How to Handle Creditor Calls

Creditors call your house day and night. Some are rude and ask for a payment every hour on the hour. You can stop these harassing calls. Talking to customers in a rude and unprofessional manner is against the law according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

If you make one late payment, usually 30 days or more late, a creditor will call to remind you to send a payment, even if the payment is one day past the due date – unless the company offers a grace period.

A creditor cannot call you before 8:00 am or after 9:00 pm. Creditors cannot use threats, use profanity, make false statements, use unfair practices, or make repeated calls to your home to collect a debt.

If a creditor contacts you, as a consumer, legally you have the right to ask them to stop calling which is called "cease and desist" by writing a letter telling the creditor to stop contacting you by phone. You also have the option of having the creditor contact you by mail only which I strongly advice. Cutting off all contact with the creditor may anger the company and cause them to quickly take legal action against you.

If you are late on a payment, notify your creditor immediately that you are having financial problems and try to setup a payment plan with them to prevent the item from being reported on your credit report and to maintain a good relationship with the company.

If you feel a creditor has violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act you may file a complaint against them by calling the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit ftc.gov to fill out an online complaint.