I love to hear from people who need help defending themselves from the debt collectors. Although I cannot give you legal advice, I can certainly help direct you to sources of information and encouragement. Please contact me at info@yourlegallegup.com or by leaving a comment here.
Hi,
First of all, thank you so much for providing a lot of helpful info on how debt collectors operate and why it’s important to take a stand against them. I’m seriously thinking of ordering your package, however, I have a question for you. I was contacted a few weeks ago by a debt collector and foolish me, admitted to them over the telephone (while they were recording the conversation with my permission) that i owe this alleged debt. Well, just last week, I received a summon on this alleged debt. My question is, do i have any chance of winning now that they have my admission recorded. Will they win automatically, regardless of whether i take a stand against them using your advice in your package? Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
Hi,
I think that it is sad that you want to make money off people that are in debt, by making collections representatives look like bad people. You are going to make them purchase a package from you for your help? I am a debt collector and I do my job to truly those in need and help them get back on track and well as help to make a positive impact on reporting current w/ credit. I do not get paid a percentage of what I collect only per hour that I work. You have for the abuse that collectors due to people, well I want to talk about the abuse I get. I do believe that if someone makes a debt they do owe the debt yes, however when I call someone to collect that debt being very kind. I have been cussed at, screamed at, threatened to come and rape me and even threatened to be killed and cut up into pieces. Though all of that we are excepted to remain calm, and polite. I have not seen anything that protects the abuse that we as collectors get everyday, in fact somedays I am treated so poorly that I just sit there and cry. I do hope that you will take into consideration the collectors side of the story as well, we should never have to fear for our life. And I really do feel that you need to change your outlook on a debt collector, because we are not all bad people. And I would also like everyone to think about how they treated the collector on the other end of that phone trying to help them, were use also nice, did you start screaming and cussing at the start of the call?
Joe – Thanks for your comment. Unlike some, I do not call all debt collectors “scumbags” or similar names. Debt collectors, like other scavengers, have their function. But as an industry yours is an extremely abusive, obnoxious and invasive one, and the people you contact are NOT on an equal footing with you – they are being harassed by you and your company. So I do not sympathize with your tears at the end of the day very much. Rather, I sympathize with the people whose day you interrupt. Most debt collectors do get compensation based on what they collect (for what it’s worth), and debt collectors are notorious for trying to disturb and outrage the people they are harassing. That’s why the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act came into being.
And that said, I never encourage people to abuse debt collectors because, ironically, that invests energy and feeling into a phone call which should, normally, simply be ended as quickly as possible. It is best, in my opinion, for people being harassed by debt collectors to end the conversation without saying anything at all – unless they desire to receive no more phone calls – in which case that is the only thing that should be said.