Collectors Get a Bad Rap

When a collection agency makes the news, it’s not normally a positive event that caused the news coverage. Couple that with the fact that the only people who come in contact with a collection agency are consumers who allegedly owe a debt… and no one likes to have to deal with a past due debt.

Understandably, the collector is not the most popular person and for those reasons, collectors get a “bad rap”. They are often viewed as uneducated vultures that prey on the less fortunate and they are often told they should get a real job. I would like to say one thing to those who have that opinion of collectors. You just might be wrong…

I cannot speak about all collectors and all collection agencies and like every industry; there are always a few bad apples. Unfortunately, those bad apples give many collectors a bad name. I have found that most collectors are good people who happen to be in the collection industry.

At American Profit Recovery, we hire professional, college educated individuals who are career minded and are in it for the long term. Don’t get me wrong, they work for their clients and their job is to collect on legitimate debts. However, their goal is to help the consumer find a way to pay their debt without it going any further than a phone call. They all take ACA International’s Collectors Pledge to treat the consumer with respect and this pledge is the foundation of their training and compliance practices. The Collector’s Pledge reads:

I believe every person has worth as an individual.
I believe every person should be treated with dignity and respect.
I will make it my responsibility to help consumers find ways to pay their debts.
I will be professional and ethical.
I will commit to honoring this pledge.

I bet there are not many people out there who know this. I bet there are not many people who know how generous collectors are with their time and money to charitable causes. You may have seen that American Profit Recovery has been recognized several times for our philanthropic ways. But, what you probably have not seen is the countless times they have helped the less fortunate with no recognition. They participate in annual cancer walks, they have donated enough necessities and presents to adopt TWO families this past Christmas for the Adopt-a-Family program, they donate a day of labor during Planet Day of Service on Earth Day and when one of their own are in need, they go above and beyond to pool together time and money to help any way they can.

I know this does not sound like how collectors are normally portrayed by the media. The reason is because it is not news when an agency goes above and beyond to help a consumer, its only news when a “bad apple” goes too far. Those collection agencies should be punished for their wrong doing, but at the same time, the good collectors and good agencies should be praised for doing it the right way. I know that is unrealistic in today’s society, so I wanted to take a few minutes to praise the collection staff at American Profit Recovery. Thank you for all that you do for the consumers who need your help. Thank you for helping Creditors recover lost revenue that eventually trickles down to help the economy. Thank you for all the effort and teamwork that makes American Profit Recovery a leader in dispelling the “Bad Rap” that collectors and collection agencies are saddled with every day.