Why I went ‘full Karen’ on a debt collection company

I had enough with this credit company that would not stop calling me.

“I feel defeated and angry, and God knows I don’t need that. Nobody needs that”.

Getting calls from a debt collector company can be a nuisance, but when the calls never end and the excuses abound, sometimes a new strategy is needed.

I received my new work phone last year, just before everyone started to work from home.

I really didn't use it much back then, and decided to dedicate it to recording videos, photography and to hold work-related apps.

A couple of moths later, I noticed a miscall from a number in Tasmania, the first of many.

Weeks passed and then I answered a call from the same number: a person calling from Credit Corp looking for Rosanna.

I was told Rosanna had some unpaid amount with a phone service provider.

Having worked on call centres in younger years, I know what a genuine call sounded like, and after verifying the person's credentials, I gave that person my name, I explained this was my work phone, who I worked for and where I was located.

I was thanked and told I would never hear from them again.

To my despair, that was not correct.

The calls continued, during the day, sometimes on the weekend, and even after hours, while I was having dinner with my family.

When I took the calls, I spoke to three other people from that company and explained my situation again and again. Four times I was told the information had been recorded and that I would not be contacted again.

Until last week.

Last week I had a miscall and, thinking it was work-related, I dialled back.

When I realised I had called Credit Corp back, I felt my cheeks going red with ire.

I requested to speak to a supervisor, and then a person called Margarita took the call.

She admitted there were notes in her computer screen confirming I had been called a number of times.

I asked her to send me an email explaining what the company was about to do to stop these calls.

My phone line mysteriously disconnected twice, but I called back and demanded assurance this would be the end of this saga.

She declined, so I went "full Karen" and requested to speak to the manager.

Margarita, who answered the call, told me her manager was called May, but she would not take my call.

Thirty minutes into the call I had lost an interview (this happened in the middle of my working day) and, though no fault of my own, I had gone from having a busy day to having a horrible one.

Thanks Credit Corp.

Against my wishes, Margarita transferred me to Jerry, a customer service officer, who took my details. I advised Jerry that I was planning to write this article.

I requested a call back by Monday from the company with an official statement.

On Wednesday, I received an email from another customer care officer, Rani, telling me that there would be no official statement from the company for the article and that I would receive a response about my complaint "in the coming days".

I called Rani on two of the three numbers listed in her signature.

Someone took the call on the first number, and then pretended not to hear me, although laughed once he thought I had terminated the call.

"That's a quick one to improve to my stats," I heard him say.

I dialled the second number and the call just dropped twice.

I finally got in contact with Rani, who told me the company was conducting an investigation on the matter but that my input was not required and there were no further info needed from me.

I feel defeated and angry, and God knows I don't need that. Nobody needs that.

I have no actual dealings with Credit Corp, I am not really their customer.

I just need those unwanted calls to end on my phone but cannot spend any more time waiting on the line for someone to come out with a real solution.

Wish me luck.

 

Note: (All names have been changed)

Originally published as