The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has laid charges at the Council for Debt Collectors of South Africa against Pritchard and Associates, which is collecting TV Licence fees and debt on behalf of the SABC.
MyBroadBand.co.za report the charges followed an investigation by OUTA, which found that Pritchard and Associates was not registered with the Council of Debt Collectors prior to 23 December 2016.
The company was operating as an SABC debt collection agency, despite registration being a legal requirement for all debt collectors, said OUTA.
“Debt should be collected by a lawfully-registered debt collector or by an attorney,” said OUTA’s Wayne Duvenage.
“As Pritchard and Associates was not registered with the proper authorities, OUTA contends that the company misrepresented themselves, rendering all collections conducted by them in the past unlawful.”
“Upon completion of an investigation currently being conducted by the Debt Council, if found guilty, the company may face fines of up to R100,000 for each threatening SMS or email sent before the date of registration.”
OUTA is encouraging people who have received threatening TV Licence debt collection SMS messages and emails from Pritchard and Associates prior to 23 December 2016 to send in the evidence. “The Debt Council has indicated that the higher the number of complaints received, the more serious the transgression and charges against them.”
