Bastards! - so low how they go for the humiliation angle.... although, I have a friend who was swindled recently, won the right to be repayed in small claims court and debt collectors are now working for her - she says they're a delight

Just pay your bills, dumbass.

Wumpus, have a little compassion...

Ever had a $20,000 hospital bill? didn't think so...

For anyone else (investigative reporter, ex-girlfriend, high school friend, birth relative) this would be considered stalking, probably illegal and unethical.

For collections people, it is SOP and a business plan. What douchebags.

Haha I've had calls to get at a family member! They said I was "listed as a reference", as if it was a job interview thing or something. Never identified what the company was doing or how they got my number.

> Just pay your bills, dumbass.

Embarrassing? Screw them. When you get that $20,000 hospital bill, Wumpus, the hospital will probably bill you, your insurance, twice, and then bill you again, then give some to collections, and they will pester you with continued requests for money already paid. Perhaps even paid, refunded, billed again, refunded, billed again. You are right, until someone runs into a mega-bill in their life, then "pay your friggin bills dumbass" is a great answer. But this is a fact - these collections people are rude people, out of touch with realities of the people they are pestering, completely ignorant of _the legitimacy of the bills they are collecting_, and are being turned into assholes by their job.

"For collections people, it is SOP and a business plan. What douchebags.


At least they're not breaking your thumbs.

I usually mention it in term of how to deal with "customer service" lines that are giving you the runaround, but it's just as relevant here for debt calls and such, too. The magic words that restore sanity to the interaction are:

"My attorney has instructed me to advise you that I am recording this call."

I lagged and accidently downvoted, we need to be able to change our votes within a set period of time.

Upvoted to cancel out the accidental downvote.

Thanks Gorilla

to many people are living outside their means and, then wonder why they can't pay their bills
"life is hard even harder if your stupid"

People make mistakes, no-one's perfect.
If companies reasoned with debtors in the first place and acted like humans they'd recoup more money.
As it is, they spend a fortune employing weasels to hunt people down, scare them to the point where they won't answer the phone or the door and then end up with a small settlement.

This reminded me on an NPR show on tactics used by credit card companies
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9156929

One example they gave is a company levying $75 charge on every customer, and then canceling it for everyone that calls to complain. Now, imagine what would happen if you don't call and complain -- there'll be late fees and interest accrued on that $75 charge and eventually it might go to a collections agency, which will use any legal tactic to get it from you.