My Collection Agency Experience

Several years ago I was contacted by a collection agency for a debt I didn't owe. I explained the situation to the person by telling her where I found a bookkeeping error. I also told her I had contacted the dental office where the debt she was trying to collect came from, and could not get the bookkeeper to understand the bookkeeping error.

In my opinion the bookkeeper didn't even look at the account, and/or she wouldn't accept there might be a mistake (in her work!). Lastly I told the collection agency I decided if they ever tried to collect the debt, or I needed to remove it from my credit report; I'd handle it at that time because I was so frustrated with the dental office. (I was young at the time, and I don't think I even thought of asking to speak to someone else.)

Is it possible for collection agency staff to approach their calls with an open mind, and a more gentle approach? This experience was no different from others I later found. The collector was harsh in her tone and attitude. She, too, acted as if no bookkeeping error had been made. I finally requested copies of the dental office records, matched them with my canceled checks, and what seems like ions later got the dental office to acknowledge the error. Finally, the calls from the collection agency stopped!

Now, having lived through other experiences, some of which were my fault, and sadly some results of the economy I couldn't prevent; I just expect a negative experience when speaking to collection agencies. I look forward to companies like yours who may even consider their tactics and attitudes when collecting debts.