Debt Collectors Are Just The Worst!

I always try to be nice, and judge people fairly, but my interaction with a debt collector today made me think that she took that job because she likes being nosy and judgmental. It left me feeling mad, sad, and just bad. (Hey, I'm a poet...) I just knew there had to be more in my past that would come back to bite us as we are trying to get on our feet.

After talking to several people about it, and reading similar stories on the internet, it seems like debt collectors are a perfect example of what is wrong with people's attitudes towards the poor, and makes it hard to not assume that a certain type of person is attracted to those positions. In less than 10  minutes time, she made me feel ungrateful, lazy, guilty, scummy, unworthy of respect, and just in general, not good enough. Here is a tiny excerpt from our long, horrible conversation:



Debt Collector: We need to make arrangements to pay these debts off.
Me: Yes I understand that, I'm perfectly willing, but I can't afford very muc- (rudely interrupted)
Debt Collector: Well how much CAN you afford?
Me: I can probably manage $10 a week.
Debt Collector: That is unacceptable! I have people on retirement, on a fixed income, who can pay $35 a week.
Me: That may be true, but I have a household of four and my husband is the only one working -
Debt Collector: Well are you even looking for a job to help pay the bills?
Me: Yes, I'm looking, I'm also doing other things in the meantime (she called while I was babysitting), but we've only had one car until recently and I have to find a way to get childcare-
Debt Collector: These are your debts to be paid! You owe this money for services rendered to you, and it is your responsibility to pay them.
Me: I understand that, I just told you that I would like to try and do that-
Debt Collector: (talking over me) That is unacceptable. By law I have to inform you that this is an attempt to collect a debt and any info (blah blah blah)

*click* 

Me:  Seriously??

She hung up on me! I called back immediately and got an answering machine. The message I left was basically that I had attempted to make a payment arrangement on my debts and that she refused it an hung up on me. I said I wanted that on record, although I understand that probably counts for absolutely nothing.

It doesn't matter to her that I have been trying to pay off all my debts.
It doesn't matter to her that that is all I can afford.
It doesn't matter to her that there have been expenses and challenges and circumstances that have kept me from being able to afford more.
It doesn't matter to her that these are medical bills from an injury/illness that was not under my control, and that it kept me ill and from working for a looooong time.
It doesn't matter to her that sometimes you can't just go out and "take any job you can find" and make things work.
It doesn't matter to her that I'm babysitting for cash, because I should have "a real job".
It doesn't matter to her that there are some things more important than money when you have a family, and you have to balance the two.

But these things don't matter to her, and they don't matter to anyone who judges low-income families. But, gosh darn it, it should freaking matter. I sincerely hope her, and anyone like her, never has to suffer any of these things, but I also wish everyone would do the human thing and care.

Dear Debt Collector;

I care. I care about my debt, I know that it is mine, and I know I have a responsibility to pay it back. I care about paying it back.
I also care about you, and no matter how upset you made me, I did not make you feel subhuman even though your words hinted at an attitude that is exactly that.
I hope you are really not that judgmental, because if you are, then you are exactly what is wrong with this world.

Despite that fact, I will STILL try to pay back my debt, but I'm going over your head.

Sincerely,
Trisha

Maybe she actually hates it. Maybe it really sucks to go home after a long day of work, where everyone hates you and is angry at you, but you have to pay your own bills. Maybe she's just angry because her situation was at one time desperate enough to even take a job like this. I think I prefer having sympathy for her, rather than just strongly disliking her.


Also, for anyone who is in the same situation, this is an enlightening read. This is copied and pasted from a Yahoo! question.

Can debt collection agencies refuse to set up a payment plan with you if you are trying to settle a debt?

 

I've been a bill collector for the past two years, most of that time spent in an agency that collects for hospitals. 

To answer your question: 

YES, a collection agency can refuse a payment plan. They can also take legal action (if the original creditor allows it) against you EVEN IF YOU ARE MAKING REGULAR PAYMENTS. When an account reaches the collection stage, the balance is due in full. :( 

In most circumstances, the hospital (like any other creditor) has offered their "idea" of a payment arrangement prior to her account reaching collections; Several letters and phone calls should have been made to the patient asking for some sort of repayment. If it has gone to collections, there is NO obligation the collector OR the agency to accept a minimal payment plan. 

Collectors often push debtors to take out large loans because they want an immediate commission. Don't read too much into that, it's the first thing they are motivated by: Immediate payment. 

First, talk to the insurance company. A great deal of claims are paid incorrectly and the insured is actually due more coverage than originally given. Go over every inch of her policy, and ask for the medical records to substantiate her care. Sometimes, insurance companies deny based on incorrect coding, so make sure that the line items match up to the care she received. 

If you cannot find anything to dispute in the bill or with the insurance company, your next step is actually back to the hospital. A client/creditor can pull the account from collections at any time, and they stand to make more money in the long run by collecting the bill themselves than by letting the collection agency handle it. Try to convince them that she will make arrangements directly with them, offer to sign an agreement. Getting the account out of collections as soon as possible is your goal! 

If your sister finds a way to get a loan, try it with the hospital FIRST, as the collection agency will only discount the bare minimum. Another route when dealing with the hospital would be to have your sister write a letter, explaining that she is grateful for the care she was given and include why she cannot pay. Address this letter to the Board of Directors and ask if her account can be written off to charity care. Most non-for-profit hospitals MUST give away a certain amount of free health care services each fiscal year in order to maintain their non-for-profit status. Include her recent bank statements, check stubs, utilities and rent, all of her life expenses so that the hospital can see that she has no means to pay. 

Lastly, make sure that the collection agency is not breaking the law!!! Look up the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). These laws were made to protect consumers from being exploited, abused, and otherwise treated unfairly when having their bill resolved through a 3rd party. Document the name of each collector, time and date of call. Make sure that she is not being called more than once in a day, that they are not calling her place of business if she has already expressed to them that she is not allowed personal calls during work. There are also stipulations against a collection agency TELLING THE CONSUMER THAT THEY WILL TAKE ACTIONS THAT THEY HAVE NO AUTHORIZATION TO TAKE! Often, collectors will scare debtors into thinking that they will go through legal action, when in fact, the original creditor has given no such permission. Make sure that they are not giving you empty threats. 

Report any violations to the Federal Trade Commission or your State's Attorney General. That will SURELY get rid of a bill collector :) 

Sometimes, getting a bill resolved just falls under speaking with a collector who is an honest and decent person, which is very hard to find in that market. I do my job well; I service the company that I work for, but I never forget that I am there to help someone in need.  (Why couldn't I get a debt collector like this??)

Another thing I found out, is that there is a statute of limitations on debt, meaning that they can't sue you on a debt over a certain age (varies by state).  Pretty much any threat they make is empty. BUT! If they get you to make a payment on it, the statute of limitations starts over, and it is legally collectible/sue-able.  Now my debt is relatively small (no longer in the tens of thousands range), and I intend to pay it, but for someone stuck in a situation where they absolutely can't afford to, to make any kind of payment on it after the statute of limitations has passed would make things much worse for them. 

Yes, totally punishing honesty and keeping people trapped in the cycle of poverty. Way to go, bill collectors.

Ok, rant over for today. I know that was long, so thanks if you stuck with me all the way until the end. I at least hope the information helped someone, since the ranting was pretty much for my own benefit. :)