If you have ever fallen behind on your credit cards you know that dealing with bill collectors can be an extremely frustrating and stressful experience. Government legislation such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act has forced the collection industry to clean up its act but many collectors will still say almost anything to get a delinquent account paid. If you are thinking about joining or are already in a Debt Settlement or Debt Reduction program it is important to know how to effectively deal with creditors and collection calls.
The most important thing to understand is that the Debt Collector on the other line is just doing their job. At the end of the day, most collectors are getting paid depending on how much they can bring back in on delinquent accounts. Review the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) to learn the difference between acceptable means of collection and tactics that are illegal. If you are thinking about joining a Debt Settlement Program it should be comforting to know that there are some effective ways that most companies can help stand between you and the creditors. Although no company can guarantee that you will not receive collection calls, most companies include creditor support as part of the program they offer. Debt Settlement and Debt Reduction companies have two different approaches when it comes to handling creditors, proactive and reactive.
In the world of Debt Negotiation and Creditor communication, proactive means that a Debt Settlement Company won't wait around and do nothing until their clients start getting creditor calls; they try and address the issue before it even starts. Usually the first communication to the Creditors from the company will be a Cease Communication Letter. These letters are to let the creditor know that the company is now the main contact for the account and has a Limited Power of Attorney to represent the client. Basically from this point forward all communication must first go through the negotiation company. A Cease Communication or Cease and Desist Letter can be an effective means of reducing creditor calls from third party collectors and in some cases original collectors. As a third layer of protection some Debt Settlement Companies can employ the service of a Consumers Union. The Consumer Unions' sole purpose is to represent and advise clients who are getting an unusually high volume of collection calls. Some companies will also recommend that a client change their address and phone number on file to the Debt Settlement Companies Customer Service Department. This can help with creditor harassment and also keep the company aware of the accounts status.
Whether you choose to utilize Debt Settlement or decide to handle the creditors on your own, remember that it is not easy to reduce or make arrangements on a large unsecured debt amount. The process is not painless; it takes patience, determination, and a lot of hard work to get out of debt. Do the best you can to not take creditor calls personally and remember that they are paid to be persistent.
