Money, and its Attractants
Anyone who has had more than one generation in her family familiar with Tressel ("The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist") has heard generations of talk about how to handle money, who handles it, and why.
On one side of the conversation there was my father -- he looked at life the way most of my community growing up did. http://www.ahaprocess.com/ talks about generational poverty, and how resources are handled.
My mother eloped with him. She came from the world that talked about resources as "compensation". I went through the school system, which mostly didn't talk about money at all.
College. Bad experience. Tried to put it behind me. So, I got the surprise of my life when out of the blue an extremely insulting, very personal man called on my phone, talked to my sixteen year old son for a while, then had my son hand the phone to me.
This is in the grey area as far as legality is concerned, and the appropriate people have been notified about the whole thing. Collection agencies aren't supposed to pretend to be someone's friend to reach their targets.
I didn't have a lot of time to figure out just what sort of problems was somewhere down the road. I asked over and over again for the man (his name is still not clear) to send written information, and he kept on telling me that I didn't deserve information, not until I promised to send him money. I was quite sure this guy was some sort of spoofer. I thought to myself, what a terrible job -- to have conversations like this with people you have to trick to reach. I didn't hang up on him. I'll have to see from the phone bill what the exact number of minutes this unhappy man used up, though I have a really good estimation. At long last he thanked me for being so cooperative, and hung up.
He had hit every one of Ruby Payne's cultural notes on money handling in the generationally poor like he had been trained to dig for them -- especially the cardinal rule -- "If you ask me for money and I have some, I must share it with you." He had gone over and commanded me to ask all my social contacts for money, probably knowing this rule.
I made ready to track this problem down. I went to school in the eighties, this was a big surprise but not something that was going to turn around on a dime.
Ironically, SUNY Potsdam also called, begging for money, some sort of fund raiser. I wondered just how much of those fancy buildings came from the poor people who had gone to their school, not benefited, and were sent out by people like my phone goon to collect money not only from them but also anyone who knew them. Would SUNY care? If I were them I'd be really embarrassed to have someone like that on their payroll.
The man called up later. He called up ruder, and angrier. I kept on wondering what his family and any kids he might have would think if they could hear him talk this way. I wondered if they knew what he did for a living. After another extremely long stretch of time he still refused to send me any written material, but he did give me some websites, enough so that I could determine that this was not a spoof, SUNY Potsdam really did hire him.
I kept my mind from fossilising by popping over to his company's website -- http://www.generalrevenue.com/ and made a few estimates about how much commission this man was making. He gets a 401 K, even. Nice for him and his. I'm wondering what sort of person gets attracted to this job, and I figure its probably the sort who is chased by his own financial demons.
After another long and frustrating conversation he hangs up on me. Or maybe the line goes dead; I'm already trying to be decent about this for him, after all there's nothing I can think of that would leverage me into doing his job. He's like a prison employee -- the prisoners have release dates. You can't get paroled from your job.
The next day I get a call from http://www.generalrevenue.com/ from someone claiming to be rude guy's supervisor. She's not giving out his name either though I have hers. She's very clear that I should deal with only her and makes certain I have her exchange written down. I ask her to listen to rude guy's phone tapes, as I have and he's clearly outside of the law. She called late at night time, so her 'good cop' stance is a bit less than perfect She said a whole bunch of different things that I hope she didn't get trained to do, but for me the kicker is the closing line -- from a supervisior, or someone claiming to be one: "Do anything you have to. Steal if need be. Just get the money."
SUNY Potsdam sent me more letters asking for money, proclaiming how willing people are to pay in. I wonder how much misery Potsdam is buying through agencies like this. Well, classmates and administration, here's your starting point. You should really find out.
What a public education this is!
Here's a very interesting social disconnect -- everyone knows about and reviles collection agencies. But look at what their PR people like to do for publicity:
General Revenue Corporation Raises Nearly $100,000 Through Local, Regional Fundraising Efforts http://www.collectionindustry.com/item/17739 General Revenue Corporation (GRC), the nation's largest university-focused collection agency along with The Sallie Mae Fund, the charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae today announced that they have generated nearly $100,000 through various fundraising initiatives in theCincinnati area. The money raised will benefit local non- profits along withthe American Red Cross. GRC employees pledged $5,000 and The Sallie Mae Fund donated an additional$12,000 in support of Families FORWARD, a non-profit agency providing services to help more than 1,200 Cincinnati children attend college. GRC adopted Families FORWARD as a corporate charity in 2004 and has also donated more than $38,000 to help the organization implement the GRC Arts &Humanities after- school program. "Through the generosity of General Revenue Corporation and The Sallie MaeFund, Families FORWARD's after-school music and art classes will enrich the lives of more than 550 students and their families," said Betti Hinton, President, Families FORWARD. GRC's 16th annual Golf Outing generated more than $40,000, including a$2,500 donation from The Sallie Mae Fund, for the LoveQuest Children's Foundation, a non-profit, public foundation dedicated to educating disabled children and adults about the medically acknowledged benefits of therapeutic horseback riding. Employees took part in raffles and volunteered to work theevent held at Beckett Ridge Country Club in West Chester, Ohio. In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, GRC employees donated money and personal vacation days totaling more than $15,000. The Sallie Mae Fund matched this amount resulting in a total of more than $35,000 donated to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief."We are an education and community-oriented company, first and foremost,"said Joe Fazzini, President, GRC. "I am delighted that our employees go the extra mile to give back."_______________________
I wonder how many people get ticked-off enough to sign up for news clipping services and begin watching the industry?
JulieB
Anyone who has had more than one generation in her family familiar with Tressel ("The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist") has heard generations of talk about how to handle money, who handles it, and why.
On one side of the conversation there was my father -- he looked at life the way most of my community growing up did. http://www.ahaprocess.com/ talks about generational poverty, and how resources are handled.
My mother eloped with him. She came from the world that talked about resources as "compensation". I went through the school system, which mostly didn't talk about money at all.
College. Bad experience. Tried to put it behind me. So, I got the surprise of my life when out of the blue an extremely insulting, very personal man called on my phone, talked to my sixteen year old son for a while, then had my son hand the phone to me.
This is in the grey area as far as legality is concerned, and the appropriate people have been notified about the whole thing. Collection agencies aren't supposed to pretend to be someone's friend to reach their targets.
I didn't have a lot of time to figure out just what sort of problems was somewhere down the road. I asked over and over again for the man (his name is still not clear) to send written information, and he kept on telling me that I didn't deserve information, not until I promised to send him money. I was quite sure this guy was some sort of spoofer. I thought to myself, what a terrible job -- to have conversations like this with people you have to trick to reach. I didn't hang up on him. I'll have to see from the phone bill what the exact number of minutes this unhappy man used up, though I have a really good estimation. At long last he thanked me for being so cooperative, and hung up.
He had hit every one of Ruby Payne's cultural notes on money handling in the generationally poor like he had been trained to dig for them -- especially the cardinal rule -- "If you ask me for money and I have some, I must share it with you." He had gone over and commanded me to ask all my social contacts for money, probably knowing this rule.
I made ready to track this problem down. I went to school in the eighties, this was a big surprise but not something that was going to turn around on a dime.
Ironically, SUNY Potsdam also called, begging for money, some sort of fund raiser. I wondered just how much of those fancy buildings came from the poor people who had gone to their school, not benefited, and were sent out by people like my phone goon to collect money not only from them but also anyone who knew them. Would SUNY care? If I were them I'd be really embarrassed to have someone like that on their payroll.
The man called up later. He called up ruder, and angrier. I kept on wondering what his family and any kids he might have would think if they could hear him talk this way. I wondered if they knew what he did for a living. After another extremely long stretch of time he still refused to send me any written material, but he did give me some websites, enough so that I could determine that this was not a spoof, SUNY Potsdam really did hire him.
I kept my mind from fossilising by popping over to his company's website -- http://www.generalrevenue.com/ and made a few estimates about how much commission this man was making. He gets a 401 K, even. Nice for him and his. I'm wondering what sort of person gets attracted to this job, and I figure its probably the sort who is chased by his own financial demons.
After another long and frustrating conversation he hangs up on me. Or maybe the line goes dead; I'm already trying to be decent about this for him, after all there's nothing I can think of that would leverage me into doing his job. He's like a prison employee -- the prisoners have release dates. You can't get paroled from your job.
The next day I get a call from http://www.generalrevenue.com/ from someone claiming to be rude guy's supervisor. She's not giving out his name either though I have hers. She's very clear that I should deal with only her and makes certain I have her exchange written down. I ask her to listen to rude guy's phone tapes, as I have and he's clearly outside of the law. She called late at night time, so her 'good cop' stance is a bit less than perfect She said a whole bunch of different things that I hope she didn't get trained to do, but for me the kicker is the closing line -- from a supervisior, or someone claiming to be one: "Do anything you have to. Steal if need be. Just get the money."
SUNY Potsdam sent me more letters asking for money, proclaiming how willing people are to pay in. I wonder how much misery Potsdam is buying through agencies like this. Well, classmates and administration, here's your starting point. You should really find out.
What a public education this is!
Here's a very interesting social disconnect -- everyone knows about and reviles collection agencies. But look at what their PR people like to do for publicity:
General Revenue Corporation Raises Nearly $100,000 Through Local, Regional Fundraising Efforts http://www.collectionindustry.com/item/17739 General Revenue Corporation (GRC), the nation's largest university-focused collection agency along with The Sallie Mae Fund, the charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae today announced that they have generated nearly $100,000 through various fundraising initiatives in theCincinnati area. The money raised will benefit local non- profits along withthe American Red Cross. GRC employees pledged $5,000 and The Sallie Mae Fund donated an additional$12,000 in support of Families FORWARD, a non-profit agency providing services to help more than 1,200 Cincinnati children attend college. GRC adopted Families FORWARD as a corporate charity in 2004 and has also donated more than $38,000 to help the organization implement the GRC Arts &Humanities after- school program. "Through the generosity of General Revenue Corporation and The Sallie MaeFund, Families FORWARD's after-school music and art classes will enrich the lives of more than 550 students and their families," said Betti Hinton, President, Families FORWARD. GRC's 16th annual Golf Outing generated more than $40,000, including a$2,500 donation from The Sallie Mae Fund, for the LoveQuest Children's Foundation, a non-profit, public foundation dedicated to educating disabled children and adults about the medically acknowledged benefits of therapeutic horseback riding. Employees took part in raffles and volunteered to work theevent held at Beckett Ridge Country Club in West Chester, Ohio. In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, GRC employees donated money and personal vacation days totaling more than $15,000. The Sallie Mae Fund matched this amount resulting in a total of more than $35,000 donated to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief."We are an education and community-oriented company, first and foremost,"said Joe Fazzini, President, GRC. "I am delighted that our employees go the extra mile to give back."_______________________
I wonder how many people get ticked-off enough to sign up for news clipping services and begin watching the industry?
JulieB
posted by JulieB at
5:10 AM
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