Probably the largest complaint I receive as a portland bankruptcy attorney is about the creditor calls my clients receive. They start typically 1-2 weeks after a payment is missed and increase in frequency the longer you don't make the payments. The first calls will usually be a couple of courtesy calls asking to set up a payment to get caught up. They will graciously agree to waive the 14.00 over the phone payment. Since you couldn't make the payment in the first place, you probably wont be able to make this one either; so its irrelevant.
The next series of calls get more annoying. These are robo calls. I'll use Citibank credit card as an example. You'll start receiving calls from them about 45 days after you failed to make a credit card payment. If you don't pick up they wont leave a message and you'll know its a Citibank robo call because it will come from the 816 area code, where Citibank has a large collections call center. If you do pick up, a recording will ask you to wait for an 'important message'. You'll be connected with a collector that will offer you some options to pay. Most are not that great. Most of my bankruptcy clients cannot pay off the options on their terms and the collectors are rarely able to make any sort of real accommodation. If that's the case then its best to ignore the subsequent calls.
If you ignore the calls be prepared to be called every hour in spurts. I.E. from 8-11 AM then 5-7 PM on random days. These calls can continue for months. If you do hire a Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney (Chapter 13 as well) they can help end the calls. You may also want to look up the "fair debt collection practices act" for some advice on stopping the calls on your own. Bottom line is that you don't have to put up with harassment and the easiest tactic is to learn the numbers they call from and ignore them. Some phone companies also have the ability to block calls from certain numbers. Don't let them intimidate you. Know your options, talk to a good bankruptcy attorney if your debt is overwhelming and you would like some relief and stay optimistic. There are ways out of your situation and there are honest folks out there who can help.
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