How can you prevent yourself from being bullied by the debt collectors?

First you should ask yourself if the purchase was a necessity and if not determine whether or not you can afford it and pay it on time. If you can't pay your balance before it goes into collection, advise the accounting dept. of the company and they can try and work out a payment agreement or possibly give an extension due to circumstances. Then let them know when you would be able to make the outstanding balance payment.

Well the answer to this questions is rather simple - don't get into debt! But as most people know (especially in this economy) - falling into delinquency is extremely easy. Delinquency leads to debt collection, which can lead to being bullied by debt collectors. Believe me I have been bullied by the debt collectors and have learned how to deal with them, so here is my advice.

First, remember, you are in control of your debt, not the debt collector. Most debt collectors (like those who bully) prey on those who they feel are weak. When they contact you there are two things to remember. One, do NOT give them every excuse in the book as to the reason you have the debt. They don't care! They are not going to forgive the debt because you lost your job or lost someone important in your life - all they want is your money! Two - do not apologize to them! Debt collectors will see the apology as a weakness and will use it against you! When they contact you, tell them you do not handle business over the phone and you want something in writing. If they continue to harass and bully, wait for them to stop (it doesn't benefit anyone to be rude), and demand something in writing which validates the debt. Don't respond to their bullying tactics! They are just speaking words in hopes of scaring you into giving them a hefty paycheck! Be straight forward and tell them that you are not going to pay anything without seeing something in writing.

Second, remember that if the debt collector is rude or demonstrates bullying behavior, don't get upset (that fuel will ignite the fire!) Simply tell the debt collector that you are not going to continue the conversation if they are going to speak to you in that way and that you will discontinue the call. If they do not stop, then hang up on him! If he calls again, ignore the call and send them a cease and desist letter sent by certified mail return receipt requested (there are several good examples on this website).

Third, do not let the debt collector feel like she is in control of the call. They are calling about a debt that was given to them and they want to collect the balance plus a commission! You can take control of the conversation by asking pertinent questions. Almost all of the time the debt collector will demand payment over the phone...never do this! You don't know who you are speaking to for one and two - you need something in writing! I work for a company where we send past due accounts to a third party collection agency and part of our agreement is that the collection agency adds on 40% of the balance as their cut! This is outrageous! If you give the collector a payment over the phone you just gave them a huge commission! Stay in control and demand information in writing.

The best way to avoid bullying by debt collectors is to stay out of debt (this site is awesome in doing that - I am now debt free, but I wasn't before I saw this site!) But if you find yourself in debt and bullied by debt collectors, all you need to do is be strong, tell them you do not handle business over the phone, demand everything in writing, and anytime you send the collection agency any communication or payment, make sure to do so by certified mail return receipt requested.

Don't allow the bullying and prevention of that is guaranteed!

Take control of the call! Only speak for as long as YOU want to speak and if the collector starts becoming abusive, HANG UP!!
Do not let them bully you or scare you; this is what they are paid to do. You do not have to be abused in your own home!!
Tell them how you are going to pay the debt and if they don't like it, repeat it. Again, if they start getting abusive, HANG UP.

The fair credit act limits what the collectors can and cannot do, unfortunately most people have no idea of what these rules are.
Educating yourself on what the laws are can save you alot of headaches.
There are several strategies that can eliminate some stressful calls. One simple one is to ask " is this call being recorded" if the answer is "yes" then you just say "Great....under the fair credit collections act passed by congress I am informing you on the record that all correspondence from your company will from this moment on will be by US mail only....thanks you very much"

Another interesting way to stop them in their tracks is to ask for a signed copy from the collection agency of any wrong doing you may have done against them personally (you and the collection company) If they refuse to send you one then you can asked to be removed from their call list for failure to comply with the fair credit act and ask to have conversation recorded.
If they do send you a signed copy you can counter sue for wrongful prosecution and slander as you now have a signed document from them stating you have wronged them...and they have no recourse. But few and far between do they ever send such a document.

Great question! First...read the fair debt collections act so you know and understand what debt collectors can legally do! Also..when they call you..inform them that upon advice of your attorney you are recording the call...they usually hang up! Utilize your caller ID as well.! My philosophy is that if I don't know you..I don't owe you..so I don't answer! Then check to see if they left you a voice mail..if the first few seconds sound like a debt collector..erase it! If you don't hear it..you can't fear it lol.

If you do legitimately owe some one..by all means honor your debts but on your terms...not theirs! Contact them once every two weeks and in a nice way explain your current situation.your desire to honor your debt and what actions you are taking to repay it. If they do not like your answer..hang up..wait two weeks and contact them and repeat. Most debt collection companies will try and scare you by falsely misrepresenting themselves to be part of a legal entity or threaten you with wage garnishments, judgments, leans, etc. Do not allow their scare tactics to get to you. By law you are no longer liable for any debt that is more than 7 years old from the date the delinquent account was opened...not the date that they bought the old debt from the original creditor. Howeverif you pay anything to them..you re- establish the debt, bringing it back in to legal collectible standing.

I myself was 75,000 dollars in debt 8 years ago and had to fight this battle for a few years. But thanks to Dave Ramsey and my own research, I have become debt free and no longer have to deal with them. Granted..I still get calls from junk debt collectors from time to time..but by employing these steps...it's now nothing more than a minor inconvenience or nuisance when they call me.

I hope this helps anyone who may be dealing with this problem.

Debt collectors are required to follow federal laws that prohibit them from threatening or harrassing you while attempting to collect on any debt. If they break these rules by harrassing you or threatening you have the power to make them sorry they ever contacted you.
Simply hang up the phone, sit down and write them a cease and desist letter. You can google cease and desist to get some ideas on what to write.
The next sentence is very important!!! Be sure to send it Certified Mail. If they continue to threaten and contact you after receiving the letter, you can successfully sue them. I did it and that was how I got them to pay me and then go away permanently!

Ask if they can work out a payment plan, or forbearance until your financial circumstances get better. Asking for lower interest rate. Asking for money off of principal if you pay in full in shorter period. Hire debt consolidation company and refer all debt collectors to debt consolidation of your choice.

It is a curse. Point blank period. Why? Because it's desperation at its worst. I have had 13 payday loans at once. They totaled more than 3000.00, and that was BEFORE paying the interest in order to pay them all off. Consider a variation of 100.00-500.00 each. 15.00 to 150.00 a piece in finance charges! Also consider since I was borrowing to pay the others(or keep them going) the amount of stress and strain to try and keep up with the last one and then getting ANOTHER one because the rest of your budget doesn't cover it! The NSF charges, the calls to friends and family, your job... Their name says it all. So they don't have to actually TELL people it's a payday or finance company calling. I waited a few years and vowed not to do it again. That if I did it would only be 100.00 and that I could most assuredly pay off with no problem right? NO! I borrowed to help a friend and she couldn't pay ME back when time came. So I paid it and borrowed another hundred for my own personal crisis and voila! Before I knew it I was right back in the thick of things. This time I was using my husbands name and money to further us along. I had to file bankruptcy to just to get a fresh start and stop all the calls. I lost my car which I could have been able to afford without having got the loans(even though I got a payday loan to get the down payment). I had to sell my house because I couldn't afford to pay the taxes or upkeep. I couldn't afford a lawyer to stop my stepkids from being taken out of the state- and haven't seen them in a year! Long story never short because no matter who you are or how much you make - no matter if it's a brick and mortar store on online or whatever they offer you as an incentive etc.. it's not worth it. Save a few dollars yourself and build an emergency fund. Even if you do get one or even a few and pay them off or down in two weeks and don't end up like myself or others - it only takes time and desperation and it WILL eventually happen.

I walked away from all of my creditors by sending all of them cease and desist letters. Immediately, the phone calls stopped! Only three creditors contacted me several months later, two of them filed judgements against me but since I live on disability and social security they can't touch my bank account. One judgement was dropped. The third creditor I am currently making payments to for a lesser amount because she caught me on a good day. Yes, my credit report is ruined for now, but in a few years all of this will drop off and I can start over. At least the phone calls stopped

Communication, dont put them off, but discuss the options you have to deal with the debt. After your own budget review you will arrive at a realistic payment plan that you can afford, be it paid in 2 installments or 40 or more, but whatever it is submit what is the amount you can afford and than if they refuse, take down all the information of who you spoke with, what day, and time the call took place and the acceptance or disapproval, and stick too your budget. If they call again refer back to that discussion, and dont change course, if they attempt to request more, ask for the name of the Sr. Mgmt. and their phone number and extention. Place a call to see that they not continue to ask for more, cause that will not happen, and until they accept your realistic terms, nothing will change.
Invite them to call back when they are willing to accept your terms, and not until then, thank them and follow up with a written letter as to this outcome per said conversation and stay on top.

There are many methods that can be used to prevent yourself from being bullied by a debt collector.

1. Stay calm. Do not get angry or mad or feed into the collectors antics. Stay in control of your words and tone of voice. Speak quietly and softly...it forces a collector to listen.

2. Be educated. Know the FDCPA and your state laws concerning debt collections.

3. Know when to hang up. The collector is more than likely in another state and another city. They are not coming to your home/work and they are not sending anyone to serve you or arrest you. They cannot hurt you. Once they (or you) hang up that phone, they go onto to the next call and will forget all about you. So calmly say "good bye..I am hanging up the phone" if they are going off on you. (A call back would be an FDCPA violation.

4. Complain. Try to get a qualified manager at the CA on the phone. If that fails, call the original creditor and complain.

4. Letter writing If a collector is continually abusive, send a cease and desist letter in writing. File written complaints with the original creditor, the collection agency, the FTC and your state AG's office.

Remember...only YOU can allow yourself to be bullied!

You can prevent yourself from being bullied by being educated on your rights, and on the law. Once you are educated on what a debt collector can and cannot legally do, you automatically gain self confidence, and a bit of ease.

They try to instill fear and doubt in yourself in order to make you cave into their sometimes illegal demands.

The first step is never own up or admit you owe the debt on the phone. Make them send you something in writing proving what you owe. In reality, you could not owe anything, and it could be a scam company trying to profit on someone who in the past took out a loan, or has a debt that has already been erased.

The number one tactic of debt collectors is phone calls, so you have to cut off their main source by verbally telling them they cannot contact you, your employer, or anyone affiliated with you (friends, family, etc). You have to back up your verbal request by sending them a letter via snail mail which needs to be certified with a return receipt. Make sure to do both, because that will gain you proof of sending them a cease and desist which can be used to your advantage if they continue to contact you, or someone affiliated with you about the loan.

There is always power in numbers, especially if those people on your side have power. Always, always, report them to your states General Attorney, Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, etc. It may seem like a lot of work, but spending 5 minutes of your time to snail mail, email, or fax in how they are illegally practicing debt collection can work in your favor.

Sometimes, if they continue to bully/harass you for money after you sent a cease and desist, you can in turn take them to small claims court, which means they will owe YOU money. Always keep track of your paperwork, and never back down or feel bullied.

In summary, educate yourself on what a debt collector can tell you, educate yourself on your rights, send a cease and desist, and always keep track of when/who/what time they call you AFTER sending C&D for legal purposes.

Send them a cease and desist letter. Make sure it gets sent where you can prove it was received. This way they can only call you one time to tell you they will not call you anymore. You can not avoid paying the debt by doing this as they have legal ways to still collect. This just simply stops them from calling all the time and harassing you into paying more than you can afford. Write to the company and ask them to send proof of any debt they say you owe.

When I felt like a debt collector was bulling me, I asked him, "Are you threatening me?" I had done a lot of research and knew that was against the law for them to threaten a person over the phone. The debt collector backed down right away. He said "No, he was not." He was much more civil for the remainder of that phone conversation.

Tape recording telephone conversations with debt collectors has proven to be a highly effective means for debtors to protect themselves from the potential debt collecting bully. Tape recording their telephone conversation serves to discourage abusive collection practices on the one hand, and provide you with evidence of any abuse which may nonetheless occur, on the other hand.

Be sure to FIRST record your advisement to the collector that the conversation is being recorded, since it is otherwise not legal to record. If the collector objects to recording the call, end the conversation kindly informing the collector that the only other alternative to communicating with you is in writing, but that if he/she (the collector) proceeds to continue talking with you that you will take that as an agreement to record the call. If the collector objects again, tell the collector you are ending the call, but that if he/she has a need to communicate with you that he/she can use the written alternative.

Additionally, if you write to them, you should include an advisement at the end of every written correspondence that all telephone conversations with them will be recorded.

There is no guarnatee that tape recording will prevent abusive tactics, but it will at least provide you with evidence to support an action against them should the conduct rise to the level of a state or federal fair debt collection practice act violation(s).

Request these bullies to "mail' their demands to you so you know exactly whom you are dealing with, address, phone number, etc, and copy(s) of proof documents they have to support their demands. It's against the law for them to contact you at work, you tell them once, "do not call me at work", and by law, they have to stop, seize and desist. If they continue, nicely ask them for their company name and a call back number and then report them to the trade commission, FCC, and whoever else you can contact. They will be warned, then fined if they continue. DO NOT negotiate over the phone, again, you don't know who, where, or what they really represent. You can also challenge any derogatory charges on your credit reports w/ credit reporting institution that lists these. Good luck !

The main way of course is obvious to stop the calls, Pay the bills on time, easier said that done!!!
I have had this issue in the past as well as the present. I try my best to make arrangement to help prevent these calls, but they can still be quite rude, obnoxious and call at all times of the day, several times a day.
The worst part is when they call, no message left, or you answer and there is no one there.
I have sent letters stating I will only accept messages through my email or mail, no other contact will be accepted. This has worked for many different companies. I know many will call your family, friends, nieghbors and worst of all, at work!! ~ sending out letters will help so much, it will also be a time to ask for a settlement, or an arrangement. You will beable to tell them your situation as I know they wont listen on the phone, I have tried several times.
The first thing some say is you owe this much would you like to use your debit card or checking account to pay this today !! I say None of the above, I never Never NEVER give my account information over the phone!! This is why I will only accept information through the mail or email.
Good Luck and together hopefully we can stop these calls!!!