Save trouble & costs?

Debt collection agency wanted to seize man for dog food

Did the invoiced dog food perhaps end up in the bowls of other four-legged friends?

(Bild: Christian Forcher/Fotoworxx)

A man from Neunkirchen, Germany, who ignored an email invoice for dog food almost got the dog. After all, he neither owns a four-legged friend nor had he ordered anything. A little later, however, a debt collection agency contacted him - he sought help from the Chamber of Labor. What you should be aware of here!

An invoice in your mailbox without having ordered anything? This is not an isolated case in Lower Austria, says Markus Wieser, President of the Chamber of Labor. "It is quite common for consumers to receive unjustified claims. If this is the case, our consumer advice service provides support," he emphasizes, describing a recent case from Neunkirchen.

Tips for dealing with debt collection agencies

The Chamber of Labor gives the following advice on how to deal with letters from debt collection agencies:

• If you receive a letter from a debt collection agency: Stay calm and never agree to an installment payment agreement too quickly!
• First check whether the letter is serious. If there are no specific details about the creditor or information about the reason for the claim, it could be a scam.
• If the letter is genuine, first check whether the claim is justified and whether the amount of the claim is correct.
• Ask for an extension of the deadline - this will give you more time to seek advice!

400 euros for dog food?
A man ignored an invoice for dog food from a well-known online trading platform - after all, the man from Neunkirchen neither owns a four-legged friend nor had he ordered the pet food. However, he was in for a rude awakening a short time later when a debt collection agency contacted him and demanded 400 euros!

It was crucial in this case that the person concerned contacted us early on - before he allowed himself to be pressured into making a payment to the debt collection agency!

Sandra Nowak, Leiterin Konsumentenberatung der Arbeiterkammer Niederösterreich.

Bild: AKNÖ

Trouble and costs saved
The man sought help from AKNÖ. "We were able to intervene quickly and clarify that the claim was unfounded. This saved the person concerned further trouble and costs," says Consumer Protection Manager Sandra Nowak happily.