Most of us have been hounded by debt collectors at some point in our lives, but I doubt anyone has ever had their debt scrapped because of it. Yet a judge in Britain set aside a debt of over R200,000 in an effort to reprimand collectors for “torturing” their customer.

High court Judge, Nicholas Chambers, found that the card firm and debt collection agency repeatedly hounded Keith Harrison, a self employed commercial designer, whose family had all fallen ill and required hospital treatment in a short period of time.

Judge Chambers said:

“Cumulatively and damningly is what I find to be the way that MBNA and the defendant went about recovering their debt. I am satisfied that the Claimant’s description of the way that he was hounded by his creditors is essentially correct not least in the use of  ‘non-traceable’ telephone calls. It seems to me that such conduct has no proper function in the recovery of consumer debt.”

Consumer campaigners and lawyers in the case hope it will set a precedent that will make debt collectors think twice before bullying clients. Well, I hope so, especially since they’re  so keen to give it to us in the first place.

[ Source: BBC ]