Why are bill collectors so rude and unfeeling?

I once had a male bill collector scream at me saying: Get a job!! Get a job!! Get a job!!!!! So I told him, thanks to his outburst, I've decided to just go homeless and when he gives out canned goods to the hungry, put something good in the bag too cause the homeless are tired of the garbage you usually give! Then I hung up the phone and went shopping!

Wow! That's awful. Sometimes I think companies do not know what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck. I think the people in those positions have just learned to speak firmly and harshly to people so that way you pay the bill to get them to leave you alone. I couldn't do the job.

I have also been told more than once that I was "STUPID" because I didn't pay my bills. One time it was the fault of the original company that I ordered merchandise from and they refused to resolve the issue, I then refused to send them more money. It went into collections and when they started HARASSING me...DAILY... I let them know that when they felt ready to take me to court they could deal with the faulty merchandise from their client and that IF resolved I would pay them the money- that I had been putting away. They didn't want to do that so they ended up settling with the company themselves and I never paid EITHER of them another penny! Another time was also over a hospital bill that I couldn't pay. I wasn't working at that time and had testing done at hospital due to health issues I was having. I had applied for financial aid thru hospital and was covered for all expenses incurred thru the hospital but a collections company kept calling and telling me I was STUPID for believing that hospitals would write off that sort of expensive testing. What a joke some of these people are! I like to just tell them that I have contacted a lawyer and when they take me to court I will plead my case in front of a judge and then we will see who is right and who is wrong... they tend to leave things alone then. Of course, they then always ask "If you can't afford to pay your bill how can you afford to get a lawyer?" A close friend of ours is a Harvard law school professor. hehe

Yes I know what you mean they are just terrible I would love to be able to call them and treat them like they treat other people.

I think there's a special level i hell for bill collectors.I've ripped the phone out of the wall a ew times, and had many a verbal battle.People that can do that job and sleep at night are purely evil!!

Well, I can't see it being a rewarding job. Plus they deal with objections with probably every customer. They hear all excuses and how they are ruining peoples lives. To be mean and cold is probably the easiest way to do the job.

I have dealt with a few really rude collection agencies too! I found in my research that the people hired by the collection companies ONLY earn their paycheck if they get the customer to pay the amount required. They are told it does not matter what they do as long as they get the money. Now I have dealt with some really nice peole too who just had a way with people and who really made you feel like they cared. But the thing is once it goes as far as a collection agency the kindness STOPS! They feel you should have tried to work with the original company you owed and by the time they recieve it you are a deadbeat. I am not upholding their methods I am just trying to tell you how they feel. I personally think it is border line illegal the way they do but I talked to a few lawyer friends, I am a paralegal, and I was told it is not illegal but it is unethical. Now in the law world unethical is a kind way of saying it is so close to illegal if questioned it could become illegal. Hope this helps you understand why these people act this way and how they are able to get by with it. Another thing, in America if you do not pay a hospital bill the ONLY thing they can do to you is get a judgement against your credit and sometimes they CAN garnish your wages but they seldom do unless the bill is phenominal. So as long as you try to pay them anything over $5.00 a month the courts will rule in your favor for effort. Don't answer the phone when they call let them leave their messages and you keep right on trying to pay. That is the American way!

It is part of a collector's job to get the bill paid anyway possible so I guess they feel they have to be rude and insulting to get the bill paid. Must work or else they wouldn't do it. However I am not defending them, they are mercenaries who'll do anything for a buck. One has to be a jerk on occasion in certain occupations but most of these collector's seem to enjoy it. I just hope they experience some misfortune someday and have to put up with abuse like that that they dish out.

its the part of their job. politeness will not assure getting the bills.

I think it's their job so that people easily give the money to them. I think people recrutiing for such jobs deliberately look for such rude and ill mannered persons. Really, its very unfortunate.

bill collectors are still some what of customer service...they should still follow the guidlines and be courtious to the clients. in my husbands case, not all the time. when they used to call him, we would explain our situation, try to set up a payment plan and they would just hang up on him. now calling you stupid??? whats that about. just because they're collecting money from you doesn't mean they need to be rude. i think those type of people should be reported to a manger or something. also, some of these people just might be having a bad day...and people always wonder why people hate bill collectors. =)

I think money collectors are rude and unsympathetic mainly because there are people who try to play on their emotions and buy more time. I'm not saying that your problems are not genuine. I'm saying that you'd feel ticked off if someone told you they couldn't pay you back because they had no money and then you later saw them at an expensive restaurant paying the bill. Believe me, a single incident like this is enough to make you frown everytime you hear somebody say they can't pay you back. I know it's hard living form paycheck to paycheck. I personally work 16 hours a day 7 days a week and try to do some side business so I can build up my savings. Maybe you could do some overtime or take up two jobs or an additional part time or Sunday job to generate revenue. It's not always about how much you earn. It's more about how much you save. If you can cut down your needs, you can save a lot more. Try not using the lights or heater or fan as far as possible. Try eatingstuff that will give you the nutrition you need, yet save you money. I'm not saying you should eat horrible tasting food sweating in the dark all your life after working 16 hours a day every day of the week. I'm saying that when you owe somneone money and that money isn't your own, then you sometimes need to make sacrifices to pay them back on time. Your desperation is understandable, and taking your child to a hospital is often nervewrecking, but you can't expect somebody else to pay the price for you. Also, don't wait till the last minute and start saving and slogging when something bad happens. Try to build up considerable savings well in advance. I've worked two days and one nights straight without any sleep when I needed to boost my earnings. I'm not bragging, I'm simply saying that we have alternatives to living paycheck to paycheck. We don't need a car if the bus ride is cheaper. We don't need a microwave if the electric stove is cheaper. there's no need for a TV, and a computer with an internet connection is good only if you use it to earn some money online or working from home. Most people live their lives from paycheck to paycheck not because their earnings are low, but because their wants are higher than what they can afford. The money collector may be mean and rude and you may be in need and helpless, but that doesn't change the fact that you still owe him something he or she is rightly entitled to .. and on time. I sympathize with you and I feel for you, but you and I both know that you cannot expect somebody else to bear the cost of your plight. The day has 24 hours. You need like 7 or 8 hours to sleep, although you'll eventually do pretty well with 5 hours if you get used to it. Try to use every second of your time to earn something or the other from somewhere. You'll be surprised as to how much money you can make. Also, you'll have a lot less time to spend that money, so you'll all probably save a lot more. Good luck and all the best!

I believe that to have this type of job, you have to have a cold heart. I know they are doing their job, and some of them are not so rude, but for the majority, they just don't care and would say anything to make you feel bad. I had a hospital bill also, our co-pay, is 1500.00 and my son broke his arm and needed surgery, well after we got all the bills, I called to make payment arrangements, they were pretty nice about it, but then we had some money problems and it got nasty for two months...well luckily we got some money and paid it off. Good luck

A long time back when I was thinking about changing jobs to make more money I went on an interview with a collections company. I took a big personality/morals test. I thought I did rather well and was rather pleased with myself. They called me back and told me that although I was qualified to do the job I was too nice of a person and the job would tear me up. I am thankful that I didn't get that job because they are right I just couldn't treat people like that.

HAHAHAH!!YESSS!!ohh girll i have been there and its not pretty!! I have a friend that does this in Pittsburgh PA,and they do actually train you to be rude,mean,and take no prisoners!!and to never take no for an answer..there worse than salesman!!! lol When i had to wait for my social security.,i waited 9 mths with only $176 a month..and my rent is like 560!!anyways i was so behind..and still am trying to get caught up../and i was on the phone with one guy..he had thsi deep,mean voice about him.,.,and i told him about my problems...and that i was sorry but hed was in line with everyone else..he didnt like that..and told me to send money now or id go to jail..lol whatever!!!!im not stupid..and ii hung up..that SOB CALLED ME EVERY 20 MINS TILL MIDNIGHT!! EVERY DAY!!!GOT A WEEK..then i got a hold of the supervisor..and told him what was happeneing..and he said he would talk to him..a day later it started again..soooo i was ready next time..this is somehting you can actually do..its against the law tfor them to harass us..well i tld him he was being traced,,and that he has been harassing me and its against the law..and i was done with him..and i was pressing charges against him and his company...he hung up..and he never called me back again!! ever! lol lol..

it is because when they get the job to collect bills they have their heart ripped out

I think it takes a particular type of personality to do a job like this; I'm sorely tempted to say these are probably the same kids who - as children - beat up the other kids on the playground and stole their lunch money! Seriously though, they are apparently trained to act in this manner, because I've yet to encounter any bill collector who wasn't, for lack of a better term, a bully. Fortunately, my experience is limited. I do have to wonder, though, just what type of person would want to do a job like this. Most people have a heart, or a conscience, and just couldn't keep up the act. Bill collectors are either uncaring, unfeeling jerks or they are better actors than those who win academy awards - because they almost universally act like uncaring, unfeeling jerks.

i had my probleams and had them calling too and most just want there money and they dont car how you feel or it you cant afford to pay the bill but i have one that is very nice and is working with us.

I agree with what your stating there. I think that the job requires an interview, and they find out just how cold a person is there and then. However, i guess its part of the job to be emotionless and just get on with it, and so it may eventually become a part of them too. If you worked with psychopaths and violent people, your likely to get violent more easily and angry alot, because the atmosphere tends to rub off onto us. Its just natural.

I think their A--holes,tell them where to go you dont owe them nothing,nothing else hangup on them,I had a bill collector from a Hospitel call me on the day before ChristmasEve,and it wasnt a good Day for me i had 3 small children and Christmas was going to be Blick at are house that year,and i told her you should have been born a man cause you got alot of Ba--s to call me before Christmas Eve,My kids Are not having a Christmas and your worried about a bill,I gave her my address and told her if she thought she was big enough to come over and she could collect it,and hung up the phone i never heard from them again.when you dont have the money you dont have it,so just hang up on them,their not worth messing with as far as im concern.Donna Cabrera