What to tell the creditors to bide time?

What type of accounts are they? secured or unsecured debt?

Have you ever considered a CCCS? They operate as a non-profit organization and were very helpful to me. Google Consumer Credit Counseling Service in your area.

Tell them that your income has been reduced, and that you are looking for ways to supplement it - like getting a second job. With the employment market being the way it is, most creditors of course will understand that it may take time to find another job. You don't have to verify income so there isn't any way, at least right now, for them to check. Tell them that even though you appreciate the offer for financial counseling, nothing is really going to make a difference until you can get your income back up.
It worked for me!

There isn't really anything you can do that is going to keep them happy. If you aren't paying, they aren't going to leave you alone. The best thing to do is just restate the same thing over and over again or stop answering the phone. The calmer and nicer you are on the phone, the more believed you will probably be and the more likely the collector will set the call date out a little longer... a screaming match is more likely to get their ego involved and get them to set you up for a quick call back out of spite...

It sometimes gets a little monotonous, but just keep telling them your circumstances. As long as you are polite and honest, the calls will remain calm, and often, as has been mentioned, you might get fewer calls. Sometimes, they can get a little hard to deal with, but being respectful has worked well for me so far. Once in a while, you will get the agent who will say something like "you can't pay just a little bit?".....my answer is always the same "can you negotiate a settlement with me so that 100% of what I pay will go directly to the reduction of a balance that I can afford?" I ALWAYS restate the fact that I (we) are seriously considering bankruptcy, and that I already know that we qualify for a chapter 7 filing, so the choice is a settlement or chapter 7 and nothing in between. I don't yell, nor am I rude....I just make matter of fact, unemotional statements. I also let them know that it has taken me since the first part of December (of 2008) just to get my finances organized (which is true) and that I think that I will have a much better idea of what I can do within another 60 days or so. Most of the time, the response is "OK, thank you for your time".

Thanks for the replies.
To answer the questions, all of the debt, around $33,000 is unsecured CC debt. I have 4 CC's total with three banks.
Shazzers, thanks for the tip (about cccs) but as I stated, thats NOT what I want but what the banks want. I'm holding out till settlement time.

Lane

bump

Personally I don't accept any collector calls. Some people think if you keep communications open it helps to keep you from being sued but I don't think communications has much impact on the decision to sue. I might accept a collector call if I am close to settlement or if I need information but after I take one call I rarley take any others. They are redundant and really serve no point in my opinion. I see no reason to tell a collector the same thing I told them the day before or even the month before if my circumstances have not changed.