Browsing Tag volunteerism

Weekly Top 10 – Week of August 8, 2010

Each week we bring you 10 of our most favorite stories from around the industry.
Week of August 8, 2010
1. Woman suing loan company after debt collector goes to her work

(WFAA-TV, 08/13/10)

Being late on a loan has turned into a fiasco that a Fort Worth woman never expected. The debt collector showed up at her job and the ensuing drama didn’t end until police were called.”

2. Debt Collector Gives His Time and Money to Feeding Kansas Citys Hungry

(Debtcollectionagencysoftware.com, accessed 08/13/10)

What started four years as a selfless way to give back to people in his community has grown into a passion for Shawnee, Kan. resident Arthur Lott. Today, Lott purchases, prepares and delivers more than 450 meals to men, women and children at three Kansas City, Mo. homeless shelters each month.”

3. Article On Why The FDCPA Is Designed To Protect Debt Collectors

(Alabama Consumer Law Blog, 08/04/10)

When we think about who the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is designed to protect we don’t normally think of . . . debt collectors. In a new article we explain how the FDCPA is designed to protect honorable . . . law abiding debt collectors from those debt collectors that are abusive and dishonorable.”

4. Raleigh woman sues JCPenney Credit for unfair practices

(The West Virginia Record, 08/12/10)

A Raleigh County woman is suing JCPenney Credit Services, General Electric and NCO Financial Systems after she claims they engaged in unlawful debt collection, unfair or deceptive practices and invasion of privacy, among other things.”

5. 3 things you should never say to a debt collector

(Wallet Pop, 08/12/10)

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox offers consumers three tips for dealing with collectors. Do you agree?

6. Lawsuits Against Collection Agencies, Creditors Spike

(Credit & Collections Risk, 08/12/10)

The number of collection agencies and creditors sued under various consumer statutes spiked to 480 in the second half of July, compared with 389 in the first half, according to data from U.S. District Courts.”

7. Debt collector for $200 bill gets nailed for $1.5-million judgment

(Hanna Boucher’s blog, 08/12/10)

I have worked in the  collections field for over 20 years.  I followed the FDCPA and was compliant.  Most collectors I have seen have been in the grey area. Then there are even many more that I see violate the FDCPA completely while the company owners are aware of it.”

8. Collection law firm sued for attempting to collect debt

(The Southeast Texas Record, 08/11/10)

A professional collection law firm is being sued after placing telephone calls to a Texas resident without disclosing they were attempting to collect a debt.”

9. Consumer files two lawsuits against debt collectors

(The Southeast Texas Record, 08/11/10)

A Lewisville resident has filed two lawsuits against debt collectors for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.”

10. Collection Agency Promotes “Good” Stories of the Collection Industry

(Collections Recon, 08/11/10)

American Profit Recovery,  a collection agency based in Michigan, Massachusetts and North Carolina, recently posted a number of short stories and profiles geared toward showing the general public and others that there are many aspects of the collection industry that go unreported, are misrepresented and intentionally covered in the media one-sided. The stories focus on how the agency has helped businesses and consumers come together in a diplomatic way to resolve debt, not just collect debt. The profiles can be read here at: http://www.collectionagencyblog.com

August 16, 2010 By : Editor Category : industry news miscellaneous weekly top 10 Tags:, , , , , , ,
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The collector mentor Challenge – 07/06/10

 

THE LESSON – VOLUNTEER

Last month the famous 7-foot-7-inch NBA star Manute Bol passed away at the age of 47. Manute came to the U.S. from war torn Sudan and was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1985. He enjoyed a 10 year career on the courts where he twice led the league in blocked shots and became the only NBA player to finish his career with more blocked shots (2,086) than points scored (1,599). But, this lesson isn’t about what Manute did on the court; it’s about what he did off the court – he gave back. In fact, Manute is widely admired for donating his NBA salary to charity.

But you don’t have to donate your salary to charity in order to give back and contribute to those in need. All you need is a couple of hours and a desire to get your hands dirty.

A few months ago I was able to contribute an afternoon to Meals from the Heartland. This program gets people together to package meals for starving people around the world. It was a very humbling and rewarding experience. When my wife and I arrived at the event we were placed in a team with six other individuals and our team was tasked with the challenge of seeing how many meals we could package during our two hour shift. To ensure the process was as efficient as possible, each person in the group was assigned a very specific task and for two hours we scooped, filled, sealed, and boxed several hundred meals. During my shift, I had the opportunity to meet and visit with the other members of the team and hear everyone share a little bit about what motivated them to get involved. It seems that many people just wanted to be like Manute – they just wanted to give back. And, in 2009 Meals from the Heartland volunteers packaged more than 4 million meals!

On June 16, 2010 the Des Moines Register ran a front page article titled, “Iowans’ volunteerism ranks No. 2 in the nation.” As I read the article I couldn’t help but smile knowing that my family and I helped contribute to the 109 million hours that were volunteered in 2009. Do the math and you’ll quickly find out that Iowans’ volunteer efforts are equivalent to a company with 52,400 full time employees!

THE CHALLENGE

To view this week’s challenge, please visit www.insideARM.com website or click here.

THE REFLECTION

  1. What did you learn about yourself this week as a result of completing this challenge?
  2. How can you continue to benefit from this challenge in the future?
  3. What was your biggest takeaway?
  4. What positive changes could you make going forward in order to maximize the benefit of this challenge?
  5. How would continual practice of this challenge change your life?

Be sure to give back this week!

Gary Jensen
Editor | collector mentor

To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.

Photo on Flickr c/o Don Hankins
July 7, 2010 By : Editor Category : mentor challenge spotlight Tags:, , ,
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