A promising start, an ugly ending and a good lesson learnt



When I am used to dealing with a good service provider or brand, I rarely look for alternatives.

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A while back, I was approached by a young entrepreneur who presented an interesting collaboration project.

She was fun and talented, and I had a great time planning the project with her.

By the end of the day, she asked whether I would join her business group on a social networking site. I agreed, and that night I posted a thank you comment on her page.

The next morning, after my daily ritual of checking emails and my social network accounts, I was shocked to receive a comment from a stranger who insulted the entrepreneur with whom I had collaborated, accusing her of not repaying a debt to a local bank.

I deleted the comment and sent a private message to the person who had posted it, asking her why she had felt it necessary to make that comment publicly.

She said she worked for a debt-collection company and that the entrepreneur had failed to repay a credit card debt of more than Dh20,000 (US$5,444) to a local bank and that the bank could not locate her because she kept changing her contact details.

The person who had posted the comment went on to justify publicising her issue and talking to the entrepreneur's connections on social networks as a way to pressure her into repaying the debt.

You can imagine just how angry I was. I had known the entrepreneur for less than a week but had been dragged into her financial affairs.

I emailed the debt collector telling her that if she approached me again on any matter of that sort I would press charges against her.

Dealing with debt collectors and angry bank agents in the UAE is a topical issue nowadays. I believe this is linked to people not meeting their banks' payment deadlines because of the economic climate.

A friend of mine receives as many as three calls a day from her local bank if she misses a payment deadline. And sometimes the calls come at inconvenient hours.

"They make me feel like a criminal who is about to flee the country, especially when they ask me personal questions like what were you doing yesterday instead of coming to the bank and paying your due amount," she said.

Other banks have opted for automation: a customer receives numerous recorded telephone messages every day reminding him or her about payments due.

Because these messages are automated, many customers receive calls early in the morning or late at night. This just adds to their frustration.

If customers still do not pay, some banks resort to hiring debt collectors, who pursue the customers, talking to their friends, and calling their workplaces and even their families in their home countries, telling them about the money owed and threatening the debtors with arrest.

In the interest of balance, I decided to get a bank employee's perspective.

An acquaintance of mine who works as a relationship manager at a local bank told me that a client's payment behaviour can determine the attitude adopted by a bank's agents, stressing that a bank will chase a customer only if the person frequently misses payment deadlines.

My acquaintance said that if a bank agent reminded a customer a number of times about payments due but got no response, the agent would have to be harsh, because that employee could be blamed for not obtaining a payment from the client.

If a customer presented a valid reason such as a sudden illness or job loss, a bank would work on a payment strategy tailored to the person's new situation, my acquaintance said.

Luckily, I was never in such a predicament, but I believe that banks and customers often both deserve blame in these situations.

Banks should advise debt collectors to refrain from hunting down everyone associated with their delinquent customers, and customers should not put themselves in a situation where they are being harassed by angry bank agents and debt collectors.

Customers should also remember that if they are in any way insulted by a bank's agent, they can file a complaint to the bank, referring to the date and time of the call, as all calls are recorded.

If you encounter debt collectors who are looking for someone you know, you can always ask them to stop breaching your privacy.

Debt collectors are not allowed to harass, oppress or threaten violence or lawsuits in connection with the collection of money owed. If debt collectors engage in this behaviour, you can usually stop the improper conduct by telling them that you will sue them or by complaining to the police.

Be sure to note the dates and times of any calls, and you should save the call log on your phone as evidence of your interactions with debt collectors.

As for me, after my bad experience with a potential new business relationship, I am sticking with the brands and service providers I know - at least until the financial crisis is over.

Manar Al Hinai is a fashion designer and writer. She can be followed on Twitter @manar_alhinai

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