Have bills being piling up lately and you are unable to make payments? Are you unable to make even the minimum payments on your credit cards? Are you not picking up the phone due to fear of the caller being your creditor? Does all of your debt problems lead to anxiety and depression?
Relax, there is hope.
Pick-up the phone.
Not picking up the phone is not the best of choices I would recommend. You never know, your creditor might be willing to reduce your obligations or slash down the late fees. Pick the phone and talk it out with your creditor and see what is in store for you.
Be calm and factual.
When you are calm, you can very well expect the other party to be calm as well. Be brief about not being able to make payments and be factual if there is any good explanation.
Convince the caller.
Convince the caller that you will start to make payments very soon. Create an impression that you are knowledgeable and trustworthy. The caller is just someone acting on behalf of your creditor and may very well not be your employer. Making his task easier will give you a breather. Give him a chance to respond better and before you know, he might recommend ways of getting out of the debt mess. More than your past history, your current calm attitude will go a long way in convincing the caller that you are more likely to cough up the money.
Explain your problems.
While explaining your problems be factual as far as possible. Give them events or dates when things started to get out of hand. Tell them the mistakes you had made and how you intend to pay them back. Do everything you can to improve your relationship with the creditor and avoid getting in hot water with them.
Suggest a time-line
Suggest a time-line during which you will start making payments and the amount you can currently afford to pay. Creditors will be more than willing to accept your time-line because frankly most of them do not have other options. Convince them you will stick to your schedule and cut out checks as soon as money is available.
Credit counseling.
If you think you will not be able to get out of your debt problems, contact a reliable credit counseling or debt consolidating firm in your neighbourhood. Consolidating your debts might be the answer to unlock the hidden equity in your home and free you from the debt burden. Even if you do not own a home, debt consolidators will still be able to help you with novel ways of reducing debt.