Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Just has announced that it has launched a virtual enforcement solution.
The new virtual enforcement solution means collection will be performed by qualified and trained enforcement staff from the comfort of a desk rather than in a debtor’s home. Debtors will be able to arrange suitable payment plans and arrange a time and day for a virtual visit to take place to secure the arrangement against goods but without the distress of having an enforcement agent turn up and enter their home.
Just says virtual enforcement will offer a more efficient and responsible way to deal with debt during the difficult times ahead but still allow for traditional enforcement to be used where effective and when absolutely necessary. The virtual enforcement solution will also reduce the cost traditionally passed onto the debtor at this stage by 50%.
Nick Georgiades, Just’s Managing Director said “Our team have been working day and night in the design of this solution and we are confident that this is the biggest innovation brought into the industry for over 100 years. Getting early debt resolution by positive engagement with the debtor and reducing confrontational activity from the doorstep has always been an objective of Just and since launch in September 2019 we have made great progress, Virtual enforcement is a game changer. Any enhancements in a primitive sector like enforcement are good, but one as revolutionary as this, that also brings substantial cost savings to the debtor and a better user experience for all, should be celebrated and that’s what we intend to do. We could not have achieved this without the input of key Government, customer and debt advice sector engagement and I am thankful to them for that”.
Jamie Waller, Just’s Founder and Chairman said, “We have seen a sudden acceleration of a 25-year-old trend over the last few months of – “if I can do it online, I will”. We believe the investment the public has made in using new virtual solutions is here to stay. COVID-19 gave us the opportunity to think about a solution that was not only fit for purpose during a crisis but fit for the future and that’s what we have achieved. I am even more excited that virtual enforcement reduces the cost passed onto the debtor by as much as 50%. This allows our customers to get their principle amounts faster while treating the debtor fairly. Something that traditionally in this sector has been difficult to achieve”.
Yvonne Fovargue MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Debt and Personal Finance said “It is vital that we support people in debt, particularly at this difficult time. The new virtual enforcement tool is clearly a step in the right direction. By reducing costs for the debtor, it will help to take some of the stress out of the debt collection process. I wish the same could be said for the proposed return of bailiff visits, particularly without any additional protections for those in debt. It will simply add to the problems faced by those struggling to repay”.
Benjamin Napier of Citizens Advice said “Any solution that gives the debtor the ability to engage without an enforcement agent at their door is a good thing.”