I worked for a collections agency one year to make money for my kids Christmas. I sucked at it. We were told that Christmas is the "best" time to try and collect money. You tell the person, when they tell you they are trying to get Christmas presents for their kids, with what little money they have and cannot pay the bill, "The very best Christmas present you can give to your children is the assurance of knowing your bills are paid and your credit is preserved." What alternate dimension do these people live in? I couldn't even bring myself to say it out loud, let alone to some desperate, poor person on the phone, who owed a doctor or hospital money.
Kathy