Collections staff suffer abuse - 11/02/2009

[PGH7447]

Credit Today online

 

Debt collection staff are subject to increased levels of abuse from debtors during routine collection calls, according to research carried out by the Credit Services Association (CSA).

 

The CSA said the majority of its members now experience unacceptable levels of abuse on a regular basis. Between them they handle more than 20m debt cases a year, representing £15bn in value. Over 25,000 people are employed in the UK by CSA members in either a full or part-time capacity, more than half of whom are female.

 

-------------

 

Hm can we contact the CSA and put our side of the arguament

[lickthewallfatboy]

oh the poor sensitive people

 

nothing like a taste of your own medicine.....slap it right up them

 

"No-one wants a call from a debt collector, we understand that," said Gillian Forrest-Elliot, head of training at the CSA. "We know that no-one likes debt collectors in the same way that no-one likes traffic wardens, but they are in fact normal people doing an extremely important job, and nobody deserves to be routinely subjected to abuse in the workplace. It should not be seen as ‘part and parcel’ of the job."

 

sorry-traffic wardens are above the DCA pondlife by quite a few orders of magnitude

 

what an insult to traffic wardens!!

Edited February 11, 2009 by lickthewallfatboy

[cerberusalert]

I'd abuse 'em right enough....and it wouldn't be psychological abuse either.

[PGH7447]

How to Deal with Harassing Debtors-

London 11th March 2009.

 

There are an increasing number of instances where debtors are being abusive towards their collection staff; and further research carried out by the Association found that this is an increasing problem affecting a majority of members.

Dealing with these situations, while keeping up your company’s image, can be extremely difficult for collections staff, particularly those under the age of 18.

This training course is designed to coach your staff how to deal with these difficult situations.

What are DCA's doing employing people under the age of 18 - they really have life skills NOT/

[Enron]

Maybe they should get a new job then.

 

If you are generally unpleasant, phone people multiple times a day and harass people what do you expect.

 

If you are a kind, caring, helpful, understanding DCA you are in the minority

[fuzzybobble]

but they are in fact normal people doing an extremely important job,

 

 

 

I've never heard DCA's being described as being a very important job before.

 

Now to describe them as low lifes with no social skills and no regard for the feelings and mental state of the people they are calling, would be a far better description.

 

To all the DCA staff reading this, take note of the following....

When it comes to a crap job in a DCA call centre, there's no point in complaining about it, nobody cares about you. After all, nobody forced you into filling in the application form and then dragged you along to the interview in handcuffs.

If you can't take the abuse you deserve for working for a DCA, then leave and get a proper job. It's really that simple.

[cerberusalert]

I wonder what they consider abuse? People refusing to talk to them, refusing to answer 'security' questions, refuting the debt or their victims being irate at their threatening and condescending attitude.

 

Besides, grown-ups would rather speak to grown-ups not spotty faced little scrotes who's only worry is whether they are going to get their leg over some other spotty minger at the next desk.

[Enron]

I had to deal with Blair Oliver Scott who were harassing a family member.

 

Unsurprisingly once I contacted them in writing and mentioned they're behaviour was harassment (calls upto 6 times a day), and that I would be contacting trading standards and complaining to the OFT they took notice and stopped calling.

 

Regardless of their response we sent the complaint off to Trading Standards and the OFT.

[fuzzybobble]

Another quote from Credit Today.

 

The CSA has launched a training course on dealing with abusive calls in response to the growing problem. It will be held on Wednesday 11 March in London and will coach staff to deal with difficult situations while maintaining a professional demeanour.

I think that means, "Carry on shouting at them and demand payment in full, or we'll send the boys round."

 

I think they should invite a few CAG members along to give them some real world experience. I'm sure we could do some role play situations so they would realise that no amount of training courses and scrips can prepare them for someone who knows what an enforceable credit agreement is.

 

With all the bad press the DCA's are getting at the moment, I think their cosy little world of preying on people who aren't aware of their legal rights, and getting away with flouting the law and guidelines is about to come to an abrupt end. And the sooner that day comes, the better.

 

Statute Barred after only 3 years? Bring it on. The sooner that one gets passed, the better. Then we can all have a good laugh as one by one the DCA's go out of business.

[Rhia]

I think she shoots herself in the foot by admitting the average age of collections staff is low. How on earth can some untrained, probably not particularly well educated teenager, even begin to have empathy with people in debt.

All this is for is to push their one day CSA training session for collections staff. As we all know a few hours of "workshops", a bit of role play and a free handout will resolve matters a million fold.

[smee76]

Well they've kind of made a rod for their own backs. If they went about their jobs in the same way others do - ie consideratly - they would get the same treatment back from most people I am sure. But because of the pig-ignoranant, underhand, bullish behaviour they show when doing their job, they can't complain when they get that attitude back.

[ODC]

''......doing an important job..........'' My arse

 

The only people that a DCA's job is important to is the Greedy moneygrabbing people who employ them so that they can live in luxury living off other people's misfortune. They are of NO benefit to the economy or life in general. They are in fact a waste of space.

[cerberusalert]

No doubt these gullible teenagers are employed on minimum wage with the promise of huge bonuses based on collection rates, thus encouraging their 'professionalism'

 

I can imagine the morning 'staff huddles' when their supervisors/mananagers recite the office mantras, indoctrinating them with whatever pseudo american jingoism they dreamt up in the wine bar the night before.

[ScarletPimpernel]

As always, the CSA seeks to blame others for its own inadequacies - classic bully behaviour, of course.

 

The notion that employing young, not very clever people, paying them in a way that encourages bad behaviour, training them to contact people in a confrontational way, and then wondering why people fight back shows either breathtaking naivety or a stunning level of arrogance.

 

It's absolutely right that any employer should protect their staff from genuine risk, but I doubt that the CSA would accept that compliant behaviour on their part is the key to reducing levels of 'abuse' from those they deal with.

 

Note to Gillian Forrest-Elliot - if you genuinely think that DCA call centre staff do an 'extremely important job', have a look at Help for Heroes. It may help you to put things into perspective, and to understand why people don't take your organisation seriously.

[roundabout]

Yer, right:eek: Abuse to them is someone replying no I cannot make a payment politely and that is compared to 20 odd calls a day going dead or we will report you to social services as you are not able to provide for your kids as you are obviously a bad parent:cool:With now can we have you payment card thrown in.....

 

No sympathy for them as they give none to us.

[lickthewallfatboy]

when you think of the people they have driven to suicide,and then they come out with this crap

 

pass the vomit bag

[DDWales]

Note to Gillian Forrest-Elliot - if you genuinely think that DCA call centre staff do an 'extremely important job', have a look at Help for Heroes. It may help you to put things into perspective, and to understand why people don't take your organisation seriously.

 

Well said SP. I really wish the likes of Gillian Forrest- Elliot would take a look on the CAG. I think she would quickly realise who the real transgressors are and why DCA employees have the abuse they do!!!!!!!!!

[ODC]

 

Note to Gillian Forrest-Elliot - if you genuinely think that DCA call centre staff do an 'extremely important job', have a look at Help for Heroes. It may help you to put things into perspective, and to understand why people don't take your organisation seriously.

 

Excellent post as usual SP. Our Troops, our nurses and many others ARE doing a very important job for about half the money the average DCA threat monkey makes. The abuse our troops have to take does not consist of people agruing their rights down a telephone but day and daily they face abuse from Kalashnikovs and Roadside Bombs. Our nurses here in the UK regularly have do deal with violent and drunken louts. They get on with the job and dont get an industry propoganda news sheet to whinge about how badly they are treated. Unlike the Threat Monkeys who regualrly abuse people, threaten them and do anything so as they can earn their monthly alcopop bonus. Dont make me laugh. No-one has any sympathy for a DCA employee whatsoever.

[cerberusalert]

Dont make me laugh. No-one has any sympathy for a DCA employee whatsoever.

 

Especially those who are hounding some of our lads who are out of the country right now and are unable to manage their affairs as they would like.

[mr.ton]

Another quote from Credit Today.

 

The CSA has launched a training course on dealing with abusive calls in response to the growing problem. It will be held on Wednesday 11 March in London and will coach staff to deal with difficult situations while maintaining a professional demeanour.

 

I think that means, "Carry on shouting at them and demand payment in full, or we'll send the boys round."

 

I think they should invite a few CAG members along to give them some real world experience. I'm sure we could do some role play situations so they would realise that no amount of training courses and scrips can prepare them for someone who knows what an enforceable credit agreement is.

 

With all the bad press the DCA's are getting at the moment, I think their cosy little world of preying on people who aren't aware of their legal rights, and getting away with flouting the law and guidelines is about to come to an abrupt end. And the sooner that day comes, the better.

 

Statute Barred after only 3 years? Bring it on. The sooner that one gets passed, the better. Then we can all have a good laugh as one by one the DCA's go out of business.

 

 

I agree...CAG member should turn up

[Alex_DeLarge]

The fact that abuse is increasing against DCA staff shows that people are a lot less scared of DCA's than they used to be, and are no longer afraid to tell them where to go.

 

Another indication that things are turning around in our favour.

Edited February 11, 2009 by Alex_DeLarge

[ScarletPimpernel]

Call me a cynic, but I suspect that this story has as much to do with the CSA spinning a tale to try and counter the bad press the debt industry is currently enjoying as it does with genuine harassment of DCA staff.

 

A responsible employer would bring proceedings against the perpetrator of genuine harassment of an employee, or if it's bad enough, report the matter to the police. They'd have to be able to justify their own actions, not least as the instigators of confrontation.

 

Given that DCAs regularly tell us that constant telephone calls, threats of legal action, lies and misdirection don't amount to harassment, I'd imagine that the CSA must be talking about their staff being subjected to some pretty heavy stuff - death threats, viable VBIEDs, that sort of thing - but something tells me that it will really amount to 'the nasty man shouted back at me'.

 

 

Welcome to our guest, incidentally...

[cerberusalert]

Considering the fact that these DCAs are continually claiming that telephone calls are recorded 'for training purposes' why aren't they producing the evidence?

[PGH7447]

I'm even more cynical and would state that it is a money spinning idea by the CSA to fill its coffers:D

[lickthewallfatboy]

on a side note......isn't it now time for the likes of these forums to be viewable by members only,and not guests?

 

Then,according to the conditions of the site,the DCA's couldn't sign up without stating who they were,and then go on to use info gleaned here about specific cases?

 

it's worth serious consideration IMHO