Ten companies have be told by the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) to stop making misleading and unsolicited telephone calls to promote their services.
Four of the companies are cold-calling operations, that harass people day and night, and the other six are Debt Management firms, whose practices are an embarrassment to the industry. The firms were all warned that they would face formal action if they did not stop their shoddy practices.
Unfortunately the OFT did not name the six Debt Management firms, despite the fact that it hade received numerous complaints about their tactics. The OFT did however say that it was not acceptable for these operators to try to take advantage of people that were suffering financially, and looking for a way to get out of debt.
According to the OFT, these cowboy firms may have broken the law. They also stated that the practice of calling people, that may be suffering with debt problems, must stop now.
The good news, for consumers, is that these unprofessional firms are in the minority, and there are many reputable operators that can offer sound debt advice without having to cold-call unsuspecting people, when they have not asked to be called. If you are struggling financially, or you are starting to fall behind with repayments, then you should contact a reputable debt advice specialist before your personal financial situation deteriorates any further. They can offer a number of debt solutions including Debt Management Plans and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements).
If you think you need help then you should contact a member of DEMSA, where the dodgy sales practices of the firms mentioned at the top of this article are not tolerated. Alternatively, you could click on the following link for immediate debt help.
