Debt Collection; More Gratitude Than Grief

As a Debt Collector gratitude comes not only from our many clients, the charities that we donate to and the volunteer work we perform, but also from the consumers we aid.  Having a lingering debt can be very strenuous and extremely stressful situation indeed.  What’s worse is the potentially helpless feeling of being in a precarious position, wanting to pay, and believing that you won’t be able to.  This is where the Collector comes in; it is our job to find suitable and creative payment solutions right and proper for the consumer as well as apposite for our client.  During the course of a collector’s career they will have accomplished this literally thousands of times over.

It never ceases to amaze me, as a debt collector, how many consumers are truly appreciative that you have helped them in some small way.  There are those individuals who instinctively, “just want to pay the whole thing right now:” It’s only after you analyze their debt to income ratio and qualify them for a much needed payment arrangement that they are grateful and realize what unnecessary hardship paying the entire balance off immediately could have and would have potentially caused them.

Here’s what one lady told me just yesterday.  We set her up on a biweekly payment plan to have the debt paid by December, she expressed “I’m glad to have creditors like you who help me to resolve these [bills],” Mrs. Moore, IN.  Another gentleman, Mr. Stewart, RI, is a small business owner who’s also been struggling in the current economic climate.  It only took about twenty five minutes and we were able to qualify him for a 3 month payment plan.  He says to me, “Everyone who I’ve talked to in your company has been so professional and you’ve really helped me out here.  I’d like to talk to you about my accounts receivable issues I’m having and have you represent me.”  Similarly, a woman called me just last week, her 60 day payment arrangement complete, and wanted to know if we were hiring.  Mrs. Rogers, MI remarked “I want to work for a company like yours.”

 These are just a few of the stories I have had the privilege to experience as of late.  Too often there is a negative “stigma” shrouding the good that collection agencies contribute to the community and economy at large.  I must confess.  Being a debt collector is, beyond a doubt, a rewarding career.