It is not
harassment to make reasonable attempts to recover a debt. However, and attempt
which is unreasonable (in the opinion of a magistrates' court in England or
Wales) constitutes an offence under the Administration of Justice Act 1970.
The OFT some
years ago produced the following list of things which they would regard as
unreasonable
-
Bring
unreasonable pressure to bear
-
Falsely
claim that criminal proceedings can be brought
-
Falsely
imply that you may legally seize property or take other action without going
to Court
-
Compel the
signature of documents which allow repossession of goods
-
Impersonate
a court or other official in person, or by letter or telephone
-
Make
nuisance visits or telephone calls
-
Use abusive
language in person, or by letter or telephone
-
Contact a
customer at work, or his/her employer with intent to create embarrassment
and create fear of dismissal
-
Wait outside
work on payday
-
Call on
neighbours, pretending to believe that they are the customer
-
Send
insufficiently addressed postcards
-
Take books
or documents which are illegal to assign as security.