Most Americans are worried about bill collectors calling on the telephone and harassing them. In fact, some Americans have even agreed to send money to complete strangers because they felt that person had some mystical power over them. Maybe they were threatened. Average people succumb to collection activity that coerces them into paying, perhaps out of fear.

How many of us simply cannot wait until the mailman shows up? Yeah right. It seems that we have a sixth sense about knowing what is in the mail. Without the use of a scanner, we seem to know which envelope contains a check, a letter from a friend, a card from Aunt Sue and a nasty letter from a bill collector or attorney. These are letters that we fear most. For some reason we place them on the coffee table to be opened later. Maybe we wait until our spouse goes to sleep. After all, we don't want them to know the bad news.

Sometimes we place them in a drawer for safekeeping. That's right. We sure don't want to lose them. Who knows, someday we might get enough courage to open them.

Here is how the collection scenario plays out. It is easier to collect money within the first 60 days because it is fresh in your mind. That is when the collection folks will put on the pressure. Believe me when I tell you that they know more about your situation than you might think. They know whether or not you have a job, whether your wife is working and whether or not you use your credit cards and whether you make mortgage and car payments. They also know how much your payments are. So when I tell you they know the odds of collecting from you, that is true.

What do you do? Well, I'll tell you the very first thing to do. DO NOT TALK TO THE BILL COLLECTOR ON THE TELEPHONE! Inform them that you are going to notify their agency to communicate with you in writing only. This is your right under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If you think that you have extra special skills on the telephone and have that desire to out-talk a collector, you might want to think again. They are trained in the art of convincing people to give them money. They also have the added incentive in that they are all on a commission basis.

They could care less if the baby is sick, or your spouse missed a few days of work. They only want what you have and that is money. Your best plan of attack in resolving these issues is to get them in writing. By doing this you can virtually turn bad debt into good credit.

In my next article I'll address just how this turn-around is accomplished.