Money Statistics: May 2017

5th May 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for May 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.529 trillion at the end of March 2017. This is up from £1.484 trillion at the end of March 2016 – an extra £886.84 per UK adult. The average total debt per…

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New mobile phone law helps consumers manage finances

28th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

Mobile phone providers in the UK will have to offer their customers the opportunity to set a limit on their monthly bill, following a new law passed by Parliament. Citizens Advice has today said this puts the power to manage their finances back into the hands of consumers. The national charity has called for all…

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April 2017: Money Statistics

12th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

Here is an overview of The Money Charity’s latest statistics for April 2017: Personal debt in the UK People in the UK owed £1.524 trillion at the end of February 2017. This is up from £1.476 trillion at the end of February 2016 – an extra£964.450 per UK adult. Based on February 2017 trends, the…

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FEATURE: “Compliance and Close Customer Communications” – Why Speech Analytics Drives Collections Success

11th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

New market and regulatory forces are having a major impact on the UK debt collections sector. The industry is going through a transitionary phase and as a result, businesses are having to shift their operational focus and adapt their business models. One of the biggest changes has been in the nature of the regulatory environment.…

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FEATURE: GDPR – The Accountability Principle

11th April 2017 Arrears and Recoveries |

With the implementation date just over a year away, there is still a lot of conjecture surrounding the impending General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), particularly around its appropriateness and applicability once the UK leaves the EU. One thing that is clear, however, is that now is the time for any firm handling personal data to…

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Broadband prices rise by 43% when fixed term deals end

11th April 2017 Consumer Collections |

People on the cheapest basic broadband deals are hit with an average price rise of £113 a year once their deal ends – with many unaware they face an increase in cost, finds Citizens Advice. A new report from the national charity reveals that more than a third (35%) of broadband customers don’t realise they…

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Plusnet fined £880,000 by Ofcom for billing error

22nd March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Plusnet, a BT owned company, has today been fined £880,000 by Ofcom for continuing to bill more than a thousand ex-customers. The penalty is the result of an investigation, which found that the telecoms company broke a fundamental billing rule by continuing to charge a group of customers for landline or broadband, after they had…

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Consumer finance rises by 10% in January

10th March 2017 Consumer Collections |

New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show growth of 10% in consumer finance new business in January, compared with the same month in 2016. Credit card and personal loan new business together grew by 11% compared with January 2016, while retail store and online credit new business increased by 1%.…

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Ofcom’s landline bills cut is a ‘positive move’

1st March 2017 Consumer Collections |

Ofcom has announced that more than two million people who buy only a landline telephone service from BT will see their monthly bills cut by at least £5 per month. Ofcom has reviewed how the market is working for customers who buy only a landline service from a provider – either because they do not want…

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20% of customers select service providers based on perks offered

13th February 2017 Consumer Collections |

A fifth of UK consumers choose everyday service providers – such as mobile phone, utilities and broadband companies – solely based on the perks and benefits they offer, according to new research from Echo Managed Services. The research, based on a nationally-representative sample of 1,000 UK adults, revealed that a quarter of all consumers are significantly…

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Ofcom fines EE £2.7million for overcharging customers

18th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

EE has been fined £2.7 million by Ofcom for overcharging tens of thousands of its customers. The penalty is the result of an investigation into the mobile phone provider, which found that the company broke a fundamental billing rule on two separate occasions. First, EE customers who called the company’s ‘150’ customer services number while…

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Household bills jumped by almost £200 in 2016

4th January 2017 Consumer Collections |

Household bills rose by almost £200 in 2016 according to new findings from comparethemarket.com. An analysis of costs across energy, motor and home insurance found that, after a £180 drop in 2015, bills rose by 9.7% in the past year from £2,032 in 2015 to £2,223 in 2016. Key finings in the report included: The…

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Ofcom announces new measures on persistent calls

22nd December 2016 Consumer Collections |

Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have published an update on their joint action plan to tackle nuisance calls and texts>The latest update highlights recent targeted enforcement action, new ‘blocking’ measures to help stop nuisance calls getting through to consumers and progress in their call tracing work. It also summarises how Ofcom is working to…

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