[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Hi everyone,

Recently, while still living up in the South Shore area of Boston, I spoke proudly of being a student loan collector. Why? Because I felt a sense of purpose in keeping educational funding circulating.

I have since moved to Pensacola and taken a new collections job in close proximity to my new home. Collecting credit cards, bank crads, medical bills, and worst of all payday loans. I hate it. I feel no passion or purposefulness slapping people on the wrist for overspending, and as far as payday loans go, I just flat out hate it. I know damn well that they are corrupt and a scam. How is getting cash from a pawnbroker in exchange for unlimited access to your bank accounts not loan sharking? They are designed to make people bounce checks which can be construed in a court of law as deliberately passing bad checks. How is that not corrupt? I think we should all write to our congressmen or state reps about this.

I'm looking to leave the collections business altogether and start my marketing career a little early. I have an application in at the nearest Coca-Cola Bottling Company and have high hopes for this. I also know that I've made a lot of headway on this forum helping distraught borrowers and trying to give collections something of a good name. What do you guys think? I'd like some input from other members as to what the wiser decision is.

Don't get me wrong, I like the people I work with now, they're very friendly and the company is great. Yet it is small and can't exactly pick and choose it's clients. So here I am speaking on behalf of these charlatans at the payday loan places, and the only contact I get all day is a single mother whose child is sick in the hospital and she's so broke that she's driving an unsafe car that she's one month behind in paying, and my job is to tell her to put the sick kid and unsafe car behind an pay the loan in full. WHAT??!! That's just disgusting. Every time I'm at work all I want to do is go home.

Advice for the disillusioned collector anyone?

Sounds to me like you have a conscience, and you are in the wrong line of work. I remember when those payday loan places started up. They should be illegal. I got caught in a rut where I was always short of money every payday, so I had to keep going back for more. Thankfully a friend helped me out, and got me back on my feet so to speak, so I never had to deal with a collection attempt on a bad check.

The situation you describe above is not one I would want to deal with. There are penty of people out there that have no conscience that can do this kind of work. Your post screams for an excuse for you to get out. Find something better to do. Use your experience to help people.

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Thank you very much for your input, Dr. Dan. I have my fingers crossed that Coca-Cola will give me a shout. I would be very proud to work for such a long-standing, well known, worldwide and prestigious corporation.

[roxette]

Hi Ari! The new job coming at your way looks more dignified than the previous one. You should definitely grab this opportunity and work on a broader platform.

Collection industry has not been still so bad because of good people like you. But it seems that people like you are in minority in this industry and it is quite tough to change the world.

If you hear someone aspiring towards the collection industry, teach him to be a good collector and not to get lost in the majority. I hope you will still be remembered for your noble deeds and set up a good example in this industry.

My best wishes are with you. Happy New Year to you.

Regards
Roxette

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Thank you Roxette, happy new year to you as well. I'm dying to hear the details of your Christmas vacation!
I do have some other prospects in the works, I admit that I'll miss the people I work with, they're great. But feeling like a sleazy loan shark is something I will not miss.

[imkimssister]

Hi Ari!!!! I definitely hope you hear something from coca cola...my daddy put in 30 years with them. great company to work for. good luck to you, I'll keep my fingers crossed. Please let us know how things go for you. happy new year!!!

shirley

[roxette]

Wow Shirley, your dad worked with Coca Cola for 30 long years. It's a matter of pride working for such companies. (hmm....Shirley, you are the daughter of rich parents)

[roxette]

Ari, I had to return back to the city by Tuesday. I enjoyed my weekend in Washington with couple of my friends. It was a short stay but it was sweet.

[imkimssister]

(hmm....Shirley, you are the daughter of rich parents)

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! If I am, then someone sure forgot to tell me!!!! *winkies*
My daddy was a truck driver and ran a route (a route salesman). There wasn't a lot of money in that, at the time. But still a great company to work for.
Shirley

[roxette]

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

hi Shirley and Roxette,

Thanks for all the support, I really appreciate it. I still have my fingers crossed but haven't heard anything. I've applied for a sales/marketing position and a merchandising system. I could get some exercise! As opposed to sitting on my butt 8 hours a day leaving the same old crap message on people's answering machines.

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Hi guys, just an update on how I'm handling the payday loan accounts. My two collection managers pulled me into thier office for a closed-door training session. I was trained to look at these loans as cut-and-dry. People who can't make it from one paycheck to the next walk into a pawnshop and trade a postdated check for a wad of cash. Usually the check bounces and that's where I come in. As far as working the accounts went, I was using the same tactics i used in student loans, I was finessing these people and trying to convince them to pay back by reminding them of potential credit damage. I was told that the reason it doesn't work is because the general popluation of people who stoop to this level of going to a pawnshop for a loan are uneducated hustlers and I have to get a little rough with them! Now, I didn't believe this to be true, but it is a fact that the postdated checks written by payday loan borrowers that bounce can be considered felonious in a court of law! I did not know this I swear on my life! What I do know is that any business who takes the postdates checks is just as criminally guilty as the person writing that check. What a bunch of charlatans! And my managers were right, but to an extent. Most, but not all payday loan borrowers don't see the error of their ways and they don't give a rat's hat about their credit!

No offence Ari, but they are trying to brainwash you with wrong info about bad check laws. I wish I was allowed to post the link to the website that is about check fraud. However here is an excerpt:


Postdated Checks:
Section 3-104(2)(b) of the UCC, defines a check as "a draft drawn on a bank and payable on demand." A postdated check, since it is not payable on demand, does not satisfy this demand. Consequently, it has generally been held by most states that the giving of a post-dated check does not constitute a present fraud nor is it within the scope of the bad check laws.

On a personal note: I wish I could find a financially responsible and beautiful wife/girlfriend like you, Roxette, TTFan or the rest of the ladies on this forum. Every woman that I have dated were after my money and when I was laid off from my job and went thru hard times, they all left me. I am 36 and still unmarried. Where can I find ladies like you? LOL!

[imkimssister]

. Every woman that I have dated were after my money and when I was laid off from my job and went thru hard times, they all left me. I am 36 and still unmarried. Where can I find ladies like you? LOL!

usually in line at the post office mailing out certified return receipt letters to collection agencies....LOL!!! sorry, had to add in a little humor there! Thanks for the compliment though Kam. shirley

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

It's cool, I can have a sense of humour, especially about my job, you have to or else you lose your marbles. Kam, I met my husband on lavalife.com. I used to think that online dating was something only desperate people do, but that's not true. When you have a chance to sift through all these different profiles you better your chances at finding who you truly want. That pic of me to the left of each post was snapped by my husband on our first date! We met n person on Feb 14, 2004 and we got married May 25,2004. See what I mean?

[Cow & Chicken]

Ari,

I think the whole payday loan industry is just shady in general. I am trying to dig myself out of that trap right now with the help of debt consolidation. I don't think most of us plan on this happening in our lives but it happens to honest and hard working individuals. The payday loan companies make it easy on getting into the trap and it's very difficult to get out of once we're in it. There is a lot of shame involved for a lot of us, including myself. A lot of these places operate with out any state licenses. My state does prosecute for bad checks and now ach transactions that act as checks. There are strict laws for both sides. I was a little scared when I read it online but I know that I will be okay. I didn't do it to defraud anybody. I entered into debt consolidation to help with this and to get ouf the cycle of payday loans.