Posted on 01/15/2009 10:23:34 AM PST by Puppage
I have to keep a land line where I live. I was getting up to six calls a DAY from people wanting money. I now screen calls through the answering machine. Most money grubbers don’t last through the first couple of words. I know I’m probably missing calls I’d like to take but they will eventually leave a message.
The story says that there was no estate to pay off the debts, so the couple probably needs to have all of the debts discharged in probate court.
Once a court order is in hand, copies to the creditors, along with copies of the son's death certificate, will stop the harassment, under penalty of contempt of court.
I have an obscure last name.
There is someone that shares my last name, but not first, gender, or address. I have a listed phone number, she doesn’t. I don’t know this person (and the address they have for her is a town 40 miles away). I get calls for her from collection agents.
It takes using as belligerent a tone as they use with me, with their supervisors to get a given agency to stop calling me. (the usual response to my “no such person has been at this number for more than 20 years”, is “cut the crap, and put your wife on the line” - I happen to be single, and I suggest a three way call with the AG’s office, and that usually gets them to actually put me on the don’t call list)
Unfortunately they or the bank then sell the account to another company, and the next agency starts calling.
While it may be the right thing for you to dobase upon how you feel about it morally; you do not have to pay off the debts of someone else.
Did the son have a Will?
Perhaps the creditors were assuming there was some form of Probate being handled by his next of kin (parents) and they were trying to get their outstanding obligation paid too.
Knee jerk typical corporate scare tactics against a bereaved family.
It’s always about the money.
Debt collectors routinly call people with the name name in the area the debtor was from, “can I talk to so and so - do you know where I can get in touch with him?” Once you admit you know them, you’ll get called about three times a week, usually around dinner time.
I have had it happen with relatives and former employees, I tell the agency to stop calling me, and they call me anyway. I find out where the call is comeing from, and call the local sherrif with a complaint and request a restaining order.
Then if they want to violate the restaining order they can go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
It’s easy for the media to score points by railing against debt-collectors — but these people are just doing their jobs, and are working off long lists that don’t give details.
Don’t blame someone for trying to collect on a legitimate debt or contract that was agreed to of one’s own free will.
Just another reason to screen you calls via the answering machine, and of course keep your home phone number ‘private’.
Sorry about that debt collectors can go to hell comment. I still think they should, but you can stay. Okay?
Soooooooo, after how many calls to the parents do they actually get enough of the details?
They also contacted her ex-boyfriend's mother's home, who she hasn't seen in 7 years and have been harassing them and telling them lies about how they got their phone number and address, they said my daughter claimed to live there when the bill was incurred. Unfortunately, their number is listed, the creditor must have pulled the prior address from her credit report. My daughter just hired a lawyer to countersue them for harassment.
These people are ruthless. I had a creditor come to my work one time years ago after I had just filed bankruptcy after bad divorce...100% payout, I pay my bills, just needed a reduced payment plan....and shove me in front of several employees. I filed assault charges and they were forced to eat the debt.
I agree. I do blame them for trying to collect from me instead.
Unless you co-signed for them, how are you responsible for the debts of other adults?
If you inherited something from your mother and the creditors want a piece of that, you do not owe anything to those creditors. It is your mother's estate that owes the creditors and your mother's estate will become completely "yours" only after all the estate's debts are paid off.
You are not paying off her debts. Her estate is.
If that is not the case, you have no legal obligation to keep on paying.
I have been harassed by debt collectors for the Hispanics that had my telephone number about five years ago. Now, I know why so many people have had this number. Sometimes, they call multiple times a day and when I explain that I have had this number for several years and before that, it was a plumbing company, they apologize but say that they have no way of taking the number out of their system. Then I promise to call the police and complain of harassment and the calls stop for a few months. Last time I told the idiots to try googling the people because, that’s what I did.
ROTFLMAO! No problemo, friend. I understand your feelings on this.
What I was collecting ‘on’ wasn’t subject to this kind of thing, it was much larger purchases, like homes or big assed boats, luxuary cars, that sort of thing.
I know, I’ve done skp tracing, subro work, everything you can do thats remotely related to investigations actually.
I think you are probably correct.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
collection agencies have learned how to respond.
They NEVER tell you up front who they are, they only give a generic name (tom, jane, dave). when you ask why, they do not answer they will only ask if the caller is the target.
There is a whole script they are trained to use in order to avoid the law as much as possible.
It is really fascinating stuff.
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