Collection agencies in Singapore are experienced in matters concerning debt collection. Debts do not necessarily emanate from lending of money. Some people make purchases and fail to pay up. Other people get services and when it comes time to paying for the money owing for those services, they are nowhere to be found. Therefore, those who wanted the debts to be paid back have tried to get their money back to no avail and that is why they end up hiring these agencies. Before they get to that point of paying for these services, they will try everything they can to get their money back. When nothing seems to work and desperation kicks in, services of the agencies can be solicited.
How Debt Collectors in Singapore Operate
1. The first step these agencies will use to collect the debt is by drafting letters:
These are not just any kind of letters. Since they are for an official purpose the format will be official. They will be addressed to the person or organization that is in debt. Letter will be jotted on behalf of the client who hired the services of the agency. Contents of the letter will include the reason why it is being written, the exact amount of the money owed, and a polite but firm request for the payment of the debt.
2. If the letters do not work, then the agency will look for another way to approach the matter:
The letter is written to introduce the problem and the addressed person is given ample time to respond to its demands. A second and third letter will be sent and if there is still no response, then representatives of the agency will be sent to directly confront the person or organization. Unlike popular belief, the confrontation will not be violent. It will be a civil discussion between two parties until an agreement is reached.
3. Those who do not respond to the confrontation will now force the agency to use harsher means:
Debts always ruin credit scores and bad credit scores can cause the person to find difficulty getting mortgage loans or even qualifying for loans. Therefore, what collection agencies do at this point is inform the credit bureaus of the impending debt. Proof of the debt will be needed and an investigation will be carried out and then that person will get red flagged. The only way to improve a credit score is by paying up the debt.
4. When worse come to worse, the collection agencies will involve a lawyer:
This is usually as a last resort after others measures have been tried. They never threaten or intimidate the other party because if they did this then it would not look good in court. A judge will look at all the evidence and will want to know if measures were put across to get the other party to pay up before being taken to court. Since letters and credit bureaus have documentation that recorded the confrontation, the judge will rule in favour of the agency’s client and the debt will eventually be paid.
5. Some debt collection agents can also offer assistance when you run into technical issues:
With more and more businesses trading on the internet and more money changing accounts across the web, most companies will upgrade their facilities from time-to-time. This can lead to a period of downtime. To prevent losses in both income and customer-confidence, companies are increasingly using debt collection agents to provide turnkey credit control services during transition periods.
Technical resources also make it harder for people to hide from the debt collection agencies. While in the past, chasing an absconded debtor or fraudster was a problem for companies, debt collection agencies now have the databases to trace debtors’ new addresses and find out if payment is possible or if it’s time to involve the courts.
How to Hire the Best Debt Collection Company
As you have read above, hiring a debt collection business is one way that you can recover and have cash paid back to you inside the shortest probable time. When it comes to selecting a debt collection company, you will have to contemplate many points so that you will be make the proper selection:
1. Pick a debt collector with a good reputation:
Its normally better to work with an organization that has a considerable amount of success in their collection services. You can check their track record and see how they have managed to get income back from debtors for clients.
2. Check their payment options:
If you have to pay up front, chances are that the debt collection business may not deliver. Most debt collection organizations have a “no collection no pay” policy which basically means they will only be paid for the work when they have recovered your funds.
3. Pick a business that will represent you well:
You can find the debt collection agency and company that has a very good record of being able to represent their client well and without having any challenges.
4. Picking a collection agency that has a good track record and working policies is typically the finest selection.
Also if the agency has a good price policy, typically you will have to pay for the agency’s work right after the money or debt has been paid off, this can be a specific percentage of the amount that is to be collected or a fixed amount that is determined before the service is provided.
A debt collection service can attempt to assist in recovering your income from debtors but this is not always a guarantee that you will recover all the income owed to you, it is based on the likelihood and probability. You will have to check the collection service’s success rate to judge that.
All in all, bear in mind to take into account that the organization need to have a great track record of success, a great payment program and should be able to represent you well before the debtors. When you are looking to hire a debt collection agency, be positive to put all the crucial facts together to make the appropriate choice.