From Reddit’s IAmA section:

I am a Bill Collector, ask me anything.

Extracts:

Question:

I’ve had my share of ER bills and more than a few of them have gone unpaid. When the collection agency starts calling, I tried to politely explain that I just couldn’t pay because I didn’t have any money. I have lost my temper on a few occasions, particularly when a debt collector suggested I take out a loan to pay my unpaid medical bills. So my question is this: how much influence do you have over an individual’s credit rating? At what point does the uncollected bill start to effect my credit rating? If I start ranting and raving at you, do you just press a button that says I defaulted or didn’t pay or something like that?

The Greek and European debt crisis has thrown a spotlight on the credit ratings of entire nations. From the blog Credit Writedowns, here’s a list of all S&P sovereign credit ratings, from AAA to junk. These ratings will in large part determine the rate of interest countries pay to investors who loan them money via [...]

MIT economist Simon Johnson writes on the blog The Baseline Scenario that the European debt downgrades of the last two days constitute a genuine crisis: Wake the President Most days we can coast along, confident that tomorrow will be much like yesterday. On a very few days we need to look hard at the news [...]

“These painful phone calls involve my trying to explain why I cannot pay a bill on time or in full or both. The person on the other end of the phone falls into one of two categories Either they’ve been in my shoes or they cannot possibly imagine being in my shoes.” Here’s a very [...]

Peter Schiff is the president of Euro Pacific Capital, a former adviser to Ron Paul’s presidential campaign, a libertarian financial pundit, and a current candidate for the Connecticut Senate seat held by the retiring Christopher Dodd. He’s also a bit of a downer, as can be seen in his video blog from last week, in [...]

I don’t pretend to understand what all the numbers on this US. National Debt Clock mean, but I will give you one impression I have: They don’t look good. Especially when you click on the snapshot below and see the numbers actually moving in one direction: up. For some perspective, however, look at the following [...]

Our Best of Craig’s List – Economy Version post from Wednesday was so popular, we’re working on a new one. But as this particular post from the new crop illustrates a very specific anger about the banking crisis and bailout, wethinks it merits its own entry. Plus it’s funny. Long, but funny.

To the Debt Collector Harassing Me at Work (Pittsburgh)

Your voice is quite charming in a sleazy, condescending, I-Get-Paid-To-Harrass-People kind of way. You must be so good with the ladies – I can picture you on a date, with that deep “I am full of self-importance” voice, asking her “So am I to file you under deadbeat mistress because you won’t sleep with me after knowing me for an hour?”

I am assuming you are either 1. Just out of college and eager to prove yourself by threatening a faceless person on the telephone, 2. A wannabe lawyer who is not smart enough to ever pass the BAR exam and therefore miserable in life, or 3. Someone who was picked on a lot in high school and believes this job is his calling to get revenge on all those bullies who made life a living hell.

Last week we wrote about Blogging Away Debt, the chronicle of a woman who started out $38,000 in the red and has since whittled it down a fair amount. But let’s up the ante with Drowning in $166,356.75 in Debt, which starts out this way: I did something dumb, dumb, dumb. I went to an [...]

Here’s a site we really like. Blogging Away Debt autobiographically chronicles the financial trials, tribulations, and triumphs of Beks, who started out in May with $38,495.86 in debt and has since whittled that down to $21,768.53. Along the way, she has documented in consistently honest, thoughtful, and entertaining posts the situations that many Americans — [...]