Libraries new to UMS:
General Questions - How does the process work?
Fine/Fee Questions:
Software Questions:
Credit Reporting Questions:
Invoice Questions:
Bankruptcy Questions:
Skip Tracing/Privacy Questions:
Libraries New to UMS:
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What type of response rates do most libraries experience?
Patron response rates vary from library to library due to many variables including demographics, age of accounts at submission, and UMS services utilized. In general, within the first year, most libraries can expect to see a response rate between 60 and 70% or higher.
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Where's Jeffersonville, IN?
Southern Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky.
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Is it okay that we don't collect Social Security Numbers?
Social Security Numbers are the best piece of information that the library can provide to UMS to aid in the process of skip tracing and to ensure that accounts are credit reported accurately. For this reason, we would always suggest that libraries request Social Security Numbers. Although the library cannot require this information, most of our clients have found that many patrons are willing to provide it voluntarily. If the library is unable to collect Social Security Numbers, we can still successfully process and skip trace the library's delinquent patrons. The library can positively impact recoveries by providing us with birthdates and last known addresses and phone numbers.
Additional Note: One very effective way to keep track of patrons more effectively is to place a one year expiration on all library cards. This forces patrons to update their information regularly in order to continue using the library.
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General Questions - How does the process work?
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What is the timing of your letters and phone calls?
- Day 1(Day of Submission)Letter 1
- Day 22 Letter 2
- Day 36-49 Initial Placement Calls
- Day 64(Secondary Placement) Letter 4
- Day 78-91 Secondary Placement Phone Calls
- Day 120-151 Credit Reported
The use of the Library Letter will set this schedule back 21 days. Therefore, the Library Letter would be sent on Day 1, Letter 1 would be sent on Day 22, and so forth. It should be noted that remaining balance letters are generated and sent automatically when patrons respond partially without clearing their balance. These remaining balance letters are in addition to the letters described above.
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Why do patrons come into the library saying that someone from the library left a message on their answering machine?
By law, UMS cannot do or say anything that might suggest to anyone other than the actual debtor, their spouse or the parent or guardian of juveniles, that a patron has a debt and has been submitted for collection. Therefore, when our callers are unable to contact a patron directly, they must leave very vague messages with other individuals in the home or on the answering machine. Generally, the caller says, "This message is for John Doe. Please contact your local branch of the ________ Public Library. It is important that you speak with someone at the circulation desk as soon as possible." Although we understand that this might cause some confusion, we have found that phone messages are often very effective. Our suggestion is that circulation staff be trained to simply respond by asking the patron for his or her name and/or library card. In most cases, the staff member should be able to locate the patron's account and explain the overdue balance to the patron.
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What does it mean to suspend or resume a patron's account? What should I do if a patron sets up a payment plan with the library?
In what cases should I consider Suspending an account?
Your library software has no way to inform us if a patron has set up a payment plan with the library. Suspending accounts is mainly for this purpose. If the patron has come in and set up a payment plan to pay off their account, the library may not want the patron to continue to receive letters or phone calls, and possibly be credit reported (if they had not been credit reported already) while the patron is making good on their payment arrangements. The account can then be resumed if the patron does not follow through with their payment arrangement. An account can also be suspended if you need to pause collections while further investigating an issue. Suspension is intended to be temporary. If the patron pays off the account, the account will be considered cleared and paid in full. If the account needs to be closed please notify us via email.
When should I "Resume" a currently suspended account?
If the patron does not live up to their payment arrangement within a reasonable amount of time, it is best to resume their account. This will pick the account back up in secondary placement and we will continue our efforts to encourage the patron to resolve the account. Suspension is intended to be temporary. Accounts can be set to resume automatically at a date you choose - using Info Link Account Access.
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What is the Info Link Account Access site?
Info Link Account Access is a website that Unique has created to allow library's to access patrons information from our system, view monthly management, see the dates we made contact with your patrons, update patron address and phone number, suspend and resume accounts, print "paid in full letters" for patrons, etc. This website is especially helpful if you have a concerned patron who wants immediate answers. Your customer service representative would be happy to walk you through the sites features. Website: https://web.unique-mgmt.com
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Updating Patron Address - If I come across a new address or phone number for a patron, should I send that to UMS?
Yes, once a patron's account has been submitted to UMS, we do not receive any changes to address or phone number. A patrons address and phone number may be updated using the Info Link Account Access site by clicking on "update patron info" on the patron's account screen. UMS would be happy to assist you with this feature.
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Does UMS automatically send out a PIF (paid in full) letter?
No. PIF (paid in full) letters are sent out by patron request only. We do, however, offer a "thank you" letter service where we can automatically send out a letter for each account that pays in full. This service is $.50 per letter. You may contact your customer service representative for further information about this service.
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Fine/Fee Questions:
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What is the $10 late fee on the patrons account?
This is a fee added on to a patrons account by the library to (1) help cover the cost of using Unique Management Services and (2) to assist staff in determining the difference in a regular patrons account versus a collection patron account. This is a fee assessed and collected by the library and the amount of the "late fee" can vary library to library.
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Is it okay if we waive the $10 late fee? Does this prevent UMS from being paid?
The $10 late fee is a fee added as part of the library's fine structure to help the library cover the cost involved in recovering delinquent accounts. All fines/fees collected by the library belong to the library. Therefore, the library makes the final decision whether to collect or waive the $10 fee. We believe that it is generally in the library's best interest not to waive this fee. If the fee is presented to patrons as part of the total amount of fines/fees owed, most patrons will pay the fee with little or no questioning. It is important for the library to remember that waives are included in our collection guarantees and in our calculations of contingency fees. Therefore, consistent waiving of the $10 late fee or other charges may negatively impact the library's budget.
Additional Note: Waiving the late fee does not trigger UMS to suspend or close a patron's account. If you wish to suspend a patron's account please use the Info Link Account Access website. Or to close a patron's account send your request to us via e-mail.
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A patron made their check out to Unique but mailed the check to us - what should we do with the check?
Using the "Right of Endorsement" allows the library to cash checks made out to Unique. If you do not have your original on file, your customer service representative would be happy to re-send this to you.
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Software Questions:
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Does UMS have access to my system?
No, UMS has no access to your software system or computer. This is why UMS relies on the library's software to electronically update us on patron balances.
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We are upgrading or changing our software. Do we need to let you know?
Yes. Please let us know as soon as you begin making plans to upgrade or change your software. This will allow us to work with the library to ensure that the process of submitting and updating accounts continues to run smoothly with little or no delay.
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What is a "sync" (synchronization) file?
The purpose of the "sync" (synchronization) is to verify that our balances match your balances. The "sync" simply selects all patrons that have the collection 'flag', and reports their balances. Unique will use this to ensure we are contacting patrons and notifying them of the proper balance amount owed the library. The sync report will typically be initiated by a customer service technical analyst, but this process can be initiated by the library at any time if you feel that something is not quite right or that an emailed report did not make it to us.
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What is an update file? Submission file?
In order to submit patrons for collection, your software will select certain patrons based on the library's specified criteria. Your software will then add the $10 late fee to the patrons account and put the contact information and balance in a file that is sent via email or ftp to UMS weekly. Update files are submitted at least weekly to UMS. This file is made up of patrons previously submitted for collection whose balance has changed. This file is electronically generated by your system and is sent to UMS via email or ftp so that we may update our system with the patron's new balance.
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Credit Reporting Questions:
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How can I tell if a patron has been credit reported?
We never credit report any patron until we have had his or her account for at least 120 days. Generally, if a patron has a remaining balance greater than $25 and was submitted for collection more than 120 days ago, they have most likely been credit reported. If you need specific information, please feel free to call us for more details.
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Under what conditions can we expunge an account from a patron's credit record?
According to our agreements with the credit bureaus, we can only expunge patron accounts in cases of bonafide error. For instance, we can expunge an account if the patron's materials were returned and not credited properly or if a patron's account has been incorrectly listed on another person's report. We can not expunge a patron's account as a condition of payment, nor can we expunge a patron's account because he or she moved without leaving a forwarding address.
Additional Note: It may take as long as 6-8 weeks for a patron's credit bureau report to be updated following an expunge or any other change to the patron's account. In the meantime, if a patron needs help securing a loan, UMS will do everything we can to help the patron. We can mail a letter to the patron or, with the patron's approval signature, we can provide updated information to the patron's creditors via telephone or fax.
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Identity Theft?
Patrons may make claims of identity theft. The burden of proof lies with the patron to provide sufficient evidence of this claim. The most reliable form of proof is in the form of a police report from the patron. If the patron has been a victim of identity theft they will want to contact the credit bureaus to have a fraud alert put on their credit report. They can also find out more by contacting the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft/).
Credit Bureaus – Dispute Contact Information:
| Experian (formerly TRW) | Trans Union |
| (888) 397-3742 | P.O. Box 2000 |
| Chester, PA 19022 |
| (800) 916-8800 |
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When a patron account is sent to UMS does it automatically affect their credit?
No. Being submitted to UMS does not constitute credit reporting. Accounts only become eligible for credit reporting after being with UMS for a minimum of 120 days.
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How long can this debt stay on the patrons credit report?
This debt can remain on the patrons credit report for up to 7 years.
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Invoice Questions:
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Why is the number of initial placements listed on my invoice less than the number of submissions in my submission file?
If the library places 99999 in the zipcode field or uses some other method to notify us when patron's have bad addresses, UMS does not charge initial placement fees for these patrons with some of our pricing options. Patron's with bad addresses are sent directly to secondary placement where they are skip traced in hopes of locating a new address.
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I asked UMS to cancel a patrons account, will I still be billed for the account?
UMS cancellation policy states that an account must be closed within 24 hours of being received in order to not be charged for the account. After 24 hours UMS has already incurred cost by working on the account. Therefore, after 24 hours, we will still be able to cancel the account but the library will still be billed for the account.
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Bankruptcy Questions:
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Bankruptcy Terminology
There are 3 types of bankruptcy notices:
- "Meeting of creditors" – this is the initial notification that the patron has filed bankruptcy.
- "Discharged"- this means the bankruptcy has been granted.
- "Dismissed”- this means the bankruptcy has NOT been granted.
The library can check the monthly bankruptcy report via the Info Link Account Access site.
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What do we need to do if we learn that a patron has filed for bankruptcy?
When you are notified of a bankruptcy, we ask that you notify us via email. We actually do NOT need the paperwork. An email with their name, account number and type of notice you received would suffice in any bankruptcy situation.
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What does UMS do when notified that a patron has filed for bankruptcy?
Upon receiving the filing notice we automatically suspend contact with the patron until we learn whether the bankruptcy was granted (discharged) or denied (dismissed). If we are notified it was not granted (dismissed) then we will resume contact for the overdue account.
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What do I do if the bankruptcy ends as discharged (granted)?
Once a bankruptcy has been granted all fines and fees associated with that account need to be waived. However bankruptcy, by definition, can only include that person's property. And library materials are not the patron’s property; they are the property of the library. If you rent a car and then declare bankruptcy, you must still return the rental car. That is the same principle with the library's materials because they are still the property of the library. I’m not saying you should be able to pursue that amount or make them pay for the replacement costs. But basically, since the materials did not belong to the patron, they can just remain on the patron's account. This blocks them from being able to check out until they find the materials (library property) and return them. This protects you from being burned by these patrons that tend to be repeat offenders.
**Please bear in mind, we do not offer legal advice and recommend you check with your local city attorney if you have doubts because laws may vary by state, city, & county.**
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Skip Tracing/Privacy Questions:
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What is "skip tracing?"
The process of locating missing persons and obtaining new contact information.
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How does UMS protect privacy?
Unique Management Services prides itself in providing a high level of service to both our libraries and their patrons. A strong emphasis is placed on the confidentiality of the accounts received. Unique Management operates under the guidelines established by the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Unique Management Services, Inc. has a strict policy regarding the confidentiality of accounts received. At no time have we, or will we, sell the accounts to other agencies. We do not release any information without the consent of the patron. For specific wording regarding third party disclose and internal policies please contact your customer service representative.
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Does UMS sell account information?
UMS does not, at any time, sell or share any patron information. The only time the information is shared beyond UMS is if the patron's account becomes eligible for credit reporting and then their information is shared with the 3 major credit bureaus for credit reporting purposes only.
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