If you hang up, they will call back!!!!!!!

This is basically taking undue advantage of someone who doesn't know anything about the collectors calls. If they have legit reasons to call, the person should not hang up on the phone. The debt is to be put in writing with correct info and payments will be done on the account.

If the CAs don't have any genuine purpose and still call, why should the person stay on line and hear his crap.

but just fyi///////that is why they continue to call///it is more of an aggravating tactic....

Exactly one lamb. If they call and you owe the debt listen. But repeated abuse is nonsense. As i have posted before Drive Financial contacted my brother while his baby was in intensive care. Thats taking it to far nobody should have to put up with crap like this . How would the collectors like to be trated this way? KYSIDE38

That would fall under harassment in the fdcpa. My company fires people who do stupid things like that.

My opinion about debt collectors is Why???????????

Why would someone want to do that for a living???

Why????????????????????????

There are other jobs out there that would feed ones soul!

Unless of course your soul does not need to be fed,then by all means collect away!!!!!

Because it pays well enough to support my large family giving them the things I feel that they are deserving of. It's also better than being unemployed while waiting for a job that won't pay half as well.

To each his/her own I guess!!!

I don't want to be a wet blanket here, or offend anyone, but why criticize someone for whatever job they happen to have? I would almost guarantee you, not many of them started out saying "I'm going to go out and get myself a job in collections..." - I think for most of them, there was an ad in the paper, they needed a job, saw the ad and said "Hey, I can do that" - and proceeded to get a job so they could feed their families. They need to make a living too. I realize we are all offended by the tactics SOME collection agencies or PDL companies use, but why take it out on the ONE person from that industry who has come here with good advice and information for us?

Just my $0.02

No business is bad. People give the business a bad name.

Just like a rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch, one person doing illegal things gives the whole industry a bad name. unfortunately, in collection industry, these types of people are many

You could ask the same about many jobs. I cleaned houses for 2 years....Basically I went into people's houses and cleaned up stuff that even THEY didn't want to clean up...Some people are nasty. I cleaned up things in people's houses that I would be MORTIFIED for a stranger to come in and find in mine.

I have a college education. But at the time, I was under a major amount of stress/depression and could only work part-time. I wanted something out of the way of people where I could be alone, do my job and then go home.

You would not believe the way that some people would look at me. There was one "witch" that I cleaned for that looked at me like I was a piece of garbage. Talked down to me. I didn't care..I just kept it in mind that I was only there because her husband slaves at his job so she can stay at home and NOT take care of her own house. I didn't care what she thought. I was the one making $150 for 5 hours of work. I was cleaning her house by CHOICE...She was a "B" by choice. We're even. :)

Ok, so I'm rambling..and probably don't make any sense..But let's not criticize eachother for the choice of employment...You gotta do what you gotta do. Someone has to fill the job.

The important thing, Beauty is that YOU follow the rules. The heck with whatever the others around you do. If they break the rules, YOU don't break the rules. You'll be the one to get ahead in the world, not them.

"FYI" is a great person for you talk with and share ideas with. She works in the industry as well, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you out.

Very good Jessi - your last couple of lines remind me of what I am ALWAYS telling my kids (and myself on occasion):

"It doesn't matter what everyone else does - it matters what YOU do."

Or If everyone else was going to jump off the bridge, would you jump to? lol Sorry, I'm going overboard...I'm so tired...lol

LOL - go to sleep, kiddo! LOL

Roadwarrior----Everyone is blessed with certain gifts in life and I believe those gifts are what lead people to certain occupations. Maybe FYI's gifts are that of patience and empathy. To me a collector would HAVE to be very patient and empathetic to be able to not only try and get customers to pay, but also be able to relate to their financial situation.

I don't see a darned thing wrong with being a collector. How on earth is it a moral issue? I piss people of at my job daily, too..Employees tell me constantly that they have no respect for me and call me a b**ch behind my back..Just because I sat in on a disciplinary hearing and put a note in their file, or because I received a writ of garnishment on them and refuse to contact the creditor for them. Someone has to do my job, or there would be mass chaos..People wouldn't get hired, paperwork wouldn't get done, paychecks wouldn't get cut. It has to be done. Many of the employees at my company are union, and they refuse to shop at Wal-mart because they are not union. When our company tried to save money by eliminating the company janitorial position and bringing in contractors to do the job, these people made their lives hell. Because they were "scabs" they were a bad group of people. Never mind that these contractors needed to work just as much as anyone else.

Someone has to be a collector. People don't pay their bills, someone has to collect on behalf of the creditors, it's part of our capitalistic society. What's wrong with doing that? Jobs aren't that easy to find right now.

This has become a bandbox for me....I just don't agree with criticizing collectors as a whole. We all need to remember, FYI is one of the most valuable forum members here..I think she's probably saved a few people's tails here with her realistic advice. And she's a collector.

Forgive me for my rant..I'm tired too.

If you don't answer they eventually stop calling :lol:

Hey Polly...Am I paranoid, or was that comment for me??? :lol: What's up with shopping in the near future?

First off, I would never fault anyone for their choice of employment, as long as it's legal--and from what I can see bill collecting is definately that, as long as the fdcpa is followed. We all do what we have to to keep a roof over our heads.
And Jessi, you are spot on when you talk about the way people talk to those who clean for a living. I see it at the hospital where I work when people talk about housekeeping. I can tell you that they have one of the hardest jobs there and I definately would not want to have to clean bodily fluids, etc for a living.
And speaking of union jobs going to contractors, let me answer this from a labor persective. As I am extremely active in my own union, I can tell you that I would also be protesting this for two reasons: one, obvious loss of union jobs at the facility and two, you know that these contractors are being paid less with less benefits, which is not good for working people. And if the company can do this once, they will do it again, believe you me. Just my two cents...

I am so thankful for my union. But I do understand that everybody needs a job. But I am with kscornell, I would probably be protesting also, because if they are able to do it with one department, then they would just work right up the ladder to other departments and do it to them as well. But that is just my opinion. And I think some companies attempt this for the reasons kscornell mentioned to pay less in salaries and less (if any) in benefits, which means more families without healthcare coverage.

I try to be patient and reasonable on the job. I follow the law without question because to be completely honest I love my job and no debtor is worth me loseing my job because I think I can push them more by breaking the law. I guess I was fortunate enough to get hired on with a company who placed me in the division that works best for me.

When I post here I try to keep each post locical and factual as I possibly can.

It's easy to sympathize with someone in debt as I have been there myself but I always wish that I had someone like me, who took the time to explain things to me, when I was deeply in debt. Symopathy more times than not has a crippling effect on someone who is already down on their luck. They need someone who will try and help them work with the situation instead of giving up until income tax season or forever.

Maybe it is easier for me to be nicer because I've been in debt and I do not work with charged off debt.

I can see your points...As administration, I am non-union. But, I have to do payroll and such for the union employees. My company is a utility company, the biggest of this kind in the US..You have heard of it. I have hundreds of employees that I have to argue with daily. 8 years ago, the only entry level job at this place (which pays EXTREMELY well for the laborers, is very hard to get into, and has excellent bennies) was as a janitor. We make energy here, it's a big factory, and very dirty. The union janitors, who were being paid $20+, just weren't doing their jobs. Plain and simple. The stock in our company plummeted, and the uppers had to cut corners. So..They took the janitors...Put them in other positions in the plant, no one lost their jobs or got paycuts..And hired in contracted janitors for $10 an hour. Less of them can do more-and better-work than the union workers did, and they are a terrific bunch of people who do a great job.

I can see why the union people are upset..They think that these contracted employees are taking the jobs of their union brothers and sisters. Well that's fine, but argue about it with the people who make the decisions, not the workers. Some of these people, in order to make the contractors quit, will go number 2 and smear it on the wall and sink. They do this weekly. If I ever find out who the sob is that does that, his ass will be out the door so freakin' fast he won't know what hit him. These people are verbally abused and get shoved around on the elevators. Trash is thrown everywhere for them to clean, and coal dust is smeared on the walls. Is there any excuse for that? why should the union workers be protected when they behave like this?

I can see your points too, fins--and I do agree that anyone who smears sh** on the walls should be written up ASAP. There is no excuse for that type of behavior, period, and besides, it's not only disgusting, but a health hazard! And when it comes to harassing contractors, all I can say is that we have a paragraph in our contract that stipulates that everyone (managers, non-union and union) will treat each other with courtesy and respect in the workplace. As a chief shop steward for probably too many years (!) I would say that anyone doing that is in violation of that paragraph, if you have an identical one. That should not be tolerated.
And if a union employee has performance issues, then it's totally on their manager to address them within contract. The union there should want to help their members address the issues and get on track.
And off track, Navy's beating Army!!! (hubby, my old submariner, is laying here smiling..)