Stop blaming debt collectors

posted on 2020-05-28

Re: State Sen. Bob Wieckowski’s May 23 guest column, “State needs to watch over debt collectors”: I worked as a debt collector for over 25 years and wish to contradict some of the statements made by Sen. Bob Wieckowski. When I moved to California over 40 years ago, I had been a stay-at-home mom with a college degree but no work experience. Sears took a chance and hired me as a bill collector. It turned out I was quite good at this and worked for two other large companies before retiring. All three organizations abided by the collection rules. While there may be independent agencies who are overzealous and unethical, and licensing may be a good idea for companies, that concept being applied to individuals who work for these companies is ridiculous. Unlike charities, debt collectors are requesting people pay back what they owe on merchandise and such that they probably couldn't afford in the first place. Credit cards are convenient to both use and abuse. Sensible consumers would avoid interest-only and second mortgages. Default judgments are most often issued because the debtor fails to show up in court, as instructed. Unfortunately, this pandemic has caused people living on the edge financially to fall into debt. But they do have the option of contacting their creditors to request a possible extension, set up a repayment plan they can afford, or in the case of a large ticket item, inquire about returning it. There is also consumer credit counseling, which will work with people who need financial guidance. While it may not be intentional, the ripping off is on the side of the borrower. Wieckowski's comments make it seem like everyone who does the job of debt collector is a horrible person harassing a poor innocent party. In my experience, that simply is not true. Susan Kapetanich, Camarillo