Are you being harassed by debt collectors?

In today's society debt is an inevitability and is simply a fact of life. Gone are the days when many people can claim to never have gone into debt, and to have always saved up in advance for anything they particularly wanted. Neither are we entirely into the live now pay later society that was prophesised in the sixties. Most people are quite able to balance their lives, their desires and their income. Sometimes this means incurring a debt, and this is a completely acceptable way to live.

The problems begin when our debts become unmanageable. When something unpredicted happens in our lives that prevents us from servicing our debts as we had originally intended and promised, or if due to bad personal management or excessive greed we incur heavier debts than our income can sustain, then debt, instead of being life enhancing, turns tail and begins to dominate our lives in most unpleasant ways.

Enter the debt collectors, the organisations called upon by our creditors to recover their outstanding payments. Anyone who experienced this should seek debt advice without delay.

Debt collectors can cause considerable distress to those whom they chase for payment. Despite the fact that there are quite specific rules concerning what is allowed and what is disallowed when attempting to recover a debt, many debt collection agencies, even if they stay within the word of the law, often flaunt the spirit of these regulations.

Anyone finding themselves unduly harassed by these organisations is able to take a number of actions. Firstly they should check that the organisation is registered with the CSA. If it is, then a formal complaint can be made to the CSA. If the agency is not a member, then it might well be acting illegally, in which case you should seek advice. If you still do not get anywhere then you might be able to bring on a claim of harassment, certainly if the actions of the debt collector are intrusive to your life.

Paul Robgher writes for debt-free.org.uk and takes great pride in helping people to be debt free