Debt Collection Industry About to Get the Dateline Treatment

If you’ve been in the accounts receivable management industry for any length of time, you know about the treatment it receives in the general interest media. In fact, I’ll bet you think it can’t possibly get any worse.

Well, just wait until Friday night.

Dateline NBC’s Chris Hansen, best known for catching dudes on camera that thought they were about to have naughty time with 14-year olds, is setting the searing focus of his Camera of Justice on debt collectors.

The star of “To Catch a Predator” will be highlighting the evils of the debt collection industry in a segment called “Debt in America and Its Collectors.” It’s part of Dateline’s in-depth series, “Inside the Financial Fiasco.” The program, which airs Friday night at 10pm Eastern, promises – in marketing teasers – to “expose dirty tactics used by some collection agencies” using hidden cameras.

To pre-suppose that the show will be an unfair view of the ARM industry is a bit beyond us at this point. I seriously can’t imagine what manner of awfulness will be foisted upon the public in this segment. I guess that we should withhold judgment until the piece airs, but I can’t see a piece that touts itself as a hidden camera expose of the ARM industry being even-sided.

But the industry should be aware of it. I’m sure that some debtors, and even clients, will be discussing it next week.

By the way, a big thanks goes out to Universal Fidelity for calling our attention to the segment.