Question: I am 1 week late on paying a payment to a creditor. I have called them and let them know that the person I work for has not paid me yet and I will let them know which day to withdraw the funds as I am changing banks. They have called me 6 times today….3 times within one hour. The excuse is that it is a machine that is dialing not them and that they have the right to call. I see this as harassment and am already considering bankruptcy as my financial situation is now out of control. Can they continue to call me this often?
Answer: Unfortunately if you are behind on your payments, your creditors will continue to call. Most of them now use an automated dialing machine, so if you don’t answer they will call you again in a set period of time. They don’t consider it harassment, since they only count the calls you actually answer.
You have two choices. First, if you believe you will have the money to get them caught up very soon, your best option may be to simply tell them that you will be able to pay them within two weeks, or whatever, and then just keep repeating that information every time they call. Once you pay them, the calls will stop.
The other option, as you suggest, is to do something formal, such as filing a consumer proposal or declaring bankruptcy in Montreal.
If your debts are small, go with the first option. However, if you have no hope to repay your debts, you should speak to a bankruptcy trustee to explore your other options.
