that reage plan is great. It's pretty rare we can use it but if it's avail to you then take it. What it does is we agree to accept those payments instead of the full amount of payments u missed and restart you at 0 days delinquent. This will not take you out of bieng over limit however so if you are get yourself under asap. Once under limit you can try and negotiate your apr as I'm sure it has been raised to 25 or so because of delinquency

Forgot to mention. All of those offers are on a timer not always available so take advantage when it's offered. They won't put those offers in writing because they are only valid for short periods of time. chances are your first payment has to be recieved within 14 days of when it was setup or it will be void.

That sounds good, however your collection reps never allow us to talk to you and the supervisors are not very cooperative. Now what you suggest collection manager?

The reps have the same access to pretty much everything we do. Generally us getting on the phone is only when we have made a mistake (yes we make plenty) or if someone is irrate but then we are less likely to be as helpful. The computer system reviews the accounts and tells us whats allowed on each. 90% of it is helping you find what your budget will allow and our experienced collectors are very good at that. Say you haven't made yer min payment in 3 months so u have a fee for that every month and your credit is showing 60 days delinquent. Don't worry about the overlimit at this point we only report delinquency. Making the amount of payments missed stops the fess and brings you up to date on the credit bureau...making just you normal min payment (always 3% of your total balance) will hold you at 60 days until you are able to make more. When you speak with us the more you are willing to pay and the more arrangements you set the more we can do. #1 rule if you set up checks over the phone we can do more for you because you are less likely to call in and cancel than to just change your mind if you chose a different method. Tell them when yer paydays are and what you can afford and let them work on it with you. Collectors comision is split 60/40 based on 60% being # of accounts you bring out of collections in a month and 40% on how much money you collect. just fyi they don't get credit for money above what it takes to get you current so they aren't usually trying to oversell you it wastes time and it's better to get it done and move on cause the real money is how many accounts you bring out of collection. A customer that can use thier card is making us more money than someone in collections not paying. We do want to help you. If you think the rep is rude or doesn't know what they are doing...hang up and call back. It's much faster and you are more likely to get better service than if you get upset and wait for a manager. that about covers the basics but if anyone has more specific problems and wants my suggestions feel free to post I like what I do and I got to where I am by helping people in your situation.

fyi- not to upset anyone but don't bother recording calls they are in-admissable in court as you must advise us you are recording and our policy is to tell you we do not permit it. However...you can subpeona ours as well as the full documented history on the account. We do not record all calls but we do record some mostly for the purpose of evaluating our reps and improving on thier skills and correcting there errors for future.

[Not so Lucky]

Collections Manager,

Recorded conversations are admissable in court. We have used them. Depending on what state you live in, you don't have to inform the other party of the recording. How do you think we caught Encore in so many violations? And if we chose to tell you and you keep talking, you are giving your permission to record.

I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert on every states laws. Thats something I was unaware of. What state is that? Our reps are trained that if someone does say they r recording they are to ask them to stop and wait for verbal confirmation they have stoped recording. If they don't get that they are to disconnect the call. Every company does have it's share of employees not familiar with policies though. I would suggest to get the our notes on the account though. Was encore handeling your card as first party or third. When you talk to them do they say they are encore or capital one?

[Not so Lucky]

They stated they were from Encore. Then after they spoke to us, continued calling up to fifteen times a day. Encore has cursed, called us deadbeats, told me to get off my ass and get a job, liar, etc. You need to look up and see what states you can do a one party permission and whats states have to have both parties consents.

[imkimssister]

wow!! I guess I'm lucky. They were calling me once a day every day, even after getting my cease letter to stop all phone calls. Just recently, they stopped for about three days straight, I thought they were done, now they're calling every other day instead of every day. I have never talked to them on the phone, I refuse to and they know I have told them to stop calling but yet they continue to do it over and over again anyways. I have never answered once and I have never returned their calls and I'm not going to. Especially after hearing what you've been through. what jerks!!! I am getting call blocking on my phone, but I figure then, they will find another number to call from. shirley

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

I don't work at a dreadful place like Encore, but where I work I really am ready to walk. I didn't fall off the back of a turnip truck one morning in front of a collection agency and have a job handed to me in a little gift-wrapped package with a bow. I can tell when someone is flat broke, yet my orders from management are to dictate the terms and maintain percentages. I've heard it all from both sides (debtors and managers) and I'm f'ing sick of it all. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, the rock being my manager who sets unrealistic collections goals for me, and the hard place being debtors who are as poor as a church-mouse. My health both physically and mentally are being affected by this three ring circus and I am really about to crack! Help me forum friends! Or else you'll find me in a padded room somewhere doing the Curly-shuffle in a straitjacket!

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Another thing that is really wreaking havoc on my once-positive attitude in collections is trying to build rapport with people only to be called a "funky-ass
****", the c word, told never to f'ing call again, and have some snitty little witch read me a cease and desist over the phone when I have never harassed anyone in my life! I try and try and try and just get shit on. I'm not pointing fingers around this forum, because there are no irresponsible louts logged on here. As for all the selfish, rude, overspending parasitic losers out there...I GIVE UP!!! Wallow in debt! Do what you want! I'm quitting!

****Adult term removed - Jason

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Sorry if I seem overly irritable. I have a cold and I'm just completely petered out.

[imkimssister]

Oh Ari, I already consider you my friend and I'm glad that one day you decided to drop by here in the forum, and we got to meet you. You are a special person. I know your job sucks, I KNOW IT DOES. You are not the bad guy, you're just doing your job and trying to make it in this world just like all the rest of us. THis is you trying to earn a living, trying to put food on the table. You are merely the messenger of what your boss tells you to do, the middleman if you will, yet you have to take alot of crap from debtors who won't pay their bills. To be honest, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. I know theres alot of @ssholes out there that work in the collection agency field--we've all dealt with them, but theres also a lot of @sshole debtors too, as I'm sure that you have dealt with. I'm sorry you feel so down, lifes too short not to be happy doing what you do. It sounds like you could use a hug. ((((hug))))Shirley

[Jedi Mistress Ari]

Thank you Shirley ever so much for letting me vent! Oh my goodness gracious does my job ever suck! Lunacy it is! No lunacy here in the forum though! We're here to be at each other's side and provide emotional safety nets, we all need each other!!!

What we all don't need is the mind games that brought us all together in the first place. I find that a lot of the time the client is the one in the wrong. I'm noticing patterns with clients including Wells Fargo, Rehabilicare, and all the payday loan pigs. I just tell the debtors who claim this that while I file their account as a dispute, that they need to touch base with the creditor, and sometimes their HMO at the same time. I tell them "truth first, money later" because so many of these clients are complete charlatans and it's so embarassing to be stuck in the middle of some big clerical error. Every time I see a retail accout or a bank card my face goes pale because I know I'm about to get my eardrums blasted with profanity.

Just to let everyone know, there is one guy at my office who gets himself in hot water frequently with fdcpa corner cutting and sidestepping. He probably spends two to three hours a week in the general managers office getting screamed at because a borrower complained about his crap attitude. One time the manager let him have it right in front of the whole office! Yet he's still cruel to borrowers, he just doesn't get it. Ironicly, his collections numbers every month are astronomical compared to mine! He's getting complaints on a weekly basis and laughing all the way to the bank, I'm letting people have their say, giving them their space, and extending them a fair length of patience, and I'm squeaking by! This is an elaborate farce!

Still waiting to hear back from Coca Cola. I've applied for more positions. I think they pay their vending-machine guys better than this agency pays me!

[imkimssister]

Still waiting to hear back from Coca Cola. I've applied for more positions. I think they pay their vending-machine guys better than this agency pays me!

And you won't have to put up with all of this crap either. I know theres a certain level of 'crap' in every job but you REALLY are in a bad spot. girl, I hope you get it, I really do!! I will be thinking of you and sending good karma your way. Please let me know the minute you hear something. hugs, shirley

Here's an update:

Encore called today and set up the reage program with us. It was explained to me as the gentleman in the previous posts explained it. I have 3 payments of $250, then it goes back to Cap 1 in March, and she told me to see if they'll do something with the interest rate (was 9% now 25.9%.) She told me I'd get a letter in the mail showing the agreement within 14 days or so. I did speak to a supervisor to set it up. I explained everything we had going on (medical bills basically) and told them about that Jack*ss that was calling me and being so ignorant.

I think it all depends on who you talk to at places like this?

I'd like to thank everyone for their insights! I really appreciated them.