Faced with a fixed income and constantly rising cost of living, many seniors now spend their “golden years” juggling bills and fending off debt collectors.
“If they get a phone call at 10 o’clock at night and the caller is harassing them for a debt, it can be very scary,” said Amy Nofziger with the AARP Foundation. “We know that it causes a lot of stress for seniors because some of these debt collectors can use foul language and other forms of harassment to try to collect the debt.”
Senior citizens are the perfect targets for debt collectors. Younger people screen their calls, and won’t hesitate to hang up salesmen or debt collectors. Seniors have that sense of old-fashioned manners that makes it, well–rude to do that. Sadly, debt collectors take advantage of this. Anything you say to a debt collector can and will be used against you.
Cindy Sebrell, vice president of public affairs at ACA International (a national trade group for the credit and collection industry), says legitimate, professional debit collectors “are respectful in all conversations with consumers” and only try to collect debt that is justly-owed.
That’s a laugh riot. ACA International is a public-relations firm that aggressively puts its spin on the (often horrible) behavior of debt collectors.
“Initially, they were not that aggressive, but over time when I made it clear that I had to abide by the initial payment arrangements that I had made, they would not accept that,” Michael told NBC News. “And then they started to threaten garnishment of my fixed income. I knew that if that happened that I was going to be in a place of real jeopardy.”
This is why you never make a verbal agreement with a debt collector. I say to never talk to a debt collector period, but many who come to me for help have already made that mistake and agreed to a “payment plan” with a debt collector.
These payment plans come weighed down with so many penalties, fees, and interest payments that you will never be out of debt. They will take your money until you can’t pay any longer, and then sue you for the full amount anyway.
If you’re bound and determined to work out a deal with a debt collector, you MUST use an attorney. Otherwise, you’re inviting the debt collector to deal with you dishonestly.