How do these people sleep?

emmamaw

:mad: Hi guys, just a rant really, but I've just nearly been in tears on the phone to a Debt Collection Company.
I recently sorted out all my debts and went on to a Debt Management Plan with Payplan, which I've kept to. I've even been making the odd extra payment where possible.
I had a letter today from Barclaycard, saying that if I made an additional payment, they would credit £25 to my account. It sounded like a good offer, so I phoned the number on the letter, only to get through to Mercers Debt collectors. I asked the lady about the offer, as I wanted to check that it wouldn't affect the payment plan already set up with Payplan.
She then said that if I had money to make extra payments, I could obviously afford to pay more that I was doing anyway! I was so shocked, but I explained that I had £100 over this month, which I was going to keep for emergencies, but I was prepared to pay it off my account as they had made me a good offer. She said 'well I should think you would put all your money to paying off your debts anyway!'
Honestly she was just so rude! She wouldn't confirm that my payplan set-up wouldn't be affected by making a payment, and she was really annoying me, so I said I'd leave it, and she said 'well you've just told me that you've got extra money when you've previously said that you've got no spare funds available, so I will have to note that down, and we will probably cancel your payplan anyway!'
Well you know when you get that lump in the throat, and your face gets hot, and you can't think straight? Well I just let her talk to me like that, and I was so upset. I felt like I'd shot myself in the foot, so I just put the phone down, but now I'm fuming that I didn't say something really witty, or something to make her regret what sh'e said. Honestly, I think they should employ people who've had debt problems, who can offer real advice, rather than rude judgements.:mad:

LookingAhead

Oh no - what a horrible thing to happen. I'm really sorry you had to go through that.

How do they know that you haven't just been selling your possessions on EBAY or at a car boot sale just to get that one little bit of extra money?

They can't cancel your agreement on the strength of one call like that surely.

What a witch she sounds like - but remember, she doesn't know you, she probably needs to money desperately to be doing that job and taking it out on an easy target. Don't let her get you down.

I really can't believe that they will cancel your plan.

Chin up lovey.......

Sugarcubed

*hugs*

I personally would of laughed and said 'put your manager on the phone'. Just because you owe them money doesn't mean they can treat you like dog poo.

tallyhoh

What a rude & sneaky person.

Who's the best person here? The person with a bit of debt or the creep with attitude?

You know what the Bible says about rich men getting into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Esoog

Yeah should have just told her to knob off.

emmamaw

Thanks guys,
You've really cheered me up, but every time I think I'm getting somewhere, and starting to feel confident about my financial future, something brings me back down with a bump and makes me feel like crap. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, but not seeing any results.

Teacher2301

As a scientist, I can only say that they oozed out from under their primordial stone and evolved into a form that mimics humans but have none of the emotional intelligence except to answer a phone and be rude. Natural selection is wonderful - it has a habit of making the less well adapted (the debt collection companies) die out. Or as some of my student say - can we kill it? As they poke a harmless worm!!!

stevenc75

What goes around comes around. People like that always get what owed to them in the end. I wouldn't give it a second thought.

madmoney_2

hi emma
i wouldnt worry about people like that, shes obviously loving her job the sad cow, as for your payment plan, they would have to write to you informing you their reson for cancelling it, obviously they cant say "coz u phoned us n sed you had a spare 100 quid", even if they do that, get onto the cab, they will soon sort them out!!
chin up hun xxx

patwa_2

Personally I try to keep business and pleasure separate. It's fine to empathise with people at work, when you're dealing with people, but just because you've had to throw someone out of their home and onto the streets with their three children is no reason not to have a relaxed private life.

Honestly I respect most people in these kind of situations. The majority of people are good at heart, but they have a job to do, and if they played nice and sympathetic all the time human nature would take over and no-one would ever pay their debts (for having them stayed) or make any money (from not collecting the debt because they felt sorry for the customer). I'm talking about pure business here, they have a job to collect money owed and they're doing that. And sometimes you have to give people news they don't want to hear, and sometimes you have to come down hard on people trying to get out of the system.

I'm not saying you have to be rude about it, and certainly this woman you mentioned needs a dose of humble pie. It's possible to both do your job and remain calm and professional, but still empathetic and sympathetic. And even when you have to become Mr/Mrs Nasty, you can still do it without being rude.

There is a fine line I think between having the right balance between appropriate emotional behaviour and the behaviour required to get the job done. Sometimes this line is wafer thin, and it is sad that a lot of people step over it into abuse or poor conduct.

H.

BWZN93

That letter they sent sounds like they are purposefully trying to trip people up. Personally, id be looking at reporting it to the FSA or someone!

Jo x