8008010065

Crooks commonly use aliases.

Many times collection agencies use intimidation and harassment to make stupid people pay what they do not owe. If they can't provide written proof they are full of crap and they should not be paid a dime.  Do collection agencies really think a smart person will pay someone money over the phone that calls them and says that they need to pay them immediately???????

The threats, bullying and lies in order to extort money from innocent consumers by debt collectors such as SRS (and many others) are going to continue, until OUR government officials (many of who are bankers and lawyers themselves), reform the 31-year-old FDCPA laws whose penalties amount to no more than a slap on the hands of this multi-BILLION dollar industry. To them, a 1.5 million dollar penalty (such as the one which was imposed against NCO Financial back in 2004 by the FTC for multiple FDCPA & FCRA violations) is, (for them)is just a "cost of doing business".

Read this article entitled "Debtors' Hell". which was published by The Boston Globe two years ago...and you will only begin to understand why OUR government officials are choosing to do NOTHING about these Corporate Criminals:

http://boston.com/news/specials/debt/

Hey dude. I doubt you are the best bill collector ever. The people here either know the law or are learning the law. Bottom line is you will not be able to collect as much at your "job". Federal law dictates most of collection law with the exception of the individual state's statute of limitations. And I know you guys dont like the "educated debtor". Let you respond to the requests for proof. The cease and desist letters almost always work since you never have adequate proof of the debt. Go ahead and try to sue us since you must serve us properly according to state law and we can use our cease/desist letter against you if you failed to respond. I know [***] collection agencies try to make you think they can sue when they really cant. If they try to sue outside of your home state or beyond the statute of limitations for your state then you can sue them and get a big award. You cant be blindsided by these jerks. The law says you must be given notice and an opportunity to respond.

Nicholette   Never talk to these collection a!!holes. Use the letters from budhibs.com. If you really owe then negotiate with them. If not or it is too old or bankrupted then send the letters and protest them. Never believe anyone who says you owe them money. Ask for written proof!!!!

Well, some of those "rules" are correct, although, I'm not quiet sure where you came up with the others.

Yes, I am a collector. I also have heard of this site. After reading in length, I have to wonder what got stuck up most of your butts? Most of you are complaining on this site that this particular angency is calling you. Did you all seem to forget that you borrowed money from some company and never paid it back? Hmm... doens't that mean the lender has the right to get their money back? Or did you all just think it was free money?

SRS has the right to call you, tell you that you owe the money. And yes- you have the choice to not pay them, or to WRITE them a letter saying not to call. That is fine, but remember, if you keep blowing off bill collectors, you are taking a chance at being sued for the full balance of your debt, AND you will be responsible for court costs, attorney fees, and of course backdated intrest. Therefor, a $300 loan could end up costing you 3 or 4 times that.

My advice...make the collector your friend. If you are contacted, and actually talk to them about your debt, they will most likely help you. I know at my agency, we offer out of court settlements, as do most agencies. So, take advantage of the low cost while you have the chance.

Wilameena- you use the term "harrasment" lightly. If an agency is calling you due to a bad debt, it is not harrasment. And, agencies do not have to provide proof. They must however send a letter within 5 days of recieving the account. That is all the law states is needed to be sent to the debtor as proof. After that, once you are contacted by phone, nothing needs to be sent. "Smart people" know they owe the debt, and will pay it over the phone. "Stupid people" try to get out of paying their bills by making remarks such as the one you just wrote.

Dude.....people like you give me job security! Thanks!!
Oh,by the way....using terms like (You cant be blindsided by these jerks)'blindsided' gets you accused of being 'ONE OF THEM!' HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
BOO!!

Deep....
Alias'es are used to protect the collectors from nuts in the parking lot or annoying calls at home.

That is all fine and dandy, but I would not suggest anyone pay anyone without receiving proper validation.  Also,  it is best to negotiate via mail and not telephone, because a paper trail is very important to have.

But if I have no money or assets, why should they talk to a collections agency?  Wouldn't it just be a waste of time for both parties?
You wan't money and I have none.  If it goes to court, what could I lose, if I barely make enough at my self-employed job to pay my heating bill.

elizabeth....What you could and probably will loose if this goes to court is 25% of your gross wages, every payday before you even get your share

I think stupid people have to work as bill collectors.  That's college money well spent.

You don't want to sue.  Otherwise you would just sue everyone and not waste your time trying to make a plea to everyone that they would be wise to talk to you and pay you without proof or a papertrail.

Really...so you are saying a judge will take 25% without even looking at my monthly income and expenses or current debt load?  Me thinks you are talking out of you nether region.

You give collectors a bad name.  

Does your firm buy most of its cases or are you assigned to collect them ?

elizabeth...in a court of law....the jusge protects the $$$ that is due from you. You are not even asked about your expenses. The best arrqangments are with a sympathtic collector.
The agency I work for owns none of the paper. We are working for the original creditor

Are collectors motivated at the end of the month to make certain bonuses or hit a certain amount collected?

Get it straight, true that the collectors have the right to call you, but do they also have the right to harass people (especially others who have never accumulated a debt in their life and end up getting a phone number that used to belong to someone that had all of this debt)? Do they have the right to call people names and treat them like crap over the phone? Do they have the right to accuse others of being thieves and scam artists over the phone, even though a valid response (concerning the debt owed)has been filed with the collection agency? Is this the way that you would like to be treated if you had a debt or you were stuck with an old debtor's phone number? It's so apparent in your attitude towards the posters on the board that you want to be treated like crap if you ever end up in debt. Keep up the "good" work, dear--you may end up retiring with SOME money someday (and that will happen if you manage to keep your job as a understanding collector agent)

isn't the third party rule about getting information only with an original creditor or assignee?  i didn't think debt buyers could do that.  just a question.