In Spain, according to an article in the Christian Science Monitor, collectors aren’t as, how you say?, hampered as they are in the United States.  For instance, collectors can show up dressed as monks, bagpipe players, bullfighters, or even Zorro.

In fact, costumed collection is a growing phenomenon in Spain.  Consumers are rarely prosecuted for non-payment, and collection agencies have to go to amazing and incredible lengths to recoup payment.

"In the United States, if you don’t make your car payments, the repo man comes and takes away your car," Pere Brachfield, professor of credit management at Barcelona’s School of Business Administration, told the Monitor. "Here in Spain, that would be impossible. Even if you never made a single payment in the 26 months of your loan, nothing would happen."

The collectors dressed as monks come from the Monastery of Collection.  Of its 28 employees, four regularly dress as 16th-century monks, though in special situations – such as a recent collection against the municipal government of Madrid for failure to pay its cleaning services – the company will send out extra monks.  Monks, according to the agency owner, have a certain moral authority.


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