The debt collectors came to my door with this acceptance notice.
Mr. Wang recounted that a 300,000 yuan loan from a certain bank was obtained through cash withdrawals via credit cards across different locations, and this is the detailed transaction statement.
"They can do whatever they want to me, I have no complaints since I owe them money, but can they leave my mother alone?" Mr. Wang Ruijun from Houjie, Dongguan, sought help from the Yangcheng Evening News yesterday, saying that due to financial difficulties, he failed to repay his loan on time, resulting in the Dongguan branch of a certain bank sending people suspected of being part of a triad to constantly harass him. Even his 76-year-old mother was not spared. Mr. Wang Ruijun claimed that the debt collectors continuously defamed him, spreading rumors that he owed the bank a large sum of money and was insolvent. As a state-owned bank, using such despicable methods for debt collection was indeed hard for him to accept.
In response, the Dongguan branch of a certain bank denied during an interview with the Yangcheng Evening News that the debt collectors were from a triad organization. They claimed the collectors were lawyers commissioned by the bank, with high standards of behavior and professionalism, and unlikely to have taken extreme measures against Mr. Wang Ruijun.
One side of the story: The bank helped me withdraw 300,000 yuan, but then harassed me endlessly after I fell into debt.
According to Mr. Wang Ruijun's introduction, last March, a staff member from the Dongguan branch of a certain bank called him saying, "Mr. Wang, your credit record is very good. If you need funds, we can offer you more loans."
Mr. Wang Ruijun said that due to business capital needs, he also happened to need funds at the time. Subsequently, the bank staff informed him, "Since you have already borrowed one loan before, you cannot borrow through normal channels again, but you can obtain funds through credit card cash withdrawals."
Afterward, a representative from the Dongguan branch of a certain bank, Mr. You, signed a document named "Credit Card Installment Payment Guarantee Commitment Letter" with Mr. Wang Ruijun, requiring repayment for each installment by the 25th of the following month. "The staff told me that I could withdraw cash by swiping the card but couldn't directly withdraw cash from the bank," Mr. Wang Ruijun said. Later, he followed the bank staff's advice and found some intermediaries who provided cash withdrawal services, obtaining cash through point deductions.
However, Mr. Wang Ruijun later encountered financial difficulties and failed to repay several installments on time. Since last month, debt collectors started showing up at his door, initially making him think he had gotten involved with the triads.
"They never mentioned which unit they belonged to or revealed their identities. When they called or visited, they would directly demand, 'Pay your money back!' 'You're insolvent!' 'You've committed fraud!'" Mr. Wang Ruijun said, originally thinking someone was trying to extort him. Later, when these people presented the court's acceptance of the lawsuit filed by the Dongguan branch of a certain bank against him, he realized they were sent by the bank to collect the debt.
Mr. Wang Ruijun stated that these "debt collectors" approached his mother, expressing sentiments like, "Your son has a major problem; he owes the bank a lot of money. It's serious, and he might end up in jail." His elderly mother suffered sleepless nights as a result, and her health deteriorated. His wife and son were also harassed. Additionally, Mr. Wang Ruijun's friends and his employer were frequently disturbed by the bank's debt collectors. His boss eventually fired him due to the constant harassment. Friends who originally planned to lend money to help Mr. Wang Ruijun get through the tough times abandoned their plans after receiving calls from the debt collectors — "Friends were worried that I might really end up in jail and wouldn't have money to pay them back afterward." Mr. Wang Ruijun felt helpless, "Even though I owe the bank money, it's not true that I'm insolvent. Repaying the loan with fixed assets like my house would still be sufficient. I am not committing fraud; it was entirely the bank that actively lent the money and helped me withdraw cash."
The other side's response: The debt collectors are not from a triad organization but are lawyers commissioned by the bank.
Regarding Mr. Wang Ruijun's feedback, General Manager Assistant Xiao Jingqiang of the Credit Card Business Department at the Dongguan branch of a certain bank admitted during an interview with our newspaper that the debt collectors were lawyers from Guangdong Nanguo Desai Law Firm, commissioned by the bank. "Mr. Wang Ruijun has been delinquent for five consecutive months. According to credit card regulations, this constitutes malicious overdraft and carries criminal responsibility rather than being a civil matter," Xiao said. He added that the lawyers' qualifications and professionalism were top-notch, carefully selected after multiple evaluations. There is also a strict contract between the bank and the lawyers, emphasizing the importance of personal conduct and requiring audio recordings. "Based on our understanding, their (the lawyers') communication style is relatively polite and standardized, unlike what Mr. Wang Ruijun described. On the contrary, we heard that Mr. Wang Ruijun's family splashed water on the debt collectors," Xiao said.
Regarding Mr. Wang Ruijun's claim that bank staff helped him withdraw cash, Xiao Jingqiang firmly stated, "We would never help him withdraw cash, but if he went ahead and did it, we couldn't monitor it."
Regarding the persistent harassment of Mr. Wang Ruijun's family, friends, and employer by the debt collectors, Xiao Jingqiang explained that it might be because they couldn't reach Mr. Wang Ruijun himself by phone. As for why legal action wasn't pursued first or why the harassment didn't stop after filing a lawsuit, Xiao Jingqiang said, "We are proceeding simultaneously. If the loan can be repaid without initiating legal procedures, it would actually benefit Mr. Wang Ruijun in terms of credit and other aspects."
"We are not a debt collection company! If he thinks our methods are problematic, he can report us to the police!" When calling the debt collectors previously, their reaction was intense: "Which unit are you from? What's your name? I will contact your superior!" After receiving answers, they continued to repeatedly question his identity but refused to disclose their own name or workplace information, rejecting requests for face-to-face interviews and criticizing, "Your questions are unprofessional!"
After reflecting on his own dialogue with the debt collectors to Xiao Jingqiang, Xiao changed his stance, claiming that the person might not be a lawyer from the law firm but possibly just the lawyer's assistant.
Reported and photographed by Wang Junwei from the Yangcheng Evening News
(From Dongguan)
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