Debtfree Issue September 2022 DebtBusters Special Edition
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SPECIAL<br />
EDITION<br />
WHO REALLY<br />
OWNS<br />
YOUR CREDIT<br />
DEBT<br />
REVIEW<br />
AWARDS<br />
IS COMING<br />
REPORT<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 09 of <strong>2022</strong>
EXCELLENCE IS DOING<br />
ORDINARY THINGS<br />
EXTRAORDINARILY<br />
WELL<br />
– John W. Gardner
WHAT MAKES US<br />
EXCELLENT?<br />
/ Unimpaired and automated PDA systems<br />
/ Integration with top-ranked Debt Counsellor systems<br />
/ Best customer support in the country – queries are resolved within 24 hours<br />
/ Strong compliance and best-industry-practice implementation is at our centre<br />
Call Saishen Krishnan<br />
Head of Hyphen PDA | 071 884 7300<br />
Or call our friendly support centre on 011 303 0060 - Option 2<br />
or visit our website www.hyphenpda.co.za
FROM THE EDITOR<br />
Awards. Everyone loves recognition for all their hard<br />
work. It’s nice when somebody says “well done”. Who<br />
wouldn’t enjoy receiving an award?<br />
Recently, the world got to enjoy the 74th Emmy Awards when actors<br />
and directors like Lee Jung-jae (the Squid Games guy) and Michael<br />
Keaton (batman who recently played a drugged up small town<br />
doctor) received awards for their roles in popular TV shows. It great<br />
to find out who gets an award, and see if you agree that the industry<br />
chose the right winner (or moan when they choose the wrong one).<br />
While those ceremonies are going on, a different nation morns the<br />
loss of their Queen, other nations are blowing each other up in the<br />
Ukraine, and people are trying to keep their heads above water in<br />
Pakistan. The world is weird like that. But disasters and tragedy should<br />
not prevent us from recognising a job well done and effort well spent.<br />
So, in the midst of a challenging world still reeling from a Pandemic<br />
and energy crisis, we will be having the 9th Annual Debt Review<br />
Awards at the end of this month.<br />
Debt Counsellors and credit provider staff members who work hard at<br />
the various debt review departments, also deserve a little recognition.<br />
As do those who are making the effort to pay off their debts each
month. In this issue, we will get a better idea of when, where and how<br />
you can watch the Debt Review Awards and what to expect. We really<br />
do hope that you are able to join online.<br />
We also discuss some facts about credit and debt review that you<br />
may not have known before. We take a little while to get to know key<br />
industry role players better, and pick up a few tips for success along<br />
the way.<br />
If you are a consumer pushing through the challenges of just making<br />
ends meet these days while trying to keep your head above water,<br />
and pay off your debts through debt review then, you are the star of<br />
your own movie. You are the lead character, we are all rooting for<br />
you, we hope that you win and we salute you for all your hard work in<br />
sticking with the process.<br />
Sure, famous actors and smart TV shows are pretty cool and all that<br />
but, you are the real winners. You deserve an award, in reality of<br />
course, you are going to be rewarded if you stick with the process.<br />
Not long now and you will be debt free.
FROM THE<br />
DESK<br />
HOW TO DECIDE<br />
ON THE BEST DEBT<br />
COUNSELLOR FOR YOU<br />
Rising interest and inflation<br />
rates are forcing more<br />
people to find ways to<br />
manage debt and an<br />
increase in enquiries shows<br />
many are considering debt<br />
counselling, but there’s<br />
more to choosing the right<br />
debt counsellor than a<br />
Google search.
Debt counselling is a process that typically lasts between three and<br />
five years. A good debt counsellor should not only help to restructure<br />
your debt but guide and support you through the entire journey.<br />
Deciding you need help to manage your debt is an important and<br />
potentially life-altering decision. After all, you’re putting your financial<br />
future in someone else’s hands. That’s why finding the best debt<br />
counsellor for you is critical.<br />
It’s recommended that consumers consider the following when they<br />
are trying to select a debt counsellor:<br />
Are they registered with the National Credit Regulator?<br />
All debt counsellors must be registered with the National<br />
Credit Regulator. You can verify a debt counsellor’s details on<br />
the National Credit Regulator website.<br />
Do they belong to a professional association?<br />
Check if the debt counsellor belongs to a professional body<br />
or association which ensures its members adhere to industry<br />
standards. Often the membership is displayed on the debt<br />
counsellor’s website.<br />
Industry associations exist to improve the standards of service.<br />
It is critical that consumers check if the debt counsellor is<br />
part of an industry association – this provides an extra layer of<br />
protection for the consumer.
Do they use the Debt Counselling Rule Set (DCRS) when<br />
restructuring your debt?<br />
The DCRS system is the industry gold standard and benefits<br />
consumers and creditors alike: it allows unsecured debt to<br />
be repaid as quickly as possible and allows creditors certainty<br />
about the timeline of the process. In some cases, interest rates<br />
can be reduced to 0% for unsecured credit such as credit card<br />
debt, personal loans and retail loans (depending on size of<br />
debt and ability to repay). Insisting on a debt counsellor who<br />
uses DCRS ensures that as a consumer you will repay your<br />
debt as quickly as possible and will also ensure acceptance of<br />
your restructured debt proposal by the creditors.<br />
Are they able to explain the process and support you<br />
through it?<br />
A good debt counsellor should be able to clearly explain<br />
the debt counselling process and answer any questions or<br />
concerns you may have. They must manage your expectations<br />
and those of the credit providers and inform you when they<br />
need your input.<br />
They should also have sufficient resources to be able to<br />
provide advice and support throughout the process and even<br />
help you with budgeting after you’ve received your clearance<br />
certificate.<br />
It’s important that a debt counsellor has the right support<br />
framework in place to help you through the process.
Have they thoroughly assessed your financial situation<br />
before suggesting a repayment plan?<br />
Be wary of anyone who suggests an outcome or repayment<br />
plan to encourage you to sign up for debt counselling before<br />
they’ve done a full assessment. Even a basic assessment<br />
should include information such as your marital status,<br />
income, debt obligations and living expenses.<br />
Good debt counsellors will do a thorough financial<br />
assessment, looking at all aspects of your finances and ability<br />
to repay back your debt. This is rare in the South African<br />
financial services industry.<br />
Based on the assessment they can then recommend a<br />
repayment plan that is best suited for you.<br />
South Africa has an effective debt counselling system. Evidence of<br />
this is the increasing number of consumers who are completing the<br />
process. By following these few simple guidelines, consumers who<br />
need help with their debt can find a reliable and supportive partner<br />
who will go the distance with them.
DEBT REVIEW<br />
LESSON #1<br />
When starting debt review it is very<br />
important to cancel your existing debit<br />
orders towards all other debt repayments.<br />
Since you will now make payments towards<br />
your debt through a single consolidated<br />
repayment via a PDA, you do not want to<br />
be double debited.<br />
Be sure to discuss how to cancel such<br />
debit orders with your Debt Counsellor.<br />
They may ask you to help or ask you to<br />
sign special forms to send to your<br />
credit providers.
CONTENTS<br />
WHO REALLY OWNS<br />
YOUR CREDIT REPORT<br />
DOLLAR<br />
VS RAND<br />
THE TOP 50 DEBT<br />
COUNSELLORS<br />
ANNOUNCED<br />
HABIT<br />
STACKING<br />
DISCLAIMER<br />
<strong>Debtfree</strong> Magazine considers its sources reliable and verifies as<br />
much information as possible. However, reporting inaccuracies<br />
can occur, consequently readers using this information do so<br />
at their own risk. <strong>Debtfree</strong> Magazine makes content available<br />
with the understanding that the publisher is not rendering legal<br />
services or financial advice. Although persons and companies<br />
mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither<br />
<strong>Debtfree</strong> Magazine nor any of its employees, sales executives<br />
or contributors accept any responsibility whatsoever for their<br />
activities. <strong>Debtfree</strong> Magazine contains material supplied to<br />
us by advertisers which does not necessarily reflect the views<br />
and opinions of the <strong>Debtfree</strong> Magazine team. No person,<br />
organization or party can copy or re-produce the content<br />
on this site and/or magazine or any part of this publication<br />
without a written consent from the editors’ panel and the<br />
author of the content, as applicable. <strong>Debtfree</strong> Magazine,<br />
authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to<br />
copyright of their work.
WHO REALLY<br />
OWNS<br />
YOUR CREDIT<br />
REPORT
WHO REALLY OWNS YOUR CREDIT REPORT?<br />
WE KNOW WHO<br />
YOU ARE...<br />
When you apply for credit, one of<br />
the things that a credit provider has<br />
to do is check your existing financial<br />
situation and your overall debt<br />
situation. They do this speedily by<br />
drawing a credit report.<br />
There are many credit bureaus that store<br />
information about you and the credit provider<br />
will have their preferred supplier (or two).<br />
The credit report has a lot of information<br />
about you including details on how you have<br />
been paying your various credit accounts and<br />
how much you owe each one of them.<br />
Something else that is available is your credit<br />
score. This is a quick rating on how well you<br />
use credit as represented by a number or<br />
score. The higher the number the better<br />
the score.
WHO REALLY OWNS YOUR CREDIT REPORT?<br />
THE MAGIC THEY DO<br />
WITH NUMBERS<br />
Credit Bureaus calculate your credit<br />
score based on the following:<br />
• Your debt repayment history (missing<br />
payments is bad);<br />
• Amounts owed;<br />
• Types of credit applied for and<br />
how often;<br />
• How long your accounts have<br />
been open;<br />
• How much of your available credit<br />
you’re using (are you maxed out?);<br />
• Whether there is any history of you not<br />
honouring a debt obligation that resulted<br />
in bankruptcy or a judgment against you.<br />
Ironically, if you never use credit then your<br />
score is lower and credit providers find it hard<br />
to figure out if you are a good payer or not.<br />
This is often why people will advise you to<br />
have “some credit” so that you can build up a<br />
reliable credit history and repayment pattern.
WHO REALLY OWNS YOUR CREDIT REPORT?<br />
WHOSE INFORMATION<br />
IS IT ANYWAY?<br />
You may wonder, if this information<br />
is all about me who owns the<br />
information? Is it mine? No.<br />
While you are the ‘subject’ of the information<br />
you are not the owner of the information. In<br />
fact, credit providers (and others) are able to<br />
buy access to this information that the credit<br />
bureaus have stored about you.<br />
Since the information is about you,<br />
Government has insisted that you should be<br />
able to get this information and check that<br />
it is correct. It’s not uncommon for there<br />
to be some small errors in such reports.<br />
Credit providers sometimes submit incorrect<br />
information by mistake.<br />
Also, access to such reports may reveal that<br />
someone else is pretending to be you and<br />
opening up credit accounts using your details.<br />
This type of identity theft fraud is on the rise.<br />
So, it is good to check your information at the<br />
various credit bureaus.
WHO REALLY OWNS YOUR CREDIT REPORT?<br />
FREE<br />
CREDIT<br />
REPORTS<br />
Government requires that credit<br />
bureaus give you free access at least<br />
once a year.<br />
You can check the various credit bureaus’<br />
websites for how to get free access. If offered<br />
the choice between a free credit score or a<br />
free credit report, the report is always best<br />
as it contains a lot of information about the<br />
different debts you have (and other things like<br />
if you are under debt review or have a recent<br />
judgement against your name).<br />
Many debt counselling practices will also give<br />
you a free report if you contact them and ask.
WHO REALLY OWNS YOUR CREDIT REPORT?<br />
THAT’S<br />
NOT RIGHT!<br />
If you see something you disagree<br />
with on your credit report then<br />
you can submit a complaint to the<br />
relevant credit bureau using the<br />
forms provided for download on the<br />
credit bureaus’ websites.<br />
It normally takes about 3 weeks for such a<br />
query to be resolved and traditionally most are<br />
resolved in the favour of the consumer.<br />
If you are under debt review then you will<br />
have what is known as a “debt review flag”<br />
or listing shown on your report (until you<br />
finish up debt review and get a clearance<br />
certificate).<br />
This temporary listing helps speed things up<br />
when credit providers check your report and<br />
score as they then know you are paying off<br />
debt and not meant to access more debt<br />
during this time.
WHO REALLY OWNS YOUR CREDIT REPORT?<br />
KNOW<br />
THY SELF<br />
If you are thinking of accessing<br />
credit then knowing your credit<br />
score and checking that your<br />
credit report contains accurate<br />
information about you is worth the<br />
time (and perhaps expense).<br />
For more information about the various credit<br />
bureaus in South Africa check out the Service<br />
Directory Section later in this issue. There are<br />
more than you think.
DOLLAR<br />
USD<br />
VS<br />
$
RAND<br />
ZAR<br />
R
DOLLAR VS RAND<br />
WHY SHOULD YOU<br />
CARE?<br />
We often see news reports and<br />
stock market people talking about<br />
the Rand vs Dollar exchange rate.<br />
We never use Dollars here so why<br />
should we care what the exchange<br />
rate is?<br />
When SA buys oil, we do so in Dollars. This is<br />
true of many products that are imported. This<br />
means that when the Rand gets weaker vs the<br />
Dollar, it pushes up how much we have to pay<br />
locally for such products.<br />
This is why it is worth knowing what is<br />
happening when we compare the relative<br />
value of the 2 currencies, even though we<br />
never use Dollars when we go shopping.<br />
At the moment* the rate is:<br />
R17.75 for 1 US Dollar<br />
* Mid Sept <strong>2022</strong>. The rate changes daily. You can google the<br />
current rate: Go to google.co.za and type in: USD to ZAR
DOLLAR VS RAND<br />
WHAT DOES THAT<br />
MEAN?<br />
This means that if you want to get<br />
your hands on $1 you have to pay<br />
R17.75 (plus whatever mark up and<br />
fees the exchange charges).<br />
For the majority of the past 5 years, the Rand<br />
has been under R15/Dollar but recently you<br />
will have felt the impact of the higher rate as<br />
petrol prices (and thus transport prices and<br />
the price of goods at shops) have gone up.<br />
In the last 30 days the Rand has lost about<br />
75c/Dollar. This means that even when global<br />
petrol prices fall (which is great) we get<br />
disappointed that the price of local fuel does<br />
not drop as much as we would expect.<br />
This is just one reason why it is useful to check<br />
what the Rand Vs Dollar rate is.
DEBT REVIEW<br />
LESSON #2<br />
If a credit provider debits your bank<br />
account after you have already started to<br />
make payments to them, via debt review,<br />
you should talk to your Debt Counsellor<br />
immediately. They can try to get the money<br />
returned to your account, but it will<br />
take a few days.<br />
Remember that if this happens, the credit<br />
provider is most often at fault, not your<br />
Debt Counsellor.<br />
The Debt Counsellor will assist you.
FREE BOOKLET<br />
TO DOWNLOAD AND SHARE<br />
How do you leave Debt Review?<br />
How do you have the Credit Bureau remove<br />
the Debt Review listing on your credit report?<br />
Leaving Debt Review Is Not As Simple As To Simply Stop Paying.<br />
Consumers can only leave the debt review process at certain times<br />
and in certain ways.<br />
This free e book will help you navigate this process and avoid many<br />
of the common mistakes people make when wanting to leave debt<br />
review.<br />
If you are curious about how you can leave debt review properly and<br />
with no risk to your assets then be sure to download and read this<br />
free booklet<br />
DOWNLOAD AND SHARE
HABIT<br />
STACKING<br />
THE ART OF ADDING<br />
NEW GOOD HABITS<br />
TO EXISTING ONES
HABIT STACKING<br />
HOW TO PICK UP<br />
GOOD<br />
HABITS<br />
If you struggle to implement new<br />
‘good habits’ then you are not alone,<br />
trying to pick up and maintain new<br />
good habits is tough!<br />
Repetition is key to developing new habits,<br />
we can easily start a new good habit, skip it<br />
a few times and then loose motivation and<br />
momentum to keep it up.<br />
How can we trick ourselves into keeping up<br />
new positive habits?
HABIT STACKING<br />
PUT IT ON<br />
TOP<br />
One tip is to piggy-back the new<br />
habit onto an existing, already<br />
ingrained one.<br />
For example, you probably have the habit of<br />
brushing your teeth before heading off to bed<br />
at night. So, if your want to get into the habit<br />
of taking a pill in the evening, putting the pill<br />
bottle next to your toothbrush can be a great<br />
way to add the new habit to an existing one.<br />
If you go for a walk each day, but want to add<br />
some stretching into your physical fitness<br />
routine, then why not take a break half way<br />
through your walk (or right after your walk) to<br />
include a few minutes of stretching.<br />
If you always check out your debt review<br />
statement from your PDA immediately after<br />
you receive it, then that might be a good time<br />
to log into your banking app, and move your<br />
small savings contribution into that savings<br />
pocket each month.
If you enjoy having a special meal once a<br />
month with the family (Pizza night or Sunday<br />
lunch anyone?) then that is a good time to<br />
include a short discussion about how your<br />
budget and debt review are going. The new<br />
but admittedly tough habit can get added to<br />
the existing good time. This will help trick your<br />
brain into associating the new habit with the<br />
existing one.<br />
Do you always spend time on Instagram in<br />
bed before going to sleep? Why not add in<br />
a few minutes of reading before you get too<br />
tired?<br />
You get the idea. Find times in your daily,<br />
weekly or monthly routine when you regularly<br />
repeat something and then tack the new<br />
habit onto that existing routine. This will<br />
make it much easier to be consistent and stay<br />
motivated.<br />
Why not try habit stacking in your life, and see<br />
if it makes picking up a new good habit any<br />
easier?
DEBT REVIEW<br />
LESSON #3<br />
If you are able to make a slightly larger<br />
than planned payment towards your debt<br />
each month, this can help speed up your<br />
debt review (and can even save you lots in<br />
interest over time).<br />
Chat to your Debt Counsellor if it seems<br />
this is something you can realistically and<br />
consistently manage each month, while<br />
still saving towards annual expenses and<br />
an emergency fund.
THE TOP<br />
DEBT COUNSELLORS<br />
ANNOUNCED
Each year as we get closer to the day of the Debt<br />
Review Awards the Peer Review Audit Team release the<br />
names of the Top 10 Debt Counsellors as reviewed by<br />
the credit provider Peer Reviews.<br />
The Top 10 in 5 different size categories have been announced. Among<br />
these Top 10 are the Top 5 and Highest rated practice* and the people<br />
who will ultimately walk home with the 5 Golden Piggy Banks for Debt<br />
Counsellors in <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
The Top 5 and highest rated practice will be announced live during the<br />
Debt Review Award Show (be sure to read the article all about how<br />
you can watch the show live in this issue). The Awards Show will be live<br />
streamed between 3pm and 4pm on Friday 30th <strong>September</strong>.<br />
* Debt Counsellors register with the NCR on a personal or individual basis unlike credit providers,<br />
credit bureaus or PDAs. Though they may work together in an office under a united brand and<br />
may have support staff, these support staff are not allowed to perform the functions of an NCR<br />
registered Debt Counsellor. Each Debt Counsellor has an NCR issued Certificate which should<br />
be shared with consumers when they are contacted. Traditionally, these are displayed in the<br />
Debt Counsellors office for all to see. These can however be displayed on websites or emailed to<br />
consumers these days. It is important for consumers to deal with and know their Debt Counsellor<br />
well during their debt review.
TOP 10<br />
BOUTIQUE<br />
DEBT COUNSELLORS<br />
Many Debt Counsellors operate on their own or with a small staff to<br />
offer highly personalised service to a very select number of clients. In<br />
alphabitcal order here are the TOP 10 Boutique Debt Counsellors:<br />
Alsinah Chuene Mashiloane | Mashiloane Debt Counselling Services<br />
Angela Marcell Crowder | Refine Debt Solutions<br />
Catharina Elizabeth Webster | Debt Relieve<br />
Johan Wepener | Johan Wepener Debt Counsellor<br />
Lee Lombard | Garden Route Debt Counsellors<br />
Marius Arnould Neethling | Ulwembu Debt Counsellors<br />
Olivia Mocke | DebtCrew<br />
Olwen Jacobs | Newlo Debt Counsellors<br />
Petra Swanepoel | Streamline Debt Counselling<br />
Sibongile Fihla | Credit Clear Remedy
TOP 10<br />
SMALL DEBT<br />
COUNSELLING<br />
PRACTICES<br />
These Debt Counsellors have small admin team that help them assist<br />
more clients and often assist clients from a larger area than just their<br />
home town or city. They strive to offer the best service and continue<br />
to grow to assist more clients. In alphabitcal order here are the TOP<br />
10 Small Debt Counselling Practices:<br />
Anthony Mac Minn | 2nd Chance Debt Counsellors<br />
Corrie Gouws | Mabcor<br />
Gaynor De Kock | Debt Smart SA<br />
Jacobus Stephanus de Vos | Complete Debt Counselling<br />
Leandie Carina Brink | Gauteng Debt Counselling<br />
Mark James Fulton | Consumer Relief<br />
Shaun Zeelie | Master Your Money<br />
Shimone Beckett | AC Debt Counsellors<br />
Thomas Chauke | TP Debt Solutions<br />
Wendy Angela Kaalsen | DS Administrators
TOP 10<br />
MEDIUM DEBT<br />
COUNSELLING<br />
PRACTICES<br />
These long established Debt Counselling Practices may have a few<br />
Debt Counsellors who now pool their resources and experience to<br />
assist a large number of clients across the country. The ability to help<br />
hundreds of clients at the same time requires excellent organisation<br />
and administrative processes. In alphabitcal order here are the TOP 10<br />
Medium Debt Counselling Practices:<br />
Annienne Nel | Consumer Debt Support<br />
Anton Meiring | Debt Fresh<br />
Awie Coetzee | SA Debt Help<br />
Bernice Koekemoer | The Debt Experts<br />
Cornel Strydom | Debt Review Centre<br />
Eugene Cilliers | Pay Plan Solutions<br />
Gerhard Stoltz | Gerhard Stoltz Debt Counsellors<br />
Marius Coetzee | DRS<br />
Nadia De Weerdt | Sandton Debt Counselling<br />
Tania Dekker | Debt Free with Armani
STEP-BY-STEP<br />
DREX GUIDE<br />
DREX simplifies the exchange of data and makes managing the<br />
debt review process less admin intensive.<br />
The below links take you to step-by-step guides on how to use the<br />
DC Portal on DREX.<br />
How to Register on the DC Portal<br />
Introduction to the DC Portal<br />
Accessing a Consumer's Profile
TOP 10<br />
LARGE DEBT<br />
COUNSELLING<br />
PRACTICES<br />
Large Debt Counselling practices are able to assist many hundreds<br />
or even thousands of clients at the same time by having many Debt<br />
Counsellors working within the practice. Each Debt Counsellor<br />
has access to a pool of admin support staff and brand resources.<br />
Commonly these practices are operating across the country and<br />
may have several branches where they are able to assist consumers<br />
face to face if they wish (which is admittedly less popular these days<br />
due to the pandemic and advances in technology combined with<br />
consumer’s desire for convenience and privacy). In alphabitcal order<br />
here are the TOP 10 Large Debt Counselling Practices:<br />
Consumer Wise<br />
Credit Matters<br />
DCGsa<br />
Debt Care<br />
Debt Therapy<br />
DebtLine<br />
FDC (Freedom Debt Counsellors)<br />
Meerkat<br />
Summit Financial Partners<br />
Vantage Debt Management
TOP 10<br />
NATIONAL DEBT<br />
COUNSELLING<br />
PRACTICES<br />
Some Debt Counsellors have progressively grown their debt review<br />
practice over many, many years and been able to help many<br />
thousands of clients. National debt counselling practices often have<br />
dozens of NCR registered Debt Counsellors working together and<br />
making use of the most advanced systems to care for hundreds of<br />
new clients each month. They are well known and go to a lot of effort<br />
to let consumers know about the debt review process. In alphabitcal<br />
order here are the TOP 10 National Debt Counselling Practices:<br />
CDC Experts<br />
Debt Rescue<br />
<strong>DebtBusters</strong><br />
Debtco Group<br />
DebtSafe<br />
NDA (National Debt Advisors)<br />
NDC (National Debt Counsellors)<br />
Octogen<br />
Pioneer Debt Solutions<br />
Zero Debt
WELL DONE TO THE TOP<br />
DEBT COUNSELLORS<br />
Congratulations to all these Debt Counsellors for<br />
being recognised in this year’s Debt Review Awards by<br />
their credit provider peers. There are over 1700 NCR<br />
registered and hardworking Debt Counsellors in the<br />
industry. To receive such high ratings among such<br />
good company is no small feat. Well Done!<br />
To find out which practices received the Top 5 and Highest ratings<br />
be sure to catch the Debt Review Awards Show on 30th <strong>September</strong><br />
<strong>2022</strong>. Find out more here: wwww.debtreviewawards.co.za
ARE YOU READY<br />
FOR THE<br />
WWW.DEBTREVIEWAWARDS.CO.ZA
The <strong>2022</strong> Annual Debt Review<br />
Awards show will be held on the 30th<br />
<strong>September</strong>, Friday afternoon.<br />
During the live stream of the Awards<br />
Show, the results of industry peer<br />
reviews will be announced and<br />
hardworking Debt Counsellors, PDAs<br />
and credit providers recognised.
WHAT ARE THE<br />
DEBT REVIEW<br />
AWARDS<br />
Over the last 9 years, hard work and excellence in the<br />
field of debt review has been recognised through the<br />
annual Debt Review Awards.<br />
There are plenty of hard working individuals, and entire departments,<br />
who help consumers through their debt review journey. The Awards<br />
are a way for the industry to show appreciation for all that hard<br />
work.<br />
Each year Golden Piggy Banks are awarded to these hard working<br />
people, credit providers and DC practices. The Awards combine a<br />
pat on the back and bragging rights for those who are putting their<br />
heart and soul into making the industry better for consumers.
OUR AMAZING<br />
SPONSORS &<br />
SUPPORTERS<br />
The organisers want to say a big thank you to the<br />
various sponsors and supporters of the Awards<br />
process. These brands and individuals help make the<br />
process possible each year.<br />
The Awards also partners with two brands for some unique Awards<br />
each year. The Technology Adoption Award is organised along with<br />
the assistance of Slipstream Software Solutions (the brains behind<br />
DReX and Switch).<br />
ONE are well known for their broad range of insurance offerings, and<br />
their specialist offerings, in the debt review space. They help organise<br />
two Awards recognising the hard work of individuals who work<br />
within the industry. The Significant Contribution to the Debt Review<br />
Industry and Significant Contribution to the Debt Review Process<br />
are covetted awards that have been awarded to some of the hardest<br />
working individuals in the industry over the years.<br />
Partners like the various Debt Counsellors associations (DCASA,<br />
NDCA, AllProDC, IDCC, BDCF) and others like MFSA, BASA members<br />
and the PDAs such as Hyphen PDA, have helped spread the word and<br />
ensured that registrants get a chance to participate.
The industry owes these brands a big thank you for their help in<br />
making the Awards possible.
HOW ARE THE<br />
RESULTS<br />
DETERMINED<br />
Many years ago, a panel of industry experts were asked<br />
to help evaluate the top-performing candidates. The<br />
workload soon grew exponentially, as the industry<br />
expanded. For example, at present, there are over 1700<br />
active registered Debt Counsellors on the National<br />
Credit Regulator’s database.<br />
It would not be easy for a small group to perform that many reviews.<br />
Instead, for many years now, through the use of online software, the<br />
results are essentially crowdsourced from across the industry.<br />
Each year NCR Registrants have opportunities to review their NCR<br />
registered peers working on the opposite side of the industry. This<br />
is how companies and individuals get reviewed by hundreds of<br />
participants each year. The results are processed and audited to reveal<br />
who the highest rated across the industry is, in various categories.<br />
For example, NCR registered Debt Counsellors get to weigh in about<br />
credit providers who specialise in bonds and vehicles or retail or<br />
short-term finance. NCR registered Credit providers get to review the<br />
various NCR registered Payment Distribution Agents (PDAs) and the<br />
Debt Counsellors they work with each day.
THE <strong>2022</strong><br />
DEBT REVIEW<br />
AWARDS SHOW<br />
The Awards have been held for many years now and<br />
traditionally only those who were nominees were<br />
able to attend in person, to find out the results (due to<br />
space and cost limitations). However, the organisers<br />
have always wanted to include as many people as<br />
possible, so with the increased ease of access to<br />
broadcasting software and online platforms like<br />
YouTube, we have achieved this.<br />
For the past few years, online viewers have been able to join in the<br />
fun and hear the results (live for the last 2 years). This year, people<br />
across the internet will be able to watch the Awards show (and preshow<br />
warm-up) live.<br />
The Pre-Show<br />
The Debt Review Awards Show | Pre Show will be streamed from 12<br />
noon till 2:30 pm. It will feature interviews and discussions about the<br />
insurance side of the industry, as well as its impact on consumers.<br />
We will also be hearing from legal experts about various cases and<br />
challenges they face. Some who work in the industry may even get to<br />
see themselves on screen (IYKYK).
The Awards Show<br />
The Awards show begins at 3 pm and runs for an hour. During<br />
the show, we will hear one or two short speeches, watch a minidocumentary<br />
about the debt review industry and find out about some<br />
consumers who are having some of their debts written off.<br />
The special category Awards will be announced during the first half<br />
of the show.<br />
We will then hear about changes to the peer review process this year,<br />
and planned ones for next year before the results of the various peer<br />
reviews are announced.<br />
The program is designed to be shorter and faster this year. Overall<br />
there will be less focus on live streaming the entertainment portion<br />
of the event, and more focus on getting to the results. This should<br />
allow more offices, across the country, to enjoy watching the results<br />
together on a rather busy day of the month. An hour right near the<br />
end of the work day is manageable for most offices.<br />
There will be other activities before and after the live-streamed<br />
Show for those nominees who were invited to attend in person, but<br />
these will not be on stream. The focus of the live stream will be the<br />
announcement of the Top 5 and highest rated.
HOW TO WATCH THE<br />
AWARDS SHOW<br />
If you would like to watch the Pre Show or the Awards<br />
Show, you can do so on your phone, tablet, laptop,<br />
Computer and some Smart TVs.<br />
You have several options on how to access the information.<br />
Visit www.debtreviewawards.co.za<br />
You will be able to watch via the website.<br />
Visit www.debtfreedigi.co.za<br />
You will be able to watch via the website.<br />
Watch on YouTube<br />
On the day, you will be able to type: Debt Review Awards or Debt Review<br />
Awards <strong>2022</strong> into the search and you will find the show or you can already<br />
go over to the page where it will be streamed HERE and subscribe for<br />
notifications so long. As always, there is no costs to watch (other than your<br />
own data costs).<br />
Social Media<br />
We will also be posting Results, Pics and links via social media on Facebook,<br />
LinkedIn and Instagram. You can search #debtreviewawards<strong>2022</strong> for the<br />
latest results.
No more debt-stress.<br />
Let’s get it sorted.<br />
We’ll get your interest rates right down. You’ll<br />
make one consolidated payment a month. You’ll<br />
have more cash to live on. Your assets will be<br />
legally protected. Sorted.<br />
0861 365 910<br />
www.debtbusters.co.za<br />
info@debtbusters.co.za<br />
NCRDC2484