A DCA Writes

[Never-In-Doubt]

A DCA writes to you…

There are many customers who wish to pay their debt, but they do not reply to letters. We fully appreciate many persons cannot pay anything or do not want to pay. That is another matter entirely.

Often the decision not to communicate leads to legal action which is something both sides usually wish to avoid.

The question:- What can a DCA say in their letters to persuade persons who want to pay to communicate with them? By communicate we do not simply mean telephone, though that is an option, but to write/e.mail etc

Please give your honest views here as the data compiled will be sent to the dca's...

Thanks guys.

[PlanB]

Re: A DCA Writes

A DCA writes to you…

There are many customers who wish to pay their debt, but they do not reply to letters. We fully appreciate many persons cannot pay anything or do not want to pay. That is another matter entirely.

Often the decision not to communicate leads to legal action which is something both sides usually wish to avoid.

The question:- What can a DCA say in their letters to persuade persons who want to pay to communicate with them? By communicate we do not simply mean telephone, though that is an option, but to write/e.mail etc

Please give your honest views here as the data compiled will be sent to the dca's...

Surely people who actually want to pay will communicate with them

My honest view? I'm not going to tell a DCA how to chase me for money, they can jolly well figure that out for themselves or consult a focus group - they can afford this.

But I'm happy to tell them what not to do. Their starting point should be to stop writing letters threatening county court summons and charging orders from Day 1 because that's not exactly inviting positive communication

And a second tip would be to forget using red ink

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: A DCA Writes

& the big bold underlined text needs to go as well....

I agree maybe we should change this to what NOT to do...!

[Deepie]

Re: A DCA Writes

3 weeks ago I get a letter ...Your account has been escalated to Pre Litigation.

This morning...Repaying your account - our offer to you 50% discount.

Should it not be the other way round ?

[PlanB]

Re: A DCA Writes

& the big bold underlined text needs to go as well....

I agree maybe we should change this to what NOT to do...!

They've already been told that by the OFT but they don't take any notice

DCAs should stop paying their staff bonuses and commission for bullying money out of people while under pressure to meet office targets. Maybe then they would listen more to what they're being told and get a positive outcome.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: A DCA Writes

I think the the prevailing factor is that DCA's should take the trouble to find out the history of accounts so that they can be aware of any disputes and sensitive to any vulnerabilities before ploughing in with template letters and threats that take no account of the individual circumstances.

Transparency, integrity and honesty are also key, as many consumers, thanks to forums like AAD, have become very aware of their rights and will not tolerate being misled or bullied.
One can't blame people for giving up responding in exasperation, when successive DCA's regurgitate the same templates, and alienate people from the outset by the rude and threatening tone of the letters.

[kilasuit]

Re: A DCA Writes

Make OC deal with it. I borrowed from them hence my contract to repay is with them.
My standard response to telephone or written is that I have no dealings with said company and to remove my details as I wish not to be harassed in future.

But honest point OCs need to be more willing to look at 12 month payment breaks & arrangements.

If they did this more people would be willing to co-operate.

My circumstances put creditors last and they dislike it.

Plus any repayment plans need to be realistic.
A surplus of £50 a month before repayments start to allow for unforeseen circumstances to the consumer.

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: A DCA Writes

Problem is if the OC assigned the debt (s136 Law & Property Act 1925) then yes, you do have dealings with said DCA.

Let's stick to what this thread is about. In that I'm asking what can a dca do that would make someone (obv not many from here lol) consider communicating with them. Or the reverse, what are they doing that really gets your back-up....

Answers on a thread-card please

[vossy]

Re: A DCA Writes

They should drop the hard attitude, everyone knows that if someone comes out hard at you then you immediately go into defence mode, if they had any sense the softly softly approach would probably work, mind you anyone here would still tell them to fuck themselves though

[Riz]

Re: A DCA Writes

They have an appalling reputation which discourages even people willing to pay from engaging with them.

Get their own house in order in the way they operate and people will be more willing to communicate.

For example....

- Only make daft threats when they actually intend to carry them through.

You get a "threatogram" through the post, and the first reaction of many is to Google it and the end up on a site like here and on CAG, LB, etc where they discover that the vast majority of the threats are empty. So obviously some people decide from that decide to play the percentages and ignore.

By conducting business in the way they do, they do themselves and those debtors who may mistakenly ignore a great harm. They are shooting themselves in the foot by not moving with the times and opertating in a pseudo (or blatantly) dishonest way.

- In a related way, comply with the spirit of regulations and guidelines and not just the letter. (For those that actually do).

- And on....

- And on....

[kilasuit]

Re: A DCA Writes

have a decent email service as snail mail takes too long

[Riz]

Re: A DCA Writes

Oh and the above is only ever going to improve if the vast majority of DCAs change their ways. Just a few acting on their own won't help.

That either has to be via formal regulation. OFT/FCA etc.

Or via self regulation.

Since the authorities can't cope with that, it can only really be by say compulsory membership of something like the CSA in order to be granted a license. Then that trade association has to grow some balls and enforce good conduct.

[PlanB]

Re: A DCA Writes

The DCA Lewis' approach is why communicate when you can litigate.

On their website they boast: "we believe litigation is an underused tool . . . but we at the Lewis Group make full use of it. We work closely with CCBC in Northampton and our on-site solicitors issue around 2,000 actions a week".

http://www.lewisgroup.co.uk/services...ion/index.html

How's that for positive communicating. Over 100,000 county court summons issued online by Howard Cohen each year after typically just one Welcome letter from a DCA headed FINAL DEMAND.

[ken100464]

Re: A DCA Writes

Think the real problem here is the DCA's are here to do the OC's dirty work.

If the debtor was paying what the OC deems as reasonable then they tend not to farm out. Why would they.

Its only when there is a problem they get someone else to attempt to get the dosh.

For every person on here or CAG or LB or MSE or even on the net you can bet there are hundreds out there who are not and roll over at the first red letter or doorstep threat.

So the system for DCA's works and gets them results. Every so often they come across someone who is clued up and they are not quick enough to realise this.

Now what they want to know is how do they get to the ones who know they are threats.

Maybe like everyone has said if they hadnt pushed us into fighting back by being so aggressive we would all still be paying. Who knows.

But that would mean the headline figure of collections would be lower than say the next door DCA who still threatens. They lose the likes of people on here but get more back from the fightened masses.

Its a game of figures to them not personal as it is to us.

I would suggest being nicer and learn more about the debt. But that would probably lead to less collection and cost the DCA more. Thats flawed because the DCA will not get the work if the money aint rolling in.

Kilasuit has it bang on. The OC should be forced to deal with the debts and the secondary market should be banned.

But put that to the DCA's and it would be like turkeys voting for xmas.

[ken100464]

Re: A DCA Writes

Just look at what goes on here.

You have an UE account in dispute.

The OC keeps on farming it out and the DCA's do what they are good (or bad) at.

They dont know the history so just bug the life out of posters but eventually work out what the previous DCA has worked out and returns it back to the OC.

And what have the OC been doing in the meantime. Nothing because they know the dispute and what it is but have done nothing to rectify it. Thats if they could.

Why doesnt the OC admit they have problems and try and reach a proper F & F with you to close the account down. Because the industry is greedy.