Hyphen PDA

Only a Debt Counsellor can arrange the cancellation of a Debt Review and this is not done through a Payment Distribution Agent. Your Debt Counsellor’s contact information can be found on the Form 16 which was signed at the time of application for Debt Review as well as on the Consumer Statement provided by Hyphen PDA.

Hyphen PDA provides an indicative balance per obligation on the Consumer Statement which is simply the opening balance and is reduced by the instalment paid monthly. This can never be accurate because the Credit Provider may have imposed additional charges for late payment, skipped payments, ancillary charges etc. The Debt Counsellor is in the position, on request, to get an updated and accurate balance from the Credit Provider. For further information, please contact your Debt Counsellor for an updated balance.

Outstanding balances do change for various reasons: (a) interest on the obligation is recalculated on a monthly basis by your Credit Provider (b) certain obligations might have been fully repaid while others may have been cascaded or even escalated because more money now becomes available (c) there may have been late or skipped payments and (d) the Credit Provider may have provided an updated balance to the Debt Counsellor. The balance at the PDA is indicative only – the obligation to the Credit Provider can never be annulled through the debt review process.

At inception, a debt review plan is calculated by the Debt Counsellor which is then submitted to the PDA for collection and distribution. The Consumer Statement balance per obligation gives the Consumer an idea how many months the plan still must run until expiry since certain obligations repay quicker than others. In the final instance, the Debt Counsellor will always be able to answer this question accurately and should be approached to do so.

Firstly, it should be remembered that Credit Providers are only paid within 5 business date from the date of collection via a Debit Order. It is a requirement in the National Credit Act that this is strictly observed by the PDA. The reasons for such an event occurring are usually (a) the Consumer did not have sufficient funds – the item was unpaid (b) an obligation was suspended because the reference number was unusable or by request from the Debt Counsellor. The Consumer Statement confirms when funds were paid to Credit Providers failing which, it is best that an enquiry is raised with the PDA.

The primary course of action is for the Consumer to make these changes with the Debt Counsellor, who will then also advise the PDA (the Debt Counsellor always needs to have contact with the Consumer). Hyphen can update a Consumer’s mobile number and email address.

Distributions to Credit Providers may be suspended due to account reference validations failing or if a distribution has been returned by the Credit Provider. Please contact your Debt Counsellor and enquire with them the reasons for the suspension and for the rectification of the suspension so that payment may be released.

Hyphen PDA emails Consumers a statement on a monthly basis. Additionally, access to a “portal” is advised to the Consumer monthly by means of SMS. This statement can either be emailed or viewed online depending on preference.

When a Credit Provider takes legal action against a Consumer, it is important to notify your Debt Counsellor immediately. The National Credit Act affords protection to Consumers and the Debt Counsellor is in the best position to counter this action immediately.

Hyphen PDA can provide a Notification of Payment which is a statement of monies paid by Hyphen PDA to Credit Providers on behalf of the Consumer.

Hyphen PDA is a public recipient on all banking platforms. Please search for “Hyphen PDA” in the search field for public recipients. Remember to use your ID number as the payment reference when making a payment to Hyphen PDA. For more information on how search for a public recipient please contact your bank’s customer care line.

Well done on settling one or more of your obligations! Generally, no action is required by the Consumer at all when an obligation is settled since the plan would cascade, which means that the additional money available would be used to settle the remaining Credit Providers more quickly.

It is never advisable to dispute your Debt Order as this may affect your whole Debt Review. If your Creditor Provider has already been paid, this will lead to your termination from Debt Review which could have some very severe consequences for you. Credit Providers would then have the right to proceed with legal action against you and repossess assets without the requirement to approach the Courts.

Beware! If your Debt Counsellor is using Hyphen PDA as its Payment Distribution Agent, then the bank account number to be used for payment will never change. There may be a chance that the person who contacted you wants to defraud you of your money. If in doubt, please do not hesitate to contact Hyphen PDA directly to confirm the account number to use for payment.

Beware! This may be another attempt to defraud you of your money. Fraudsters then ask you to pay the money into another bank account and your Credit Providers don’t get paid. This then leads to a termination by your Credit Providers and your assets can be seized without the intervention of the Courts.