If there was no such thing as debt society would rapidly grind to a halt. Debt is the fuel on which the machinery of modern life runs. The government incurs debt in order to run the country, industry uses debt to purchase raw materials to which it will add value and then sell at a profit, and individuals use debt to purchase things in the present rather than at some future time once they have saved up for them. The expression ‘Being in debt’ always seems to have some unpleasant connotations, but debt is something that is almost impossible to avoid, at least for the vast majority of people. Fortunately, many companies offer advice on debt solutions such as debt management plans and debt consolidation.

Debt only becomes a problem once repaying it becomes a problem. Being unable to repay debt might be due to unexpected life changing events such as redundancy or divorce, or is may be the result of imprudence on the part of the debtor. Before we go any further, it should be said that anyone who is worried about their level of debt should seek debt advice organisation without delay. In many cases even the most difficult of situations can be resolved with a little help from a third party.

It is reasonable that creditors who find that their requests for payment go unheeded should call in the debt collectors, however dealing with constant phone calls and letters from these debt collection agencies can be a very upsetting experience. Quite often these agencies will revert to some extremely unpleasant practices, many of which disregard the spirit if not the letter of the law, though often the letter of the law is also broken.

It is illegal for debt collectors to bring unfair pressure on to those whom they are chasing. Neither should they attempt to create embarrassment or attempt to make contact at unreasonable hours. Anybody who falls victim to these kinds of tactics is advised to lodge a formal complaint with the Credit Services Association with which all debt collection organisations should be registered. The provides a list of acceptable practices that should be followed when collecting debts, and organisations not adhering to them can be struck off the list.