How the office of the Credit Ombudsman is helping SA consumers

According to the 2016 report by the South African office of the Credit Ombudsman, the organisation managed to return a whopping R10.7 million rand to South African consumers' pockets last year; a feat that is all the more remarkable when you consider that many of individual amounts repaid are quite small and the total repayment marks an increase of 40.2% from the previous year.

date: 20/03/2017Author: Libertine Consultants

Who or what is the Credit Ombudsman?

The Office of the Credit Ombudsman is a government body that resolves complaints from consumers and businesses that have been negatively impacted by credit bureau information or when a consumer has a dispute with a credit provider.

How the Credit Ombudsman can help you

The most common non-bank credit cases that are handled by the Credit Ombudsman includes incorrect statements of account, emolument attachment orders, fraud cases and alleged reckless lending cases. Common disputes relating to credit information cases include insufficient or incomplete credit information at the credit bureaus, outdated credit information, as well as credit grantors not supplying accurate information. The services of the Credit Ombudsman are free of charge provided that the complaint brought forward is within the organisation’s authority; the complainant follows the correct complaint process, and signs and agrees to the terms and conditions accompanying the complaint form.

Please note: If you have a dispute with your credit provider or bureau, you must first try to resolve the issue yourself. Libertine Consultants offer credit services that can help you to do so.

How to get in touch with the Credit Ombudsman

There are three ways to contact the office of the Credit Ombudsman: 1. Send an SMS to 44786 to get a consultant to call you back. 2. Call 0861 66 2837 to discuss your case telephonically. 3. Complete a complaint form online.

If you have a complaint concerning your bank, that would be handled by the Ombudsman for Banking Services, which can be contacted on 011 712 1800 or by lodging a complaint online. Complaints regarding debt counselling should be directed to the National Credit Regulator, which can be contacted on 0860 627 627 / 011 554 2600 or reached via email on dccomplaints@ncr.org.za

For more information on the South African office of the Credit Ombudsman and how this government body is able to help you, get in touch with a Libertine Consultants representative.

We are more than happy to discuss your credit query and recommend a suitable course of action.

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