POST

As promised, based on our many years of experience assisting people like you wondering what to do when receiving calls from creditors looking to be paid, here are some tips to handle these calls both before you see us and after you see us, depending on what action you decide to take to address your financial problem. The idea behind these tips is to give you hope that there is a way out of your financial mess and the calls that start coming when you are in this situation will eventually stop once you are on track again.

If you have not yet seen us yet, here are some tips:

Be straight with the caller: Let the creditors know if you have recently experienced financial hardship and you are currently seeking a way to resolve your situation.

Avoiding answering the phone is not always the answer: Many of the individuals we have seen advise that when they see an 800 number they just do not answer. We believe it is advisable to try to at least determine who it is that is now calling, since that assists us when reviewing your situation.

Keep a record: of the individuals you speak to, which company they represent, the date and what you discussed

Stay calm: Stay as poised and composed as possible when you talk to creditors. If you feel ready to lose your temper, tell the collector you will talk to them later. Call back when you feel more peaceful.

Ensure your privacy is respected: It is generally understood that when you are behind in payments, the party to whom you owe money is permitted to call and ask you for payment; however it is not acceptable for the collector to tell others that you are behind in payments; please make note of these incidents and bring them to our attention when you come and see us.

Once you have booked an appointment with us and have seen us, please follow our advice with respect to dealing with each creditor. Some examples are:

If you are going to file a consumer proposal, and receive a call from a credit card card company looking for payment, we normally will suggest that you let the person know you are going to sign papers and when that date is. The caller, if experienced, will normally say that a note will be made in your file and that you should contact the collection agent once the papers have been filed. A similar approach should be applied to a situation where you have made an appointment to return to our office to sign bankruptcy papers, but always check with us to ensure that approach makes sense.

If you have met with us and have not yet determined your course of action, please confirm with us what is most appropriate in that circumstance.

Once you have filed a consumer proposal or filed for personal bankruptcy, it is much clearer as to what action you should take when receiving a call from a collector.

We often hear from debtors after their proposal is filed who advise that they are still receiving some calls. The reason that they sometimes continue is that not all ‘front line’ persons acting for each creditor get immediate notice that you are now protected from your creditors, even though we have sent the official notice to that creditor.

The good news in this case is that you know have something that will bind you and protect you from any further collection action against you by creditors you have included.

You should let us know that you are still receiving any calls so that we ensure they have been notified. You will also have in your possession a certificate of filing, which has a file number, the legal proof that you are protected, which you should not hesitate to provide the creditor still looking for payment.
If it is a creditor that you did not provide to us, please let us know immediately.

While collection calls are stressful, we can help, by meeting with you and seeing what solutions are available, so that you can finally have an answer for those looking for payments which you are no longer able to make.

Please call us at 416 736 HELP (4357) to make an appointment.