well. To get about 10 days worth of groceries (no meats) cost me at least 80.00. Thats not even enough to make it payday to payday. Meat (I buy at a independent meat market) is now about 60.00-70.00 for 8-9 days work of meat.
What if you cut some meat out of your meals? You can make a lot of healthy things without meat and still be full (and still get your protein). This could help save money for a while...
Original Post by momto2siameses:
Gas and food are the big killers right now. Gas is nearing 3.50 in almost all locations. I live 12 miles outside the city. So I go through a bit of gas just going to town and back. To fill me car (a 98 Malibu) is now into the 30-40 dollar range. To fill the husband truck (00 Blazer) is in the 50 range. The food prices are a killer as well. To get about 10 days worth of groceries (no meats) cost me at least 80.00. Thats not even enough to make it payday to payday. Meat (I buy at a independent meat market) is now about 60.00-70.00 for 8-9 days work of meat.
It's great if you can stretch $80 for 10 days. Unfortunately, I have 4 mouths to feed, so I end up spending about $100 per week on groceries. And we are really cheap. Fortunately, chicken breast is dirt cheap in Japan, as are eggs. Milk is pricey, but the kids drink it like its going out of style so I buy about 4 or 5 quarts of it a week.
Luckily, our little car gets 42 mpg and we don't drive all that much so I doubt I spend more than $20 per week on gas, even though the prices here are a bit higher than in the states. For individual trips, the train is convenient.
PS- I wasn't making my comments about heartland voters to you personally. But I know that there are a lot of people there who don't realize what it's like for working people on the coasts. Gas in SF was already nearly $4.00/gal when I left 2 years ago, and it's well above that now. Groceries there run about 25% higher than they were in Texas, even at the exact same supermarket chain. Rent of course is insane, and there is state income tax to boot.
Original Post by alibuch:
Grocery prices are skyrocketing everywhere in the world... not just the States. And I'd say it's far, far worse in other place (i.e. Haiti).
What if you cut some meat out of your meals? You can make a lot of healthy things without meat and still be full (and still get your protein). This could help save money for a while...
Where I am, chicken breast is BY FAR the cheapest source of protein per gram. Legumes & beans etc. are great, but to get the same # of protein grams, you have to eat 3 or 4 times as much, so it ends up costing more and you have to eat a lot more bean carbs along with the protein. Tofu is a good source of protein, but too much soy is thought to mess with your hormone levels, so I will stick with chicken breast and some fish as my protein staples.
Here chicken is pretty cheap too. I just bought 3 chicken breasts for $3 haha. Not bad at all. I don't typically eat meat at all though because it's more of a hassle to prepare and the few Korean dishes I like are mostly tofu based.
And in the States, beans and legumes are much cheaper than meat.
Original Post by udokier:
Original Post by momto2siameses:
Gas and food are the big killers right now. Gas is nearing 3.50 in almost all locations. I live 12 miles outside the city. So I go through a bit of gas just going to town and back. To fill me car (a 98 Malibu) is now into the 30-40 dollar range. To fill the husband truck (00 Blazer) is in the 50 range. The food prices are a killer as well. To get about 10 days worth of groceries (no meats) cost me at least 80.00. Thats not even enough to make it payday to payday. Meat (I buy at a independent meat market) is now about 60.00-70.00 for 8-9 days work of meat.
It's great if you can stretch $80 for 10 days. Unfortunately, I have 4 mouths to feed, so I end up spending about $100 per week on groceries. And we are really cheap. Fortunately, chicken breast is dirt cheap in Japan, as are eggs. Milk is pricey, but the kids drink it like its going out of style so I buy about 4 or 5 quarts of it a week.
Oh I understand I feed a family of 5 on that so its not to bad. And no I did not take it personally exactly I was just saying I understand.
Alibuch if I cut to much of the meat out my kids would not eat much. As much as it bugs me I have a hard time getting the 2 older boys (8 and 6) to eat fruits and veggies. Its a big up hill battle. We are working on it but its a big ole head ache with lots of crying and late nights. My youngest tho will eat anything he is handed.
Milk is really just a breakfast thing around here. So a gallon lasts about a week. The kids don't drink things like kool aid or soda its all water around here. And has been for years.
Snacks are just one a day after school.
Most everything else is store brand. I have not bought name brand in years.
I don't buy meats in grocery stores because of the outlandish prices. So far 3 years now I buy from independent butcher markets. Much better prices and grades.
Hope everything works out for you though...
Oh everything works out in the end. Sure I complain sometimes who doesn't. But in the end we get by we eat everyday, have clothes, a roof over our heads etc. So we don't do to bad. Money wise things will get a bit better in Aug. when I get a part time job.
Original Post by alibuch:
Hmmm... I have no other suggestions. :(
Hope everything works out for you though...
Luckily the bankruptcy is already behind them, so hopefully most of the misery is over.
PS momto2siameses - Siamese are wonderful cats. What fantastic temperaments. I used to work in an animal hospital and they were always the best.
Don't get me started on the little basket cases known as Cocker Spaniels.
Original Post by udokier:
Original Post by alibuch:
Hmmm... I have no other suggestions. :(
Hope everything works out for you though...Luckily the bankruptcy is already behind them, so hopefully most of the misery is over.
PS momto2siameses - Siamese are wonderful cats. What fantastic temperaments. I used to work in an animal hospital and they were always the best.
Don't get me started on the little basket cases known as Cocker Spaniels.
Oh the bankruptcy was my mom. I had already moved out by the time she filed that. I have never filed and it would be silly for me to do that. Between me and the husband we have less than 10k in debt and that is mostly medical (no insurance).
Oh my Meezer babies. Ping (m) is almost 2 and he was a rescue cat. We rescued from under our trailer. He is a mix btw. Pong (f) is almost 1 and also a rescue. We got her from outside of a store close to our home. They are our babies. This was taken a while back:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Rebel24 /2007_0904Image0071.jpg
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