Latest Debt News
Debt helpline swamped with calls
25/01/2006 15:35:00
The debt advice group, Debt Free Direct, has revealed that it has been receiving twice as many calls from people in debt trouble than last year.
Between December 27th and January 8th, the organisation dealt with 177 calls an hour, an incredible 17,000 calls in total, the Evening Standard reports.
On average, callers were in debt to six different creditors to a combined tune of £28,698.
This figure was only £200 higher than last year, suggesting that debt levels are not necessarily that much worse, but that consumers are more savvy to how to take action on their predicament.
Seven in ten callers were male, with the average age of callers being 38 and being in full-time employment.
Andrew Redmond, chief executive of Debt Free Direct, said: "We always experience high call volumes immediately after Christmas but the demand for help this year has been unprecedented.
"We put a contingency plan in place pre-Christmas to ensure that any calls we were unable to take here were re-directed to trained, UK call centre staff."
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