CAP responds to Ofcom’s 2021 consultation asking for views on whether the protections for people in debt or struggling to pay are appropriate or need strengthening.
Some of the key points we’ve raised are that collections practices must ultimately be based on an understanding of the customer’s unique set of personal circumstances. Telecommunication providers should consider payment arrangements for arrears based on affordability, making use of the Standard Financial Statement, rather than a fixed period e.g. three or six months. We have also supported calls for social tariffs being made readily available to those customers in debt and on low incomes.
