Debt collection officer offering advice

[Gary29]

I think we've scared our friendly neighbourhood debt collector off.

[sam614]

I can't help feeling, you know, that calling oneself a debt collection *officer* is a bit pretentious.

 

 

me thinks it was spelling error,

should have been debt collection orifice:wink:

 

 

SAM:pLOWELL DETESTER

[bigegg]

Lol

[master woody]

I think we've scared our friendly neighbourhood debt collector off.

 

He might come your house tommorow, and you can have a nice chat

 

i do hope he comes around to mine:cool:

[Gary29]

He's viewing at the moment.

[beachcomber60]

He's viewing at the moment.

 

 

You mean there's an *Orificer* watchin us

[andie_303]

He's viewing at the moment.

 

good then we can see what he thinks to my question about my situation

[ODC]

Well it looks like I missed a fun thread with the OP being unable to answer any questions that werent on his script. A check from his ISP should easily identify which DCA he works for.

 

Of course the grandiose title Debt Collection Officer is a bit of a giveaway.

[andie_303]

Ok I have a question then - I recently dealth with a company regarding Council Tax - I made an offer of payment which they would not accept as they said the council they were employed by wouldn't accept it (not true according to the council) and they then said that the offer to pay in installments was being withdrawn as I couldn't afford the £139.00 per month they were asking. They also said any monthly installment was subjct to a levy being performed first 'as insurance' again supposedly on the say so of the council (again not true according to the council). The DCA know I am a single parent of a disabled child and that OFT guidelines say they should not doorstep visit vulnerbale parties - but they claim they can disregard these and say they will send an enforcement office to my house anyway. Since this I have just paid the £50 I have said I can afford per month and nothing has happened as yet - your thoughts are appreciated.

 

 

This was my question Mr Debt Collector

[ODC]

Credit Today online

[Gary29]

good then we can see what he thinks to my question about my situation

 

Mine too.

 

Unfortunately he appears to have buggered off again.

[andie_303]

oh he disappeared before answering my queston, maybe y'all hurt his feelings lmao

[Gary29]

Maybe I'm being cynical, but I don't think 5 posts out of a thread of 122+ really shows much willingness to answer questions.

[count orlok]

harajuku, why do DCAs ignore my letters, one even admited they had not read them and had loat them! I've sent 100s and only got a few replies.

[Gary29]

harajuku, why do DCAs ignore my letters, one even admited they had not read them and had loat them! I've sent 100s and only got a few replies.

 

At a guess I'd say it's because theirs staff are illiterate.

[tosh1]

do dca's earn commision for payments taken over the phone?

 

when you do your doorstep challange and manage to secure a payment do you earn any commision from that payment?

 

do you have a list of people to visit that you are due to visit tomorrow?

[sosumi]

do dca's earn commision for payments taken over the phone?

 

when you do your doorstep challange and manage to secure a payment do you earn any commision from that payment?

 

do you have a list of people to visit that you are due to visit tomorrow?

I'd say yes and yes to the first two. Sadly.

[sosumi]

That's why the 'operatives' work so hard to secure payments over the phone. (wonder how many get frogmarched?)

And the 'doorstep collectors' are often advertised in local papers. I'd say by the frequency of the adverts it's very hard to make a living.

[sosumi]

harajuku, you were brave to post.

[mustang67]

Replace the J with an F in his name and see what you get:)

[ODC]

Replace the J with an F in his name and see what you get:)

 

Well spotted. Well Jukimtoo

[Werner M]

....and now he's gone!! all your fault!! you should have been nicer to the big orifice !!

[sosumi]

Ah well...

This, the latest on the CSA website, should be required reading for DCA staff, 'officers' and 'operatives' etc. I think there's a lot of sense in it, even though the changing attitude has been forced on them by the current climate.

IMO they need to learn a lot about helping people through crises. And the ones that can't learn and won't change should be sacked.

The assumption behind 'frogmarching' is that there are good people overseeing the conduct of their workers, ready to discipline them when they transgress their codes of conduct. But as we all know, one of the worst offendering DCAs is the President of the Association that drew up their Code of Conduct, so what should we infer from that?

Still, the writer of this article is not one of the CSA 'regulars', as far as I know:

Core collections skills help to combat the recession

 

Date: 06-03-2009

It is now widely accepted that the economy will deteriorate significantly in 2009, and that consumers will continue to face the dual challenges of increasing living costs and the spectre of rising unemployment. Initial predictions of a shallow recession have now given way to more severe forecasts including some who anticipate unemployment rising to the recently inconceivable level of 3 Million.

 

In this climate, there will be an obvious temptation for debt recovery operations to push debtors harder and clamour louder for what little cash is available. However, with a court system that is already overloaded, rising numbers of personal insolvencies and a clearly hostile media and regulatory environment, it is vital that collections professionals maintain best practice and seek to work proactively with debtors to find affordable solutions.

 

It is time to focus on the core collections skills of listening, understanding & of rapport building with potentially over-indebted consumers, to reach a mutually acceptable payment arrangement. Companies need to invest more time & energy in re-educating and refocusing their teams and goals to maximise every conversation and potential arrangement. Recent years have seen booming returns for agencies and buyers alike with a healthy economy and readily available credit, neither of these circumstances applies in 2009. Lump sum settlements achieved from consolidations and re-mortgages will be few and far between and the emphasis must be on negotiating long term payment arrangements and in maintaining positive cash flow.

 

As we have to work harder to maintain cash flow it is also crucial to refocus on bottom line profit and to trim costs wherever possible. As the climate worsens companies who have tight controls on overheads will be best placed to ride out the storm.

 

Debtors are coming under more concerted pressure from creditors as more professional operations and new technologies have increased collections intensity, and as a result are responding in ever decreasing numbers to the archetypal call centre approach. The current media frenzy around the mis-treatment of debtors only serves to re-enforce the importance of core collector skills, and in employing best practice across our business.

 

In this environment it is clear that the quality of the contact must outweigh the quantity, and those companies which will continue to flourish in the current climate, will be those whose staff are skilled enough to reduce the personal stigma and perceived unpleasantness surrounding the collections conversation through a focus on rapport building.

 

By making the negotiation a less unpleasant one through the use of increased skill sets, businesses will be better positioned from a cash flow and customer retention perspective, and can actually enhance the debtor’s perception of their brand through the fair manner in which their payment difficulties have been handled. The expected climate of unemployment will trigger financial difficulty from previous well paid debtors, and by sympathetically assisting them through their difficulties, creditors can significantly improve their long term relationship with the debtor.

 

At a time when potential loan securities such as houses are reducing in value by the day, the importance of positive rapport building, and of achieving increased numbers of payment arrangements and improving your customer retention must form the bedrock of continued financial success for collections businesses.

 

 

Nick Cherry

Director & General Manager

Red2Black Collections Ltd

 

CSA Website

Edited March 9, 2009 by sosumi
added link :)

[Kraken1]

You know, I'm not sure I blame him. The posts made have been fairly agressive towards him. Perhaps not in the league of calls you might get from certain DCAs, but all the same it means that some posters are no better.

 

Go back and read them all objectively. See what you think.

 

Personally, I was interested to hear what he had to say, and whether you like it or not, his explaination of how a DCA classifies a debtor as a can't pay/won't pay was illuminating.

 

As an aside, the username intrigued me. Apparently it is a perfume and district of japan.

[mustang67]

....and now he's gone!! all your fault!! you should have been nicer to the big orifice !!

 

 

Dont worry will probably be another one along;)