Inside The Bill Collector’s World

There are a couple of different kinds of bill collectors. There is the collector who knows and understands the position you are in because they’ve been in the position at least once in their lifetime. Then there’s the collector who either has been born with a silver spoon and doesn’t understand the hardships of life or they are simply greedy.

First you need to determine which type of bill collector has got you on the phone. If they are trying to intimidate you, then it’s likely the greedy or uneducated collector. It may be difficult to tell which type of collector you are speaking to but it’s always wise to guard yourself no matter which one it is.

The greedy or uneducated collector is only thinking about earning their commission. Collectors get paid like sales people so it’s to their benefit to make you pay. They don’t get paid unless their client (your creditor) gets paid.

The professional debt collector, the first type I mentioned, will begin assessing you the moment you begin speaking. If you tell them you will pay the bill but use the word “try” then they know you won’t pay. In my experience every time someone said they would “try” to pay, they would not pay one cent. Most of those cases ended up going to court.

The professional debt collector will take note if there is a baby crying in the background, pet birds screeching, or dogs barking. If you have children and you claim to make minimum wage or lower wages then the collector knows you will get a tax return that can be garnished.

The greedy collector is likely doing these same things only not with heart. The greedy collector does not care about you AT ALL. They are selfish and only thinking about themselves and will likely break laws to collect the debt. That is why you need to educate yourself about collection laws as much as possible.

If a collector tells you someone is coming to your home to arrest you, unless there is a warrant out on you then there is no reason for you to believe that is true. Warrants are public information that anyone can find out about. Also, police are usually too busy to go knocking on doors for bench warrants. It’s more likely if you have a bench warrant out against you that they would only arrest you if you are pulled over by the police.

Even the nicest collector can have a bad day. If you happen to receive a call from a nice bill collector on a bad day and you take an attitude with them, you’ll probably end up on their list for suits. It doesn’t necessarily mean you will get sued. If you make that collector angry enough even though you are “trying” to pay then that collector may begin looking into your assets so they can let the client sue you.

I can also tell you from years of collecting we tend to get a little suspicious of everyone. The reason we get that way is because of people that have the money to pay their bills but they make a game out of it.

There were many times I had set someone up on a payment arrangement of $50 per month because they carried on how poor they were. Then one day a payment would be late and I would call their home to find out they had gone on some expensive vacation or cruise!

Let me tell you, when this happens over and over again it tends to make a person not only skeptical but cynical as well. Especially when you as a collector aren’t earning enough to go on a cruise. Contrary to popular belief and news stories collectors are not rich. The collection agencies rake in the dough and the collectors probably make just above minimum wage themselves.

So when you tell the bill collector “I’m poor, I barely have enough money to feed my kids. Do you want me to take the food out of their mouths?!” Do you think the collector believes that? NO I’ll tell you why. There’s a thing called food stamps for the poor, church pantrys, and several other agencies that will feed a starving family. The funny thing is, when’s the last time you saw a starving American? Most U.S. citizens are obese including their kids and could stand to drop a few pounds. So that story doesn’t usually fly.

You answer the phone and freeze as I first stated. Then you decide you’ll just quietly hang up so the collector thinks you got disconnected? Well, guess how many times that happens in a day. You aren’t fooling anyone but yourself and really only hurting yourself. If you don’t want the collector to call you just need to tell them. If you don’t communicate and just hang up the collector will assume you are avoiding the debt and seek other methods.

Anytime a person hesitates to answer they are usually thinking of something to say, which means they are usually thinking up a lie. Collectors know how to read vocal conversations very well. If you are lying they can tell, but they won’t say it. They would never accuse you of lying, even if it’s a bold faced lie.

If you plan on paying your debt and plan on paying it through the collection agency then take my advice and be honest with the collector. Don’t tell them you will pay it in a week if you only “think” you will have the money in a week. When the money doesn’t arrive the collector will assume you are playing games and treat you accordingly.

If you are being hounded by bill collectors and would like to know some strategies on how to deal with bill collectors that aren’t mentioned in the FDCPA*. I reccommend you read “The Top 10 Secrets Bill Collectors Don’t Want You To Know”. This book can be found on lulu.com.  Here’s the link:  http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/top-10-secrets-bill-collectors-dont-want-you-to-know/7306813

*FDCPA Fair Debt Collections Practices Act : laws to protect the consumer from bill collectors. The FDCPA can be difficult for the average person to understand but their are plenty of articles and sites that can explain this law.