Cease and desist letters are a great way to get creditors off your back
If you owe somebody money, chances are collectors are calling your phone, and they may be totally overdoing it. Of course, there are laws that they cannot call you early in the morning or late at night, but during the day they can call ten times or more. Their tactic sometimes is just to drive you crazy until you pay. Do you have to just take this kind of crazy abuse? The answer is no! You can instead write a cease and desist letter to them, after which they must stop calling.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) gives you the right to stop third party debt collectors from calling you, so if somebody is hounding you, you can take action to put a stop to it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) actually took one large collection agency to court recently, so the threat of a cease and desist letter may be all it takes to get some peace of mind.
You can resist verbally for a collector to stop calling you, but it would not be wise to depend on an oral request. They are not legally compelled to comply, even if you tell them day after day to stop calling. They are not, however, allowed to call you at your job after you have requested they stop verbally; you need only say that your employer does not allow these calls.
Cease and desist forms are readily available at many spots online, including customized forms. Simply put the letter together and send it to the collector who is being a thorn in your side. Of course, to do so, you will have to collect the address from the collector when they call. It is probably best to send this letter via certified mail, and is well worth the few dollars it will cost you to be sure it arrives at its destination. Be sure that the collector received the letter and has it noted in the computer system. The next time the collection agency calls, ask them if they received your letter. Of course, if they say no, but you have the certified mail slip that tells you otherwise; make them aware of that fact. You can also track it online at the USPS site.
They may contact one more time within the law. The FDCPA says the collector may call you one more time after they have your cease and desist letter. This contact must be made by mail, and will let you know their further intentions about the debt they had been calling to collect. It will say they won’t take further, they might, or that definitely will take further action.
A new collector may call; rinse and repeat as necessary. Collection agencies buy debts for pennies on the dollar and any money collected is profit, so they are often resold, especially in the case where they have been unsuccessful in extracting any cash out of you. Simply send a cease and desist letter again to this new collector. Be aware it may be passed again until you pay it in full or it is cancelled. This is a process you can do yourself. However, if you need help many reputable debt relief companies are available online to assist you with any debt related issue. In any case, eliminate your stress as soon as possible and get the peace of mind you deserve.