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Editor's Note

It can be hard to stay positive in the face of challenges.

If you have entered debt review then you have been asked to make dozens of hard changes within just days. That’s difficult.

Change is hard and many times the challenges that come along are out of your direct control. Such challenges may take months or even years to overcome. It may leave you under a dark cloud, struggling to stay positive.

Even Debt Counsellors find it hard to always stay positive. I recently had the chance to attend the Annual DCASA Conference in Gauteng and hang out with 220 other debt review enthusiasts. Most discussions focused on one topic: the so called rogue Debt Counsellors operating churn mills from certain areas in Cape Town. A “churn mill” is where they sign up people under misleading circumstances (even lying and saying that the person is not signing up for debt review) and then later sharing confidential info to friends or family, who then charge the person to leave debt review).

The topic was so top of mind it was almost the first words out of the President of DCASA’s mouth in his welcoming speech. The topic is also on the mind of the NCR who, sources say, have over 90% of all complaints coming in being a variation of: “I was signed up without consent”.

Credit providers too are going nuts trying to keep up with the churn mill DCs as they are forced to do tons of work for no reason when consumers immediately drop out of debt review. This has been a big motivating factor in their members pushing for a new DC fee structure to try cut these churn mills off from funds (but since they already don’t listen to past fee guidelines…well, that probably wouldn’t work).

But as with every dark cloud there is often a silver lining.

At the end of August, the NCR visited the Cape to tighten the noose on these churn mills. The NCR has also opted to open discussions up about DC fees to get suggestions and input from the hard working Debt Counsellors around the country. A very positive and promising decision.

Even at the DCASA conference, people who love debt review all said they intend to keep on helping vulnerable consumers and making efforts to educate them and keep them from the clutches of scammers making these empty promises.

That will no doubt not be easy. But neither are the changes asked of those who enter debt review. It would probably be wrong of Debt Counsellors to ask consumers to make hard changes and not be willing to push through hard times themselves.

‘When tough times come, you need to adjust’

When tough times come, you need to adjust. That’s true of Debt Counsellors but also consumers. It’s not realistic to stick your head in the sand and simply wish your challenges away.

No, it is going to take determination, realistic planning and above all perseverance. And if you can do that, then you are sure to become debt free.