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Home > I'm not in collections. Is that weird?

I'm not in collections. Is that weird?

November 20th, 2007 at 10:30 pm

Earlier today, someone was in the office and one of the girls asked him what he does. He said he works for XYZ collection agency (not the actual name). Two of the 3 people in the office beside me said they have accounts in collections with that company and went on to discuss it like it was perfectly normal.

If I had any accounts in collections, I certainly wouldn't be bragging about it and discussing it openly like that. I'd be ashamed of myself for allowing that to happen and not being able to pay my bills. Back when I had student loans, due to accounting problems, I had accounts get turned over to collections by mistake a couple of times and I spent hours on the phone getting those accounts straightened out as soon as possible.

Maybe I'm the strange one.

10 Responses to “I'm not in collections. Is that weird?”

  1. princessperky Says:
    1195598051

    heh... no they are the strange ones.... they might be typical, and average, but strange IMO.

  2. Brooklyn girl Says:
    1195598692

    It would be very shameful to me. Unless this is due to expensive medical problem (since they are in a medical office?)

    Major illness can put any middle class person in financial ruin.

  3. Caoineag Says:
    1195601098

    I know plenty of people who are bad with money but only one who ended up getting accounts sent to collection and that was because she didn't understand how debt payoff agencies work.

  4. Amber Says:
    1195615226

    I don't know, I was always shameful of my debt and never paid it off, but since I found this site and was able to talk about I was able to pay off everything (now I owe $1700..school and dental) I found that keeping it a secret was much harder

  5. baselle Says:
    1195616171

    I dunno - a 66% "deadbeat" rate in an office is a little scary. Folks with financial problems are a bit more easily tempted to commit fraud, are easier to blackmail.

  6. Thrifty Ray Says:
    1195623185

    Times are changing, that's for sure. While it is no picnic, it is definately more socially acceptable these days for bankruptcy and collections to be part of a persons finanical profile. Sub-prime lending is taking its toll on many borrowers--resulting in record numbers of loan defaults and financial devistation. Todays young borrowers were brought up in a world of record numbers of bankruptcy filings, parents being laid off, foreclosures, etc. Bankruptcy and default no longer carry the negative stigma of our parents generation...it is an ends to a means for some...and just a way of life for others. Sad, but true.

  7. Ima saver Says:
    1195652485

    No, you are the normal one, they are the "strange" ones.

  8. monkeymama Says:
    1195654815

    Yeah, I am with Baselle. I would never admit that in my office. Deadbeats not really welcome in my line of work, hehe. Not that there couldn't be some, but wouldn't admit it, for sure. My job would be on the line. PArticularly because what CPAs do know about fraud. Never hire anyone desparate. Run credit checks before hiring, etc.

  9. katwoman Says:
    1195675864

    DS some of us are going to be in collections just on principle.

    For example, I think it was in 2000, I went for my yearly PAP test (covered by my ins.) and MENTIONED to the doc that I was experiencing hot flashes. Guess what? Instead of coding the visit as a PAP he coded the hot flashes! Insurance wouldn't pay (this took a loooong time to find out why) and by the time I started to get to the bottom of it the doc had retired!

    For those who don't know, the doc is the ONLY one who can go back and have the procedure recoded so that the insurer can process the claim.

    No one was able to help me and I simply will not pay this claim. It was their mistake and they can chase me to eternity for it.

  10. DebbieL Says:
    1196450847

    Katwoman, you remind me of myself, lol. I'd go to my grave with that one just for the principle of it.

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