Can You Trust Your Debt Counsellor?
Trust
If you have recently started debt review you may find it hard to trust that the process is working and to trust your Debt Counsellor.
After all they are a new person in your life and are now helping you with something that will impact on your financial future.
Building trust in the debt review process and your Debt Counsellor can be difficult.
Let’s consider if you can trust your Debt Counsellor.
Officially Registered
One thing that can help you trust your Debt Counsellor is if they show you their official registration with the National Credit Regulator.
Not everyone can become a Debt Counsellor and even after doing the required studies to qualify the National Credit Regulator will first vet the person before officially allowing them to be registered.
So, when your Debt Counsellor shows you their official NCR certificate of registration (they are issued to the Debt Counsellor each year), it can provide peace of mind that the person is legitimate and knows what they are doing.
You Can Easily Get Hold Of them
Dealing with a Debt Counsellor is not like buying something small online. The ramifications of entering debt review will impact on almost every part of your life from where you shop to what bank you use.
With that in mind it is good to deal with someone who you can easily reach.
If you struggle to make contact with a Debt Counsellor or they take a long time to get back to you then it is a possible warning sign of things to come. You deserve prompt service, prompt replies to your enquires and informative, detailed answers to your questions.
Trust is Earned
It is unlikely that any parent would trust a total stranger in a public place to care for their child while they were busy with something else. At the same time, it is much more likely that you would trust your child with a family member or close friend.
This is because they will have earned your trust over time.
Trust can be built by the other party showing a pattern of reliability and honesty. If they make a promise and keep it, trust grows. If they do this over and over, then you trust them more and more.
Working with a Debt Counsellor can be similar. If they make and keep promises then it helps you develop trust. If they always stick to their word and deliver on promises made it is reassuring and helps reduce anxiety about whether you have made the right decision or not (entering debt review).
Most people have a high level of trust in their bank. This is because you have had a working relationship with your bank (or banks) over many years. They are the ones who gave you credit and they are the ones you have dealt with many times before.
This is why when a collections agent calls they do not say they are from X attorneys or X collection agency. They say: I am calling on behalf of X bank. They know that you trust the bank and they will piggy back off that trust to get you to take them seriously.
This is why it can be hard to trust that your Debt Counsellor is actually helping you out, at first. You are trying to trust this new person to deal with other parties that you know and trust a lot. This can be a real challenge during the first few months of debt review.
As time goes by you will find that as you see money go to the right place and as you see things progress (like getting your court order restructuring your debt), you begin to trust your Debt Counsellor more and more. It is no longer just a gut feeling that you have but now you have evidence to go with that feeling.
This can be very helpful when snags or complications arise in the process or if you want to talk to someone about your future plans. Your Debt Counsellor can become one of the most trusted people in your life.
You Can Trust Your Debt Counsellor
So, if your Debt Counsellor is registered with the NCR, is easy to get hold of and always delivers on their promises then you have made a good choice.
They can and will help you get through the tough process of ridding yourself of debt. This is something that few people ever manage to do, but with the right person in your corner getting out of debt is possible.
Make an Educated Choice
With debt review being a 3 to 5 year process for most people, you do not want to rush into debt review or just sign up with the first person you speak to. Be sure to do your homework before you commit.
Check out this article about doing your homework before entering debt review.