Research uncovers lack of awareness of vulnerable customer support schemes

The research report (counting the cost of debt recovery 2018), completed by outsourced customer contact specialist Echo Managed Services, surveyed 1,000 UK residents on their experiences, knowledge and attitudes to household arrears.

Key amongst the report findings was that, if respondents were to find themselves in circumstances of vulnerability, and this overlapped with affordability - meaning it was hard to pay their water, gas or electricity charges - very few would be aware of the range of schemes available to help them.

Just 22% were aware that they could gain access to special discounted tariffs if they fell behind on payments, whilst 31% knew of the warm home scheme. 28% were aware that their utilities company could signpost them to free debt advice, whilst just one in four knew of measures to protect vulnerable customers against supply disconnection.

The new consumer research report also highlighted that instances of debt are on the rise; 70% of people have experienced debt recovery procedures with at least one everyday service provider – a 7% increase in just 18 months.

More than half (53%) of these people did not think their service provider provided enough support to prevent them from falling into arrears in the first place. Many cited reasons such as inflexible payment options, poor communication and a general lack of understanding and empathy as key examples of this lack of support.

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