[Mr Ramsbotham]

While I think people should pay their debts, I do think many of the tactics employed by debt collectors are pretty disgusting.

Should people pay their debts? Yes. Are debt collectors scumbuckets? Yes.

[Local Man]

Some Debt Collectors are scumbuckets, but the vast majority of them follow the law or they don’t stay in business. Defending lawsuits under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act are very, very expensive.

Most valid collection agencies train their people on how to comply with the law. They first try to encourage people to pay, then threaten them with the real consequences of not paying. They report the unpaid debt to the credit bureaus, and then may send the debt to an attorney for suit if it is worthwhile to do so.