Collection calls are starting? What do I do or say?

[HelpMeFast!]

I just saw the piece on 20/20 tonight and one segment covered debt collectors. I was already setting myself up to deal with the storm of calls that would start coming to our house, but what I saw on TV scared the hell out of me. I never even thought about that they might call my job! I work in a wafer fab that runs 24/7/365 and everyone knows everyone there. The phones are shared throughout the area AND the supervisors are generally on the floor most of the time. If they decide to start calling my job, I'm going to be in big trouble. I even saw some threatening to call the payroll department directly. I don't know how that would help them here in Texas (wage garnishment is not allowed). I have a total of 4 cards that I'm including in the BK and no secured debt that is late or behind (my house and car are current and I'm reaffirming them). I'm meeting with our lawyer for the first time tomorrow morning. I've talked to quite a few on the phone and finally settled on one that is also a Trustee. The calls just started this week. I quit paying my cards about 6 weeks ago.

Here are my questions:


1. Should I answer the phones at home and try to talk to any of the credit card companies at all?

2. What is the likelyhood that they'll call my job and is there anything I can do to stop them?

3. I have one cc with a balance of $300 that's just $10 a month. Can I keep paying that (I can afford that) just to keep one more company from calling me?

4. If I have other cards that have zero balances and are in good standing, will they be automatically closed.

Thanks, I can't wait until this is all over.

[bethe23432]

Whenever they call just answer the call, be polite, tell them you are in BK and give them the name and number of your lawyer and ask them to call the lawyer from now on. When I did that, most stopped calling. If they did call again, I just told them again. Only one argued with me, trying to convince me to work out a payment plan with them. I told them if they had not jacked their interest rate up from about 8% to 29% for no reason at all then I would not be in BK.

Nobody tried to call my job. Since my discharge I I have started using my Chevron card again. From the point of hiring my lawyer through discharge, which was about 7 months, I didn't use it or any other card. They did not close the account.

If I were you I would include the $300 card, they are the least likely to call you anyway. If they do call, just explain like above.

Good luck.