{"id":15650,"date":"2026-07-23T12:21:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/surprising-excuses-polish-debtors-give-collectors-what-beats-a-loan-payment\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:21:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:21:38","slug":"surprising-excuses-polish-debtors-give-collectors-what-beats-a-loan-payment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/surprising-excuses-polish-debtors-give-collectors-what-beats-a-loan-payment\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising Excuses Polish Debtors Give Collectors: What Beats a Loan Payment?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As 1.9 million Poles struggle with a record debt exceeding 40 billion zlotys, collection agencies encounter everything from family tragedies to bizarre justifications.  <\/p>\n<h4>Record Debt and Daily Realities<\/h4>\n<p>1.9 million Poles have trouble paying their obligations, and the total debt amount has already exceeded a record 40 billion zlotys. Instead of transfers to creditor accounts, debt collectors hear dozens of stories every day \u2013 from family dramas to absolute abstract justifications. This is what the household budget over the Vistula really looks like.<\/p>\n<p>For most of us, the financial calendar is determined by the seasons. In winter, the household budget is ruined by holidays and ski trips, in spring by the first communions, and in summer by vacations, after which school supplies must immediately be bought. As it turns out, these same seasons dictate the rhythm of work for Polish debt collection companies.<\/p>\n<h4>Holidays, Pets, and Clicking Children<\/h4>\n<p>Negotiators from Kaczmarski Inkasso analyze daily the reasons why loan installments, telephone bills, or rent payments take a backseat. Some of these can come as a major surprise.<\/p>\n<p>This is only a fraction of the translation list. Often there is also a cleverly thrown: &#8220;The bailiff is already taking it from my salary anyway,&#8221; which is meant to suggest in advance a lack of funds for an amicable settlement of the matter. There is no shortage of family threads either \u2013 seniors suddenly find out that they have to pay off loans taken for family who disappeared when it came to settling the debt.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 We cannot assume in advance that every debtor is looking for an excuse. During conversations, we also learn about truly difficult life situations. The cause of the delay itself does not make the debt disappear. However, it allows us to better assess the consumer&#8217;s actual capabilities and the chance for repayment that will not become a statement without coverage, but will be implemented \u2013 explains Jakub Kostecki, vice-chairman of the board of Kaczmarski Inkasso.<\/p>\n<h4>The Myth of the Smart Operator Versus Hard Reality<\/h4>\n<p>Although some of the answers are a classic game for time or an attempt to avoid responsibility, experts warn against judging debtors with one measure. Behind some of the stories lie real tragedies: job loss, serious illness, or caring for loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>Here is how hard market data regarding Poles&#8217; arrears presents itself:<\/p>\n<p>Parameter: KRD Statistics. Total debt amount: 40.4 billion PLN. Number of indebted consumers: 1.9 million people. Average debt amount per person: ~21.5 thousand PLN. Highest risk group (36\u201355 years): Accounts for 60% of the total debt.<\/p>\n<p>The highest financial risk rests on middle-aged people (36\u201355 years). They combine raising children with payments for their own apartments and mortgages.<\/p>\n<h4>Poles Without a Financial Cushion<\/h4>\n<p>The main source of growing problems is primarily the lack of savings for a &#8220;rainy day.&#8221; Market research shows a disturbing picture of our financial stability.<\/p>\n<p>When an unexpected expense appears in such a tight budget \u2013 a car breakdown, veterinary treatment, or a rent increase \u2013 payment delays are inevitable.<\/p>\n<h4>Entrepreneurs and the &#8220;Guilty Accountant&#8221;<\/h4>\n<p>The problem with timeliness also applies to sole proprietorship (JDG) owners. In their case, the lack of a boundary between company and private assets means they are liable for company debts with their entire livelihood. In the micro-firm sector, the most frequent excuse tends to be blaming the accounting office (&#8220;The accountant forgot to make the transfer&#8221;) or payment bottlenecks (&#8220;The contractor did not pay me&#8221;).<\/p>\n<h4>Is It Still Possible to Get Out of Debt?<\/h4>\n<p>As the debt collection industry emphasizes, the key is quick contact and a real repayment plan. Spreading rent arrears or loan installments into smaller amounts allows for regaining stability and avoiding legal steps.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 An overdue payment often loses out to an expense that turns out to be more important at a given moment. However, when repayment is postponed several times, even a small debt can become a serious burden. Consumers feel this particularly acutely if they fail to maintain a balance between shopping and wallet capabilities. Skillful estimation of inflows and expenses constitutes the basis of the household budget \u2013 emphasizes Jakub Kostecki.<\/p>\n<p>Copyrighted material &#8211; all rights reserved. Further dissemination of the article with the consent of the publisher INFOR PL S.A. Buy a license. Enter the e-mail address of the selected person, and we will send them free access to this article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As 1.9 million Poles struggle with a record debt exceeding 40 billion zlotys, collection agencies encounter everything from family tragedies to bizarre justifications. Record Debt and Daily Realities 1.9 million Poles have trouble paying their obligations, and the total debt amount has already exceeded a record 40 billion zlotys. Instead of transfers to creditor accounts, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15650\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}