Don’t Talk to Debt Collectors
When should you talk to a debt collector? And why shouldn’t you talk with them otherwise?
You Should Only Talk to them If you Have a Good, and Immediate, Reason to Do so
As a recent commenter pointed out, debt collectors are often “not nice.” But whether they are nice or not, their job is to take your money away and give it to their company. That means that, personality aside, their interests are against yours, and you should never mistake politeness with being on the same side. Likewise, you shouldn’t polite discourtesy for power or anything other than what it is. In this video we review the basic rule of communications with debt collectors: it is rarely a good idea.
Hang up when you’ve said what you need to say
Once you have said what you need to say to the debt collector, if anything, you should hang up.
There are too many bad things that can happen for you to stay on without a good reason. You could make admissions that damage your case (if they get around to suing you), you could give them information they could use to take your money if they sue you and win.
Remember that what lawyers usually hate more than anything is a lack of definite information. Every time you open your mouth and speak to a debt collector, you’re giving some lawyer what he or she needs to decide to sue you. And even telling them you don’t have any money may not be helpful because that could tell them it would be easy to beat you in court.
Less is definitely more when it comes to talking with debt collectors.
