Jenni the Bill Collector - by Scott Bilker

2 June 2007

Debt Collectors - ya gotta love 'em. Some people pay their bills for no other reason than to avoid dealing with these misanthrops, the Ambassadors of Animosity. Scott Bilker from DebtSmart shares this story about Jenni the Bill Collector from his website - we'll share with you and then the follow-up, too Comments from Scott are in italics.

We don't know if "Jenni" is representative of Bill Collectors in general, but read the article - she sure represented herself as a human quite poorly.

Thanks Scott!

Bii Quigley and Art Blanchet

Your Home-Your Money

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Jenni the Bill Collector

by Scott Bilker

I received a letter from Jenni about Chris Peruzzi's article, Bad Customer Service. Turns out that Jenni is a bill collector. I found her comments to be quite interesting in that you can get an insight into the thinking of the typical bill/debt collector. I included my remarks for added entertainment.

Jenni: "I am a bill collector. What a lot of people forget is that what we do is our job."
I don't think anyone forgets that it's her 'job.' Jenni's collection victims also have jobs.

Jenni: "We do not come to your office and cuss you out because you wanted an 8:00 meeting. Under the FDCPA (fair debt collection practices act) we are legally allowed to call from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm your local time."
Of course Jenni didn't come to our office and cuss. It sounds like she would, if she could, which is why the law limits their contact.

Jenni: "But where I work, we start calling at 7:00 am our time. Do you think that I really want to be pleasant at that time?"
Does Jenni think the people she's calling are going to be pleasant at that time?

Jenni: "One of my biggest problems is that we are constantly mistaken for telemarketers/customer service. We are far from that. Our job is not to make you happy, but to make our client happy."
Well Jenni, obviously you're not making us happy, so don't be so surprised when people hang up on you!

Jenni: "We don't always know what is going on though. That is why we call. We were hired to find out why there is a past due bill with you and our client. Give us a break. You do your job, and we will do ours."
I don't think Jenni knows why she's hired. Her job is to collect, not to 'find out why.' That's why the job title is Debt Collector not Debt Investigator.

Jenni: "Also, remember this; we want to get it cleared up just as badly as you do. So allow us to help you dispute things properly if you feel that there is something wrong with the bill. Hanging up and cussing us out does not make us want to help you."
Jenni assumes that people want her 'help' to clear things up. She doesn't want to help, she wants to collect.

Jenni: "Do you really want something on your credit that could have been avoided?"
More than likely, something is already on the person's credit report because the account is in collection. It cannot be avoided at this point.

Jenni: "You are an adult. So act like one. If you don't want us to call at 8:00 am, politely tell us to call you after noon. We will be more than happy to. And don't insult our intellegence."
If Jenni could spell 'intelligence' it would make it more difficult for people to insult her. The best advice to get Jenni to stop calling is to politely ask for her address and then send a letter demanding that her company cease calling.

Jenni: "I am a 20 year old college student working my way thru just like anyone else. At least I have the manners and maturity to handle things like an adult. Think about that one."
I thought about it, and I think Jenni doesn't understand the situations that real adults, not adults by age, have on their plate. Situations like multiple jobs, children, mortgage payments...life!

Identity Theft at the Pump - Robbed Twice

22 May 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin

It's bad enough we're paying over $3.50 per gallon for gas (and Exxon's profits are up 50%), but we're being robbed at the pump in other ways - Identity Theft! Things are getting ugly.

Our friend Scott Bilker (http://www.debtsmart.com/index.html) had this posted on his website. It's from from Sheriff Ken Jenne of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (Florida) and it's an eye-opener.

Scott is dedicated to helping people control their credit card and consumer debt and has written three books on the subject. He also posts articles and news daily and is worth a periodic visit. We've had him twice on our weekly radio show - Your Home-Your Money - and he's been all over TV and radio and in print. His is one credible son of a gun.

Check out this slick crime spree going on in Florida - and probably elsewhere. Gone in Four Seconds. Four seconds! Imagine the time it takes to regain your security and identity AFTER the crime.

Identity Theft takes many forms now - you just saw the "direct" approach. Consumers from Florida to Wisconsin, and all over the U.S., need to be diligent to avoid being a victim. Even getting gas! Four seconds of prevention is worth months of cure!

As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues used to say, " Hey, let's be careful out there."

Art Blanchet

Bill Quigley

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