Stop Debt Collection Calls In Ontario
How to Deal with Debt Collection Agencies
Stop hiding from debt collectors! With our help, you can put an end to irritating and intrusive collection calls for good.
How to Deal with Debt Collection Agencies
Debt collection calls can leave you feeling stressed, frustrated, and even infuriated. They interrupt your day, distract you from work, and remind you of your debt problems every waking minute. They can leave you feeling helpless, not knowing what to do next or where to turn for help. It’s important to know you can stop debt collection calls today with a debt settlement plan.
At David Sklar & Associates, we can help you find the right debt settlement plan to stop debt collection calls immediately. Our team of Licensed Insolvency Trustees will review your situation and recommend a debt relief solution that works best for you.
Stop calls by filing insolvency
Being harassed by creditors is not something anyone wants to deal with. Unfortunately, the bill collectors won’t stop unless you repay the debt or find a debt settlement option that will protect you from collections.
If you are unable to repay your debt and want to explore your options, we can help. A consumer proposal might be the right solution for you.
Why do I keep getting collection calls?
Collection calls occur because you’re overdue on debt payments you owe to your lenders. These payments can be for a credit card, line of credit, personal loan, payday loan, or another type of debt.
Initially, your lender will attempt to collect the money you owe them using their own collections department. If they fail, they’ll send your account to a debt collection agency. Usually, this occurs 90 – 120 days after your payment’s due date.
Collection agencies are professionals who specialize in recovering unpaid debts from borrowers. Typically, a collection agency receives a portion of the debt they recover as commission. But sometimes, lenders sell the entire account to an agency at a discount if they no longer wish to collect the outstanding balance.
In Ontario, debt collection agencies frequently use auto-dialers to track accounts and initiate calls. Once your name comes up on the list, you’ll automatically receive a call. If you don’t answer, your name goes on the list for future contact. This cycle repeats until you respond to the call.
Debt collection laws in Ontario – know your rights
Suppose you’re the recipient of calls from collection agencies or companies to whom you owe money. In that case, it’s crucial that you understand your rights and how Ontario debt collection laws work.
Though debt collection agencies are entirely legal in Ontario, they don’t have free reign to do as they please in recovering debts from borrowers. The province’s Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act outlines specific rules collection agencies must abide by while conducting their business. If you believe an agency has violated these guidelines, you can submit a complaint.
First, any debt collection agency that operates in Ontario must register with the Ontario government.
Second, they must send you a written notice through the mail informing you of impending collection efforts. The written notice must contain specific details, including your creditor’s name, the amount you owe, and the type of debt you owe. The collection agency must then wait six days before they contact you.
A debt collection agency in Ontario can:
- Contact you Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Contact you on a Sunday between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Contact your spouse, a member of your family, a close friend, a neighbour, or your employer. But only under specific circumstances
- Perform a credit check on you and add the outstanding debt to your record
However, they cannot:
- Charge you any fees on top of your outstanding debt
- Employ pressure tactics or harass you in any way
- Contact you during a holiday
- Use threatening, abusive, or coercive language
- Contact you more than three times over seven days
- Provide false or misleading information about you to your friends, family members, or employer
- Recommend that a creditor pursue legal action against you without notifying you of this intention first
How to stop debt collection agencies from calling you
There’s only one sure way to stop debt collection calls in Ontario (or anywhere else in Canada): you must settle your debts.
One option is to negotiate a payment plan with the debt collection agency personally. If you wish to take this route, ensure you have a solid plan. Do you intend on repaying the debt in full? Can you afford to make partial payments?
Be sure to consider your budget and commit to only paying what you can afford. Honour your agreement by making timely payments. And always be courteous, reasonable, and diplomatic when speaking with the collection firm’s agents.
Another option is to enlist the help of a qualified Licensed Insolvency Trustee to eliminate most or all of your debt. Licensed Insolvency Trustees are the only professionals who can legally file a consumer proposal or personal bankruptcy in Ontario on your behalf. Both proceedings will force debt collection agencies to immediately stop their collection efforts and calls.
Filing for a consumer proposal will stop debt collection calls
A consumer proposal is a way of consolidating your debts and offering to repay your creditors a smaller percentage of what you owe them. It’s a legal agreement you make with the help of a Licensed Insolvency Trustee and is a federally regulated program.
It offers the following advantages:
- You get to keep all your assets
- You’re no longer responsible for paying interest charges on your debt
- You receive legal protection from creditors, which means they can’t initiate lawsuits against you or garnish your wages
A consumer proposal will also legally stop all debt collection calls within five days of filing.
Once your creditors accept your consumer proposal, you’ll make one low monthly payment to your Licensed Insolvency Trustee, who’ll distribute the funds to them. Your monthly payment will be based on your income, expenses, assets, and what you can afford to pay. You’ll have five years to pay off the debt, but you can settle it early with a lump sum payment, too.
Typically, a consumer proposal will result in a lower monthly payment than personal bankruptcy, allowing you to save more and rebuild your credit faster.
Filing for bankruptcy will stop debt collection calls
Filing for personal bankruptcy is the other government-regulated, legally binding, formal debt solution offered under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA). It’ll stop collection calls from creditors and shield you from any legal actions they pursue against you. But it has different financial implications than a consumer proposal.
When you file for personal bankruptcy, you must surrender your assets (with some exceptions) to your creditors. In addition, the impact of bankruptcy on your credit score is more severe – it’ll remain on your credit report for up to seven years. Given these negative consequences, you should consider bankruptcy only as a last resort.
Put a stop to debt collection calls with help from a Licensed Insolvency Trustee
No one wishes to be harassed by creditors through relentless collection calls. Unfortunately, the call won’t stop unless you repay the debt or find a debt settlement solution that offers protection from creditors.
Negotiating a payment plan with debt collectors is the obvious way to prevent them from calling you. But suppose you cannot afford to make repayments of any kind. In that case, exploring other options is crucial before the problem escalates.
If enough time passes, your creditors can file legal action against you and garnish your wages or bank account. As a result, you can quickly fall behind on other expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments.
If collection agencies are causing you financial hardship, it’s time to take action to resolve your debts. Our team of Licensed Insolvency Trustees can assess your situation and guide you through a consumer proposal or bankruptcy to safely discharge your debt.
In most cases, a consumer proposal will get the job done. You could potentially eliminate up to 80% of your balance owed!
See how much you can wipe out using our debt calculator. Or, if you’re ready to tackle the debt collectors, contact us for a free consultation to discuss your options
Getting into debt is easy. Getting out is a different story.
But it's still possible!
Did you know there is a Canadian debt relief program federally regulated by the Canadian Government, designed to help citizens avoid claiming bankruptcy? This amazing program can only be administered by a Licensed Insolvency Trustee (LIT).
If you’re struggling to make your payments every month and creditors won’t stop calling, we can help.
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We are David Sklar
Our team of Licensed Insolvency Trustees in Ontario can help you get out of debt and in control of your own financial future. We’ve helped thousands of people and we can help you too.
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