Page:Roy Ralph Hottman - Practical Collection Procedure (1923).pdf/66

52 time when the debtor is entertaining friends. For mercan- tile debtors who try to evade payment, entering the store with the bill openly displayed, and keeping it very much in evidence all the while (the call must be made at a busy period of the day) is decidedly disconcerting to the debtor. In his own mind he knows the bill should be paid, that he is witholding payment unjustly, and if called upon fre- quently at such times of the day, imagines his shortcomings are becoming evident to all of his trade. He will undoubt- edly be angry and very brusk, even offensive, but the col- lector must contain himself and concentrate his thoughts on the fact that he is only there to get the money.

One trick employed frequently (one wonders it is used so often) is for the debtor to state that a check was just mailed the preceding or the same day, or that a check was mailed a short time ago and that the firm did not give proper credit. In the latter case the collector can be very sympathetic over such gross carelessness, and in his desire that the debtor be given service in every particular, ask to see the check stub so as to get the definite date and trace it at the office. If he is very propitious and plays his part well the merchant is surprised into complying with the request, searches for it but naturally does not find it and writes out a check, speaking the while of how positive he was that it had been sent. If he uses the former excuse the same request for check number can be made on the strength of the office either insisting on defi- nite information, or holding the collector at fault, blaming them somewhat for their insistence, and also bringing in the desire to be of service in that he will notify the office to watch for the check and see to it that the debtor is given