If your bills or loans are not paid on time, the business you borrowed money from or bought goods or services from might ask a debt collector to collect the money from you.
It is the debt collector’s job to collect payment from you. The debt collector might not be from the same business you borrowed the money or bought the goods or services from.
If you owe a debt, you must pay it. It is important that if a debt collector is asking you to pay a debt, you do not ignore them because this could result in the debt growing bigger or the debt collector taking you to the Disputes Tribunal or court to require you to pay.
If you are unsure about where a debt came from or the amount owing, you can talk to the debt collector:
You can ask for information about the debt being collected.
If you do not think you owe the debt, or you think the amount is wrong, you can tell the debt collector and explain why you think this is. They need to consider this and tell you whether they agree or not.
If the debt collector still says you have to pay, you can ask the Disputes Tribunal or the court to decide whether you should pay. This is a good option if you are sure that the debt is not yours or the amount is wrong, and you want the debt collector to stop contacting you to ask you to pay.
If you think that you have been misled, harassed or coerced into paying a debt, you can make a complaint online or call us on 0800 943 600.
What should I do if I think the debt is not mine or the amount owing is wrong?
If you believe the debt is not yours or the amount owing is wrong, tell the debt collector. You have a right to ask the debt collector to correct information that you think is wrong and you might not have to pay a debt that is not yours or is not calculated correctly.
