Swiss and German debt collection industry exchange ideas
Martin Wehrli, President of Inkasso Suisse and Kirsten Pedd, President of the Federal Association of German Debt Collection Companies (BDIU), exchanged views on common topics at the General Assembly of the Swiss industry association from May 5th to 6th in Arlesheim near Basel.
Both associations have developed codes of conduct in recent years that define rules for fair debt collection. The Code of Conduct of Inkasso Suisse has been in effect since December 1, 2020. Since October 1, 2021, the Code of Conduct of the BDIU has been mandatory for all members of the German Debt Collection Association.
Martin Wehrli explains: “With our code of conduct, we take into account both the legitimate interests of creditors to have their claims settled and the no less legitimate interests of consumers, whom we want to protect against abusive collection of claims. We see debt collection as a mediative, dispute-avoiding and communicative activity. This is the only way to reach amicable agreements. Both the Code of Conduct of Inkasso Suisse and that of the BDIU are formulated in this spirit.”
“Our member companies are a pillar of the economy. Especially in these economically challenging times, they ensure that companies are supplied with liquidity, thus securing entrepreneurial livelihoods and many jobs,” adds Kirsten Pedd. “However, debt collection companies only live up to this great responsibility if they treat everyone involved in the collection of receivables fairly. Debt collection service providers commit to this with our Code of Conduct.”
The two associations will continue the exchange that began during the development of the respective code, both bilaterally and within the European umbrella organization FENCA (Federation of European National Collection Associations), whose founding members include Inkasso Suisse and BDIU. A dialogue between the ombudsmen Stephan Glättli (Inkasso Suisse) and Brigitte Zypries (BDIU) is also to be initiated.