Trouble Exposure
CNN Money features “former bill collectors”

I believe that CNN Money should have warned the people they interviewed for a piece called “Confessions of Former Bill Collectors” that anything they said can, and would, be held against them — by the readers.

And what the readers had to say was pretty nasty, graphic, personal and peppered with “expletives deleted.”

In fairness to CNN, I believe the article was intended to show these former collectors in a “good” light – as good as can be given the Industry in which they worked, it appears. There was no editorial content – just people sharing very personal tales about their experience as“bill collectors.”

Ten people were featured, complete with their face (from facebook?) as well as their actual names. Two mistakes, already.

Those interviewed ranged from 20-year-veterans to one with just 2.5 years in the trade, and almost equally divided between men and women. One appeared as “Anonymous,” which proved to be a smart move.

Here are some examples of the “feedback” that was left by the readers:

“The national debt in America is fast approaching 14 Trillion. I was born into debt, and I will die with debt, F U debt collectors.”

“Debt collection is simply legalized abuse, assault, harassment and stalking…When a business does business they take-on a certain risk, part of that risk is dead-beats. They’ve no decent right to sell their unpaid accounts to debt collectors willing to drive down-and-outers into an early grave.”

“…most of these people who call on behalf of debt collectors are wanted, drug abusers, and or people who cannot get a real job because of problems associated with their past abuses.”

“Just the fact that this idiot thought harassing people would be a “fun” job is disturbing. I had to have my phone shut off because of debt collectors calling – not for ME but for the guy who had the phone number before me.”

“What a worthless, self righteous b—-.”

I could go on, but I believe you get the idea…

There were some positive comments…but few.

Out of curiosity, I contacted one commentator by way of his Facebook page and asked him for more details as to why he had such an antipathy towards collection agencies. His answer below, which I am using with his permission, should be posted on the wall of every collection agency and attorney in the U.S:

“I have worked hard all of my life, paid my taxes and paid my bills. I pride the fact that I do not live above my means. Other than a home or a very reliable car for my job (construction management) I had little, if any, debt.



My company closed their doors because of the economy. Over the next 9 months I bled through my savings to keep my bills paid and I defaulted on not one loan – until the money ran out.

I made several phone calls to my creditors and explained my situation; I called if not once a week, at least once a month.

Then the money ran completely out and all we had to live on was the small income that my wife was bringing in.

My three children had an ultra limited Christmas because I paid bills through savings while looking for a job. Even my wife’s income did not cover anything over the bare necessities.



Then came the calls from collectors. I went through my family savings to make sure I remained a good person and made good on my credit obligations to the point that my three children had a minimal Christmas and now they were going to call my home and threaten me and verbally abuse me because I had no money? 



I did what any sane person would do. I wrote down the person’s name, researched his company and the town it was in. I got lucky because there was a person in the company data base that matched the name I found, with the name that he called himself to me when we were talking, to the name of someone that lived in North Carolina (I withhold the name and city for my protection). 



After thinking about it for a couple of days, I drove nearly 8 hours to a city in North Carolina to the address of the person that worked for this company. I waited for him to come home and when he got out of his car, I walked up to him introduced myself and explained how easy it was for him to be found.

I told him not to call my house again and he didn’t.”

The lesson here, which runs in both directions, is that just because your designation is “bill collector” or “debtor” doesn’t provide license for insult and worse…and there is no telling as to the outcome of collection “encounters.” As a number of people on the receiving end of collector calls caution, it doesn’t take much for the shoe to be on the other foot.

Collectively, the Collection Agency industry has largely earned the wrath and scorn of society. If that is going to change, the industry must change.

And, THAT is from THIS bill collector of 30-plus-years-experience.

For those interested – the original CNN site: Confessions of Former Bill Collectors