Absa Debt Counselling Contact Details

Absa does not run a debt counselling service, and there is no Absa debt counselling department to ring. Debt counselling, properly called debt review, is a statutory process run by an independent debt counsellor registered with the National Credit Regulator. Absa participates only as one of your credit providers.

Official provider route

• To find or verify a registered debt counsellor: National Credit Regulator, 0860 627 627
• Absa Manage my debt, for arrangements outside debt review: 0861 22 22 72
• Absa general enquiries: 0860 008 600 or absa@absa.co.za
• Absa Complaint Resolution Suite: 0800 41 41 41 or actionline@absa.co.za

Apply to a debt counsellor, not to the bank. A counsellor must be registered with the regulator, and the registration can be checked before you hand over documents or pay a fee, which is worth doing because unregistered operators charging upfront fees are a known problem in this area.

Product or service support

The process runs in a fixed order. You apply to a registered debt counsellor, who assesses whether you are over indebted. The counsellor then notifies every credit provider you owe, Absa included, and the credit bureaux. A restructured repayment plan is proposed across all your debts and, once it is made an order, you pay a single monthly amount to a payment distribution agency which splits it among the credit providers.

Two consequences matter while the review runs. Credit providers may not proceed with legal steps on the debts included, for as long as you keep to the arrangement, which is the main protection debt review gives you. Against that, you may not take on new credit while under review. When the last debt is settled the counsellor issues a clearance certificate and the debt review flag is removed from your credit record.

Eligibility, account or policy requirements

The test is over indebtedness, meaning you cannot meet your obligations as they fall due. The counsellor will want identification, proof of income such as recent payslips, bank statements and a full list of debts with account numbers, so gather your Absa account numbers before the first appointment. Debt review covers credit agreements; it does not restructure a municipal bill, a school fee or a maintenance order.

Escalation route

Complaints about debt review often go to the wrong place. Conduct by the debt counsellor, the counsellor registration, or reckless lending by a credit provider all go to the National Credit Regulator on 0860 627 627, and debt review restructuring orders are confirmed through the National Consumer Tribunal or a magistrates court. If a debt has been handed to an external collection firm, that firm is regulated by the Council for Debt Collectors.

Sources

• National Credit Regulator: ncr.org.za
• Absa contact directory: absa.co.za/talk-to-us
• Council for Debt Collectors: cfdc.org.za