How To Deal With A Collection Agency Part Two

If a bill collector is requesting that you pay a debt that you think you do not owe, or more than you owe, you have the ability to dispute the debt in writing. The legal terms for doing this are “debt validation” or “debt verification.” Within the first five days of contacting you, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that bill collectors notify you of your right to validate the debt. You need to ask for verification within thirty days of when you are first told about the debt. Always send your request by certified mail.

There have been recent warnings that have been issued reporting a spike in numbers of complaints about fake and threatening collection calls. If it does not feel right in your gut, be careful. Remain skeptical of any debt collector that asks you for personal information, or threatens you. Again, be aware of your rights that I just described before. Do not provide any personal information that you would not ordinarily provide. If a collection agent threatens you, hang up the phone and report the call immediately to your state attorney general’s office.

As with any business or financial matter, keep good records; copies of all correspondence related to collections. Corresponding by mail is wise, because it allows you to keep things in order, and you won’t lose your cool over the phone. Don’t ever pay off a debt until you receive written notice of the amount that is due, and as always, keep records of everything you pay.

Collection agents might be pushy over the phone, but you are absolutely under no legal obligation to respond immediately. If a debt collector catches you when you are off of your guard, ask that they call you back in an hour so you can plan out the structure of your conversation. If they call you at your job or at a relative’s house, let them know that you are asking them formally that they don’t call you at that location.You also have the ability to formally request that they cease and desist from contacting you at all, but this is risky, considering that this does, under no circumstance eliminate any debt that you may owe. If they want to, the collector can still escalate collections by sending the debt to a law firm, which will be an unexpected and unpleasant surprise.

Finally, don’t be scared to get assistance. If you are getting calls from a debt collector, be sure that you take a proactive stance and understand your options which may include debt consolidation, debt settlement, or credit counseling. The most important thing to remember is that you are a human being that deserves respect and to be treated with dignity, no matter how much money you may owe to a credit card company. If you stay informed and command this type of behavior, you will find that you will be well protected and more content.

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How To Collect Debt

The fact of the matter is, the more time that passes between the time the payment was unpaid and the time the customer is contacted, the less likely you are to be given any sort of payment. If you’re serious about making a profit, there are three ways to handle collection on past debt; in house efforts, hiring a collection agency, or taking legal action.

Collecting the debt by yourself: If the debt is new or small, you’ll most likely start by trying to collect the debt yourself before hiring a collection agency or a lawyer. The most efficient way to start the process of collecting an unsettled debt is by calling the debtor. Many nonpaying customers can talk a great talk on the phone, but then never deliver. If the business is local, aspire to make an appointment with their finance manager to talk face to face.

Another yielding way to motivate clientele to make a payment is by applying a 10 day demand letter. Some collection agencies offer a free 10 day demand letter service that includes postage and mailing of a demand letter sent on official collection agency letterhead. Many times, this is enough to get your customer to part with their payment.

Hire a Collection Agency: Many small businesses don’t initially think of hiring a collection agency to collect overdue debt, but of the outsourced solutions, a collection agency is usually the most cost effective and gets the best results. With a collection agency, you don’t pay until they collect the debt, meaning that the collection agency is highly driven to find a way to get the customer to pay. Because they don’t get paid unless you do, a collection agency tends to work fast and much more efficient when working on a contingency basis.

Today’s new collection agencies don’t use scare tactics or bully customers. Besides, not all clients who are behind on payments are deadbeats. When you choose a collection agency, make sure one of its goals is to maintain extreme professionalism and one that fallows the FDCPA diligently.

Taking the legal road: Another idea to collecting a debt is to take legal action whether by taking the debtor to small claims court or by hiring a lawyer to pursue the debtor.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a national collection agency.

Feds Arrest 2 In Buffalo For Debt Collection Scam

The U.S. Attorney’s office submitted a criminal complaint Friday in U.S. District Court charging Timothy E. Arent and Neil G. Wieczkowski, both of Buffalo, N.Y., with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Arent is also charged with bankruptcy fraud. The charge of mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryEllen Kresse aforementioned the complaint asserts that, from September 2005 through the present, Arent and Wieczkowski were engaged in a deceptive debt collection scheme in which they intimidated monetary payments from their victims by means of false pretenses, false impersonation and false representations. The complaint states that the victims were individuals who at one time or another owed some type of debt that had gone into collection status.

According to the office, Arent and Wieczkowski deceitfully told their victims that the victims had failed to respond to summonses, which would result in their imminent arrest. It is further alleged that Arent and Wieczkowski told the victims that the only way they could avoid apprehension and detention by law enforcement was to make substantial monetary payments, usually in a matter of hours. The complaint also charges that the defendants tried to avoid detection by changing the names of their businesses up to 18 times, and by using mail drops and “virtual offices.” Deposits into accounts used by the defendants’ businesses during the scheme were more than $8 million.

The complaint also alleges that Arent filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief in 2005, and that, during the proceedings, Arent fraudulently withheld information from the Bankruptcy Court. The complaint alleges that Arent failed to disclose to the Bankruptcy Court that he had bought a 4,700 square-foot residence in Buffalo worth $500,000 before the bankruptcy, and that, after filing for bankruptcy, he was actively engaged in debt collection work through two corporate entities. Arent’s debts, as well as two civil judgments that had been filed against him concerning his pre-bankruptcy debt collection practices, were discharged by the bankruptcy court in 2006.

Arent and Wieczkowski appeared before Judge Scott Friday afternoon. Ms. Kresse moved for pretrial detention. Judge Scott granted the motion pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 6, 2009 at 2:00 pm EST.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a New York collection agency.

Ten Tips To Effective Cold Calling

Cold calling. Just the name can send chills up your spine. There are effective ways for sales professionals to warm up to cold calling, says John Monderine, President of Rapid Recovery Solution, Inc.. He shares 10 tips guaranteed to take the chill off of cold calling.

1. Define the grade of selling, your selling cycle and the basics of prospecting. Understand your selling cycle and the basis of selling. Know that 90% of your cold call must be spent interviewing your prospect.

2. Use ratios versus numbers. Instead of tacking on more calls to your day, work on bettering the ratio of people that you reach. Call executives in the mornings, during lunch or in the evenings. Work on what you say to your prospects to increase the ratio. “Stand up when you’re talking,” suggests Monderine. “Smile when you speak.”

3. Generate leads and turn them into prospects. “If someone won’t speak with you, they are not a prospect,” says Monderine. “A lead becomes a prospect once they agree to speak with you.”

4. Prepare for effective cold calling. Have your information organized and your product well defined before you make the initial calls.

5. Get past the buffers and protectors. If you call before hours or on Saturdays you are more likely to get past the gatekeepers and directly to the prospect’s voice mail.

6. Use a great opening script. First, greet your prospect by name. Second, identify yourself. Third, make a credibility statement regarding your company, products or services. Fourth, use a reference or allude to a reference. For example, you might say: We work with companies such as Verizon and Sprint. Fifth, state the reason for your call. Here’s an example: Im calling today to make an introductory appointment with you. Id like to see what your company is doing now and if using some of our services would make sense for you.

7. Create the necessary level of comfort. Provide your prospect with the logic and foundation for a conversation. Using a reference helps create comfort.

8. Make the arrangements. Ask for the appointment.

9. Understand and overcome objections and adverse responses. Be prepared for the usual objections or responses by coming up with responses of your own. Answer an objection with a question. For example, if they say: We aren’t interested at this time. You can respond by asking: Well, what are you doing for _____ right now?

10. Follow through. Schedule your appointment, stick to your schedule and execute.

60 Seconds: To get through to an executive or find the name of a decision maker, call the company’s human resources or sales department and ask for their help.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a commercial debt collection agency.