Did they stop after you retained an attorney??

[whatamess]

I paid my attorney in full and he said when they call now to tell them to call him and him only for now on. He also said if they keep calling after he talks with them they can be sued!
Odd thing is, no one has called now for a 48 hour period to tell them this!
Has this worked for you? We still wont have our petition done for approx one month.
Wam

[BKTango]

I paid my attorney in full and he said when they call now to tell them to call him and him only for now on. He also said if they keep calling after he talks with them they can be sued!
Odd thing is, no one has called now for a 48 hour period to tell them this!
Has this worked for you? We still wont have our petition done for approx one month.
Wam

Once you retain the attorney, yes by all means tell any collector that calls that you are in the process of filing and give them your attorney's info and let them know to contact him if they need any more info. (This is the polite way of doing it) Keep in mind that some will and can still call until your case is filed with the courts, most probably will not bother though, once you are filed give them your case number and that's that. If they continue to contact you after that then yes they can be legally held liable.

[brokeinmichigan]

Nice & quiet!

It's been a lovely past couple weeks...virtually all calls have stopped since filing. Have had to give atty name/contact info & case number to a couple of creditors, but they have all been very pleasant. One even thanked me and wished us luck! It's REALLY nice not having to screen calls!

Hoping for brighter skies ahead...

[amc25]

Hello to all!

I am new to this thread and just posted about my situation under ch 7 topic.

anyhow i came across this post and i have to say that about 2 weeks ago, i had called a collector becuase i was doing my paperwork and needed more info...case # etc

anyways, i called them got the info i needed and hung up. well i guess they have caller id and the next day they called me. i explained to them that i retained an attorney and will be filing ch 7 shortly, well she said what is you bk file #, i then said i have none of that info and i said please contact my attorney, after that she said, i wont stop calling untill you give me the case # and i said well by law i think you need to call my attorney, at that point she got so mad and said i thought you want the calls to stop and then hung up on me.

it goes to show how people really love to kick you when you are down!
Just thought i would share
by the way, she never did call back.

[frankies_mom]

I am getting close to filing... later this month it looks like. The calls are getting crazy but I have not answered. If you do answer and tell them you are filing and give them your attorney.... do they note this and use that as the "date you knew you were going to file?" I have between 4-5 months since last usage on my cards and have been scared to tell them thinking that's when they'll start the clock on me. Or can they not do this until you actually file?

[poorme]

A 'QUIET' phone is a beautiful thing....!

I fondly recall the first couple of times DW and I could watch our favorite tv shows without having to turn off or bury the phone! Ah, bliss...

[jal1129]

Personally, I never answered the phone and told them anything. I kept my house phone unplugged (for about 6-8 months before we filed) and only plugged it in when I needed to make a call, and believe me just about eveytime I plugged it in it was ringing! Anyone who needed to reach me knew my cell number and called me on it.

If they want to go after you for when "you knew you were going to file", sure, they could use it against you if you tell them you are going to file. So if you are trying to fly in under the radar I would'nt tell them anything. They can also ask you things like "when did you first consult with an attorney".

[tofargone]

I'm going on a little over a month of no creditor calls. I still look at the caller ID before I answer out of habit.

Friends came over the other day and I didn't have to turn the ringer off. No bank house inspectors ( the ones that make sure you still live there ) for over a month.

Whatever else happens during this ride I can say that the last month has been the most peacefull time i've had at home in years.

[JRScott]

I retained a lawyer myself, haven't filed yet (signing June 13th) I have paid the lawyer in full. I work weird hours, two calls so far that I've given my lawyer's info to. One was careful to repeat the information to me. I asked my lawyer monday if they had called and so far noone has called his office about it . I am looking forward to quiet phone syndrome . (PS I work graveyards so sleep during the day and probably miss some calls )

[whatamess]

It went quiet for four days

Then yesterday they called NINE times. NINE!!! Thats on CC company. The other two called between that one. I am newly late on the other two.
I am leaving them in limbo just a bit longer so I can file before the big one sues.
WAM

[JRScott]

Then yesterday they called NINE times. NINE!!! Thats on CC company. The other two called between that one. I am newly late on the other two.
I am leaving them in limbo just a bit longer so I can file before the big one sues.
WAM

On the first call did you inform them you had retained a lawyer, that seems very excessive. Perhaps you should mention that to your lawyer.

[lrprn]

Once you file and give them a case number, they HAVE to stop. Until then, you are fair game.

Did you answer the phone and talk to them all nine times? You don't have to answer at all. If you have an answering machine, turn off the phone ringer, record a message with your name on it so they won't move on to your relatives and friends, and pick up messages off the machine periodically instead. Or if you have to answer because you don't have a machine, as soon as you identify yourself and find out it's them, just quietly hang up. You have no obligation to talk to them - none whatsoever.

Collectors sometimes get paid for how many calls they make and how long they keep you on the phone. They know the longer they keep you talking, the higher the chance you'll say something they can use against you or you'll cave in and send them money just to get them to stop calling. Don't fall for that game! You are in complete control here - just hang up or turn off the ringer for some peace and quiet.

[whatamess]

Lol

I have not talked to them, I just check my caller ID and write down the number to see how much each bank is calling. I will put my name on the machine though, as its one of those verizon voice message things with no name or number. I dont want them calling my sisters..oh lordy would that cause hell. Thanks for the heads up!
WAm

[wrinkleigh]

We have a caller id on our satellite that tracks all incoming calls and gives the number of times they called.

From the time we stopped paying in November -- to the time we filed in January, here are our #'s:

Discover 1,467
Chase 997
Amex 625
Unidentified 569

It got SO bad that we put our phone on top of the fridge, so the kids couldn't get to it.

By the way -- we NEVER answered a single call.

[HenriettaHen]

Holey Moley, Wrinkleigh! I started tracking my calls in the first few months after I stopped paying, and I have logs and logs of them - but eventually I stopped keeping track because it was too time-consuming...

After that I just listened to the calls at the end of the day, took notes about jerks, and then erased them all. My little treat at the end of a long day.

I bet the end total is in your range somewhere, but it sure speaks volumes to see the numbers like that!

I just think of how much it costs them overall to hire all these callers and pay for all those calls. Makes me feel all kinda tingly inside.