When it comes to dealing with debt, it can be all too easy to bury your head in the sand and hope the problem will go away. However, this is usually the very worst thing you can do. Generally, the longer you ignore your debt, the harder it will become to resolve the situation.
If you have missed several payments you may find that you are contacted by a debt collection agency who will try and recover the debt owed to your creditor. While this is a serious position to be in, you shouldn’t panic and you certainly shouldn’t ignore the letter sent by the debt collection company.
Dealing with a collection agency doesn’t have to be stressful – most will communicate with you professionally and with a degree of empathy. Debt collection agencies are controlled by the Office of Fair Trading and must adhere to certain regulations. Many agencies take compliance very seriously, for instance Wescot Credit Services carry out audits of every member of staff who deals with the public to ensure that professionalism is maintained.
Debt collection agencies are not the same as bailiffs and they do not have the same power. While a debt collector may visit your home, this is very rare and usually only happens if they can’t make contact with you via telephone or letter. You can decide how you wish to be contacted so if you’d prefer only to communicate through letter you can let the agency know. Letters can be a good idea as it allows you to document your correspondence. Debt collectors shouldn’t bombard you with telephone calls as this is classed as harassment and goes against regulations. However, if this does happen then you are within your rights to report the company.
There’s no reason why the debt collection agency shouldn’t treat you in a polite and professional manner. As they are likely to be eager to recoup the money you owe, it’s worth negotiating with them on the amount and the time scale. Working out a repayment plan which is manageable will benefit both you and the agency.
While debt is never a pleasant thing to have to deal with, if you are prepared to do what it takes to pay back the money the process can be much easier. The problems begin when you miss payments or ignore notifications, so it’s always worth keeping communication channels open with your creditor or collection agency.