How to Stop Capital One Calls

You can stop calls from debt collectors by putting your request to cease calling in writing.

With more than $50 billion in credit card account receivables, Capital One of McLean, Virginia, is one of the largest credit card issuers in the United States. Capital One was founded in 1988, by Virginia businessman Richard Fairbanks, to meet credit demand in under-served markets. Over the last decade, Capital One has become a major player in sub-prime credit lending with more than 50 million customers. Capital One also offers other credit products, including auto and home equity loans. One way that Capital One has maintained its position in the industry is by employing an army of debt collectors who make millions of calls every year to the company's customer base.

Instructions

1. The easiest way to stop creditors, such as those from Capital One, from calling is to keep current on your obligations. Creditors have a right to protect their financial interests. While no creditor has the right to harass a consumer, credit issues do have a right to ask that you repay credit advanced on your behalf. The consumer protection laws differ in every state, but Congress has passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDPCA), which sets federal minimum standards for debt collection.

2. Write a cease and desist letter to Capital One asking that the company honors your request to not call you anymore. The FDPCA allows consumers to opt out of being contacted by phone by debt collectors. While most creditors will accept a verbal request to stop all calls, it is best to document the request and send it by certified mail to the offending creditor. There are civil remedies available to consumers who can prove that a creditor called after receiving a cease and desist request.

3. Hire an attorney to handle negotiations with creditors. Once you have legal representation and inform reputable creditors -- such as Capital One -- that you have hired an attorney, they will cease all communication with you. Creditors that are informed a debtor has hired legal representation will only contact your attorney unless you state otherwise.

References

• CreditInfoCenter.com: The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act
• BCSAlliance.com: Debt Collectors: How to Get Them to Stop Calling
• Consumerist.com: Debt Collector Will Stop Callng if You Sue.

Resources

• Debtsettlementlawyers.com: How to Stop Debt Collectors from Calling You at Work