so apparently they just assume that EVERYONE has huge credit card bills?

[dysfunctional press]

i just got another cold call from another company that wants to help us bring down our credit card/unsecured debt...we usually get a few of them every day- and we don't have ANY such debts. the first few times it happened, it made me nervous that we had been the victims of identity theft, and somebody was ringing up big bills in our name, so i tried asking which accounts they were talking about...it turned out it wasn't about any specific card or debt- they're just cold-calling under the assumption that everyone has a problematic amount.
in my 47 years, i've never received these kinds of unsolicited calls in the past- things are just getting worse and worse for what our society is morphing into.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Nah. Your name/number got sold from one company's list to another.

I DO have a large amount of debt, and yet I get "pre-approved" offers in the mail all the time, which are based on my "good" credit.

I also get offers to refinance my home, but I don't own my home.

No, it has nothing to do with your credit, good, bad, or indifferent.

[dysfunctional press]

2. i know that it has nothing to do with actual credit...

that's my point- we're getting a lot of these calls, and i don't remember them ever even existing in the past- even when i've had huge bills and bad credit.

[sendero]

23. Simple..

.... the market for these services is way up and hence they are trying to sell them.

What's the mystery?

[dysfunctional press]

24. no mystery about it...just pointing out that it's a fairly recent phenomenon...

even in past bad times, these type of "services" were nowhere near as prevalent as they are today.

[hayu_lol]

6. I've been getting about 15 calls a day from companies like this...

Long ago, I quit answering the phone--let the machine answer. Credit card debt relief and reducing home interest etc etc are what the bulk of them are about.

What few friend/business calls I get...my friends know that I don't pick up until I hear their voices.

Really annoying though, all these calls.

[Mountainman]

3. They keep upping the interest rate so that as your money goes for higher

food and gasoline prices you can't make you payments anymore and up goes your balance again.

We should all refuse to use credit cards for a year or so and all decide to drive 50% less, and maybe eat cheaper foods.

[dysfunctional press]

4. we pay ours off right away now, so the interest rate doesn't matter to us...

but we do also get calls from companies offering to lower our rates as well.

[CTyankee]

7. When I finally made a budget (about 17 years ago) I realized how much money

was going for debt service and I vowed never to pay an interest payment again on a credit card and I haven't done so. I was not in very much debt back then but still, it irked me to pay for nothing.

I like the feeling that I am the credit card companies' "worst" customer! They make nothing off of me!

[Mountainman]

10. I hope to have mine paid off by next year. I don't ever want to see it again.

[XOKCowboy]

13. I got a shock this year when I counted up the interest fees...

I was able to deduct the interest on my business card for the first time this year. It was a definite "slap in the forehead" moment. I'll never get that far in debt to a credit card again.

Besides, it feels good to be my credit card's worst kind of customer. The kind that carries no balance and pays no interest. :)

[CTyankee]

14. Plus, I don't use credit cards that don't pay me "points" toward something.

I get rebates off gasoline with one card. I use it only for gas and mechanic work cuz I like to see what my auto gas and maintence runs me each year (for budget adjustment). My other card gives me points toward clothes and everything else I charge goes there. The points add up and I have some good wardrobe additions I paid nothing for. And free shipping, too!

[XOKCowboy]

17. LOL Yep..

I'm all about points and miles. I travel a lot and use them for upgrades, discounts and free trips. It adds up.

Like I said, it feels good using their money and getting free gifts. Just never get behind.

[DJ13]

5. I get those robo calls all the time

My wife and I dont even have credit cards, got rid of them a few years back.

[Warpy]

8. I get those, too

and I haven't had a credit card since 1991, when the appearance of junk fees and demands for minimum monthly payments tipped me off to the beginning of a scam. I do just fine with an ATM card on a junk account with a low balance in case some hacker gets the information.

Those cold calls are probably productive, though, since a lot of families do have a lot of credit card debt because they're using plastic to supplement falling income to maintain their lifestyle.

It's probably a safe bet that we're a tiny minority in this country, debtaphobes.

[XOKCowboy]

9. Well the credit industry has done it's best to ensure that most people are overextended

They're now virtually unregulated and give out credit cards to anyone.

I have to have credit cards but when I went freelance I paid all of my balances to zero. I now use only one for business purposes and pay it off completely every month. Otherwise I use my debit card or cash. With the turbulent financial times we're in now I'm on a cash only basis. Everything I have is paid off and I don't spend it if I don't have it.

Luckily (knock on wood) I'm healthy and business is very good. Ain't it great having to live day to day in the greatest nation on earth?

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Are you on the 'do-not-call' list? If you're not a direct 'customer', they're not allowed to call.

[bikebloke]

22. I'm on the Do-Not-Call list and get them

So first I ask which company they're calling from (via Bangalore) - and that's like pulling teeth. Then I inform them about my Do-Not-Call status and how I never fail the report these calls. Of course I ring off with a resounding, rude fuck-off.

And then I do report the calls.

[dysfunctional press]

25. if a non-american company is calling from outside the u.s. does the no-call list even apply to them?

:shrug:

[AlCzervik]

12. i have a BOFA Mastercard, they hoovered up MBNA so every now and then i get

call from them or mail "We would like to offer you a BOFA mastercard!" and i always tell them "I have one already, thnx bai". I'm sure they'd like me to get another one and rack up some debt but that's not going to happen.

[Staph]

15. I get calls every day

to lower down my credit card debt (but I only use a debit card) and to extend the warranty on my (now 14-year-old) car. It's cold calling at its worst -- ignore it.

[dysfunctional press]

19. we get the car ones too- a LOT...

i thought that it might have been the place that changes our oil that sold the info, as our car recently hit 100K miles- and they'd be the only ones who'd know that.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

16. Its actually a pretty safe assumption..

With a median debt of more than 2K and an average of 10K..

[notesdev]

18. Check this out

http://www.whocalled.us

Just put the number that shows up on the caller ID in there and if there's a record, it tells you who it is. Helped me greatly in sorting legitimate calls from those companies that ignore the do-not-call list.

[dysfunctional press]

20. they've also started using cell phones quite a bit...

when i look at the caller i.d.- it says "cellular call" with different and unfamiliar area codes.

[soothsayer]

21. Money IS debt. That's practically the only way money is made anymore.

So everybody wants to buy your debt, own your debt, and sell your more debt.