Debt collecting

What is debt collection?

A lender could be asking you for money, or it might have passed the matter to an external agency to collect. Either way, it can be worrying to be told you owe money and you might feel the business asking you to pay isn’t treating you fairly.

We can look at complaints about the collection of debts in relation to most types of credit. However, we can’t consider them all (for example the collection of debts such as council tax, utility bills, court fines or rent arrears). If you’re unsure about what we can help with then get in touch.

Types of complaints we see

We sometimes hear from consumers that:

• they’re not the person who owes the debt
• the amount they’re being asked to pay is incorrect
• the business is repeatedly contacting them about the debt
• they’re in financial difficulty and the business isn’t being helpful
• their debt isn’t enforceable

Your complaint might be like these examples. Or it might be about something else. We look at each case individually (taking into account relevant rules and guidance produced by the regulator, law and industry good practice) and decide what a fair outcome is for that particular situation.

How to complain

Talk to the business first. They need to have the chance to put things right. They have to give you their final response within eight weeks for most types of complaint. If you’re unhappy with their response, or if they don’t respond, let us know.

Find out more about making a complaint.

Putting things right

If we find the business has done something wrong or not treated you fairly, we can tell it what to do to resolve the complaint. There are a range of things we might ask a lender to do to put things right, depending on the circumstances. It usually involves putting you back in the position you’d be in if things hadn’t gone wrong. It might include, for example, changing the amount you owe or paying you compensation for what has happened.

What we ask a business to do, and the amount of compensation we ask it to pay would depend on the particular facts of the case.

Resources

Find information about all the ways to contact us.

The Money Advice Service has information on what to do if you’re struggling with debt.

You can also get advice on debt and other money related problems from Citizens Advice. 

Detailed advice for businesses

Businesses can find out more in our detailed information about handling complaints about debt collecting.