Debtfree DIGI June 2016

Complaints Could Lead To Raids
It seems that the NCR have received a number of complaints from consumers in the area about
their service provider. This means that these matters are clogging up the NCR complaint system.
Admittedly the NCR have recently taken on a lot of extra work (which they do not need to and
are not really mandated to handle) in trying to resolve complaints instead of just referring them
to an appropriate body once they know they are genuine. Whether those complaints they have
received are justified or not remains a question to be further investigated.
A Numbers Game
Sometimes consumers get confused about the services a debt counsellor does or doesn’t offer.
This is many times the fault of a Debt Counsellor for not having a comprehensive contract
with the consumer setting out their offered services. Since call centre operations deal with the
majority of consumers under debt review every month, it follows that - based on percentage
alone - most consumer complaints will reflect that a call centre operation is involved. It is just a
numbers game. If a small DC takes on 10 clients and 10% complain that is 1 client. If a large call
centre based DC firm takes on 1200 clients and 10% complain that is 120 people and 120 cases
the NCR feel obliged to try resolve. Of course, it might also be that the consumer is not able to
recall all they were told when they met with the Debt Counsellor or did not read thoroughly the
documentation they received. Often times a consumer might even blame the Debt Counsellor
for something a credit provider is doing (rather than blame the credit provider). It seems then
that the NCR are not anti use of a phone or any business that uses a call centre. While worried
about the number of complaints a firm gets there are also logical reasons why this is not he
primary cause for concern on the NCR’s part.
So what are the Real Issues?
In subsequent comments made in response to questions posed by members of the debt
counselling community and Debtfree team it has become increasingly clear that a major cause
of concern for the NCR is who consumers actually deal with at a call centre and if someone who
is not a Debt Counsellor does the work that must be done by a Debt Counsellor only.
Also it seems as if many consumers have been contacted by people (who happen to be working
at a call centre) offering information about debt review and then after talking to these people
later finding out that they are captured on the NCR’s data base of people under debt review.
In part two of this series we talk to the NCR about these 2 concerns and discuss what a Debt
Counsellor and staff members should be doing (in terms of the NCA and regulations).
Be sure to catch part two in the July 2016 issue of Debtfree Magazine