creditor's calling at work place.

nev32

Hi all. just a quick question, i have been getting reports from my work colleagues that some creditors are calling me at work, i have advised them not to do this as my employer wont take to kindly to this although they are aware of my situation & my job is fine. am i within my rights to do this as it is hardly private for then do discuss this with me at work???:mad:

JOSOM

nev32 wrote: »

Hi all. just a quick question, i have been getting reports from my work colleagues that some creditors are calling me at work, i have advised them not to do this as my employer wont take to kindly to this although they are aware of my situation & my job is fine. am i within my rights to do this as it is hardly private for then do discuss this with me at work???:mad:

Having read something on the internet last night, it stated that you should never speak to your creditors on the phone! Write to them advising that you will only correspond through letters and if they continue to contact your work you will report them.

fermi

You can instruct them that calls to the workplace are unacceptable and demand they stop, and if they make further calls then they will be in breach of OFT guidelines and will be reported.

Debt collection guidance

2 UNFAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES

Communication

2.1 It is unfair to communicate, in whatever form, with consumers in an unclear, inaccurate or misleading manner.

2.2 Examples of unfair practices are as follows:

a. use of official looking documents intended or likely to mislead debtors as to their status, for example, documents made to resemble court claims.
b. leaving out or presenting information in such a way that it creates a false or misleading impression or exploits debtors' lack of knowledge
c. those contacting debtors not making clear who they are, who they work for, what their role is, what the purpose of the contact is
d. unnecessary and unhelpful use of legal and technical language, for example, use of Latin phrases
e. failing to provide debtors or creditors with information on status of debts, for example, not providing requested balance statements when reasonably requested
f. contacting debtors at unreasonable times
g. ignoring or disregarding debtors' legitimate wishes in respect of when and where to contact them, for example, shift workers who ask not to be telephoned during certain times of the day
h. asking or instructing debtors to make contact on premium rate telephone numbers

Physical/psychological harassment

2.5 Putting pressure on debtors or third parties is considered to be oppressive.

2.6 Examples of unfair practices are as follows:

a. contacting debtors at unreasonable times and at unreasonable intervals
b. pressurising debtors to sell property, to raise funds by further borrowing or to extend their borrowing
c. using more than one debt collection business at the same time resulting in repetitive and/or frequent contact by different parties
d. not ensuring that an adequate history of the debt is passed on as appropriate resulting in repetitive and/or frequent contact by different parties
e. not informing the debtor when their case has been passed on to a different debt collector
f. pressurising debtors to pay in full, in unreasonably large instalments, or to increase payments when they are unable to do so
g. making threatening statements or gestures or taking actions which suggest harm to debtors
h. ignoring and/or disregarding claims that debts have been settled or are disputed and continuing to make unjustified demands for payment
i. disclosing or threatening to disclose debt details to third parties unless legally entitled to do so
j. acting in a way likely to be publicly embarrassing to the debtor either deliberately or through lack of care, for example, by not putting correspondence in a sealed envelope and putting it through a letterbox, thereby running the risk that it could be read by third parties.

nev32

Thanks fermi you are a star. really helpfull.