One of my first jobs after leaving college was for a 'doorstep' credit company...
working in their office. I quickly realised that the people I worked for were one step up from your average loan sharks.

They would target council estates during the day, because their ideal customers were women who were either housewives, or single mums on benefit.

Many files that had 'do not call when husband home, wife doesn't want them to know they've had credit' written on them, and occasionally they would have things like 'husband violent, do not call after 5pm' noted on the collection file.

We charged a ridiculous amount of interest, and if even one payment were missed we would threaten the client with a 'bailiffs' who would call round when the husband was at home. We knew that this would result in a payment, usually because the client was ashamed or scared of their husband (usually both). It made me feel sick to the stomach and I think I lasted three weeks in the job before I was fired because I was too soft with people.

I feel dirty just writing about it :(

They are bastards, all of them to a man.
( Wicca'd Witch needs ideas for a new sig on..., Tue 12 Jul 2011, 12:48, 4 replies)

Can't see
where the step up bit is.
(username failed moderation, Tue 12 Jul 2011, 12:51, closed)

Neither can I to be honest.

( Wicca'd Witch needs ideas for a new sig on..., Thu 14 Jul 2011, 12:58, closed)

Sounds like an eminently sensible business plan.
They should have advertised on TV to go after the afternoon tea granny market as well, though obviously they're more of a liability as they might just die, but often they've got a home to put up as collateral.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 12 Jul 2011, 13:15, closed)

If you believe some, those women were terrorists.
People like that, taking money from innocent firms when they knew they'd struggle to pay it back, almost brought our economy to its knees.
Well, either that or people payed to know better, exploiting others, fucked up big time and now we're all paying for it because they pay people to run the country the way they want it run.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Tue 12 Jul 2011, 17:49, closed)