The Difference Between Good and Evil Concerning Collection Agencies

When you are dealing with collection agencies the first thing to understand is that not all of them are like the ones you see in the debt counseling commercials. Some are respectful of your rights under the law. Others however are the polar opposite and they will use illegal tactics to get you to pay. Basically, these tactics are the use of threats and harassment.

A good collector from your viewpoint is one that asks if you have the means to pay your debt in a nice manner. This collector will go over a list of options to see if you have any of these means at your disposal. This collector will try to work with you, allowing you to pay an amount each month that you can afford and will not report you to the credit bureaus. After you've paid the bill down some, this collector may offer you a settlement.

Usually, from the collection agencies point-of-view this collector isn't performing up to the standard it wants and your case may be turned over to a more aggressive collector. The more aggressive collector will try to squeeze all he can from you. But as long as you pay the agreed upon amount on time every month, you're within legal bounds.

In the case of credit card debt, your account can go from one collection agency to another as they sell off what they consider uncollectible debt. So you may find yourself dealing with different agencies over a period of time.

No matter what agency is calling you, you can ask them to call you when it's more convenient for you. For example, if you work the midnight shift and don't want calls early in the day. This request is within your legal rights. It's also better for the collector to keep you more willing to cooperate.

The bad collector from your viewpoint is one that demands immediate payment in full and isn't willing to work with you. He will tell you he is going to call you until you pay no matter how many calls it takes. This collector may scream at you and curse you. He may be argumentative with your family members hen they answer the phone.

This collector may be setting you up to play good cop and bad cop. If so, after a few calls, his manager will call you and sympathize with you concerning the way the collector treated you. He will also call and hang up and make threats.

They may want to keep your credit card on file for a payment each month or a record of your bank account. But a good collector will call you and ask for the payment and see if you still want to pay by credit card or online check.

If you want to pay with money order or check by mail, then a good collector will give you the address so you can make your payments this way.