Dear Debtor, Won't You Please Take My Call?
Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2011
by Teresa Ortiz
Freelance writer/Speaker
Dear Debtor;
Hello, it's me again. I know you are avoiding me; frankly, I don't blame you. Nevertheless, avoiding me will not make me go away. In fact, I will start calling more often. And the longer you avoid me, the less likely I am to work with you. I'm willing to admit, many of my fellow collectors are rude - I apologize for them. Believe it or not, there are some of us who truly desire to help you during these difficult times. However, you leave me no other option then to carry this all the way to court and if need be, lien your property and seize your assets...
I'm willing to admit that as a Financial Services Manager (Fancy name for Gweedo, the bill collector), I rank pretty high on the list of terrible people. And no wonder, many collectors are rude and condescending and have given all of us a bad name. Not that this is an excuse, but one of the reasons is because debtors ignore our calls. The first time we call, we expect an answering machine or voice mail, as today's term goes. But after the third and fourth call, we know our call has been received.
From our perspective, this tells us that more than likely, you have no intentions of paying your creditors. Notes are entered on your account each time a call is made. We begin to call more often, with the next step being your place of employment, your family and your friends. Whatever it takes, even to the point of sending a private investigator to your residence to serve you a court order. Trust me, we don't want to do this.
For this reason, I am asking that you take the time to return our calls. We will work with you during these hard economic times. In fact, many of us will accept offers in compromise - or settlement offers.
Being a collector has its rewards. Give us the opportunity to help see you through your rough time. Return our calls quickly, express your sincerity and willingness to do the best you can, and you will be surprised at how helpful we can be.
** This letter was inspired by one of my clients who has avoided 25 phone calls. Once I was told "he" would call me back in 15 minutes. Another time I was told he would call me back in a half an hour with a payment. Yesterday, I was told that he was in the bathroom. Does he think after 25 calls of listening to his voice on his machine, that I didn't know his voice? **
After pleading with him to return my calls, to work with me when I actually reached him, he still has not committed to anything. Unfortunately, the next letter he gets from me will be from my legal department.
Please, don't let this be you.
Need suggestions? Leave your question in the comments and I will do my best to help.
(C) Teresa Ortiz - Collections Management
Hello, it's me again. I know you are avoiding me; frankly, I don't blame you. Nevertheless, avoiding me will not make me go away. In fact, I will start calling more often. And the longer you avoid me, the less likely I am to work with you. I'm willing to admit, many of my fellow collectors are rude - I apologize for them. Believe it or not, there are some of us who truly desire to help you during these difficult times. However, you leave me no other option then to carry this all the way to court and if need be, lien your property and seize your assets...
From our perspective, this tells us that more than likely, you have no intentions of paying your creditors. Notes are entered on your account each time a call is made. We begin to call more often, with the next step being your place of employment, your family and your friends. Whatever it takes, even to the point of sending a private investigator to your residence to serve you a court order. Trust me, we don't want to do this.
For this reason, I am asking that you take the time to return our calls. We will work with you during these hard economic times. In fact, many of us will accept offers in compromise - or settlement offers.
Being a collector has its rewards. Give us the opportunity to help see you through your rough time. Return our calls quickly, express your sincerity and willingness to do the best you can, and you will be surprised at how helpful we can be.
** This letter was inspired by one of my clients who has avoided 25 phone calls. Once I was told "he" would call me back in 15 minutes. Another time I was told he would call me back in a half an hour with a payment. Yesterday, I was told that he was in the bathroom. Does he think after 25 calls of listening to his voice on his machine, that I didn't know his voice? **
After pleading with him to return my calls, to work with me when I actually reached him, he still has not committed to anything. Unfortunately, the next letter he gets from me will be from my legal department.
Please, don't let this be you.
Need suggestions? Leave your question in the comments and I will do my best to help.
(C) Teresa Ortiz - Collections Management
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Top-level comments on this article: (10 total)Great article, T! We have been getting several calls a week, not for us - collectors, I assume - for people we don't know. Often it is a recorded call asking for the person and requesting I hang up if I am not the person. I do, they call back with the same message. I think many people give out any phone number or an old one. There are about 4 different people the calls request...none of them us. They seem to think we are who they are looking for. When I get a "live" call, I let them know we have had this number for almost 4 years and ask to be removed from the list, but we still get the calls.
I could not do what you do. You are an amazing person and without judgement, sarcasm or loathing toward the people you need to reach. It has been a lot of years since we got a collection call (that really was for us) but I still remember the tones of the voices. Ironically, some I talked to were in the same boat as us back then. It was a hard time to walk through. Those who answer your phone calls are blessed! I hope they realize that.Hi Lorrie. Thank you - I have trained many collectors over the years to always assume the best of the person. Life happens to everybody - even collector - woe to those who treat people badly. Those auto dailers are ridiculous. What you can do is call them back, tell them that you have notified them before that you do not know the party they are trying to reach. Tell them that if they do not remove your phone # from their system, that you will file a complaint with the better business bureau - get a name, then follow through.
What a lot of peope do not realize is that in house collectors are much easier to work with . Their job is to do all they can to retain the customer/client - when it goes to third party collection agency, that's when it can get ugly.
Excellent. And I thought you were going to use that as a jumping off point for a devotional about the debt we all owe that we can never pay - but there is Someone who paid it for us....all we need to do is ask!
Sending e-hugs to a SistahWritah
Hi Marijo. Ah! I have used this analogy quite a bit, but for this piece - my mind did not go there. I was all collector on this one :-) But, so true and thank you for sharing here! hugs and love right back at'cha!
I think that many people who owe money they can't repay are terrorized by collectors, Teresa, which is why they don't call back. They don't realize you are one of the human ones!Hi Jennifer. You are right, but if debtors would work with their creditors before it goes to a third party collection agency things would go so much better. The priority of an in house collector is to retain the customer so they work so much harder and are much kinder to their customers. The problem is once, they have exhausted their efforts, the account is sold to a third party collector. That's were you get the rude collectors. They are paid on commission - which I think should be illegal - and many of them will do and say anything to get paid. I'm always encouraging as many people as I can to return their creditors calls. In fact, its better if they contact their creditors first. I suppose one reason I love this challenging job is because I can help a lot of people. I hear a lot of stories and its nice to know I have the power to do something good for them. It's worth all the nasty names and ear-full of yelling I have had over the years. Thanks for reading and commenting. Blessings to you!
Wow, Teresa I had no idea that's what you did. I can't think of a better, good hearted person to be "the bill collector" . While I don't have bill problems I can understand how tough it is for many now. Great article...
SteveHi Steve! How are you doing? It's a career path that not many are willing to admit :-) I love it! I have often considered starting my own business training would-be collectors. I have trained many on a limited level, but how cool would it be to have my own course - at least I could start more people off on the right foot, Collectiong with compassion and not robbing anyone of their dignity. Blessings to you!
This is such a rough time for so many. I"m sure they feel hopeless thinking there's no way out so they try to avoid it by not answering your calls. Unfortunatley we all know their problem won't go away by ignoring it. Too bad they can't know when you call that this time there's someone caring on the other end who actually wants to help them sort out their problems. I think many times, depression may take over as well and people can't think logically under such stress. Keep up the good work Teresa, it's a job that has to be done, and you being as caring as you are, are the best one for the job! - Brianna -Hi Brianna. You are so right. Most people are honest and hard working and they are embarrassed. I think its human nature to try and hide from uncomfortable situations, whatever they might be.
There are only a few times that I have had to use my power in a negative way - I had a man actually tell me he had no intentions of paying his bills. He told me I was just a little bill collector who couldn't do anything about it. He owed the company I worked for $50,000. The very next day I had a private investigator at his door who would not leave until he had a check in his hands to bring back to me. I collected $35,000 before he closed shop and skipped town. The guy called me back and said he was shocked and couldn't believe I had the courage to do that. I told him as the Credit Manager, I could do whatever I needed to - to collect. His response was, "I didn't know you were the manager, I thought you were just a grunt worker". I said what did it matter who was calling him. You would be amazed at some of the excuses and stories I do hear. This too adds, to collectors becoming calloused the longer they do this job. I just get a kick out of it and chuckle as I bring down the hammer on these types. But the key is to always assume the best of the client do not bring other scenarios into play when working with an indidual. This will keep a collector soft. Blessings to you!
Hi T!
Boy have I learned to work with my creditors and with a polite response and willingness to work out something the calls have pretty much stopped. For example I owe the hospital more money than I make. We have set up a payment plan and it works wonderfully for most sides. By the way, it is hard to picture you as one of those rude collectors.
Love, hugs and blessings,
MichelleHi Michelle! How are you doing? Glad to hear you had a positive experience and thanks for being an example of how it can work when you face it head on. I have been on the other side of the phone many a time. Love hugs and blessings to you. I am going to head over and read your article!
Hi Teresa- You do have a job that many would not find as easy and thorough to handle as you seem to. It's not an easy, nor would I think, a pleasant job; but as was stated before- somebody's got to do it- it appears that you are able to do it well, in the least conflicting manner possible. If I owed a debt- I'm sure I would have exhausted every means available to me, in order to resolve it. Someone calling me in reciprocation, would not aid me in my completed endeavor-I'm afraid that this is the sound you would hear: Click.......- Interesting well- written article- Enjoyed it- Always- EllaI agree. Some collectors are ridiculous. They are stupid to think that they can be abusive and not have the person hang up them. Thanks for the kind words. I do my best to make a difference. I figure I can be one less nasty person out there :-) Blessings to you!
Great article Teresa and even better responses to comments. If I ever get behind on my bills (which is not out of the realm of possibility), I'm going to ask for you!!Hi Joel, Thank you and what collectors need to remember is that it can easily happen to them.
Hi Teresa, I really liked this article! I feel your pain here... being an apartment manager (believe it or not) I get much the same grief. When they don't pay their rent I have to place letters on their doors because they won't answer when I knock. They get angry at me, like it's MY fault they can't pay. Oh well, life carries on and so do I. Thanks for sharing this story and I loved the presentation! LindaHi Linda! Thanks for reading. I feel for you too. That would be a tough one -so close to home, literally. We have to know up front it is not personal. That is what saves us. Blessings to you!
How can I find out where my debtors work so I can garnish their wages?The only way you can do this is if you are an official creditor, and if so, you would already have this information. If this is a personal loan, the only thing you can do is take them to small claims court and if you win, the judge will have a judgement issued against them and they will be ordered to pay you. But you have no legal rights to garnish their wages. This can only be done by licensed businesses. I'm sorry for the bad news. Aside from small claims court, you just have to appeal to their conscience. IT will cost you money to take them to court, and you need to have everything documented. Such as a written agreement for the amount of the loan and how much they agreed to pay back and how often. If all you have is a handshake and their word, you have no case. Unfortunately, this is the law.
Hi Teresa,
Great article! I just started working for a collection agency. For a new person what advise can you give me as a starter ?
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