ByEasily Stop Harassment from Beat Debt Collectors UK
When you're getting harassed by debt collectors, you may feel like you're drowning. You're letting all your calls pile up in your voice-mail until you have to empty it every day or two. You're ignoring the mail as every notice you get triggers a wave of anxiety. And you've become adept at sneaking into your house or apartment and making it appear like you're not at home to minimise the door knocks from debt collectors.
You can barely sort through who is calling about what debt. You even suspect that at least one set of calls may not be related to a current or correct debt. But you're more certain that you need the calls to stop. The agencies are making you physically ill with their threats, harassment, and abuse. You might be wondering , get them to dial back their outreach, or even stop calling you.
There is, and it’s called DoNotPay.
What Can Debt Collectors Do in the UK to Recover Debts?
When dealing with multiple , it may feel like the outreach is relentless. Even when dealing with just one particularly aggressive creditor, you may feel like the calls are too much for you - or anybody - to handle.
Debt collection agencies and creditors in the UK must follow very specific laws and regulations about how and when they can contact you. Here's how they can contact you:
- By phone
- By mail
- In-person at the door to your residence
They can also pursue further legal action against you. The most common action debt collectors will pursue is obtaining a County Court Judgement (CCJ), a legal order that you pay the specific debt by a certain deadline.
About CCJs in the UK
The debt collector can use the CCJ to take further action, usually starting with applying for an Attachment of Earnings. The Attachment of Earnings legally directs your employer to direct a portion of your paycheck to the debt collector until the debt is satisfied.
They can also use the CCJ to obtain a:
- Charging Order, through which they can secure your debt against your assets, such as your home
- Bailiff action, which allows the court to send bailiffs to your home to collect certain assets to satisfy your debts.
However, generally cannot take legal actions, such as interfering with your eligibility for social services benefits or contacting you in certain ways, such as by social media or at work.
It's best to try to negotiate a payment arrangement with the debt collection agency or agencies in question. Doing so may help get them off your back, but it is no guarantee. If you do choose to try to negotiate, make sure:
- You negotiate a realistic payment plan
- You get the agreement in writing
- You make sure that any additional fees you're asked to pay comprise no more than the 8 per cent collections agencies are allowed to charge
But not all agencies are willing to negotiate an agreement or willing to accept what you can pay towards your debt. And even if you're paying as much as you can, you may still be deluged with phone calls.
What Is Considered Unlawful Behaviour?
If you’re wondering , this is important information. There are several additional guidelines that debt collectors must follow. They cannot:
- Contact you outside the hours of 8:00 am and 9:00 pm, on weekends or on holidays.
- Enter your residence without your permission.
- Tell friends or family about what you owe to shame you into paying.
- Threaten or harass you, including by threatening to send bailiffs to your home.
- Add more than 8 per cent interest to your original debt.
- Pretend that they can take legal actions in an effort to bully you into paying if they cannot take those actions
If a creditor or a debt collection agency has taken any of these actions, they are in violation of Office of Fair Trading (OFT] or Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) laws. And you can take action by filing a complaint with these agencies to get them to stop.
Now, these guidelines apply to legal debt collectors. Of course, lenders not legally authorised to operate in the UK may shirk these rules. But you should still file a report with the FCA so that the regulatory authority can take action.
How to Beat UK Debt Collectors With DoNotPay
You may feel like your debt situation is hopeless. But no matter what your situation is, you can become debt-free with hard work, discipline, and expert debt management advice.
And as you work to pay down your debt, you don't have to be victimised by aggressive collectors who are violating your consumer rights.
While it may seem like the torrent of calls will never end, you can visit DoNotPay and take a few simple steps to get them to stop.
You can with DoNotPay. Simply:
- Search "debt collection" on DoNotPay.
- Answer a series of questions about the debt collectors, including when you were contacted and how you were contacted, so we can determine if they have violated any debt collection laws.
- Decide which course of action you want to take based on our guidance, such as filing a debt verification request, demanding for the collectors to stop contacting you, or reporting them to a professional trade association.
We'll help you determine whether debt collectors have been violating your rights and help you get them to stop the calls.
How DoNotPay Continues to Help People Handle Debt Collectors
Each day, we get requests from people just like you to help them handle aggressive debt collection efforts from the likes of Advantis, Amigo Loans, DWP, Lowell Financial, Marston Group, Moorcroft, and Provident. And we continue to help people manage different aspects of their financial lives online. From helping people handle their bills, obtain credit limit increases, and pay bills online, DoNotPay strives to make tedious and stressful tasks as simple and painless as possible.
No matter what your debt situation is, we can help you stop the calls. Sign up for DoNotPay and start to today.