Mail Order Debt
In this article we will attempt to offer free information about dealing with mail order debt, as well as issues arising from the mail order sector.
In 2006 alone, debt that resulted from mail order purchases in the UK was over £5 billion. That proves exactly how easy it is to find one’s self in financial difficulty as a result of mail order.
It is important that people be aware the mail order industry is not only massive, but extremely efficient in the way it selects customers and the methods with which it advertises to them in order to promote purchases of the many products offered. The UK public is quite keen on convenient shopping so they end up being extremely vulnerable to mail order debt because of this.
When customers shop via mail order the purchases are usually arranged through the catalogue and interest free so the customer pays only in instalments. Because of this, the goods purchased are often significantly more expensive. When products are bought from a mail order catalogue agent, there is often an agreement which allows the customer to cancel within 14 days of signing the agreement without a cancellation notice.
Frequently, there is a 7 day cooling off period after you buy goods or services through a ‘distance sale’. Distance sales include sales conducted by the Internet, mail order or the telephone. However, it is not required that you pay with credit in order to have the 7 day cooling off period. Mail order purchases from catalogues easily lead to debt problems unless you keep current on your weekly payments. Of course, everyone believes they will when they make the purchases, but reality shows us that is not always the case.
Quite a few of the companies who offer mail order will let you make small weekly payments over a set period of time in order to spread the cost out to a more insignificant looking level. Unfortunately, this ends up being a very expensive way to purchase goods if you use credit because beyond the creditors charging you interest, the mail order company will often have their own interest rates added in to the product’s overall price and those rates are rarely low. This means that the debt problems can arise due to the high cost of borrowing on mail order, compounded by any struggle you end up having as a result of falling behind on instalments.
If you find yourself struggling with debt from mail order you may want to consider an alternative such as a Debt Management Plan.














