It can stop the calls. It can also leave the collector with only one move.
A lot of sites will tell you to send one. It does stop most phone contact. After the collector gets it, they generally get one more call to confirm they received it and to tell you what they plan to do next.
That solves the ringing phone. It also paints a target on the file.
Once you take the phone away, the collector’s cheap tools are gone. Letters are slow and weak. The remaining effective tool is a lawsuit.
They may send the account back to the creditor or debt buyer, who then places it with another agency — or with a local collection attorney. If you sent a cease-and-desist once, the owner of the debt may assume you will send another, so they are more likely to skip the call center and go straight to counsel.
In our opinion, only when the debt is past your state’s statute of limitations.
A verbal request to stop work calls should be enough.
Debt collectors are more well behaved in today's day and age. A verbal request to not receive a call to your workplace is usually followed without any additional requests. If you encounter the rare collector who doesn't honor that, speak with their manager and they likely will.
Most collection accounts are never collected. You want to stay in the large pile of files they work by phone, not the small pile they pull out for special handling.
A cease-and-desist letter or blocking their number pulls you out of that pile.
Better than blocking: create a new contact in your phone, assign their number to the contact, and assign a silent ring tone to the contact. This way when they call, the phone rings normally on their end and yours doesn't. A voicemail usually just means they keep dialing the same number. If the call goes straight to voicemail instead, they can tell you're blocking them and they start making other choices. This is not a foolproof strategy, they can and usually do call from different numbers. Just continue to add those other numbers to the same contact to minimize the problem.
This is not advice to ignore creditors. You should still reach out when you have a plan. See our article about some considerations you should make before you do.
Ignoring them can still lead to a suit. A cease-and-desist makes that path more likely.
If you are struggling financially and cannot afford to defend a lawsuit, do not pick the option that increases your chances of being sued.
It stops most phone contact. After the collector receives it, they generally get one more call to confirm receipt and to say what they plan to do next. It does not stop a lawsuit, it likely increases the chances of one.
It can. Once you take the phone away, a lawsuit is one of the only tools left. The account may be sent back and placed with a collection attorney since they are no longer allowed to call you.
When the debt is past your state’s statute of limitations. Instead of sending a cease and desist letter to a debt collector, we recommend creating a new contact in your phone, assign their number to the contact, and assign a silent ring tone to the contact. This way when they call, the phone rings normally on their end and yours doesn't. 6 rings and then a voicemail usually means they keep dialing the same number. If the call goes straight to voicemail instead, they can tell you're blocking them and they start making other choices. This is not a foolproof strategy, they can and usually do call from different numbers. Just continue to add those other numbers to the same contact to minimize the problem. Ignoring them can still lead to a lawsuit. A cease-and-desist makes that path more likely.
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