Credit Scene Investigator
No one wants their house to burn, but sensible people plan for it. No one wants trouble with the law, but sensible people plan for that, too.
We even find the situation entertaining -- one of my son's favorite shows is CSI -- as he watches he learns what the culture teaches about crime, the legal system, how the innocent and the guilty are expected to behave.
You can find a thousand sites discussing where CSI "went fiction" and true crime material is a big, big seller.
Credit and loans as they exist today are new-ish, like electric wiring in houses -- people have always built shelter, but there are some a new twists.
What would I put on my Credit Scene Investigator show, so every teenage kid could know in a fun way what to do?
1. It is not wise to take financial instruction from Credit Collector personnel. They often do not know the laws and procedures, and do have other motives besides being helpful to you. If you get the call you will be looking for someone who cares more about your interests than they do about their commission. I'm in the process of seeing if the the collector personel can legally lie to their cases outside of what the laws restricting them to obtain personal information.
I don't know any blunter way to say that these people are *not* held to the rule "If you are asked for money and you have some, you have to share it" that many young people and others have had patiently taught them. This is not that sort of situation.
2. Collect the evidence. Remember white phosphorus. The US officials denied until presented with proof. It doesn't matter who loses their temper, who feels vindicated and who is stronger. The evidence doesn't lie. Collect within the law if possible. Remember that though they are bound by the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and other laws it's in their best interest to see that law as a tightrope, and like with the exploding gas tanks on Ford Pintos of a time before you, they've calculated the costs of going over that line, done a risk assessment. You should consider doing the same. Here's a site on the laws that bind them: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs27-debtcoll.htm
You should go there, know them just like you should own a fire alarm and keep the batteries fresh, have a plan. Having a plan for fire isn't welcoming disaster, it's planning ahead to save your life. Feel very patriotic and civic minded during a Credit Disaster Drill, just as you would during a fire drill. Maybe a little self concious and over-protective, but that's the whole point -- you are planning to thrive. Better to take a few minutes to know what you may never need than be caught in your own personal "Katrina".
3. The court of public opinion is your very best friend, just like on CSI. Being well known and credible beforehand is a really big plus. That way you can talk to more people faster than they can. If you weren't well known and credible beforehand this is a great time to start making friends and influencing people. I didn't learn this as a scummy debt dodger, I learned this as a homeschooling mother dealing with the educational establishment. People are your best allies at a time like this. People will empathise with you. You need others to help you maintain your confidence.
4. Something else I learned as a homeschooling activist -- the squeaky wheel gets the grease. People don't become homeschoolers because they had always planned to be, most people do it to adress something that they have experienced or can plainly see that is wrong with the society where they are raising children. They take in on themselves to find a better way. This is intimate, as it's your money they are talking about. Well, it was intimate because Nicholas was my baby. This is both intensely personal and part of something greater.
Get out there and squeak, you all. You may feel like the only one in the world, but trust me, you have company.
JulieB
No one wants their house to burn, but sensible people plan for it. No one wants trouble with the law, but sensible people plan for that, too.
We even find the situation entertaining -- one of my son's favorite shows is CSI -- as he watches he learns what the culture teaches about crime, the legal system, how the innocent and the guilty are expected to behave.
You can find a thousand sites discussing where CSI "went fiction" and true crime material is a big, big seller.
Credit and loans as they exist today are new-ish, like electric wiring in houses -- people have always built shelter, but there are some a new twists.
What would I put on my Credit Scene Investigator show, so every teenage kid could know in a fun way what to do?
1. It is not wise to take financial instruction from Credit Collector personnel. They often do not know the laws and procedures, and do have other motives besides being helpful to you. If you get the call you will be looking for someone who cares more about your interests than they do about their commission. I'm in the process of seeing if the the collector personel can legally lie to their cases outside of what the laws restricting them to obtain personal information.
I don't know any blunter way to say that these people are *not* held to the rule "If you are asked for money and you have some, you have to share it" that many young people and others have had patiently taught them. This is not that sort of situation.
2. Collect the evidence. Remember white phosphorus. The US officials denied until presented with proof. It doesn't matter who loses their temper, who feels vindicated and who is stronger. The evidence doesn't lie. Collect within the law if possible. Remember that though they are bound by the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and other laws it's in their best interest to see that law as a tightrope, and like with the exploding gas tanks on Ford Pintos of a time before you, they've calculated the costs of going over that line, done a risk assessment. You should consider doing the same. Here's a site on the laws that bind them: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs27-debtcoll.htm
You should go there, know them just like you should own a fire alarm and keep the batteries fresh, have a plan. Having a plan for fire isn't welcoming disaster, it's planning ahead to save your life. Feel very patriotic and civic minded during a Credit Disaster Drill, just as you would during a fire drill. Maybe a little self concious and over-protective, but that's the whole point -- you are planning to thrive. Better to take a few minutes to know what you may never need than be caught in your own personal "Katrina".
3. The court of public opinion is your very best friend, just like on CSI. Being well known and credible beforehand is a really big plus. That way you can talk to more people faster than they can. If you weren't well known and credible beforehand this is a great time to start making friends and influencing people. I didn't learn this as a scummy debt dodger, I learned this as a homeschooling mother dealing with the educational establishment. People are your best allies at a time like this. People will empathise with you. You need others to help you maintain your confidence.
4. Something else I learned as a homeschooling activist -- the squeaky wheel gets the grease. People don't become homeschoolers because they had always planned to be, most people do it to adress something that they have experienced or can plainly see that is wrong with the society where they are raising children. They take in on themselves to find a better way. This is intimate, as it's your money they are talking about. Well, it was intimate because Nicholas was my baby. This is both intensely personal and part of something greater.
Get out there and squeak, you all. You may feel like the only one in the world, but trust me, you have company.
JulieB
posted by JulieB at
6:16 AM
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