No-one has a nice time dealing with debt-collection agencies, but the worst of the lot according to Citizen’s Advice – in the private sector at least – are those from mobile phone providers.
The CA’s ‘Falling Behind’ report stated that companies “sometimes play a significant role in people getting into mobile phone debt” after looking at 26,600 cases from 2015. The charity said that people should be allowed to take their own steps to limit usage, so they can avoid bills they can’t afford.
They say that, sometimes, mobile providers don’t do assessments that are thorough enough, concerning customers and what they can afford. It was also found that people are being given multiple contracts when they’re already in debt.
Citizen’s Advice want to see mobile companies helping customers out more, by allowing them to cap their bills, as seen with credit card accounts.
All this isn’t helped by the charity’s view that mobile phone companies are the worst private sector debt collectors, when it comes to resolving disputes, customer service, and putting affordable repayment plans in place.
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: “Our evidence shows companies too often don’t set affordable debt repayment plans, escalate debts too quickly and fail to co-operate with debt advisers. In some extreme cases companies set customers up to fail by offering them contracts they can’t afford to repay.”
“Other sectors that deal with essential services have improved how they handle debts in recent years so mobile phone firms have no excuse for dragging their heels.”
“Giving customers the chance to set a cap on their bills will give consumers more power and help ensure they don’t build up unaffordable charges. The Government can also help by ensuring people can access free and independent money advice to avoid getting into debt in the first place.”
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