Collection Agencies and the Art of Legal Harassment

I remember the very first collection call I ever made. It was to an elderly woman concerning a five hundred dollar past due credit card. I was so nervous, and I didn't know if I had it in me to be a collector. I just needed a job for a few days before starting a data entry position. In my training, learning about credit was an eye-opening and intriguing experience. By the end of the week, I had decided not to take the data entry position. This was the beginning of my career in the credit industry.

Many of my fellow collectors were unethical, and bludgeoned consumers while they were down. Managers were even worse at the agency I worked for. I recall a particular incident where my immediate supervisor cussed and screamed at a consumer, then slammed the phone viciously on his desk in their ear. I was shocked at how my boss could dehumanize people like that. In collection agencies, the first thing they do to encourage the dehumanization of consumers is to refer to them as debtors. I think this is what allows collectors to sleep at night after they berate a consumer. The agency I worked for tried to convince collectors that debtors are really horrible, nasty, people who are just skipping out on their bills. When in reality, most of the time, they are people like you and me that may have fallen on hard times.

Witnessing these incidents prompted my exodus from the collection industry. I was embarrassed to tell people what I did for a living, and wanted to be an advocate for consumers, rather than an enemy. Consumers have many rights that they are not aware of. There is a law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that collectors are required to follow. Most collectors walk the grey line between what is illegal and what is not. You can view a copy of this act here.