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GOT ANNOYING BILL COLLECTORS? HERE’S HOW TO STOP THEM FROM CONTACTING YOU

Garcia & Gonzales, P.C. June 8, 2015

When you owe on some debt and haven’t been able to make your payments on time, bill collectors will usually start bombarding you with calls and mail to try to get you to start making debt payments again. While these calls can be distressing, you should be aware that there are some things you can do to:

  • Put a stop to bill collectors’ attempts to contact you.

  • Start climbing out of debt and improving your overall financial situation.

Stopping Bill Collectors’ Calls: Here Are the Steps You Can Take

1 – Request a validation notice.

When a debt collector contacts you about a debt that you allegedly owe, that party is legally required to send you a validation notice within five (5) days. If you don’t remember receiving it, you never got one or you (or someone else) may have tossed it out, request another validation notice.

If a bill collector fails to send you this notice, it may be possible to get off of the hook for repaying that debt.

If, however, you do receive the notice:

  • Check to ensure that the debt is actually yours (i.e., a debt you accumulated). Just because a bill collector is contacting you about a debt, it doesn’t mean that the debt is yours; in some cases, it could indicate that someone stole your identity and is now racking up debt in your name.

  • If the debt is yours, retain the validation notice. You may need it later if a bill collector tries to sue you.

2 – Send a “stop contact” letter to your bill collectors.

You can also stop bill collectors from contacting you by sending them a “stop contact” letter via certified mail. Although this letter will not resolve the debt in question, it can stop the bill collector from calling you and sending you mail about the debt (unless, that is, the bill collector proceeds with legal action against you regarding the debt).

3 – Try to work out a settlement with your bill collectors.

If you have some funds to work with, another possibility for stopping bill collectors from contacting you is working out a settlement with them. In fact, what few people realize is that bill collectors can be willing to negotiate settlements on outstanding debts, as they would prefer to get some portion of the money owed (rather than possibly getting nothing).

4 – Consider filing for bankruptcy.

If you don’t have the money to repay the debt – and you foreseeably won’t have it any time soon (because of, for instance, unemployment or overwhelming debt), then another good option for stopping bill collectors is to file for bankruptcy. In fact, when people file for bankruptcy, an automatic stay goes into effect, and this court order will:

  • Stop creditors from calling or contacting you in any way

  • Stop creditors from trying to sue you, garnish your wages and/or repossess your property.

Denver Bankruptcy Attorney at Garcia & Gonzales, P.C.

Are you looking for real relief from serious debt? If so, you can trust an experienced Denver bankruptcy attorney at Garcia & Gonzales, P.C. to provide you with experienced help, honest answers and the highest quality legal services.

To learn more about your best debt relief options, as well as how we can help you, contact us today by calling or by emailing us using the drop-down contact form at the bottom of this page.

When you contact us, you will communicate directly with one of our attorneys, not a paralegal or legal assistant. We welcome Spanish-speaking individuals to contact us also – hablamos Español.