Know how your credit is scored. See your free score and the factors that influence it, plus insights into ways to keep building. Get started. Harass you. Repeated calls. Threats of violence. Publishing information about you. Abusive or obscene language. Arrest you for debt. Call you whenever they want. Seek payment on an expired debt.
Some of these are outlawed by industry rules or codes of practice, and some of them are illegal. If you feel you're experiencing any of these actions, or if a creditor is treating you unfairly in any other way, it's a good idea to keep a record of everything that happens. For example, keep a notebook by the phone to log all the calls you get. If you feel a bailiff, also known as an enforcement agent, has treated you unfairly or is harassing you, you can make a complaint to them and the creditor they're acting on behalf of.
If they don't resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, you can then escalate your complaint to the relevant governing body. If you're under a lot of pressure from debt collectors, or you're facing any of the unfair actions we've mentioned above, contact us for expert debt help. They may be able to refer your case to Trading Standards.
In Northern Ireland, you can contact Consumerline at www. To find out if your lender belongs to a trade association which has a code of practice, see Further Help. The trade association may also take action against its members who break the code of practice.
If your complaint is against a bank, building society or credit card company, they may belong to the Standards of Lending Practice. The Standards of Lending Practice set out principles that its members should follow. You should complain to the bank, building society or credit card company first, using their complaints procedure. If this does not sort out the problem, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service , telling them that a debt collector or creditor has broken the terms of the Standards of Lending Practice.
For more information about complaining to the Financial Ombudsman Service, go to the Financial Ombudsman's website at: www. For more information about the Standards of Lending Practice or to find out if your creditor is a member, go to www. If a solicitor is harassing you on behalf of a creditor, this is considered to be professional misconduct. To make a complaint, you will first need to use the firm's internal complaints procedure.
If this does not resolve the problem, you can complain to one of the professional associations. To work out which association you should complain to, you first need to check where the solicitor is registered. If they are registered in Northern Ireland, you can complain to the Law Society. Go to www. If you want to complain about a local firm, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.
They can put you in touch with your local Trading Standards Office, who can investigate whether an offence had been committed. The FCA has rules and guidance about debt collection. Although the FCA cannot take up your individual case, they can refuse or revoke the firm's authorisation or, for example, fine the firm.
It may be worth reminding the creditor that breaching the rules could affect their FCA authorisation. You may have borrowed money from a money lender who is not FCA authorised. These lenders are often called loan sharks and they may physically or verbally threaten you if you can't pay back the money.
They also charge extremely high rates of interest, which means you may end up owing much more money than you originally borrowed. See the Useful contacts section later in this fact sheet or contact us for advice. The service allows you to refuse calls from up to 10 different numbers. There is usually a cost for this service. If you have a different phone provider, contact them and ask if they have a similar service. You could consider the following options in very serious cases of harassment or other illegal behaviour by your creditors.
It is very important to get proper legal advice about these options, as they are complicated and can be costly. Contact us for advice. To prosecute your creditor successfully, the letter or article sent would have to contain:. This can only be an offence if it happens in a public place, not in your own home.
You would need to contact the police who would have to make a decision about whether or not to prosecute for this offence. The harassment must happen on at least two separate occasions. The police would have to agree to prosecute for this offence. Citizens Advice consumer helpline Phone: www.
Financial Conduct Authority FCA Regulator for financial services such as payday lenders, banks, credit companies, insurance companies and mortgage lenders. Phone: www. Financial Ombudsman Service For complaints about banks and other creditors Phone: or www. Legal Ombudsman Organisation to contact about complaints to do with solicitors.
Stop Loan Sharks Advice on how to deal with loan sharks - unauthorised money lendersPhone: if you live in England or if you live in Wales. Consumer Credit Association Association for home credit lenders. Use their website to check if your creditor is a member. Consumer Finance Association Association for payday loan companies.
Use this diary to record every time your creditor contacts you, whether by phone, letter, or visit. This will help to show if you are being harassed. Complaining about your lender fact sheet Statute barred debts fact sheet. To use this website, you may need to enable JavaScript.
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