A customer is affected by family violence

The scenario

A customer hints, or states outright, that they are experiencing family violence. Perhaps a debt was run up by a partner, perhaps controlling behaviour has left them without access to money, perhaps they ask you not to send letters to their home. The signals can be subtle — a request for unusual confidentiality, fear in the voice, an account that no longer matches the person you knew.

This is the most serious situation a credit controller meets. Everything else takes second place to keeping the person safe.

What's really going on

Family violence is widely recognised as a driver of financial hardship and vulnerability. Economic abuse — controlling money, running up debts in a partner's name, sabotaging their ability to pay — is itself a form of violence. The person on the phone may be at genuine physical risk, and a careless action by a creditor can make that risk worse.

They are trusting you with something dangerous. Letters arriving at a shared address, a voicemail overheard, or a casual mention to "the account holder's partner" can each have serious consequences. Discretion here is not politeness; it is safety.

Your options

• Stop and stabilise. Pause collection activity straight away so nothing automated puts them at risk.
• Change how you contact them. Switch to a safe channel and time they nominate; never assume the home is safe.
• Refer to specialists. Point them to 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) and, for the debt itself, the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007).
• Protect the record. Note the file discreetly and restrict who can see the sensitive detail.

Recommended approach

Respond calmly and without alarm: "Thank you for telling me — your safety matters more than this account, and we'll handle it carefully." Ask how and when it is safe to contact them, and follow that to the letter. Pause active recovery, and never send correspondence anywhere they have flagged as unsafe.

Refer them to specialist support and, where the debt may not truly be theirs, to free financial counselling. Record only what is necessary, flag it as sensitive, and keep it away from general view. Merion's broader stance on treating customers fairly is reflected across the Merion site.

What to avoid

Never discuss the account with anyone other than the customer, especially a partner or family member, without explicit permission. Do not send letters or leave messages at an address or number they have said is unsafe. Do not press for payment or treat the disclosure as an excuse to be tested. And do not let an automated dunning cycle keep running in the background — the most dangerous failure is often the one nobody chose on purpose.