If you are a UK resident, and you find yourself under the thumb of heavy debt to the point that a collection agency debt services company gets involved, and you feel that they have overextended their rights to the point that they intrude on yours, there is a solution, the OFT, or Office Of Fair Trading. The Office Of Fair Trading is an agency set up in the United Kingdom to oversee the rights of consumers and their dealing with debt collection agencies. The agency is very adamant that it does not get involved with disputes between individuals, but that it will intervene if there is a breach of legal debt collection practices.

Before you contact the OFT, you should indeed know that the debt collection agency that you are dealing with has indeed broken civil or criminal law. In order to do this, you need to know your rights, as well as your responsibilities when it comes to the responsible collection of debt:

1. There must in fact be a debt owed by the person the debt collection agency is in contact with. If you do not owe a debt to a business in the representation of the debt collection agency, any contact to collect that debt is invalid, and in some cases can constitute harassment.

2. If a debt is owed, they must agree to contact you in t reasonable manner, and cannot harass you at your workplace or at incredible hours of the day.

3. They can not require you to contact them at a pay per call number, costing you money to alleviate the problem by paying to contact them.

4. They are not agents of the courts or law enforcement, and can not enter your home or seize your possessions without a court order, or threaten to do so.

5. Any threats against that are not in compliance with a previous arrangement you have made with them are unlawful, and you should call the police to report them.

6. If you have indeed paid off the debt or made other arrangements with the business you owe money to, they can not ignore this information and pursue you in the interest of collecting a commission in lieu of that arrangement and continue to pursue direct collection from you.

If you find that one of the above stipulations apply to your scenario, and the collection agency continues to follow one of the above practices when asked to cease, then please contact the Financial Ombudsman Service at 0845 080 1800 or 020 7964 0500. you can even follow up on a claim with them for the hardship imposed on you by the situation.

To contact the OFT directly, please call 08457 22 44 99. They will discuss the issue with you, usually requesting you make a formal written complaint with as much information as you can provide on your individual situation and circumstances for a complete investigation.

Between them and the OFT, the illegal actions of the collecting agency should be brought under control or you being compensated for their refusal to do so.

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We do a lot of research here at freedebtadvice-uk.com and one of the things we have come across recently is Christian Debt Management services.  So does God really give a helping hand to people in Debt?

From what we can see Christian Debt Advice services seem to be bigger in the USA than they are in the UK, but a quick Google search would show you that there are a few UK companies out there who are offering Christian Debt Services.

So what do Christians get that other religions and non believers don’t?  Well, from what I can see, the main thing they get is added support from the Christian Community.  And let me tell you something; support when you’re in debt is a great thing.  Talking about your debt problems with understanding people can really lighten the load.

They say that their service is completely free of charge and that they are award-winning charity that are recognised within the finance industry.  One of these sites we have found is CAPUK.  They advise they can offer advice via home visits and through their centres.  At this time they do not offer advice over the phone.  Also, at this time, CAPUK cannot offer help for Self Employed people.

Some of the client testimonials seem quite positive:

“I too was in debt and could see no way out. I was suicidal but CAP showed me it was possible to get out of debt and be stress free. Thanks CAP for all that you do, you are truly a blessing.”
Ian, Edinburgh

Since I’ve started working with CAP my life has been sorted out. They’ve helped me to budget and sort my debts out, making sure that I’ve got enough money to live on each week. CAP helped me to get control back into my life. Although it has been hard, it has helped me to regain my self respect.”
Suzanne, Lancaster

“We didn’t really know which way to turn until we made an appointment with CAP. Our Caseworker was kind, considerate, and professional – she treated us with the utmost respect. She put our minds at rest and we are now feeling a lot less stressed and much happier.”
Tom, Bradford

So if you are a Muslim, Buddhist or a non believer, what can you do?  Well, there are other methods of support out there.  There are companies that can offer you free counseling regardless of your religion.

The Citizens Advice Bureau in the UK offers free help and support for people in debt.  There’s also the Consumer Credit Counseling Service which offers free advice and support for people in Debt.

But wait… upon further investigation we found out that, no matter your religion, Christian Debt Charities seem more than happy to help with your Debt Problems.

We checked out The Christians Against Poverty website and they advise that they will offer help for all people no matter their beliefs.

They say on their website…”CAP will help anyone regardless of their religious beliefs. CAP aims to ensure that no one receives less favorable treatment on the grounds of race, nationality, religion, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.”

Well, that seems like a pretty fair deal to me.

We stay clear from making recommendations on who to choose for your debt services, so please make sure you do proper research before choosing who you want to manage your debts.

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