Kruk S.A.

Many people are not aware of the consequences of the lack of timely payments of their loan instalments or utility bills. They are often also not aware of the rights of people with debts. What are the rights of creditors do and what activities are likely to be taken by a debt collection company? Answers to the above and other questions could be found during the national Consumer Awareness Fair held on 14 March 2010 in the Złote Tarasy (Golden Terraces) shopping centre in Warsaw.

The Consumer Awareness Fair was organised by the Association of Polish Consumers for the first time. The event was held under the auspices of the Lewiatan Confederation of Polish Employers. The most important institutions and organisations dealing  with the protection of consumer rights such as the Consumer and Competition Protection Office, Energy Regulatory Office and the European Consumer Centre were invited to share their experience and knowledge.
 
Apart from consumer organisations and authorities,  the fair was attended by representatives of business. The KRUK Group was among  the participants which in its stall provided advice and explained all the issues connected with debt collection and credit information reporting. KRUK’s participation in the fair was a continuation of the educational campaign targeted at people with debts initiated by the company last year.

KRUK Group employees were answering questions concerning the principles of debt purchasing as well as legal grounds of personal data processing. Consumers were able to find answers to the following questions:
- What are the consequences for people who are in arrears with their payments?
- When and on what principles a debt may be reported to the court and court enforcement officer?
- What happens when debtor details are reported to a credit information bureau?
KRUK representatives also presented the ethical norms professional debt collectors should follow and the fair collection practices implemented in the debt collection industry by companies and institutions associated in the Conference of Financial Companies.

The motto of this year’s fair was „Be a conscious consumer, be a responsible business owner – know your rights and duties!” Thanks to the above initiatives, consumers, consumer protection organisations and businesses may share their experience and knowledge on best practices and pro-consumer activities.

The 1st Consumer Awareness Fair was held on Sunday 14 March 2010 in the Golden Terraces shopping centre in Warsaw. Between 1 pm – 6 pm all visitors had a chance to meet and talk with representatives of consumer protection institutions as well as with business people promoting the idea of best market practices.