I've noticed that debt collection agencies are beginning to put the burden back on the person. They have an automated line dialing a number several times a day, leaving recorded messages... Which, I guess, is fine. But the fact that I had to sit on hold for 10 minutes to inform them that they had the wrong number got irritating really quickly.
Perhaps I’m wrong, but I really don’t see this technique as helping an agency collect a debt. If I know I’m behind on a debt, and have no intention of collecting, then I’ll simply not answer the phone when the call comes in. And even if I answer, since the call is a recording, I’ll just not take the initiative to call them back.
On the other hand, I can see where it would help a company weed out wrong numbers quickly. I spent the time to call them, sit on hold, and inform them that they were repeatedly calling the wrong number.
We've got a collection agency that calls and leaves a message for some guy about once a week lately. I figure I'm not the guy they're looking for, and their message starts out saying "if you are not this person do not listen to this message" so I just delete the message and move on. It's on the home phone. If it was my cell I might actually call them back and tell them to leave me alone.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day I had debt collectors calling me at home and at work every day. I got tired of explaining to them that I was planning on paying them every penny, but I was just in a bind and behind - only to have the same company, but a different person, call me back two days later. So I just quit answering their calls. I figured I had explained myself to them several times already, they should have noted my comments in my "case", and I would pay them when I got the money to do so. They never seemed to understand that their incessant calling didn't make payday come any faster.
But I digress...