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Posted by Drew (24.59.27.46) on January 04, 2004 at 18:17:53:

In Reply to: Nice Try. posted by Drew on January 04, 2004 at 17:31:15:

One other thing about that post.

That was one of my earlier posts when I was more open-minded about collection agencies in general. Yes, there was a time when I believed (Past tense) that there might be some good in collection agencies and that they do serve a purpose. I have even mentioned that on this board at times and part of me wants to beleive that there are professional ethical collection agencies out there, but more and more, I am becoming less and less sure of that. For the most part, I have become more convinced not to do business with collection agencies. Why? Because of the information that I have read, the fact that there are so many dishonest ones and people are losing their homes, their livelihoods in some cases, by trusting a collection agency.

I still keep an open mind and try not to judge things but you want to know what. The more and more I research this subject, the more and more I become unsure about the ethics of collection agencies in general.

If you read my post in the consumer section of that board, I had a similar discussion with Jim. He argued pretty much the same way as you do. He was citing the bible and he believed that the time for being nice was past when it came to the collection agencies. He said the original creditors tried to give them the chance. From what I have been reading, many people in collections do get their chances but many end up in collections because the original creditors would not work with their new circumstances. They wanted all or nothing. For some reason he just assumes that because something didn't work out with the original creditor and the consumer, then it is ok for them to play hardball. After all you owe a debt.

I believe that maybe the time for the consumers solution is not now. I believe every problem can be solved but it might not be the right solution.

You want to know what else Sunkissed. I have even tried to give you the benefit of the doubt here and I have tried not to jump in on several posts you were giving advice to.

One is your hardship program plan. You once mentioned that you can get on a hardship program. Well do you know how many times collectors offer a person a hardship program only to obtain information from them so they can sue them if they have to. I have been on collection message boards where that seems the standard practice. It is the standard advice that is given by some of the collection articles I have read.

I have been so unsure about the morality of collection agencies and have swung back and forth between whether collection agencies are good or bad. All I hear is the bad. I have never heard the good yet a lot of businesses, not just big companies but small businesses are using collection agencies because if they don't, the bad debt uncollected will put them under. Many businesses are folding because enough of their customers are not paying the bills and these employees who are being laid off can't pay their bills. How do you break the cycle? Stop all credit. Stop all debt.

Yes, I do believe consumers should pay their debt if they can. However I don't believe that consumers should be treated with disdain, called deadbeats and I believe that only the consumer can know for sure if they can pay. I don't believe that the majority of consumers who choose not to pay their bills do so with the intention of screwing the creditors. I believe they do so because they can't.

You speak of the morality of paying back debt and call it stealing. Is it stealing when someone goes bankrupt?

I have been so undecided on this issue for a long time but when you talk the way you do, I find myself understanding why debtors simply choose not to answer the phone and honestly I can't say for sure if I would be one of those.

I am finding that the moral line between bankruptcy and not paying is very fine and I can't really understand the difference. One is legal where you have the legal protections. The other is where you choose to do it on your own.



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