Press Release
A Fairer Deal For Consumers As MP Aims To Contat 1,000 Households
During this difficult economic time Tom Clarke MP will be on the doorstep of at least 1,000 households in his constituency as he wants to help people manage their finances and cope with repaying their debts.
The local MP today called for tough action on over the top charges on credit card bills and high cost credit on store cards. He is also calling for a ban on credit card cheques often received with new credit cards despite the customer never having asked for them.
Tom Clarke said: "Debt is a growing problem and I want to do what I can to help people who are struggling and prevent others from falling into debt. That is why I will be on the doorstep of at least 1,000 households, covering every part of my constituency, as I seek to establish the views of the people I represent. What I hear about time and time again are complaints from local people about unfair practices and rip offs. Whether its over the top charges on credit card bills, issues with people’s credit repayments or high cost credit on things like store cards, it's clear that something needs to be done to help consumers”.
The MP explained what he plans to do: “I’ll be putting pressure on the Government to take tough action and listen to the experiences of local people and come up with the answers. I will be calling on the Government to apply more stringent controls and regulation on the rates of interest charged on credit and store cards. And I think it's high time that we banned credit card cheques being sent to people who haven’t even asked for them - these are often a total rip off and can lure people into high interest debt. There should also be tougher and clearer rules for how rates are raised on existing debt, how payments are allocated to different sorts of debt - we need to ask whether it’s right that some credit card companies use repayments to pay off the cheapest debt on cards first leaving more expensive debt unpaid – and look in to how we can ensure people better understand that minimum payments can leave consumers paying off debt for years."
The MP concluded: “The response of this survey that I am conducting will be reported to Government Ministers. All the information and experiences sent to me by local people will remain confidential. I am confident that this consultation process will result in a fairer deal for local people.”