Bill collectors must lead miserable lives.

CleoKitty

I just had someone call here about a medical bill that was mistakingly turned over to a collection agency- dh has been trying to straighten it out for several months.

The lady on the phone was incredibly rude and hostile with me from the very beginning even though I was very polite (at least initially, LOL.) When I asked for clarification she told me that I'd better get a lawyer if I wasn't capable of understanding her. I got kind of snippy at that point and told her that there was no need to be so rude, I was simply asking her to repeat herself because I hadn't caught what she'd said.

Anyhow, she pretty much used every tactic in the book- threatened to call my employer, told me I'd better get an attorney right now, etc. Really, it was almost laughable. It was exactly like watching one of those Dateline or 20/20 shows about bill collectors who make empty threats and scare tactics. I mean, come on, do they really think people are that stupid and don't know their legal rights? 

I ended up telling her to please not contact me by phone again and that all correspondence should come through the mail from now on (interestingly enough, we've never gotten one single thing in the mail about this supposed debt.) 

It made me think: bill collectors must go home at the end of the day all pissy and miserable. I'd imagine that after a full day of that I'd need to go home and down a bottle of wine every night just to unwind.  Personally, I'd have to be on the verge of losing everything and becoming homeless before I'd ever consider that kind of a job. Sure must suck.

 

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

When I was in college I had a utility bill go to collections and I didn't realize it. When they called I told them I would pay half this month and half the next. The collections guy said to me "This isn't Burger King, you can't have it your way!"

lol, I have always thought that was really funny.

CleoKitty

Ha, that is funny. I'll have to remember that line for when my kids are older, LOL.

AnnapolisLari

Years ago, I had some friends who were skip tracers, and you wouldn't believe the stories they had to tell.

And yes, many, many people really are that gullible and ignorant of their rights and responsibilities.

rachyru

"pissy and miserable" yes that pretty much sums up my cousins wife who is a bill collector....

hopefulmom

My BIL owes a collection agency and I doubt he has any problems sleeping at night.  Course he has many employees that do the "nasty stuff" but still...