Disputes happen, and we are here to help
We have fine-tuned our Gentle Nudge Material Recovery service to focus on patron and community relationships alongside keeping library shelves stocked. In effort to maintain your library’s relationship with your patrons, communication is a key aspect of our service. At Unique, we keep communication professional and well informed and ensure that we follow established guidelines to guide patrons through the process by making it as clear and easy as possible to help them return their accounts to good standing.
A Dispute is a communication that patrons may submit to Unique. Unique takes patron protection very seriously and we operate in line with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This protection operates as a safeguard for all parties involved, and outlines best procedures for anyone who has been sent to collections. Most importantly for today’s topic, the FDCPA ensures protects the right to dispute, or contest, a debt.
How the Process Works
So, your patron has disputed their debt. When a patron disputes their debt, verbally or by written notice, two things happen: we are required to cease contact with the patron immediately, and a timer starts. This timer is set for 30 days, within which time we must verify that the debt does in fact exist, or that it does not (either due to errant information or the patron already having cleared their account). This is where you come in!
Our Disputes department will reach out to you requesting particular information on the patron’s account, including the amount of the debt and when the debt was accrued, in the form of physical proof most commonly satisfied by a screenshot of the patron’s account in your system, showing the overdue items and/or fines. After that, a few things can happen
- If we receive this information within that 30-day window, we can resume contact with the patron.
- If it appears that the patron was turned over to us erroneously, we will happily clear the account and return the patron to normal status!
- Finally, if the account sits for longer than 30 days without the verification we need, we will officially cease contact regardless of the account’s status in your system.
We take communication with your patrons seriously, and try our best to relieve stress from your staff’s shoulders when it comes to material recovery. As always, please reach out to your Customer Service Representative here at Unique if you have any additional questions!
-Written by Haley Laverty