What should be done with the ice-for-blood #*#*^*#^ debt collectrolls?

[liberalhistorian]

Poll question: What should be done with the ice-for-blood #*#*^*#^ debt collectrolls?

OKAY, THAT'S IT, I'VE FUCKING HAD IT! Most of you know exactly how I feel about these blood-sucking pond-scum-eating bottom-feeding inhuman vultures who make a damn good living preying off the misfortune and misery of others who make far less of a living, if they're lucky enough to have jobs at all, that is. And since I was laid off two months ago, they've been on my ass like flies to a wound and being their usual obnoxious selves, one even telling me that, since I was talking to him on the phone, I must not be looking very hard for a job when nothing could be further from the truth.

They're rude, nasty, hateful pieces of shit who specialize in kicking people who are already down further into the dirt and making them feel like even worse losers than they already do. Particularly odious are the medical collectrolls, who are currently harassing my aunt and uncle while my uncle is dealing with what is quite likely terminal cancer. They don't care that my uncle is probably dying and it's all my aunt can do to work and then take care of him all night.

But what I really LOVE about dealing with them myself is that they often pull all kinds of shit on me that, being a paralegal, I happen to KNOW is ILLEGAL and which violates the Fair Debt Collection Act. See, most people don't know the provisions and specifications of the FDCA, so they don't know when their rights are being violated. The collectrolls take advantage of that and threaten and harass them in violation of the FDCA. BUT I DO KNOW THE FDCA, every single word of it, and I take great pleasure in reporting these fuckers for violations of it. As soon as I allow them to know that I'm a paralegal, they change their tone. Interesting, huh? My former boss, the attorney who had to lay me off, also enjoys helping me deal with them when they've violated the FDCA.

I have no problem making payment arrangements, I have even told original creditors that, but they want it all at once or they want an amount I simply do not have right now. And right now, I can't make any arrangements because unemployment is only half my regular salary and until I find a job and my child support finally starts again, I don't know what my income situation will be. But they don't care. They seem to think I'm sitting on a huge pile of money that I'm just refusing to give them so that they can make their fancy commission off of whatever they're able to collect. SO I'VE FUCKING HAD IT!!!! How the hell these fuckers can sleep at night, I'll never know. So, I thought I'd release some tension and have some fun by trying to decide what should be done with them. Have at it and enjoy!

[NightTrain]

1. I say follow the Wu Tang Clan's example.

Yeah. Torture, motherfucker!

I'll fuckin' untwist a coat hanger, put it in the oven for a half an hour, and slowly stick it up your asshole, one inch at a time.

I'll fuckin' wrap a razor wire around your dick and balls and dangle you out a fifth-floor window by the motherfuckin' wire.

Unfortunately, that's all I can remember right now. Sorry!

[liberalhistorian]

3. LOL!

Sounds good enough for me, hon!

[TOhioLiberal]

8. without benefit of...

Preparation H, I suppose? :) :evilgrin:

BTW: I voted for the 24/7 thing...

[AlecBGreen]

77. you forgot the best one...

"Im gonna sew your asshole cheeks shut and keep feeding you and feeding you and feeding you...."

[KathCO]

2. The best way to get rid of them

is to pay your bills on time and live within your means.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[King Of Paperboys]

6. Uh-oh.

Someone didn't read. Rumpus!

[Zomby Woof]

7. :nuke:

Bye!

[drb]

10. Well, that's all well and nice until the BushCo Economic Miracle...

...happens to your ass, and then it's a whole different story.

Sure, it's easy to live within your means, if you start out that way. But if you buy a car and then have to sell it real quick because you got laid off, you're upside-down and no amount of living within your means is gonna help that.

Or, you own a house and the market is down. Or it would cost you more than it's worth right now to sell it. Or any one of a zillion other things.

On the other hand, debt collectors are people too, and they get paid on commission; if you don't pay, they don't get paid.

[TOhioLiberal]

11. Try MYOB....

as in 'minding you own bidness' until you've walked a mile in her shoes (mine too for that matter) Bye, now!

[truebrit71]

12. Yeah because everyone is clairvoyant and can predict..

..if and when they are going to be laid off and "living within your means" changes because the unemployment checks are a friggin' joke...

You obviously don't live in the same real world as me...

And to the original poster, I too was unemployed for a lenghty period of time, and things became VERY tough..When the bill collectors would call and start getting belligerent I would simply ask to speak to a supervisor and explain to THAT individual that if the harassment didn't stop IMMEDIATELY I would sue them under the FDCA..It was AMAZING how quickly their tones changed when they realized I wasn't about to be bullied, and I knew what my rights were...

Fuck 'em...I hope each and every one of those fuckers lose their jobs, their cars and their houses too...serve the evil little turds right...

[liberalhistorian]

16. What's especially frustrating is that

I'm trying like hell to find another job, I'm working on it full-time and then some, which is pretty much what you have to do with job searches. So it's infuriating when the phone rings and I think it's for an interview and it's some goddamn collectroll who can't seem to understand that I was laid off and have been unable to find another job so far; they'll ask if I get unemployment and when I say I do, they'll demand a large portion of it. Never mind that unemployment is less than half of what my salary was. You get half of the amount of your salary, but that sure as hell does NOT mean you have only half of the bills.

[TOhioLiberal]

18. I've got 2 words for you....

...Caller ID. Makes life a WHOLE lot easier. If it comes up with 'caller unknown' I don't answer it, let the answering machine get it.

[liberalhistorian]

13. I understand that, but there are many, many circumstances

where that isn't possible. You lose your job suddenly, you or a family member gets a serious illness, etc., etc. And as far as medical debt is concerned, co-payments and amounts not covered by insurance for even routine treatments are getting so high that even hard-working, responsible people have trouble paying them and health care is not something that you can do without, especially if you have an accident or sudden illness.

Hospitals are now often the most aggressive collectors in the country, and often against those who can least afford it, namely the uninsured who don't get the kind of discounts the hospitals negotiate with insurance companies. And these are for illnesses that MUST be treated, such as meningitis, pneumonia, etc., etc. But if you want to equate the worth of someone's life with how much money they have, like hospitals and doctors do, then go right ahead. Just remember that it's not just the poor anymore who are being affected, the middle and even the upper classes are really feeling the heat now too.

My uncle is dying of cancer and he and my aunt are constantly having to deal with these damn medical collectrolls when they should be focusing on him. They pay what they can of whatever insurance doesn't cover, but it's never enough. And these are responsible people who've worked hard all their lives who do not deserve this shit, least of all losing their house they've worked so hard for. And neither does anyone else because they or a family member had the unmitigated gall to get sick. And if you're uninsured and get cancer, well, then, you're just shit out of luck. And that's just plain WRONG and INEXCUSABLE.

And did you know that approximately HALF of all bankruptcy filings are due to medical debt, usually because of a serious illness; people have to file in order to keep the goddamn hospitals from taking their house and everything else they own. And make no mistake, they will indeed do that.

[mac56]

36. Unbelievable.

"The best way to get rid of them is to pay your bills on time and live within your means."

What kind of arrogant, self-righteous, blame-the-victim bullshit is this?!

I can't believe how angry this response makes me. I've been in this boat myself, a place KathCO clearly hasn't been.

[liberalhistorian]

38. Actually, in fairness to him/her,

most people feel the same way until they're in that boat themselves. It's the same principle behind the fact that most people are liberal when it comes to THEMSELVES and THEIR needs. When something finally affects THEM, THAT is when they change their tune.

I've known people who worked hard for years only to suddenly lose a job and be unable to find another one and things go downhill from there; they or a family member gets sick or is injured, etc., etc. Then they have to deal with these fuckers and they see that things happen to even the most responsible, hardest-working people.

[democratreformed]

79. I'm sorry but I can't understand it.

I CAN understand another person not fully appreciating a situation until they have been there themselves. What I CAN'T understand is a lack of any empathy whatsoever.

On edit: I'm sorry for your situation. I have, indeed, been there. It's not pleasant.

[worksux]

66. no doubt what a pig

what a Republican, preppy-I'm-at -the-yacht-club-Muffy, kind of answer. " Bwhahahaha! Let them eat cake!"
oh yeah.... that was the beginning of the French Revolution.
Educate thyself- the 1st line of Das Kapital goes something to the effect that " the history of all hitherto histories is the history of class struggle." (please feel free to edit that-going from memory).

Workers of the World, Unite.
Kathryn

[CrownPrinceBandar]

41. When's your next seminar, KathCO?...................

Because I sure would like to learn how to live sensibly without the benefit of employment! See ya!

[Career Prole]

4. I feel for you....

I'm a Chapter 7 statistic. :eyes:

[liberalhistorian]

15. Yikes,

sorry to hear that, that REALLY sucks!!!! But there are many, many, many cases where people simply have no choice.

[Career Prole]

25. Fell through a hole in the workers comp system.

Didn't make a dime for over a year. I'm such an incurable prole I actually toyed with the idea of suicide because of my "worthlessness". What a dope I was...finally lawyered up and after a few more months they paid it and got my neck fixed, but it was already too late because in the interim we got evicted, one kid broke a leg, another came down with pneumonia, and the wife contracted hep C.
It was a banner year! :)
All better now...it's amazing to me how many companies want to sell you stuff and give you credit cards after a bankruptcy. I wonder how many folks fall into that trap twice. :(

[liberalhistorian]

27. That's because once you've been granted

a discharge after filing bankruptcy you cannot file again for another seven years, no matter what. Companies and credit card companies know that and take advantage of it. Bankruptcy attorneys are very firm with their clients about that, and make clear to them that they must resist any post-bankruptcy offers as well as the consequences if they don't.

And as for Worker's Comp, it's becoming more and more useless; the process is getting harder and harder. Here in Ohio most people don't even bother anymore because they know they'll get screwed. The legislature is in bed with big business, which wants nothing more than to eliminate worker's comp entirely. And, believe it or not, many companies now, as a part of their pre-employment screening, will check to see if a prospective employee has filed a worker's compensation claim. Never mind that he/she may very likely have been injured on the job at the fault of the employer.

[NightTrain]

29. Seven years? Uh-uh. Thanks to "Bankruptcy Reform," now it's ten!

I found that out recently, when it occurred to me that my 1996 bankruptcy still showed up on my credit report. Just another public service brought to you by the credit-card industry and its concubines in the White House and Congress!

[liberalhistorian]

30. TEN years??

Jesus, you're kidding me, what utter bullshit. People can usually turn their lives around a lot quicker than that, and that's so unfair to have it on that long. Thanks, wingnut pukes!

[GOPisEvil]

35. The length of time depends on which chapter you file under.

Chapter 7 is 10 years. Chapter 13 is 7. That was true in 1998, but not sure about today.

[shimmergal]

43. That's against the Bible!

Isn't it? One of those many Old Testament commandments says that all debts should be cancelled every seven years.

No--I'm not a Biblical literalist, but I think the fundamentalists should be _grilled_ on this one; asked why they never push for enforcement of this commandment! <G>

[Career Prole]

31. Oh man...tell me about it!

I'd never went more than 6 weeks between jobs, and that was when I didn't even look for the first two weeks.
After the comp claim was over and I was cleared for work it took almost six months to find another job, and I got that one with the first company in six months who even called me back. Supposedly it's against the law to discriminate, but if they don't even interview you there isn't much you can do. :shrug:

[ugarte]

9. I have been in your shoes

I used to park the car on the next street because the repo men were looking for it. I never answered my phone, let the machine take all the calls.

I would recommend changing your number and not even talking to these people. Do everything by letters. It's certainly less stressful, and stress does cause health problems. I know that from experience also.

Hang in there, keep your head up.

[liberalhistorian]

14. What I do is, I send them

written demands to immediately cease contacting me by telephone, they are only to contact me by mail. By law, and in accordance with the FDCA, they MUST comply with that request. They hate it, but they must comply. But, again, most people don't know that.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. Violate them with baseball bats.

With spikes driven through them.

Then (the males, at least) gouge out their eyes, castrate them, stuff their nuts in the raw, bleeding sockets, pour salt into the gaping wound, and put them in a place where insects will feast on them and flies will lay eggs in their slowly decaying yet still living flesh.

And that's just for starters.

[liberalhistorian]

19. WOW! LOL!

I didn't think there was anyone else with more animosity toward and hatred of collectrolls, but I think I was wrong, lol!

Keep going, btw, you're on a great roll!

[Spider Jerusalem]

26. Then...

use 20-grit sandpaper on every inch of exposed skin, dip them in rubbing alcohol and roll them in salt, break them on the wheel, and as a finale (IF they're alive at this point) they should be drawn and quartered...I think that's the most appropriate punishment I can think of.

[liberalhistorian]

28. Works

for me!!!!

[NightTrain]

20. Dammit, I wish I could help you out!

Unfortunately, I still don't know how much longer my own job will exist. :(

[liberalhistorian]

21. You help me a lot just

by listening to and supporting me, Dean!!!!!

[NightTrain]

22. Yeah, but that's not what I meant.

Speaking of listening to you, though, how's about I ring you up some time in the next night or two? :loveya:

[liberalhistorian]

23. Sure, how about

Wednesday night?

[Race4Peace]

24. This is harsh torture:

Put the idiot in an H2, and surround the H2 with dems who have seen
www.fuh2.com
the dems will know what to do. Then do...

Car torture: head stuck in carbuerator with hair getting caught in pistons, tearing off their scalp. At the same time, you suff their groin into the gearbox.

Then you do this type of torture I heard of where you poke a thin, but strong, wire through the victim's(or in this case, the predator's) finger tip, and let it work it's way through. It stiffens up the body part of wherever the wire works it's way to.

Then you chop their legs of, slice them up, then send the remains of the legs to the four corners of Canada.

And make sure nobody says something like:

"By Grandthar's hammer, by the Sons of Warbang, you shall be avenged!"

[thebaghwan]

32. Hey, Liberalhistorian, I am a paralegal also. Isn't it great to just know

enough to be really dangerous?

[liberalhistorian]

39. LOL!

Yes, it certainly is! The good thing is that I know enough to be able to help family and friends who are dealing with this situation as well, like my sick uncle and his wife. I give them copies of the Fair Debt Collection Act and explain it to them, as well as the Fair Credit Reporting Act. I help them write letters to the collectrolls demanding that they cease calling and communicate only by mail, then I help them negotiate with the agencies or creditors. Too bad I'm not a lawyer, I could actually get paid for doing that, lol!

[nickgutierrez]

33. I'm voting #2 with a slight change:

Take away their health insurance, then break their fucking legs. Then have their colleagues harass them for the money.

[REP]

34. Let Go Of The Hate

I can understand how frustrating it must be to talk with people who are employed to collect debt (and some of them are poorly trained at best and stupid at worst), but giving over to this kind of hate isn't going to be helpful.

Request that they contact you only in writing; make repayment arrangements that you can stick to; and pay the debt to the original creditor, not the collections agency. You are not required to make your payments through them, even if your account has been sold. Making your payments will make you feel so much better than hate ever will.

[liberalhistorian]

37. And how, exactly, am I supposed

to make any kind of payments when, at the present time, I have no money to make any payments with? I am not even receiving the court-ordered child support I'm supposed to be getting right now. But these people just don't seem to be able to understand English when I try to explain that I am perfectly willing to fulfill my obligations but I simply have no available money right now. THAT is what is so infuriating.

[Don_G]

40. Give Them Your Ex's Number?

So they can harass him about the support payments?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

42. Ooh, I like that suggestion

Is there anything in the law about not harrassing people who money to debtors?

:evilgrin:

[REP]

73. Make Small Payments

Even $5.00 a month. You said you were getting unemployment, and $5.00 a month isn't so much - but it'll make you feel more in control than hating will.

[patcox2]

44. Live with it.

After all, its a small price to pay for borrowing money and not paying it back. And don't even whine that its Bush's fault and the rest of you with your "walk a mile in her shoes" crap. I have been there. I have been unemployed and I have been dunned by creditors, I just was never so self-centered that I got angry that the people I borrowed money from wanted it back and took the relatively painless step of actually calling me to try to get it back. Oh, the horror, they actually called me on the phone. The way you sound, you'd think you were being tortured in Abu Ghraib. I am not being judgmental about having debts you can't pay, thats understandable. I am being judgmental about whining about it and about how you are demonizing the poor schmoes who are trying to collect the debts you rightfully owe.

And if its that bad, file chapter 7, even after the changes its quick and painless and its not half as bad as you might think on your future credit.

But no, I am sure thats too much, too unfair, you want to be able to borrow money, not pay it back, never have the people you borrowed it from even so much as call you up and ask whats the deal, and you of course shouldn't even have to avail yourself of the legal remedy that is out there for people who have debts they cannot pay.

I know, next we get the "I am just blowing off steam" line. The thing is, encouraging self pity is not doing anyone any favors, and encouraging people to demonize others (the collecters) is not really too good a thing either.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

46. Sorry, Dad.....................

I'll go mow the lawn now.

[liberalhistorian]

58. LOL!

Don't you just love sanctimonious self-righteous holier-than-thou lectures from people with a superiority complex?

[NightTrain]

60. Hey! I have a superiority complex.

And one of my favorite activies is delivering sanctimonious self-righteous holier-than-thou lectures, dammit!

[mac56]

47. "...the rest of you with your 'walk a mile in her shoes' crap"

Yeah, that "empathy" stuff. Such a character flaw.

/sarcasm off

[NightTrain]

56. It never ceases to amaze me what assholes some so-called "liberals"...

...can be when it comes to money!

Obviously, Mac, I don't mean you! ;)

[liberalhistorian]

50. Excuse the hell out of me,

but that's bullshit! I have NEVER said ANYTHING about not paying back what is rightfully owed, that's a given. No one is saying anything about blowing off legitimately owed debts or anything like that. I was very responsible with debt payments and did not ask to be laid off.

I'm talking about people who continually call and harass and violate the Fair Debt Collection Act (and believe you me, such violations occur far more frequently than anyone would ever think BECAUSE THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT), and who simply do not understand or care what your situation is and that you have run into a bad spot and simply do not have the money at the present.

I'm talking about people who make a helluva lot of money off of the misery and misfortune of others and who do not care that normally responsible and hard-working people have been thrown out of work or have become ill or a family member has become ill and they simply do not have the money they need at the present.

I'm talking about collectrolls who make these people feel like shit and like losers and who kick down-and-out people further into the dirt when they're already going through hell. I'm talking about the fact that when people simply do not have the money they need due to a job loss or illness then THEY DON'T HAVE ANY FUCKING MONEY AND CAN'T PAY, they're not sitting on a pile of money that they're simply refusing to give those whom they rightfully owe.

Yes, there are remedies to deal with people who cannot pay what they owe, but if they have no money and have lost their job, then that means that such remedies won't work, nor should they. People shouldn't be thrown out of their houses and lose what little other assets they may have because they've hit some bad luck. I'm sorry, but that's just plain wrong and inhumane to do that to people. And frankly, most creditors don't give a damn what your situation is, all they care about is the money.

And live with collectrolls who are yelling at me about what a loser I am because I was laid off and haven't yet found another job, and saying that I must not be looking for a job because I'm talking to them on the phone when I've called trying to make payment arrangements I can afford, collectrolls who are making a helluva lot of money off of my misfortune and the misfortune of others, who have jobs only because others don't?

Live with their harassment and their refusal to understand English when I try to explain that I haven't yet found another job and that I'm not sitting on a pile of money I'm refusing to give them, but that I'm trying to make arrangements that I can afford? Live with their harassment and persecution of my uncle, who is seriously ill with cancer, and his wife, who have more than enough on their plate to deal with and shouldn't have to deal with harassment from medical collectrolls when they should be focusing on saving his life instead of enriching the hospital CEO's and doctors and insurance companies?

No, I DON'T FUCKING THINK SO! NO ONE should have to put up with that shit, these people are nothing but fucking scum, and I make NO APOLOGIES WHATSOEVER for my feelings towards them. I'd rather starve than take that job, and how the hell these people can sleep at night is beyond me. So put that in your pipe and stuff it.

[patcox2]

52. You are so angry.

Which is ironic, since you'd think that the people whose money you have taken and aren't paying back would be the angry ones.

I don't doubt that you intend to pay it back, I beleive that you are temporarily unable to meet continuing obligations because of circumstances beyond your control.

I just don't see why you should be so angry and hateful toward the people who are trying to collect from you that you demonize and dehumanize them like this. Its an unhealthy anger and an unhealthy thing in general, to demonize others and engage in fantasies of torture (your approval of the heated coathanger up the ass, that would bee approval of torture, wouldn't it?)

As far as getting all morally indignant because the violate the FDCPA, well come on, thats malum prohibitum, not malum in se, it doesn't give you any moral high ground.

Like I said, I was not being abusive, just deal, think to yourself that putting up with phone calls is a small price to pay for forbearance (by the way, my experience is that if you call them first, if you agree to pay some amount, and do so, they stop calling; if you can't do that, bankruptcy should be considered).

Really, stop whining, and stop attacking everyone, myself included, who reminds you that you have obligations you are not meeting.

And as I said, I am not looking down at you for being in difficulty, I have been there myself. But I never blamed the guy on the other end of the phone for my inability to pay my debts. Shrug the calls off, hang up. But why advocate the killing and torture of people. Its not funny, its not dignified, its not right.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[liberalhistorian]

55. I have a right to be angry when I am harassed

and treated rudely by people, and am called a loser and all kinds of other names, when there is no cause or reason for them to be that way. And that includes those whom I call first attempting to explain the situation and make some temporary arrangements. I do not deserve or appreciate that kind of treatment, and neither should anyone else.

There is no reason for them to be immediately rude, nasty and harassing. And there is NO EXCUSE for violations of the FDCA. I even had a collector call my former boss and demand to know if I had really been laid off or if I'd been fired and demanding to know HIS financial information so that he could be sure that I had been laid off. My former boss is an attorney, so needless to say he let the idiot have it good.

Then there was the one who couldn't understand that, while I am supposed to receive court-ordered child support, I have not received any at all in months and that he couldn't take the support because I wasn't getting it!!! Yes, it's court-ordered, but I'm not receiving it.

I don't need or deserve to have them yelling at me calling me a loser, accusing me of not trying to find work when I have done nothing but try to find a job for over two months now, calling me names when I've been polite to them, etc., etc. There is no cause or reason for that. And anyone would be angry after seeing how they are treating my aunt and uncle and others I know who are dealing with a serious illness and who do not deserve that kind of shit.

[NightTrain]

57. Honey, you don't owe that jerk-off any explanations.

We who know you are fully aware of what you're going through, and we sympathize. You know, like liberals have traditionally done for centuries! :hug::*:loveya:

[liberalhistorian]

59. I just wanted to be sure he/she understands

that I am NOT trying to get out of my legitimate obligations, or that I'm a deadbeat who's just trying to stiff my creditors when nothing could be further from the truth. I HATE not being able to pay what I owe, I really do; that is what makes me so angry, that these collectrolls act like I'm deliberately refusing to pay and that I'm just sitting on a pile of money that I'm refusing to give them and that I want to just spend frivolously on myself, no matter how much I try to explain the situation.

[NightTrain]

61. And nothing you say to that guy is going to change his opinion of you.

Trust me. I've dealt with that type of douche bag my whole life!

[liberalhistorian]

62. Well, maybe not, but it makes

me feel better to at least try. I am NOT A DEADBEAT who takes money without intending to pay it back and who intentionally blows off obligations.

[NightTrain]

63. Of course you're not a deadbeat! You're too poor and not a conservative.

If you were a billionaire Republican with ties to the Bush Junta, then you'd have the qualifications to become a deadbeat!

[liberalhistorian]

64. LOL!

True enough!

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[daligirrl]

67. I've been there, sweetie. . .

And I hope that you never have to. What the poster is frustrated about is the fact that these people have jobs where they essentially try to squeeze blood from a stone. Maybe you have never dealt with someone whose job it is to try to make you feel lower than shit. Of course you owe the money. But you seem to think that everyone just goes around, willy-nilly borrowing money and not paying it back. It doesn't happen that way for most people. Usually it happens because of a crisis situation. So, when you have $80 in the bank, and you have to feed your family and try to figure a way to keep a roof over your head your first priority is not to try to "pay them the full amount". I can't freaking believe your post.

[liberalhistorian]

70. Thank you!

That's the point I was trying to get across, that I'm not a deadbeat who is intentionally refusing to pay my obligations. In fact, I HATE not being able to pay them and I was very responsible before my life hit this latest snag these past few months. You'd think that would count for something with creditors.

I'm just angry and frustrated with the treatment received from most of these people and the fact that they're demanding what you just don't have, that they make you feel like shit because of it, and that they just refuse to understand that you simply do not have the money and that you're not sitting on a pile of money that you're intentionally refusing to give your creditors because you want to spend it all on yourself.

It's exhausting to deal with these people all the time, especially when you're trying so hard to find a job but the only calls you get are from the collectrolls who then accuse you of being a loser because you can't find the job you're trying to hard to get!

[NightTrain]

71. No doubt that individual makes six figures and has never spent a day of...

...his life out of work.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

78. You hope he never has to? Speak for yourself!

I hope he DOES! :evilgrin:

[liberalhistorian]

82. LOL!

Now, Juan, that's not very nice, but I love it anyway!

[Samurai_Writer]

45. I simply hang up

When I was in your situation, I was unemployed for about 9 months (thanks Bush I). I was a single parent getting no child support either, and minimal unemployment. The first time they called, I would explain the situation and tell them I would start paying them after I found a job. Each subsequent time they would call, I wouldn't let them get past "This is Jane Smith from XYZ..." I would simply hang up. After a few times of that, they quit calling and only sent letters, because they knew I would not speak to them on the phone.

[noonwitch]

48. Help them find better jobs that put their tenacious tendancies to better

use. Sic them on child abusers, people who defraud social security, those who exploit and neglect the elderly. Give them a mission, and they will do good things with their talents.

[liberalhistorian]

51. Now that's one of the

better ideas I've seen! Better yet, send them after those who can afford to pay child support but who simply refuse to do so. I'm not talking about men and women who owe child support who've lost their jobs and are having trouble finding another one or who've fallen on hard times due to illness, etc. That's more than understandable when they can't pay due to things like that.

I'm talking about those who can well afford it but who simply refuse to pay it, like my son's father; his fiance has decided that he shouldn't have to pay because they had their own son a few years ago, therefore our son doesn't count anymore and all of his resources should go to THEIR son. He won't pay support but he'll pay a private lawyer to help him avoid having to pay support. I never had this trouble from him before this bitch came along, but that's another story and another thread.

[shimmergal]

49. Several good suggestions here. already.....

Avoid the telephone (just don't answer; ask people/outfits that you _want_ to hear from to call a friend's or neighbor's number, or to contact you by e-mail or

Change to another, unlisted number (although this doesn't always stay inviolate)

Asking/demanding they contact you only by written (INDIVIDUALLY written, not form) letter is even better. Few people have the patience or skills anymore to write a coherent business letter. Ask them to reply to some questions by letter and if they don't, you'll know you're dealing with a bunch of dimdumbs (which doesn't necessarily let you off the hook, but it can raise your morale and give some more talking points.)

I did hear a collector once admit that when a target/victim came after him with a gun, he'd give up on that case. Not that I'm recommending this tactic . . .

Of course you can always say something like, "I'm praying for your soul, because this kind of work is going to send you to hell."

More suggestions? Please weigh in, anyone with workable ideas.

Thankfully, I'm not dodging bill collectors at present--just telemarketers. But I've been there before, and most of us never know when we might land in the same boat. HOpe things look up for you, liberalhistorian. You're doing good work for your aunt and uncle!

[bleedingheart]

65. When my husband was laid off we got a hospital bill

I had paid half of it the previous month and was going to finish paying it off the next....so they were getting their money...and then out of no where the hospital's collection dept called me and kindly asked if I would be interested in making a payment over the phone. I said no...that I would be sending them the remainder the next month...which I was going to do...

and then...the good part....they offer me 40% off the bill if I pay it then and there with my credit card...and I took them up on it...

but the question I have is this...they had no reason to think I wouldn't pay...since I had made a payment...so what the hell kind of profit margin are they working within if they can offer me a 40% discount????

[NightTrain]

68. Hmm.... That's very strange.

I gotta say, it's the first time I've heard of a creditor offering a discount to a debtor who wasn't behind on their payments! :shrug:

[liberalhistorian]

69. Hospitals are especially vicious when it comes

to collections; the Wall Street Journal, of all papers, did a series earlier this year on how hospitals, even supposedly non-profits, are now one of the most aggressive industries in the country when it comes to collections.

They are even using the extremely rare collection technique of body attachments (throwing people in jail) when they're unable to pay the full amount of a bill at once. Their attorneys are notorious for not serving people with papers so that they don't even know what's going on; then, when they miss a court date that they don't even have any way of knowing about because they haven't even been served, all hell breaks loose. And these are uninsured people who can least afford it. Hospitals are notorious for being very inflexible when it comes to payment arrangements and for not even waiting thirty days before demanding full payment or sending accounts to collections, even before an insurance payment can be made. People are willing to pay and to make arrangements, but hospitals aren't interested in that.

[Race4Peace]

72. One night,we're all a bunch of revolutionaries, and tonight we are'nt?

What the hell happened to the poll?

[Rhiannon12866]

74. These people are just desperate for jobs in a Bush* economy,

that's all. They have nothing personal against you. They are are just desperate to support their own children, if they have them. I am so sorry that you are having to go through this, nonetheless. But you must realize that this is nothing personal from them to you. You certainly don't deserve this harassment. I am so sorry.:-(

[liberalhistorian]

81. I consider it to be personal when they

continually call and harass me and are extremely rude and nasty when I have not responded that way to them at all, and I consider it to be personal when they violate the FDCA by continuing to contact me by phone when I have specifically stated, in writing, that they are not to do so and by law they must follow that.

And I know plenty of collectrolls who actually get off on their jobs, many have told me so. And the pay around here for them, especially in private agencies, is far higher than 10-12 bucks an hour and that does NOT include commissions.

[Rhiannon12866]

83. I understand, but I also feel bad for the people who have to do this

I have a friend who recently quit a telemarketing job, because she just could not take it, the name calling and the hang-ups. She was laid off from a computer programming job and just needed something to tide her over. I have recently been called three times to take surveys about hospitals and insurance. It is laborious and boring, but I think of my friend and just do it. These people seemed so grateful.:shrug:

[liberalhistorian]

84. Most of the collectors I deal with

are professionals, from private professional agencies, I'm not talking about the people you're describing at all. There is no reason for harassment, threats, rudeness, calling me a loser because I was laid off, etc., etc., THAT is what I'm talking about. And believe me, professional collectors are no better in their personal lives, either, I've known enough of them. They're just as obnoxious and nasty and mean-spirited personally as they are professionally.

[Rhiannon12866]

85. Of course they have no right to treat you like that

I certainly didn't mean to imply this. They must lead miserable lives if this is the way that they treat other people.

My friend was laid off, as well. She has been having a hard time. I was fired from a company where I had worked for over 15 years when I got sick and the surgery that I had to cure the problem didn't work. So I've been there.:shrug:

[HornBuckler]

75. I Don't Know What Collectors You Know That Make

A Lot Of Money - The Job Is Shitty. It's Extremely Difficult Work (Getting Yelled At Etc). I've Collected For Wells Fargo And My Room Mate Still Does. They Pay About 10-12 An Hour Here In Oregon (That's Not Big Money) Direct Anger To The Establishment And Not The Poor Schlep That's Calling You.

I Agree However, That There Are Some Really Suck Ass Collectors That "Get Off" On Yelling At People - They Should Be Beaten

[democratreformed]

80. Perhaps you should come to Arkansas...

where $10 - $12 and hour jobs are few and far between. Average "good" starting pay is around $7.

[Dying Eagle]

76. Amen

I hear that!