I think it’s a matter of thinking that if you don’t have the money to pay your debt, why bother speaking to anyone about it? The knowledge that it may be possible to set up a payment plan or otherwise improve the situation doesn’t seem to exist for a lot of people (Which makes sense insofar as student debts and/or credit card bills are often the first significant debts that a person owes in life.). If a debtor truly believes he has no recourse, ignoring debt-related mail and phone calls seems sensible. Why devote time and stress to a problem you believe you can’t change?
Either that, or these debtors are scared and aren’t thinking rationally. After all, not paying doesn’t mean that the money won’t come due, particularly with student loans. The government will garnish wages, so literally refusing to pay because you don’t feel like it (and running up interest in the meantime) would be a decision that could only be made from ignorance or illogic.
