Hi,

Thank you for wonderful blog I really look forward to reading it. I wanted to share with you my experience recently of a debt collection agency from here in Australia. the Man (bully would be a better description) on the other end of the phone basically called me a liar when it came to me saying I had not received a letter from a law firm which he reckons I had.. I explained to him that i would not be the firtst time I have had mail go awol for several week or even months he gave a half hearted laugh and he goes I guess they were all bills? I nearly jumped down the phone at him at this stage and corrected him and I said no they wern't. I told him I could pay no more then 20 per fornight on the outstanding bill (489.00) becuae of my current obligations and my current working hours (hubby just lost his job) He said that wasn't good enough.

I told him I wasn't going to be able to pay anymroe until I had further funds to do that he asked me when that would be and I said in a about 2-3 months time due to my daughters school fee's and a few other bills that I am in the process of getting out of the way.

He still would not accept that...I aksed him his name, where he worked, and asked him for the phone number of his work and who was his boss the last two he would not give me at all.

He kept pushing that I pay more each week and I stuck my heels in and said no I won't be paying any more because I simply can not afford it. He wanted me to pay an extra $2.50 a week (yes I probely could of managed that from somewhere but at this stage every single cent is accounted for) and I told him no that was not possible as I needed every single cent I had to get by he laughed and said you are not going to starve if we take that money...I corrected him and said no I probley won't starve but my kids will because to us that is a loaf of bread that makes their breakfast and lunches for school...He told me that was a lie and I was making this more difficult for him.

I then moved on and he gave me two payment options to pay them dirctly or to pay the company that I owe the money too....I opted to pay the money directly to the compnay that I owe the money too. I asked him send out the details of the payments and the account details and he then said they don't do that I have to write it down and do it that way I declined and said I won't be paying anything until I have the payment agreement in writing and the account details in writing to make sure I have something to back me up if the account number i wrote down was wrong or he had given it to me wrong.

He still refused...I dug my heels in even further and informed him that i will not be paying anythign until I have the debt amount, to whom it is owed, and how much my agreed payment and the agreed account to which the money was to be paid was sent to me in writing. He got cranky at me and said that I was being difficult and his manager would be in contact!

I (being a bitch that i am) said whooo hooo that is good I can tell them how rude you are and how uncoperative you have been in regards to this debt I will also be lodging a complaint with the company you have been hired to represent and I will also be lodging a complaint with the relative authorities (Dept of Fair Trading in NSW).

The result he hung up on me with the parting words "we will see you in court"

that is my story with debt collection thank you for posting what rights some people have.

Shay