Do the right thing, Adviser's and creditors experience of best practice ...

Step 5Complaints and feedback from people in debtPeople in debt are ideally placed to commenton the performance of a debt collection practice.Creditors should listen to complaints and addressproblems quickly. Furthermore, if a creditor iscommitted to doing the right thing they shouldvalue feedback from people in debt. Creditorsshould carry out satisfaction surveys with peoplein debt. These people are still residents, tax payersand customers and potential future customersand their views are still important. Advice sector inputDebt advisers are extremely well placed tocomment on creditors’ collections practices.Advisers regularly deal with collections staff andthey see the impact collections practices have ontheir clients on a daily basis. Creditors can engagewith and learn from advisers in a number of ways:• By attending and participating in money advicegroups which are organised by the advice sectorand take place across England and Wales.• By joining a regional discussion forum of theMoney Advice Liaison Group (MALG) which wasset up in 1987 to promote better understandingbetween creditors and advisers.• By regular, direct liaison with the free-to-clientdebt advice sector, which gathers detailedevidence of the problems people indebt experience.A number of creditors have already worked veryclosely with the advice sector to understand andimprove their debt collections practices. Somechanged the wording of a letter; some set updedicated helplines and some set up whole newteams specifically to help advice providers resolveproblems more quickly. Information exchanges with other creditorsIt should also be possible for creditors to share bestpractice with each other, through trade associationsor best practice forums. For example WealdenDistrict Council is part of the Local Authority CivilEnforcement forum. This is an email forum wherelocal authorities can share good practice. 22