Debt Collection Agencys Are They Immoral?

Joe_Bloggs

I have been threatened with court action for having the almost the same initials/ sirname as somebody else. clearly I would need to see the correct paperwork to prove that it was not me. Weaker individuals may have paid up to avoid conflict. Hence a potential scam. If complying with legal requests, or ignoring them ,is too much of a burdon then perhaps the business practises of that orginisation should be investigated by trading standards.
Dealing with debt is not helped by the debtor denying the facts when they are true and ignoring payment advice and not seeking help from CAB and CCCS etc. The total debt is increased enormously when passed, perhaps maliciously, to a debt collection agency.
J_B.

From my own investigations the corporate structure of the particular company that came after me was complex, with directors based in Switzerland.

freeclimber

Unfortunately, it is a case of being tarred with the same brush - and I mean that both for the debtor and the collector.

There are some debtors who acknowledge they have run into problems - often for a variety of reasons, both within and beyond their control - and try their utmost to resolve the matter (one only has to look on here to see that).

There are some collections departments and agencies who respond to communication and work with reasonable proposals to resolve the issue.

Sadly, there is also a crossover point between debtors who act irresponsibly or dishonestly when dealing with their debts, and collectors who operate the same way, in some cases because of their experience with the former, but in many cases because they appear improperly trained or are driven purely by the need to maximise return through 'bullying'.

In terms of asking for documentation, any company operating as a DCA should be prepared for the fact that producing evidence of debt owed is part and parcel of the industry, regardless of the pain that sourcing that info causes. People have a legitimate right to know the authority with which any given company can make claims against them. This is particularly true as it is not unheard of for a debt to be handed out to more than one agency over a period of time, and it also provides some safeguard against fraudulent or mistaken pursuit of the wrong debtor.

It's a shame that some companies appear not to be able to distinguish between those who are geninely addressing their problems and those who are genuinely avoiding them. There are cases where people are driven to more extreme measures due to the unneccesary pressure put on them by collection departments and agencies.

Oh, and claiming that the warm and fuzzy period comes in addressing the issue at the first opportunity with the primary creditor does not really wash - some of the people I have been dealing with, presenting payment structures through PayPlan along with SOA etc, automatically refer or sell the account to DCAs anyway. Nice, huh?! :mad:

Aside from all that, there is still no excuse for a DCA operative to push or break the rules, breach the guidelines or act in a rude and offensive manner. All it achieves is to reinforce peoples' opinions of DCAs, make debtors more indignant, and lower the expectations and willingness to cooperate. I think the term vicious cirlce might be applied here.

This is not a debate about the morals of borrowing money, this is a debate about proper and just procedure once the breach has been registered. Highmindedness, pomposity and arrogance over another's situation is at best unhelpful and at worst downright damaging, and for potential DCAs these attitudes should be considered an immediate bar to the profession.

Could you imagine the results if the Samaritans operated in the same way?!

ms_london

Try being on the other side, where someone owes you money & wont pay it back. You would do your best to try and recover your money.

I can appreciate that a lot of the people working on this side are rude & sometimes unhelpful, but thats what you get when you "ignore" the fact that you owe them money & ignore all of their letters/phonecalls - this definately doesnt help matters!!

dudleyboy

I agree with you, freeclimber, except for the Samaritans bit. They're a registered charity... debt collection agencies are not. Like any sales person, I imagine they have targets to meet and occasionally resort to the "hard sell" approach to meet them if needs be.

I think the facts we have to face are that some people are rude and some people are not. You put a rude person in a position of authority and the power will undoubtedly go to their head... just like in any job or profession.

paul10mm

Lets not forget people who work for these agencys get a basic wage its topped up with money they get in payments from customers,the can win monthly prizes i know for a fact someone got a bmw mini only in december and they get to win holidays every month
They will get the money any way they can some can be nice some can be nasty just like us There doing a job just like us!!A few just a few though really enjoy kicking us when we are down there the ones that shame every one else just like the person that buys the new bmw never to repay does us!
Just sometimes when there being rude and nasty i hope, wish it happens to them see there world fall apart and struggle then they would know what it feels like, problem is unless you experince it you either dont care or think we deserve it!!!

ms_london

If I did that as a job I would just be advising them all to come here with their SOA :0)

paul10mm

sorry to labour the point but no matter how many times you speak to these people they still send letters saying "you have not called" or "dont ignore us" NEVER ever do they admit that you have called them i have 14 cds of phone conversations i have had with various firms all the ones breaching the data protection act have been sent to the relivant goverment agencys
I respect the law and obey it i only wish they would do the same

ms_london

ts_aly2000 wrote:

So when you sit there and point the finger and say, "I'm so perfect, I'm not in debt, I pay all of my bills on time, you're irresponsible people to be in debt" you just wait until one of these companies messes up and it spirals out of control.

I dont think anyone is saying that as everyone visits this board for a reason.

I was in debt (debt free Oct 05) - and I am speaking from experience. I DID used to ignore phonecalls/letters, and I now advise people not to do that.

It is tough & you do want to ignore it, plus when you get someone rude calling YOU at home, it isnt nice. I was in tears after most of these phone calls, even more so when I knew that I WAS making the payments on time, but it was down to a lack of communication within these companies, that people were calling me that shouldnt have been.

For as many people that DO want to pay off their debt & face up to it, there are just as many that DONT!!

THE_LONE_RANGER_4

i keep hearing the words, evading,who from what i see on this site is trying to evade? many are asking for more time,and reduced payments some have got in to debt through there own incompetance some due to lifes raw deals ,some may feel sorry for themselves but then knuckle down and pay them .some quite clearly my self included are wipeing out any form of debt those that try to evade totally are rare if they were not why then does the creditor seek police intervention and not a dca its now turned in to a criminal offence,i deal with people who are ill mainly, not all brought on by the way they chose to live there life, what would the world be like if i and people like me spoke to them in the same way dca speak to debtors your pointless, you are a waste of space,whats the point of you you deserved it etc etc some of the abuse i had to put up with from dca,when people are in debt they have the right to demand documents relevent to there case with out quistion they have the right to seek advice the dca obviously disagree with peoples soa well they would do,they want more the debtor cant win,the issue is nobody has the right to break the law the debtor is not if he is he would be arressted,the tactics of the dca or there workers are, but proof is difficult as done by phone prove it as one said to my solicitor,his reply do things by the letter of the law there is no excuse to be unproffesional,my family have plenty of money i was brought up to work and pay my way i do and will always do so life dealt me a raw blow i dealt with it slowly but surely im a decent person i do work for the hospice free i work a full week paid i assist charities free i got in to debt i became as far as dca were concerned low life very odd

freeclimber

[RANT] Granted, the Samaritans reference was perhaps slightly out of kilter due to the differing motivations, but the basic premise remains - likewise on ms_london's point - that commercial pressure should not be allowed to drive operatives over the line in dealing with debtors, or reduce the calm and level nature in which they deliver their message.

I do not doubt that there are cases where a more determined approach is needed to recover monies owed.

I think what gets me - and other people who really are looking to address and repay their debts, and have gone through open and transparent procedure to resolve this - is the arbitrary, aggressive nature of some DCAs to ALL debtors.

I'm not hiding, I'm not seeking a way out of paying what I owe (circumstance dictates it will take longer, but I'll get there in the end), I respond to calls and letters, and I have been open and transparent from the outset. Moreover, I have had my budget and the resulting payment offer independently scheduled by a respected and recommended third party advisory service. I make those payments on time and in full. I'm not asking for sainthood or favourable judgement, but why the continued stream of threats, phone calls and rudeness from some quarters?

Sorry - pointless rant. I've had an audit of my banana bread and realised I've got less left than I thought. Humph. [/RANT]