Is it a good idea to ignore debt collector's calls?

[redskulldangerzone64]

[razelove]

If you think you can avoid getting served the summons to court for another 10 years, like not having any property under your name for that long, and family/girlfriend that will say they don't know you whenever the door is knocked on.

Either pay the debt or prepare for a long haul of turtling. If they drop serve you, or confirm that you are you, then continuing to ignore them means they can go to court without you and get a judgement that starts accruing interest, until they get to a point that your wages can be garnished and property foreclosed.

I tried turtling on like 4 or 5 grand when I was in college, mostly because I disputed the charge. They went to my grandma's house asking if she'd seen me and said they were an old friend, bam, served. They're going to get creative when the deadline to file gets close, most likely they'll get their money and you won't win unless you go full hermit for a while.

Say you're getting lonely and a hot girl from high school is calling you, a match on tinder, message on FB, stuff like that was standard a decade ago, I can't imagine now.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Depends on your legal system, in mine it just postpones things, just a little as a court order will inevitably fall

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

In the states, no. In my case, I had some pretty bad medical debt that the hospital sold to a collector before they could finish processing my financial aid application. A quick phone call to the collector to explain this made it easy for them to back off and stop contacting me until it was fully processed. And once it was done, I contacted the collector again to let them know that they had approved my financial aid and I owed them nothing. These collectors buy these debts for pennies on the dollar for a massive profit. They want to work with you to take your money, take advantage of that. If you do it right, you end up paying a lot less than what you owe if it’s not just forgiven outright.

[purplepoppy]

Yes. Answering confirms they have the right contact details and they'll advance to the next stage. Your best bet is to ignore them at first but seek debt advice from elsewhere. Usually something can be arranged like consolidation or smaller payments

Debt collectors get paid a percentage of the debt. If it's only a small amount they may consider it not financially worth chasing.

[AI Opinion]

Ignoring debt collector's calls is generally not a good idea. Open communication can prevent escalation, such as legal actions. It’s important to understand your debts and any discrepancies. Try negotiating a payment plan or seeking advice from a financial adviser. Keeping the lines of communication open demonstrates a willingness to resolve the issue responsibly.

[LiamJHayden]

Depends on if the calls are actually for you. I get calls all the time on my phone for some guy who used to live in Irvine and had my number in the 2000's. I had to change my VM Message to let them know he does not have this number.