Re: New to the group

How may a debt collector contact you?
A collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or fax. However, a debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you agree. A debt collector also may not contact you at work if the collector knows that your employer disapproves of such contacts.

Can you stop a debt collector from contacting you?
You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter to the collector telling them to stop. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again except to say there will be no further contact or to notify you that the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action. Please note, however, that sending such a letter to a collector does not make the debt go away if you actually owe it. You could still be sued by the debt collector or your original creditor.

May a debt collector contact anyone else about your debt?
If you have an attorney, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you do not have an attorney, a collector may contact other people, but only to find out where you live, what your phone number is, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting such third parties more than once. In most cases, the collector may not tell anyone other than you and your attorney that you owe money.



Christina Nagey wrote:
I know that there is no law stating that once you tell a creditor to stop calling your work they have to and I *believe* that they can still call you even though you retain an attorney, but I know most of the time once you retain a lawyer there's no use in call you anymore cause its a lost cause. Not good news, but hope it helps.

CN

medusaswisdom wrote:
Hello All,

Thank you for having this group! It's comforting to know that I'm
not alone in my situation.

I'm 30 years old, married, and way in over my head in debt. My
husband is a musician who gets paid mostly cash, but this year has
been VERY slow for him. All but one of my bills are on only my
name. I had been working 3 jobs to keep up with the bills, but in
October I quit 2 jobs and only kept my full-time job which doesn't
pay all the bills. So, now I've quit paying the creditors and will
meet with a lawyer next week to file individual Chapter 7 (that's
what I'm planning anyway).

My question is this: I had been up to date on all bills until Nov 1
when I quit paying. The creditors have started calling me at work.
Luckily, I work for a small company and have a wonderful boss. She
gets on the phone and tells them not to call me at work (blah blah
blah...), but they are still calling. Isn't there a law where once
you've told them not to call you at work they have to stop?
Or does that only apply to you once you've retained a lawyer?

Also, those of you here who have filed Ch. 7 already, would you mind
sharing with me your story of the "aftermath". Do you have trouble
in certain situations, or is it still better than the stress you
felt spending all your income on bills instead of food and clothing,
and having some fun every now and then?

Thank you all again!

Laura
(in Louisiana)