Does this really work on people?

[AngelinaCat]

Folks, this is an OLD thread.

Yes, the information in it may be relevant, but I suggest that unless you have a VERY Good reason for resurrecting this thread, you need to post your questions/observations into a new thread.

The rules for posting in the BKForum, strongly discourages the resurrection of old threads. Here is the link:

http://www.bkforum.com/announcement.php?f=3

Thank you
AC

[GoingDown]

Funny. I did the exact same thing and then after I filed I was able to win a claim against Allied for a few hundred dollars for unfair debt collection practices. I used my recordings and caller ID files to prove a lot of it.

Cool! I am glad to hear this!

Google Voice makes it so easy because they keep a detailed log down to the exact second they called you, and how long the call lasted, the number they called from, and of course, the recording of the entire conversation in digital format, which you can download to your computer, and then copy it to a CD, or send it as an email attachment.

Google Voice is the debt collector's worst nightmare.

[GoingDown]

A month or two before I stopped paying, I contacted all my creditors and gave them "my new phone number" -- a google voice number. I had the GV number set to forward calls during a 3 hour window every few days. As others have said, I didn't want to give them a reason to tell a judge that I was trying to dodge paying them. I wanted to be able to say (and prove) that I never stopped communicating with them.

The creditors were the ONLY people two whom I had given this GV number to. I set the GV number such that when it forwarded calls to my cell phone, the GV number showed on my cell phone's CID (as opposed to the default of showing the original caller's CID). So when I was receiving a collection call, I knew that before I even answered the phone.

Upon answering, I'd immediately press 4 (which tells GV to start recording the call). I'd let the collector say his/her bit about this being an attempt to collect a debt, blah blah blah. Then I'd interrupt before they could go any further and say "I need to let you know that I'm also recording this call".

One call in particular was kind of amusing to me. It went something like this.

ME: Hello
DC: Hello. Is this Don Smith?
ME: Yes.
DC: My name is John Doe. I'm calling from ABC Collection and this is an attempt to collect a debt. This call may be monitored and/or recorded.
ME: Ok. And I need to let you know that I am also recording this call.
DC: Well I can't give you permission to record the call. So you'll need to stop recording.
ME: Well I record ALL calls to this number and will not stop recording. If you are going to continue with this phone call, you'll have to do so with the understanding that I AM recording the call.
DC: It's against the law for you to record a phone call without my consent.
ME: Well then I guess you'll have to hang up the phone if you don't want to give consent. But if you do that, don't forget: YOU hung up on me -- not the other way around. As far as I'm concerned the only reason you'd have a problem with my recording the call is that you're afraid you'll say something you shouldn't say--and that makes me want to record it even more.
DC: <DEAD SILENCE for about 30 seconds>Well I guess it'll be ok if you record the call.
ME: Ok you can continue.

He asked me a bunch of questions to which I gave a bunch of minimalistic answers.

In the now rather rare events, when a debt collector does call, I use a similar script. They call my Google Voice number, I answer the call, press 4, and Google Voice announces that the call is being recorded, but they rarely hear that announcement because it is a computer calling me, and they take 4 or 5 seconds to actually get a live debt collector on the phone. I make sure they know I am recording them, and usually, they want to argue about it, and I tell them, hey, I live in Arizona, and you called me, so it is perfectly legal for me to record this entire conversation. That usually gets them to hang up on me, since they know they are going to say something that will violate the FDCPA.

I then download the file from Google, and then find their email address, and then send them a copy of the recording as an email attachment, so they know I wasn't bluffing about recording them. Usually that gets them to stop calling me forever.

[keepsmiling]

Funny. I did the exact same thing and then after I filed I was able to win a claim against Allied for a few hundred dollars for unfair debt collection practices. I used my recordings and caller ID files to prove a lot of it.

Excellent. More folks should know about this and take advantage of it.

[groovie]

I use my Google Voice number to talk to debt collectors. That way, when they call back, it is easy to record their calls-- I just push the number 4 on my phone and Google Voice records the call--
and if I want to start screening their calls later, I can easily do that with Google Voice, and it is free.

Funny. I did the exact same thing and then after I filed I was able to win a claim against Allied for a few hundred dollars for unfair debt collection practices. I used my recordings and caller ID files to prove a lot of it.

[GoingDown]

Really? When I quit paying my Discover card, back in 2009, within 2 weeks of the first missed payment, I started getting collection calls from their in-house collections department, and after about a month, they became very aggressive with me. I told them very bluntly that I lost my job and could not pay, and they kept calling many times a day. Discover was the only creditor to ever file a lawsuit, either.

I sure would like to call them up just to let them know I have filed for bankruptcy (although by now, they should have gotten the official court notification anyways) and see what they say/ if they are polite about it. Of course, I would use a public phone, since I don't want them to have my real phone number.

I use my Google Voice number to talk to debt collectors. That way, when they call back, it is easy to record their calls-- I just push the number 4 on my phone and Google Voice records the call-- and if I want to start screening their calls later, I can easily do that with Google Voice, and it is free.

[bcohen]

I guess I was lucky -- I had none of these experiences. Discover in particular apologized for my circumstances, and told me many of their customers were in the same boat. I was really surprised.

Really? When I quit paying my Discover card, back in 2009, within 2 weeks of the first missed payment, I started getting collection calls from their in-house collections department, and after about a month, they became very aggressive with me. I told them very bluntly that I lost my job and could not pay, and they kept calling many times a day. Discover was the only creditor to ever file a lawsuit, either.

I sure would like to call them up just to let them know I have filed for bankruptcy (although by now, they should have gotten the official court notification anyways) and see what they say/ if they are polite about it. Of course, I would use a public phone, since I don't want them to have my real phone number.

[OhioFiler]

One of the things I miss post-bk, messing with collectors. We were 18 months between stopping payments and filing so I had plenty of opportunity for fun!

[GoingDown]

I had the same experiences with my creditors. But, I filed within a month of defaulting, so I was getting calls from the original creditors. I think when you are dealing with the collection departments of the OCs, they tend to be nicer. They are still hoping to get you making payments again and keep you as a customer. It is the outside collection agencies or debt buyers that get abusive.

That is generally correct, but not always. Wells Fargo, an original creditor, was very abusive over the phone to me. Same thing with Capital One.

[GoingDown]

Allied <something, Interstate I think it was> Debt collections-- I think. The woman rattled the name like she had a mouthful of marbles

Oh, I have dealt with them before over a lousy book of the month club debt.

They were very unprofessional to me as well.

A simple cease and desist letter got them to stop calling me.

[LadyInTheRed]

I guess I was lucky -- I had none of these experiences. Discover in particular apologized for my circumstances, and told me many of their customers were in the same boat. I was really surprised.

I had the same experiences with my creditors. But, I filed within a month of defaulting, so I was getting calls from the original creditors. I think when you are dealing with the collection departments of the OCs, they tend to be nicer. They are still hoping to get you making payments again and keep you as a customer. It is the outside collection agencies or debt buyers that get abusive.

[159515951]

I guess I was lucky -- I had none of these experiences. Discover in particular apologized for my circumstances, and told me many of their customers were in the same boat. I was really surprised.

[doni49]

A month or two before I stopped paying, I contacted all my creditors and gave them "my new phone number" -- a google voice number. I had the GV number set to forward calls during a 3 hour window every few days. As others have said, I didn't want to give them a reason to tell a judge that I was trying to dodge paying them. I wanted to be able to say (and prove) that I never stopped communicating with them.

The creditors were the ONLY people two whom I had given this GV number to. I set the GV number such that when it forwarded calls to my cell phone, the GV number showed on my cell phone's CID (as opposed to the default of showing the original caller's CID). So when I was receiving a collection call, I knew that before I even answered the phone.

Upon answering, I'd immediately press 4 (which tells GV to start recording the call). I'd let the collector say his/her bit about this being an attempt to collect a debt, blah blah blah. Then I'd interrupt before they could go any further and say "I need to let you know that I'm also recording this call".

One call in particular was kind of amusing to me. It went something like this.

ME: Hello
DC: Hello. Is this Don Smith?
ME: Yes.
DC: My name is John Doe. I'm calling from ABC Collection and this is an attempt to collect a debt. This call may be monitored and/or recorded.
ME: Ok. And I need to let you know that I am also recording this call.
DC: Well I can't give you permission to record the call. So you'll need to stop recording.
ME: Well I record ALL calls to this number and will not stop recording. If you are going to continue with this phone call, you'll have to do so with the understanding that I AM recording the call.
DC: It's against the law for you to record a phone call without my consent.
ME: Well then I guess you'll have to hang up the phone if you don't want to give consent. But if you do that, don't forget: YOU hung up on me -- not the other way around. As far as I'm concerned the only reason you'd have a problem with my recording the call is that you're afraid you'll say something you shouldn't say--and that makes me want to record it even more.
DC: <DEAD SILENCE for about 30 seconds>Well I guess it'll be ok if you record the call.
ME: Ok you can continue.

He asked me a bunch of questions to which I gave a bunch of minimalistic answers.

[ellis2156]

After telling them numerous times I can't talk to them, they need to call my attorney, I got fed up and changed my phone contact number on their website to that of my attorney's.

[plisar]

I had lady from HSBC call me about my account and when I told her that I was filing for BK she said "I am so sorry to hear that, I know how hard that is as it was for me last year when I filed for BK myself" I couldnt believe how nice and understanding she was. She hung up by saying "good luck" .

I thought these calls were monitored and recorded, dont thing her supervisors would approve of such conversation.

Depending on how much you have already paid back, the CC companies have already made more than enough money on you. Since companies can write off BK's, in a lot of cases the debt collectors are instructed to be courteous and friendly.

In fact, at least one of my banks told me to declare when I was trying to buy some time...