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Ex-Debt Collector Confessions Part 4

By M. Stan Herring

CNNMoney.com has posted an interesting article ,that we have turned into a series of posts, where 10 former debt collectors were interviewed to share their experiences in the collections industry...and why they chose to leave it.

Bruce McClary spent 3 years as a debt collector and says the agency where he worked didn't tolerate collectors using bad language or other harassment tactics with debtors. He says that in his case, the debtors were the ones that "would tear us apart over the phone" with some of "the meanest, most randomly strewn together vulgarities," or threaten to actually come to his place of work and "beat the stuffing" out of him.

McClary says he learned not to take this personally and, overall, cites his experience as a debt collector as positive. He says the repetitiveness of constantly demanding money prompted him to leave the industry do something that helps people. He currently works as a credit counselor.

Jeffrey Deutsch worked as a debt collector for 2.5 years and says the position appealed to him because he enjoyed the challenge of tracking down debtors. He says:

I would take it as a personal triumph when I got debt paid off, and in my opinion, they owed the money, so as a representative of the creditor, I had the right to collect the money.

He says he was "aggressive but legal" and never "crossed the line" of harassment. He says he was physically threatened and verbally assaulted by debtors.

Deutsch says he really enjoyed the challenges the job presented, but was let go after getting the flu and failing to meet his quota.

If you have had issues with debt collection companies and have further questions or concerns, feel free to contact us through our website or by calling 205-879-2447.

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Full post as published by Alabama Consumer Blog on August 27, 2010 (boomark / email).