The number of indebted individuals is increasing, but many who turn to the Enforcement Authority do not get through. More than every fourth call to the authority's customer service is disconnected.
According to the Enforcement Authority, the number of new cases has not been this high since the 1990s. Expensive food and electricity prices and high housing costs, combined with increasing unemployment, have led to many households being affected by debt collection.
It's a historic situation where we have case inflows that we haven't seen since the 1990s crisis, says Assistant National Enforcement Officer Cecilia Hegethorn Mogensen.
At the same time, contacts with the authority have increased, but a lack of resources has forced the Enforcement Authority to reduce its customer service, which Hem & Hyra was the first to report on. According to information from the authority, nearly 30 percent of calls are disconnected.
We choose almost every day between the plague and cholera, and whatever choices we make, they have different consequences. Now we have chosen to prioritize case handling over waiting times in customer service, says Cecilia Hegethorn Mogensen.
Long waiting times
Today, there is a six-month waiting period before the Enforcement Authority begins to review a case about debt restructuring, and approximately three months' waiting time to have a case reconsidered.
If you can't afford to pay the monthly fee, you can lose your debt restructuring, which is a disaster for the affected person, and we have considered that to be more important than waiting on the phone, because sooner or later you'll get through, says Cecilia Hegethorn Mogensen, referring to the "My Pages" function on the authority's website, where you can follow and manage your case.
Hoping for more money
No light is seen on the horizon regarding the influx of new cases, according to the Enforcement Authority. The hope is that the government will grant the authority increased funding in the autumn budget.
We intensely hope so. We know that the Minister of Finance is well-informed about the situation, and we're trying to use the resources we have as smartly as possible. But however we choose, there's a high price tag, and we're fully aware that it's very vulnerable people we're in contact with, says Cecilia Hegethorn Mogensen.
