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A Case of Mistaken Identity
A few weeks ago, I got home and discovered a strange message in my voicemail. It said simply, “This is Mr. X from Company ABC. Please call me at (number).” And that’s it.I’ve spent nearly seven years covering the accounts receivable management industry, so I instantly recognized the company’s name as a major collection agency. I suppose what went through my mind next is a common experience for most consumers.
“Why are they calling me?” “Did I forget to pay that bill?” “Is this over some very old debt?” “Is this work-related? But why would they be calling me at home?”
Once I worked through all the possible scenarios, I determined that I had no outstanding debt that I was behind in paying. So I did what few consumers do, apparently: I called back.
I spoke to someone other than Mr. X, a very nice lady that asked for someone I had never heard of. I told her the same, and told her the exact date we received our current phone number (it had been about 2 ½ years). She politely thanked me and the conversation ended. She never even asked for my name. And I’ve had no more calls from them since.
Only four days later, I received a call at work from a consumer that was being “harassed” by a debt collector. He explained that they were calling over and over looking for someone that he didn’t know. He kept telling them they were barking up the wrong tree, but they kept calling. Interestingly, he didn’t really want me to do anything about it – as if I could, anyway – but he did wonder why the ARM industry didn’t have better procedures for clearing out old numbers and other incorrect contact information.
It’s a good question. Our experiences were vastly different. Maybe because I immediately called back and provided information to satisfy the skip inquiry, they let me go unharmed. I was also current on all of my debt obligations, so the truth was on my side, making that initial callback a little easier.
Maybe the consumer that called me wasn’t telling the whole story. Maybe he was trying to dodge collection calls. Or the person the collection agency was seeking had at one time been a part of his household. I just don’t know. I do know that consumers will say anything to get a collector off the phone. If they can stall, they think the debt will just go away.
I’d love to hear from people in the industry about their experiences with skip tracing and finding the right contact. And is there a standardized way collection agencies can scrub bad information?
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Comments
Comment from Anonymous on June 5, 2009 at 9:43AM EST
Interesting editorial on dealing with agencies and their skip tracing efforts. You asked if any others have had problems with this, and I have it, in spades. I think part of it is that I actually have a home phone, something that is becoming more and more rare.
I get calls to my home looking for people with a similar last name, but a first name that is only close in matching because it has the same first initial. I see the caller ID showing that it is either an agency name I recognize or an 800 number. About 1/3 of the time I can tell the person that there is no one with the name that lives there and that takes care of the issue. The rest of the time however, I am getting 4 or 5 calls before it stops. Usually, by the 3rd call, I am asking for a supervisor, since it appears that the line collector doesn't have the authority to remove the number from the system. Even this becomes a problem because I think career collectors have a mentality that everyone lies. I know it creeps up in our office and we fight the urge to jump to conclusions all the time. Supervisors are hesitant to believe they have a bad contact right away and won't remove info right away.
The worst case I have had, was a time where I finally called my contact for the agency's litigation department. I told him what I was experiencing and asked if he could talk to someone about it. They were a little embarrassed to say the least.
The calls finally ended.
Comment from JN on June 5, 2009 at 2:06PM EST
I think the problem is with these electronic databases such as Accurint. It seems as if they do a "closest match" search and shoot that back to the agencies. We just happen to be stuck in the middle. We're relying on the information we paid for to be correct and usually it isn't. So what ends up happening is the agency must rely on their collectors properly utilizing a Transunion Report or a full CBR and do the skip themselves. You will have the occasional account where we are calling the wrong number and then after the 10th message a person will call back and accuse you of harassment because you've called their phone number 10 times. If only all consumers used your approach Patrick, and would just extend a common courtesy and call us back to inform us of our error. Contrary to popular belief, we really don't want to be calling the number if it's not to the customer.
Comment from Illinois on June 8, 2009 at 1:53PM EST
Just a observation. I believe many folks feel they have absolutely no obligation to return an unsolicited call from a stranger working for a firm with a name they of which they have never heard.
It is not dodging or any other offensive behavior against the caller. It is just many folks feel it to be an invasion of which they have no obligation to respond.
Simply stated, I quess the question is this: does one has have social obligation to answer any questions on the phone made by a stranger or to return a call made by a stranger?
Would you?
Comment from Anonymous on June 10, 2009 at 10:34AM EST
Yes, Yes I would call a stranger and kindly tell them they have the wrong number. It makes sense. To ignore it over and over and allow it to continue is of course a right that people have. Doesn't mean it makes sense or needs debated upon.
Comment from A Collection Manager on June 10, 2009 at 11:05AM EST
Bottom line. If it's a wrong number we stop calling. Even if we think the person is lying, if they lie about thier phone number, they're probably not paying thier bill.