Collections

I learned it when I worked in collections in another life









He'll feel good about doing the right thing









yes...briefly. I learned all I needed to know about certain things







It's a funny story about how I quit that job









I was working for American Creditors Bureau in 1985...









before then, I had a Tandy credit card from Radio Shack...









I bought all kinds of goodies for home recording and ran up a huge tab









Unfortunately, I wasn't as responsible then as I am now, so I never paid the bill...









One day, my delinquent account landed on my desk...








I freaked out!








I went to lunch and never went back








In hindsight, I realize that I could have handled that much differently








If I had not freaked out and reacted, I could have put it in my pocket and taken it home and figured out how to deal with it








Alma sent Today at 12:08 AM









You sent Today at 12:09 AM
I was a little timid then and my boss was a real mean New Yorker who used to say that debtors are scum








Alma sent Today at 12:09 AM









You sent Today at 12:10 AM
our meetings and briefings were brutal







Alma sent Today at 12:10 AM








You sent Today at 12:10 AM
Collections is a very high pressure job






You sent Today at 12:11 AM
I wasn't mature enough for it yet







Alma sent Today at 12:11 AM









You sent Today at 12:11 AM
I would love to do it now...I think







Alma sent Today at 12:11 AM









You sent Today at 12:11 AM
I think I would excel at it, but I don't like high pressure







Alma sent Today at 12:12 AM







Alma sent Today at 12:12 AM









You sent Today at 12:12 AM
it's not worth sacrificing my serenity







Alma sent Today at 12:12 AM









You sent Today at 12:13 AM
to make someone else rich







Alma sent Today at 12:13 AM








You sent Today at 12:13 AM
T-shirts are better!







Alma sent Today at 12:13 AM









You sent Today at 12:14 AM
also, in collections, you get a lot of sob stories from the respondents...it's depressing








Alma sent Today at 12:15 AM









You sent Today at 12:15 AM
On the day that I quit, I was talking to an elderly woman who had lost her husband, the bills had mounted up, she was afraid that she was going to lose her house...she was crying...I couldn't take it and I didn't want to add to her suffering.







Alma sent Today at 12:16 AM









You sent Today at 12:18 AM
There are laws that protect debtors and a lot of people know about them. The ones who did, I wasn't going to get anywhere with them. It was very frustrating...you know, collections is just like telemarketing, so there is a high rejection rate







Alma sent Today at 12:18 A






You sent Today at 12:19 AM
it is...probably especially now with Caller id...we didn't have that then, so we had the element of surprise to our advantage







Alma sent Today at 12:20 AM









You sent Today at 12:20 AM
now, no one answers if they don't recognize the number







Alma sent Today at 12:20 AM








You sent Today at 12:21 AM
and numbers change frequently






You sent Today at 12:21 AM
am I boring you yet?







Alma sent Today at 12:21 AM








You sent Today at 12:21 AM
yes







Alma sent Today at 12:22 AM








You sent Today at 12:22 AM
Well, I'm beginning to bore myself







Alma sent Today at 12:23 AM









You sent Today at 12:23 AM
I had to wear a suit and use a different name








Alma sent Today at 12:23 AM








You sent Today at 12:23 AM
collectors never use their real names







Alma sent Today at 12:23 AM








You sent Today at 12:24 AM
My name was Lee Gray







Alma sent Today at 12:24 AM








You sent Today at 12:25 AM
on my first day on the job, the manager asked me what name I was going to use...







Alma sent Today at 12:25 AM









You sent Today at 12:26 AM
The name on the first account on my desk was Lee and I was wearing a gray suit...so Voila! My nepersona!