Debt Collectors: Men or Mice? - Answering Service Resources

Home
>
Debt Relief
>
Debt Collectors: Men or Mice?

Debt Collectors: Men or Mice?

Who are these people anyway? They viciously harass you and call you bad names. They embarrass you beyond belief by leaving detailed messages with your neighbors and at your workplace. In extreme cases, they have been known to stalk you!

Debt collection agencies are hired by your creditors to do their dirty work. If they get you to pay, the debt collector usually gets a percentage of what you owe, plus added fees. Some debt collection agencies buy your debt from the creditor for a low fee and attempt to collect double and sometimes triple what you owe on your original debt by attaching high penalties, interest and other processing fees.

Basically, debt collectors make a living trying to scare and intimidate you into paying your bills. They don't care that your finances are in limbo because you have recently divorced or that your employer informed you in the eleventh hour that you were being laid-off. All debt collectors care about is that they will get a slice of the pie-if you pay.

Debt collectors convince themselves that you are a deadbeat, sitting on a stack of cash and refusing to pay. By painting a negative mental picture of you in their mind, they feel justified harassing you into paying a delinquent bill. Most debt collectors are just downright mean, nasty, heartless individuals who make a living scaring "the pants off" of people who are simply broke and trying to survive.

One lady reported that after she vehemently tried to explain to an unrelenting debt collector that she was recently divorced, underemployed and didn't have the money to pay the $12,000 credit card bill her ex-husband left her, the debt collector replied, "Look, fat lady, it's obvious that you could stand to skip a few meals. Just send me your food bill for one week to wipe out this debt!" The lady was horrified-not so much by his remarks because she was accustomed to the debt collector being rude to her on the phone-but by his comment regarding her size. How did he know she was overweight? Had he been stalking her?

Debt collectors use many tactics to research you, especially if you owe a large debt. Remember, their livelihood depends on how many people they can get to pay overdue bills-the bigger the debt, the bigger their payoff.

Despite what debt collectors believe, most people are not faced with buying a ticket to Tahiti versus paying their credit card bill. People who are broke find themselves faced with real-life problems like putting food on the table versus paying a credit card bill!

Keep in mind that debt collectors are no different than you are. As the saying goes, "they put their pants on one leg at a time." They cannot physically harm you and the mental abuse they throw at you can be easily avoided (visit www.brokemansurvivalguide.com)

A.M. Harris is he author of The Broke Man's Survival Guide: 50 Clever Strategies to Use When You Are Unemployed, Underpaid or Just Dead Broke and Can't Pay Your Bills. Visit http://www.brokemansurvivalguide.com for more information.

In The News:

Total Debt Freedom Earns a Place in the HOT 50 List of Canada's ...
PR.com (press release), NY - 5 hours ago
Cooper says: “With all the available options out there, competition remains fierce in the debt relief arena; it’s our people and our investment in ...

OIC members urged to build debt relief solidarity
African Press Agency, Senegal - Oct 9, 2008
"I am calling for the development of a tangible action plan to establishing a system of debt relief or cancellation by rich Islamic states for economically ...

Bankruptcy: A bankrupt system?
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - 8 hours ago
... deliver on promises, including lower interest rates and borrowing costs, while raising barriers to last-resort relief for many debt-strapped Americans. ...

THINK TANK CHIEF PRESCRIBES FINANCIAL RISK-SHARING TO PUT GLOBAL ...
7thSpace Interactive (press release), NY - 20 hours ago
Also, the debt relief offered through the 1999 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative and the 2006 Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative ...

How FG spent N308.3bn debt relief funds
The Punch, Nigeria - Oct 1, 2008
By John Ameh, Abuja Nigeria realised and saved an estimated N308.3 bn from its debt relief efforts after the Paris Club wiped off its $19.3bn debt in June ...
FG Spends N2.4 bn Debt Relief Fund on Education –W’Bank THISDAY
all 6 news articles

Banks get relief on farm lending, debt waiver
Business Standard, India - Oct 3, 2008
The government today decided to ease the burden on banks on account of the farm debt relief package and subsidised short-term agricultural loans. ...
Farm lending comes to a halt Hindu
all 2 news articles

Bibo: Debt clock sounding an alarm
Peoria Journal Star, IL - 9 hours ago
So it was a relief to hear that Ross Perot was headed for Peoria, even if his representative said there wasn't time to talk about federal debt while ...

Voice of America
Ministers can throw our cash at crisis, but can't stop crisis
Sunday Herald, UK - 16 hours ago
The recapitalisation of the leading banks, backed by colossal sums in liquidity and debt-relief, almost certainly halted the run on the banks. ...
Why you will feel the pain of the global market slump Times Online
The genie's out. Now they've shown what can be done guardian.co.uk
Can politicians really make banking leopards change their spots? Sunday Herald
all 951 news articles

Congressional hopefuls discuss the economy
Montgomery Advertiser, AL - 3 hours ago
And I think it was the opportunity for Congress to step in and provide some short-term relief, but also understand that it is short-term relief. ...

Escaping the US credit nightmare
MiamiHerald.com, FL - 5 hours ago
I agree with economist Nouriel Roubini that the US needs to create a federal homeowner's mortgage program to provide massive debt relief to the household ...

debt relief - Google News

Answering Service ResourceAnswering Service Resource