Now imagine this: your phone rings, and suddenly, it’s like you’re starring in a high-stakes game show with a debt collector where the only prize is a whole lot of stress. But fear not—this show has a twist, and you’re the one holding all the cards. We’re going to give you the in on how to deal with these grimey collectors.
Be Chill With It
First things first, when you pick up and hear “Hello, this is Mr. Moneygrabber,” Chill out and don’t worry. These collectors are just overconfident hustlers, trying to make you sweat with their less than honest high-pressure sales pitch. Hit them with the legal protection and repeat this: “I do not owe this debt, but if I do what are my options?” And you know how they say this call will be recorded? That little line saves you just in case they try to be slick and take you to court which rarely happens. If they try to say you owe some crazy number like 15K, the judge is going to question them to pull out some receipts, which they most likely won’t have.
Keep It 100 with Your Finances
Let’s be real—your bank account ain’t exactly overflowing, and that’s perfectly fine. Don’t play like you’re rolling in cash. Instead, let them know with a wink in your voice, “Look, just because I’ve been eating $1 pizza for the past week doesn’t mean I’m broke, but I’m working on it. How about we cut a deal that doesn’t involve me selling my soul to you?”
Stand Up To Them
If they start to turn up the heat, don’t let them pressure you and make you slip. Toss them a friendly yet firm, “Thanks for the enthusiasm, but I’m not up for a deal right now.” Negotiate and let them know you only got a couple of dollars so they probably won’t fight for it. Let them waste their time trying to get you on the line, but just let that phone ring.
Don’t let them play you
Another way they’ll try to play you is by saying you can pay anything today, but don’t. Once you make a payment, you start the statute of limitations clock all over again. We’ll give you all you need to know about that in another article, but for now here’s the sparknotes. Let’s say during the 2020 COVID pandemic, you raked up a bit of a bill on your credit card but didn’t pay it off because it was tough times and people were stressin’. Those collectors are demanding payment and harassing you. The key to this is making sure you know how long can pass by before these people start harassing you. For example in NY it’s 3 years. If they’re threatening to take you to court, they’re capping because legally they can’t, so you get to keep your cents.
Your Dollar = Your Game
We’re trying to drill this shit home! Just like 50 cent said, ”I don’t know what you heard about me, but you aint getting a dollar out of me.” So, the next time that phone rings and you hear that dreaded “collection call,” just remember to not let them pressure you and be firm, and even better, just let it ring and let them talk to that voicemail. If you keep getting those pesky ass calls and dont know how to get them off your back, hit up one of our Quvisor’s to help with what to do next!
