Which debt review contact number should you actually call?

Search for a debt review contact number and you'll find adverts, call centres and bank desks all competing to be the one you dial. Not all of them lead to the person you actually need. Here's what each kind of number is for, how to check a number that called you before you hand over your ID or payslips, and which questions separate real advice from a sign-up script.

Whose number should you actually call?

The number to dial depends on what you want to achieve: a registered debt counsellor starts and runs a review, your credit provider's collections desk handles queries on a specific account, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) checks registrations and takes complaints, and the credit bureaus deal with your credit record.

Start with the big debt counselling firms' advertised lines. These are usually answered by sales consultants, not by the counsellor who will manage your file. There's nothing shady about that, but the person quoting you a monthly saving is often measured on sign-ups. Ask who will actually run your case.

A bank's debt review desk is a collections channel, not an advice service. It's the right number for a query on one account, but the person answering works for a company you owe. Once a review is running, your monthly payment usually goes through a payment distribution agency, which splits it between your credit providers, so payment problems belong with them or your counsellor.

The NCR is the regulator. It keeps the register of debt counsellors and it takes complaints, but it won't counsel you or tell you what to do about your debts. If things go wrong with a counsellor, start with the firm's own complaints process, then escalate to the NCR if you're not satisfied.

How do I contact debt review?

You contact debt review through an individual registered debt counsellor, because it isn't a national office with a switchboard. You choose the counsellor, and they work for you for as long as the process runs.

Two good places to look are the NCR's public register of registered counsellors and independent directories where you can compare registered debt counsellors side by side before you dial. If you'd rather start with the larger national firms, this guide to the best debt review companies in South Africa gives you names to check against the register.

Choosing the counsellor yourself matters more than it sounds. This person will hold your ID, payslips and bank statements, and will speak to your credit providers for you.

A number called me. How do I check it's genuine?

Ask for the caller's name and the company's NCR registration number, end the call, then look the firm up yourself before you phone back.

Check the registration number against the NCR's register, then phone the firm back on a number you have looked up yourself, not the one the caller gave you. A properly registered firm won't mind the check. Anyone who pressures you to decide during the call, or can't produce a registration number, has answered the question for you.

Hold back your ID number, payslips and bank details until you've verified who you're dealing with. A call you didn't ask for isn't proof of anything, and verification takes minutes.

What should I ask in the first call?

Cover four things: the counsellor's NCR registration number, who will actually run your file, what the assessment involves, and how the fees work.

• Who will run my file, and can I speak to that person?
• What happens at the assessment before I sign anything?
• How are your fees charged, and can you send the fee schedule in writing? Debt counselling fees are regulated, so a written schedule is a fair ask.
• What happens if you find I'm not over-indebted, or debt review isn't right for me?

That last question is the sharpest test. A genuine counsellor is working towards a finding, and the finding can be that you don't need debt review at all. A sign-up script has one outcome.

Warning signs include a monthly saving quoted before anyone has seen your payslips, pressure to sign the same day, vagueness about who runs your file, and requests for documents before the process has been explained. Any one alone means little; together they suggest you're being sold to. If you've already signed somewhere in a hurry and regret it, read how to remove debt review before you pay anyone.

Where can you get free debt advice?

You can usually talk a registered debt counsellor through your situation at no cost, because in most cases the paid work only starts once you formally apply.

Fees are regulated, so ask for the current schedule in writing before signing anything. Be wary of "free debt review" marketing: the costs usually don't disappear, they come out of your monthly payments once the process is running. A bank's desk will usually talk collections rather than advice, and the NCR regulates without counselling anyone.

How do you check if your name is on a credit bureau?

Request your credit report directly from each credit bureau; you can get one free copy from each in a twelve-month period.

The report lists your accounts, what's in arrears, any judgements against you, and who has been looking at your record. Pull it before your first call, because it gives you the same picture the counsellor will work from. If anything is wrong, dispute it with the bureau in writing before the review starts.

What is a Form 16 debt review application form?

Form 16 is the application form that formally starts a debt review, and your signature on it gives the debt counsellor authority to approach your credit providers on your behalf.

It sets out your income, living expenses and debts as you've declared them, and you should get a copy to read before signing, alongside the fee schedule. Once signed, the counsellor notifies your credit providers and begins the assessment that decides whether you're over-indebted. In most cases legal steps against you pause while that assessment runs, part of the formal protection debt review offers the public that informal arrangements don't.

How long does a debt review application take?

From signed application to the counsellor's finding usually takes a few weeks; the law gives the counsellor a set period to decide, and your own counsellor can confirm the current deadline and where your file sits.

The full process is a different question. A review lasts as long as the repayment plan, usually some years, because the point is to clear your debts at a rate you can afford. Nothing said on a first phone call commits you to any of that; the commitment starts with Form 16.

You can speed the early weeks up by having your ID, recent payslips, three months of bank statements and your account statements ready. If an emergency hits while a review is running, loans for people under debt review walks through your options.

Before you dial, decide what you want from the call and write your questions down. Then shortlist registered debt counsellors and check each number yourself, so the first voice that answers belongs to someone you chose.

Photo by Swello on Unsplash