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Now Ye're Talking - to a Debt Collector

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    #62
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    If you were given the name of a friend or neighbour to collect from would you have done it or not?


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    #63
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    TheAnalyst_ wrote: »
    Do you have to be a bit handy? Is that part of the job?

    Of course it helps, not that i'd just go in beating people up, but being able to defend yourself and knowing how to judge situations is a must.


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    #64
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    the purple tin wrote: »
    If you were given the name of a friend or neighbour to collect from would you have done it or not?

    Some of the other guys used to pass on cases to me when it was a friend/neighbour.
    I never did, i always called on them, not in a bad way though, i'd get the warrants on a friday night, and over the weekend sort them into some sort of order for the week, if i recognised some people, which i often did, i'd pop round to see them, or call them if i knew them really well, explain i had a warrant and that i was due to call on them Thurs/Fri, and they should really be contacting the office to make an arrangement on Monday morning (that way they didn't get the bailiff visit fee added).
    I'd then get a phone call from the office at the end of business monday asking me to hold on cases as arrangements made. If they defaulted i'd pass it over to a colleague


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    #65
    cavemeister
    Registered Users Posts: 593 ✭✭✭cavemeister


    Do you know any of the boys from Can't Pay, we'll take it away?

    If you came across a very violent debtor where you feared for your safety, would you share the details with other collection agencies so their agents can be more prepared?

    Have you ever come across a situation collecting a debt where the living conditions were so bad, you had to call child services / police?


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    #66
    Vojera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,812 ✭✭✭Vojera


    Did you find people treated you differently when they found out what your job was?


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    #67
    CruelCoin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,468 ✭✭✭CruelCoin


    Is the tv series "Can't Pay, We'll take it away" an accurate portrayal of your job in the UK?


    Typical of this forum to have a majority lean for the tenants. That said i'll ask for the flip side; ever have any cases where you felt really badly for the landlord/creditor? Any cases where they had been screwed over, retirement investments destroyed etc?


    Here in Ireland, we have some counties where the collector is a court registrar, a civil servant who does **** all and has no real interest in actually retrieving the debt, and other counties where the collector is a sheriff who gets paid on results.
    Is there a similar system in the UK? How is it structured with you guys?


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    #68
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    cavemeister wrote: »
    Do you know any of the boys from Can't Pay, we'll take it away?

    If you came across a very violent debtor where you feared for your safety, would you share the details with other collection agencies so their agents can be more prepared?

    Have you ever come across a situation collecting a debt where the living conditions were so bad, you had to call child services / police?

    No, don't know them, although one of my directors did work with yer wan Sue for a while (if thats the right programme), she was ruthless

    No, wouldn't share with other agencies, let them find out themselves, sure i knew 1 or 2 other bailiffs from other companies, if we met up for a pint or 2 we'd discuss certain individuals, share war stories etc

    Yes, once, a council gaff where 2 or 3 young kids were, dog **** all over the floors, dirty nappies all over, place was dire, reported it anonymously to social services, don't know if they took any actiont


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    #69
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    Vojera wrote: »
    Did you find people treated you differently when they found out what your job was?

    Not really, most people i knew sort of knew what i did, i didn't go around advertising it though, when we went on holiday if we meta group of people and were sitting around having a drink i always said i worked for the courts, little white lie but some people get uncomfortable


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    #70
    Danny Donut
    Closed Accounts Posts: 117 ✭✭Danny Donut


    I'm a debt collector, AMA wrote: »
    Yes, once, a council gaff where 2 or 3 young kids were, dog **** all over the floors, dirty nappies all over, place was dire, reported it anonymously to social services, don't know if they took any actiont

    Had a case like that (must be 20 years ago :o) - not debt collecting btw.

    Still turns my stomach.

    Really good AMA, thanks for taking the time and for your candor.


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    #71
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    CruelCoin wrote: »
    Is the tv series "Can't Pay, We'll take it away" an accurate portrayal of your job in the UK?


    Typical of this forum to have a majority lean for the tenants. That said i'll ask for the flip side; ever have any cases where you felt really badly for the landlord/creditor? Any cases where they had been screwed over, retirement investments destroyed etc?


    Here in Ireland, we have some counties where the collector is a court registrar, a civil servant who does **** all and has no real interest in actually retrieving the debt, and other counties where the collector is a sheriff who gets paid on results.
    Is there a similar system in the UK? How is it structured with you guys?


    Yeah, it's pretty accurate

    I didn't do evictions, they were carried out by High Court Sheriffs, of which my boss was one, when i see the sheriffs over here evicting someone and see the mob mentality that ensues it sort of makes me mad. Sheriffs won't just turn up to evict with no notice, it's a LONG process with plenty of communication from the person owed the debt.
    A Close friend of my now wife was evicted by the council some years back, my wife came to me for advice, as did other friends of hers, what could i do or say?
    She'd ignored dozens of letters/visits, defaulted on all arrangements made, there had to be a cut off point.

    We were paid on results, basic salary and decent bonus system, if it was just a salary, like maybe in some counties you mentioned, then why bust your balls getting payments?


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    #72
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    Danny Donut wrote: »
    Had a case like that (must be 20 years ago :o) - not debt collecting btw.

    Still turns my stomach.

    Really good AMA, thanks for taking the time and for your candor.

    No problem, what annoyed me the most about places like that was when they had a 50" top of the range plasma tv, Games systems with dozens of games and smoked like chimneys. Guess the parents had their priorities right there :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:


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    #73
    CruelCoin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,468 ✭✭✭CruelCoin


    I'm a debt collector, AMA wrote: »
    We were paid on results, basic salary and decent bonus system, if it was just a salary, like maybe in some counties you mentioned, then why bust your balls getting payments?

    Cheers,

    A follow on to that:

    What pays more? A ball of "no assets" or actually retrieving?

    You mentioned earlier a a family with **** and nappies, etc all over the house. Did you call social services?
    Are they already involved prior to that point?


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    #74
    I'm a debt collector, AMA
    Company Representative Posts: 36 Verified rep ✭I'm a debt collector, AMA


    CruelCoin wrote: »
    Cheers,

    A follow on to that:

    What pays more? A ball of "no assets" or actually retrieving?

    You mentioned earlier a a family with **** and nappies, etc all over the house. Did you call social services?
    Are they already involved prior to that point?

    All depends on what pays more, when the case is sent to bailiff company a letter is sent out, if they have no assets it's doubtful they'll pay but they MAY enter into an arrangement, start that off then default, which would lead to the bailiff visit. If it was a Council tax case then say they've made 5 x 10pound payments, that 50quid will go to bailiff company as costs from council tax cases come out first. So when bailiff visits and returns case nil effects then debtor would still owe the full balance of council tax, as what they paid goes as bailiff company fee's.

    If it's courts then costs come out last, so unless paid in full then company would get nothing.

    I called Social services, anonymously, once, the only people we did call was the police when we were removing from a house witgh nobody inside, that was very rare but it happens. We did one such removal like this, confirmed res, had a signed walking possesion, rang police to say we were going in through an upstairs window (just in case neighbours seen us and rang police). 5 mins later police rang us back, asked us, unofficially, to keep an eye out for in the house for any firearms, they'd been keeping tabs on tbis guy but couldn't get a warrant so asked us to look for them and report back if we did.

    We didn't find any but for the whole time we were there we were on edge


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    #75
    Boards.ie: Niamh
    Boards.ie Employee Posts: 12,597 ✭✭✭✭✭Boards.ie: Niamh
    Boards.ie Community Manager


    I'm going to close this one up now, it has been an eye-opening experience. Thanks to our guest for answering so many questions and so thoroughly. Hopefully none of us will have the misfortune to have the debt collectors at the door any time in the future but it's good to know they are only human too :)

    If you would like to apply to do an AMA with us yourself, please PM me or email me on niamh@boards.ie. Thanks!

    How can I? User's guide to some features on the new site



This discussion has been closed.
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