# Giving money to a friend; how would you handle this situation **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327 "2020-12-31T05:33:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327/62 "2021-01-02T22:58:31Z")
I often think that a country could be judged based on - not how rich the richest are able to get, but the standard of living of the LOWEST group - however defined. A significant portion of my job deals with people who are losers in the modern American game of life. I can’t say how every other nation handles its most unfortunate, but having done this sort of work for 35 years, I’m hard pressed to imagine how a country could do any worse. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327/63 "2021-01-03T01:47:18Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > The only ‘good’ people that you’ll find working at finance companies are people who were desperate for a job I have to say, my experience with bill collectors has been okay. And I’ve dealt with them both chasing after me and reaching me by mistake. When i worked on a job where we answered each other’s phone i spoke to one who was trying to reach someone else and they were pretty discreet about the whole thing. I talked to another when I had a new phone number that had belonged to someone who owed money on a car. They were persistent when i told them they had the wrong person, but polite enough, and eventually left me alone. I’ve also had two bill collectors call me about money i actually owed, both for healthcare, and both late because health insurance bills are horrible. The first one managed to get the insurance company to pay, as they actually should have paid. He spent a lot of time chasing that down, and i was grateful. The second called me about money i owed. She was polite and persistent, but did get me appropriate documentation. I figured she was doing her job. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2021, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327/64 "2021-01-03T03:08:41Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I was a collector most of my adult life, although now I’m a business analyst. I worked retail credit and collections, as well as commercial. I never worked for a finance company or did medical collections. I understand. Please understand that the company I worked for was really shady. I could have worded my response better indicating they were one company… staffed with really bad people who laughed at and enjoyed watching a profit be made on human misery… who enjoyed pointing and laughing at people in the bullet-proof glass waiting room who were crying because they couldn’t afford to get their car back. I never meant to shit-post on either you or your company; I’m sure it’s a fine one. I never worked for your company. I wish I’d never worked for my finance company. ---
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327/65 "2021-01-13T16:46:50Z")
Just curious, any update on this? Did you lend them some money? MtM ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327/66 "2021-01-13T16:59:51Z")
No real update beyond what I was saying a couple of weeks ago. I am not giving my friend money for her car problems but I have continued to help her in other areas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-money-to-a-friend-how-would-you-handle-this-situation/929327.md?page=3)