Complaint Prevention & Resolution

Reducing complaints while still providing outstanding recovery results is one of the many areas where we excel. It is a challenging prospect, but it can be accomplished with the correct systems in place and with diligent supervisors and managers. Here is how we do it:

Just as we described in the previous section on disputes, we train our collectors to listen to what the debtors are saying. In addition, we do not bully debtors. We treat them with respect. We never belittle a debtor or speak in a condescending manner. This high level of respect helps a debtor understand we are not attacking them personally; we are simply performing a job for our client. Our professional attitude, our non-confrontational approach, and the high level of respect we show for debtors combine to eliminate complaints.

In addition to these factors, we give debtors another option when they feel that they are not making progress with the collector assigned to their account. When a call reaches this level, our collectors refer the debtor to the Collection Supervisor, Justin.  When Justin takes the call he helps the debtor resolve any issue that might be causing a frustration. Justin's job is to resolve their concerns in our office so the debtor is 100% satisfied. These procedures help a debtor feel satisfied we have adequately addressed their complaint. The fact that we dealt with and resolved their frustrations or concerns in a professional, respectful manner, allows the debtor to move forward with paying the account.

However, if after our best efforts, a debtor still calls your office with a complaint, we encourage you to call us and listen to the actual calls. Why?  We have found that even though we handle ourselves as professionals, we cannot please every debtor. However, since we record our calls, you can listen to the actual conversations and feel confident we represented you in the best possible way. Being able to do this is an important part in our building a solid relationship with you over the years. You need to feel good about how we treat debtors and listening to our calls allows you to do that.

The way we offer our clients access to our calls is quite different from other collection agencies. Our competition is reluctant to share their calls with a client because they really cannot guarantee that their collectors are treating debtors in the most professional way possible. That is not a concern with us. We do not pressure our collectors, so they do not pressure the debtors. We pay our collectors very well and take care of them as employees. This allows them to work in a low-stress environment and that ensures they treat debtors with respect and keep their composure when a debtor becomes belligerent or abusive. Our system, the type of people we hire, our initial and ongoing training programs, and our management style result in the most professional collectors around; and that really helps us have an excellent complaint prevention program (while still maximizing our recovery rate).

However, in the rare instance that we receive a complaint about a collector's conduct, whether by phone, letter, fax or e-mail, we immediately suspend all collection activity on the account and initiate an internal investigation. We need to make an important note here: While we ALWAYS respond to all external complaints, we do not necessarily wait for a complaint from outside before we initiate an investigation. What does this mean? Well, our intense internal audit processes ensures that we will discover situations that fall under the "complaint" category long before anyone from the outside ever complains. This happens when a supervisor is doing his or her daily audits of a collector's work. This proactive approach to dealing with potential complaint situations is just one small example of the literally hundreds of things we do every day to eliminate the potential of a client ever receiving a complaint.

If an investigation is warranted, whether from an internal audit or an external source, it starts with a complete review of all account notes, a review of the collection notices we have sent, and listening to every call we have ever made on the account. This includes calls to relatives, neighbors, friends, the debtor, the debtor's attorney, etc. After reviewing these items, we are able to analyze the validity of the complaint. At this point, we categorize the complaint into one of the three following groups:
  • Intentional Violation of Company Policy and/or Collection Laws
  • Accidental Violation of Company Policy and/or Collection Laws
  • No Violation of Company Policy and/or Collection Laws
After we know which category the complaint falls into, we take the appropriate action as described in each section below:

Intentional Violation of Company Policy and/or Collection Laws

Despite our best efforts in hiring, training, and taking care of an employee, some people make poor choices. When this happens and we determine that a collector has intentionally violated company policy and/or any collection laws, we immediately terminate that collector.

Accidental Violation of Company Policy and/or Collection Laws

As we discussed at the beginning of this brochure, people sometimes make mistakes. We understand this and we handle these situations on a case-by-case basis before we take action. It is unfortunate but the business we are in has stiff consequences for mistakes so sometimes the consequences faced by an employee are also stiff-even if it was an accident. Our employees know this, and understand that its part of the industry we are in and it comes with the job. All new employees receive training on this aspect of their job when they are first hired.

An accidental violation can result in severe disciplinary action; however, we use our best judgment and administer the appropriate level based on the individual conditions. An important note here: More than one accidental violation is viewed as though perhaps this employee is not a good fit, but again we analyze the situation, in as much detail as possible, before we make a final decision.

No Violation of Company Policy and/or Collection Laws

Debtors will try anything to get out of paying a debt even when we tell them we record all of our calls. They make outlandish claims about a collector's conduct. We will categorize their claim in this group when, after thorough investigation, we determine that a complaint has absolutely no merit. The action we take on these complaints is to notify the collector of the complaint, discuss any possible techniques that might help them diffuse a similar situation in the future, compliment them on any good work they did in following policies, procedures, and collection laws, and discuss the appropriate next collection action.

We handle our investigations internally. However, if we believe that an individual situation warrants your involvement, we will immediately contact you to discuss the situation. We will then work with you through the entire process to ensure you are 100% satisfied with the outcome. Working together like this when necessary will instill confidence in our operation and allow us to have a productive relationship for many years. As the level of interaction between our organizations increases, you will get to know our staff and the quality of our approach to the specialized handling of complaints. We have always stressed the importance of handling any allegation immediately; we believe our measures expedite the process and enable us to resolve any situation judiciously and quickly. Our management and staff are acutely aware of the negative impact generated by complaints made by the public. This negative impact reflects upon the entire collection industry as well as its clients. Accordingly, all NORTH AMERICAN RECOVERY employees receive special, and specific, ongoing training in order to prevent complaints.

Since inception, NORTH AMERICAN RECOVERY has never had its license suspended, or had its doors closed for even one day due to censure for conduct or any other reason, nor have we ever been asked to sign a cease and desist order or consent decree. You can have confidence that when NORTH AMERICAN RECOVERY is collecting your accounts, we will do so in a professional, effective way, while reducing complaints.

NORTH AMERICAN RECOVERY WISHES TO STATE CLEARLY OUR POSITION: COMPLAINTS ARE INTOLERABLE AND WILL BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY IN A JUDICIOUS MANNER