There are some collection agencies that are more reasonable in the communications with debtors and will work with them to find solutions. Others will harass them with daily telephone calls to threaten to ruin their credit for all time. In order to cope with the stress of these agencies, you must learn how to handle collection calls.

Get the full name of the person who calls just as soon as you can manage it. They MUST give you their name. Be honest about your financial situation and do your best to work out a payment schedule that will satisfy them. You have the right to ask them to stop making any threats. Be as polite as you can, but let them know that you won't accept threatening phone calls. If he or she persists, contact your creditor directly and give them the name of the collection agency and the name of the person who is harassing you. You should also report the agency to the Better Business Bureau.

You don't have to accept abusive phone calls. Write down the times of any further phone calls and note the threats that are made.

Many collection agencies feel that using intimidation gets the best results and since most of them use the telephone, they think that they can say whatever they like to recoup money owed to their client. Very few people take collection agencies to court because it is so difficult to prove the harassment. No paper trail is left behind, so be sure to write down any and all communications with the collection agency yourself.

A lot of people who owe large amounts of money are ashamed of that fact so they almost feel they deserve the abusive phone calls. This is certainly not the case. A bad credit rating does not warrant poor treatment. Report any collection agency that use scare tactics to the company that hired them. Let that company know that you won't work with an agency that uses abuse as a way to get their money.

Some collection agencies will tell you that they have the power to ruin your credit score. Not true. There are two things that can damage your credit score:

1. The first time that you miss your monthly payment; and

2. When you were reported to a collection agency.

There is nothing that the collection agency employee can do to make your credit score worse than that.

Don't accept false claims about your credit score intimidate you. You do not have to accept that sort of harrassment from collection agencies.