EE and Virgin Media fined by Ofcom for overcharging customers

16th November 2018 Consumer Collections |

Ofcom has fined EE and Virgin Media a combined total of £13.3m for overcharging phone and broadband customers who wished to leave their contracts early. The penalties are the result of investigations into EE’s and Virgin Media’s early-exit charges. Phone and broadband companies can charge customers who decide not to see out the minimum term…

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Call for enhanced regulation despite a drop in personal insolvencies

30th October 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Insolvency Service has published the latest personal insolvency statistics for Q3 (July to September 2018) for England and Wales. The statistics show that total personal insolvencies fell by11% from a six-year high in Q2 2018 and are 2% lower than in the same quarter in 2017. This was driven by a decrease in individual voluntary…

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AUTUMN BUDGET 2018: No-Interest loan scheme and breathing space plans welcomed

30th October 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Government has that it will introduce a No-Interest loan scheme and breathing space plans as part of the Autumn budget announcement. Responding to the news The Money Advice says it ‘welcomes action’ on tackling problem debt, including the new details of the government’s Breathing Space scheme, plans to pilot a no-interest loans initiative and…

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Car finance slowdown drags on consumer credit

30th October 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Bank of England latest figures has revealed that consumer credit increased by £0.8bn in September. This was less than in August, as new borrowing for car finance fell sharply. Consumer borrowing grew at its lowest rate for three years last month after car sales dropped 20 percent, The annual growth rate of consumer borrowing…

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FCA data shows 10% increase in complaints

29th October 2018 Consumer Collections |

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today published the complaints figures for regulated firms for the first half of 2018. Complaints continued to increase for the fourth successive half year, reaching a new record level of 4.13 million complaints made to 3,161 firms. This was a 10% increase compared with the previous 6-month period. 98%…

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Money Statistics: October 2018

23rd October 2018 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for October 2018: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.5987 trillion at the end of August 2018. This is up from £1.5544 trillion at the end of August 2017, an extra £849.91 per UK adult and £66.96 higher than the previous month. The average…

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Seven million people admit to losing track of their finances

17th October 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from NS&I has revealed that 14% of Britons (7 million people) think they may have lost track of a financial product, highlighting the staggering amount of money left dormant with UK financial services providers. And it’s not just savings accounts, with a fifth (20%) admitting there is a possibility that they have lost…

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StepChange statistics highlight debt problems

4th October 2018 Consumer Collections |

New statistics published by StepChange Debt Charity have laid bare the alarming scale and changing nature of problem debt in the UK. They show that 326,897 people contacted the charity for help with their debts in just the first six months of 2018. Of the 180,644 who received full debt advice and a recommended debt…

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Citizens Advice issues super-complaint over £4bn loyalty penalty

28th September 2018 Consumer Collections |

Citizens Advice has revealed customers who stay loyal to their providers are losing out on over £4 billion a year. The national charity has lodged a super-complaint with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), calling for the regulator to outline how the problem can be fixed. The practice of overcharging loyal customers is widespread and…

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Ofcom outlines plans for mobile crackdown

27th September 2018 Consumer Collections |

Ofcom has set out proposals to ensure fairer, more transparent prices for mobile customers who pay for handsets and airtime within the same contract. The regulator says that buying a handset with a mobile contract is a popular way for people to receive a new phone, as it allows them to spread the cost over many months.…

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Money Statistics: September 2018

20th September 2018 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for September 2018: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.592 trillion at the end of June 2018. This is up from £1.545 trillion at the end of June 2017– an extra £900.74 per UK adult. People in the UK owed £1.5955 trillion at the end of July…

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Mobile providers overcharge four million on contracts

19th September 2018 Consumer Collections |

New research from Citizens Advice reveals an estimated 4 million people in the UK have been charged for phones they already own, paying a total of £490 million extra on their last contracts. Three of Britain’s biggest mobile phone networks – EE, Three and Vodafone – routinely charge customers extra for their handsets after they…

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2018 Credit & Collections Technology Award winners announced

17th September 2018 Consumer Collections |

The winners of the second annual  2018 Credit & Collections Technology Awards have been revealed. There were sixteen winners from the eighteen Awards categories which are covered by four main headings of Credit, Collections, Credit & Collections services and Innovation. The awards ceremony was held at Credit Services Association’s (CSA) annual Gala dinner at the…

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