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?