What to tell work when creditors are ringing for me

Hi all

My partner and I are saving towards bankruptcy. We have just missed the 2nd months payments on the mortgage, loan and credit cards.

The constant phone calls are getting me down, we have unplugged the house phone and screen all mobile calls, however today just after my mobile had stopped ringing my works phone rang, fortunately due to the precise timing of the call I suspected it was a creditor ringing for me, so I answered the phone and when they asked for me I said I was not there today!

I know going BR is not going to be easy, but I am currently a nervous wreck. We are voluntarily giving back our house and we move into rented accommodation at the end of October, whereby we should also have the funds to declare BR, but I am feeling really weak with it all today and my emotions are all over the place, questioning why the hell I am putting myself through all this extra stress.

Sorry, I just need to vent my feelings as I feel very down today, I hope it won't feel like this for the next few years.

What should I say to my colleagues in case they answer the calls, should I just be honest with the creditors now so they don't embarass me further at work, or wait it out until we go BR?

C33
«1

Comments

  • Hi,
    If it is any consolation now, you WILL feel better once you have gone BR and the calls either stop or you can tell them to go away, if they continue to call then you tell the OR and they get very stern with them.
    As for the calls to work at the moment, they really shouldn't be saying what it is about, the other option is change your home phone number, mobile number (always put 141 in front of their number if you call them to stop them "capturing it") and call them, tell them you have a new works contact number, give them a number of anything, pizza parlour down the road, they will update their records and will plague the pizza place instead.
    Generally all my creditors backed off when told I was going BR and more so afterwards, there is no point them wasting their time anymore.
    In purely my experience it takes them at least three months to get really crappy with you, especially if they cannot phone you, remember you are not alone in this!

    good luck!
    every time I manage to get one more breath into this body, I will sing a song of thanks to you my brothers, my sisters, my friends, may your sleep be peaceful, and angels sing sweetly in your ears.
  • Thanks

    Like I said, just feeling a bit sorry for myself today. I have insomnia at the moment, and have just started having anxiety attacks, so feel a bit weak today, it threw me when the work call came in.

    Hopefully tomorrow I will feel strong enough to tell them what we will be doing next month.

    Thanks for the support.
  • Hi,
    If it is any consolation now, you WILL feel better once you have gone BR and the calls either stop or you can tell them to go away, if they continue to call then you tell the OR and they get very stern with them.
    As for the calls to work at the moment, they really shouldn't be saying what it is about, the other option is change your home phone number, mobile number (always put 141 in front of their number if you call them to stop them "capturing it") and call them, tell them you have a new works contact number, give them a number of anything, pizza parlour down the road, they will update their records and will plague the pizza place instead.
    Generally all my creditors backed off when told I was going BR and more so afterwards, there is no point them wasting their time anymore.
    In purely my experience it takes them at least three months to get really crappy with you, especially if they cannot phone you, remember you are not alone in this!

    good luck!

    Hi,

    Prior to going BR I was plagued by many calls from DCAs. I became totally fed up with the calls and didn't want to give out a random number (you never know who'll pick up the phone) so made a point of answering one call and gave them each other's number as my "new work number" on the same day that I changed my mobile number.

    Oh how I would have loved to have been able to listen to those calls.:rotfl::rotfl:

    Someone else I know claimed they were now working on a support line and the only way to contact them was on an 09 number (which was charged at around £5 per call) although it was actually one of those 'prank' phone call lines where the 'person' on the other end would scream and shout over some made up situation (you got my daughter pregnant, etc.)
    "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't -- you're right" - Henry Ford
  • Thanks for that, it made me laugh!! :rotfl:
  • Made you LOL, made me think.... could I get a 09XX number that gives me an income whenever it is called (or an 0845XX which gives an income but at a lower rate) and give this as my contact number to DCA's etc, at least I would be getting a £1 per minute when they call me :):)
    every time I manage to get one more breath into this body, I will sing a song of thanks to you my brothers, my sisters, my friends, may your sleep be peaceful, and angels sing sweetly in your ears.
  • The previous poster obviously has the right idea but failing that a good tactic is as soon as you realise who is calling to put the caller on hold - indefinitely! You should have no qualms about being thick skinned with these people, just refuse point blank to talk to them.

    If they speak to a work colleague or indeed anyone else then they are not allowed to divulge the reason for for the call.
  • I'm not sure whether it's illegal to ring you at work but certainly against the OFT guidelines and they certainly shouldn't be giving out any details about why they are calling.
    Are you allowed personal calls at work? If not then hopefully everyone will say to the caller you are not allowed personal calls at work. Can you have a quiet word with your manager about things?
    Hopefully you won't get any calls at work anyway.
    df
    Making my money go further with MSE :j
    How much can I save in 2012 challenge
    75/1200 :eek:
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,244
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Under OFT guidelines they should not be calling you at work. However, you should be communicating with them. You have the right to insist that all contact should be in writing, but should at least reply to their letters and emails. Personally I would reply saying that I was suffering an unexpected financial crisis and so this month I could only make a one pound token payment towards each debt, but was working to resolve the situation. Most creditors are a lot happier with a token payment than with no payment at all.
  • I emailed my creditors and said that I had an appointment with a CAb advisor to discuss the debt at so and so date in about a months time and some laid off and some replied and said they would leave it till such and such a time before contacting me again. I did have that appointment but I didn't mention it was a BR specialist at the CAB and we would be completing the forms together. Maybe you could email the companies quoted your reference numbers, name and address and saying something to stall them? It's so much easier to ignore an email than a phone call. I never ever give my phone number to anyone anyway. If companies insist on having a number I give them a number I've used in the past but is now obsolete.
    "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." Dalai Lama
  • Ineedaname
    Ineedaname Posts: 3,653 Forumite
    Just to relieve the stress... Having Fun With Debitas is a great read!
    When I joined, I needed a name. The forum members gave one to me...I am INAN :D
    "Fortunes ebb and flow and a boat must move with the tide and be thankful that it floats." Judith Allnatt
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