About TCS
As Tasmania’s largest and most recognised debt collection agency, we currently assist over 3000 Tasmanian businesses with their credit management and debt collection requirements.
Through a thorough understanding of the needs and challenges of both our clients and their customers, we have continued to evolve to successfully meet debt recovery needs for over 140 years.
Tasmanian Collection Service specialise in providing debt recovery and credit reporting services. By having offices located in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie, our local relationships, knowledge and experience means that TCS can provide a responsive, quality and successful debt recovery service.
Tasmanian Collection Service was established in 1875 and has been under the current ownership of a Tasmanian family, now into its second generation, since 1964. We understand the issues impacting Tasmanians and have spent 140 years delivering results for Tasmanian government and business.
Our People
Tasmanian Collection Service is proud of their team of 30 local experts. With an average tenure of 14 years and a wealth of local knowledge and experience.
“MyState Bank have a longstanding partnership with Tasmanian Collection Service who have provided us with exemplary debt recovery services over many years. They are highly respected within the industry for their professional and ethical approach, and their local knowledge and expertise is easily relied upon and has seen them consistently deliver on outcomes. We are extremely satisfied with the high quality service we have received to date and look forward to continuing our partnership with TCS long into the future.”
“My relationship with Tasmanian Collection Services commenced in 1985. I have used all their services during the last 34 years. These services have been instrumental in maintaining operational and financial objectives. I have always maintained that a person owing money in Tasmania is most likely to take a notice seriously when received from TCS, as the TCS brand is so well known.
TCS has long standing relationships with people that owe money and assist them through the process of repaying debts. The online portal has been a valuable tool for ease of information, reporting, lodgement and it forms part of my risk assessment process in checking that a prospective customer hasn’t had a debt with us in the past. “
Our Customer Service Charter
At Tasmanian Collection Service (TCS) we aim to provide account recovery services which assist individuals and businesses to resolve problems caused by debt.
TCS is necessarily forthright in its approach, notwithstanding, we aim to achieve positive outcomes for both our clients and customers.
TCS is committed to our values of honesty, integrity, fairness, respect and confidentiality in all dealings with our clients and customers. We are dedicated to listening and striving for results that are pleasing for our clients and customers alike.
Vision
“To be the leading provider of quality debt collection and credit management services in Tasmania.”
“Leading Provider” means we will have the edge over our competitors in our chosen market with the offer of unique focus on our home economy with the most extensive experience in that area. Our services will be contemporary in but our focus will be offering traditional value to our clients through our core services.
“Quality debt collection and credit management services” reflects our commitment to ensuring our services are of the upmost quality incorporating compliance with key requirements.
Mission
“To provide trustworthy & responsible debt collection services and credit management within the local business community.”
“Trustworthy and Responsible” reflects the key dynamic which allows our clients to use our services both now and into the future. Mercantile collection and credit management is built of the basis of trust in what we do. This is a long standing value to the TCS name and one that must be maintained to meet our strategic aspirations.
“Local Business Community” reflects the core market of Tasmania to which TCS wishes to continue to maintain focus on.
The mission is based around ensuring TCS can be a leader in the Tasmanian Credit Industry in the provision of credit referencing and account recovery services to assist Tasmanian businesses to make informed judgements in managing the provision of their own credit.
Values
Our values describe how we are expected to behave as we pursue success. These values define what TCS looks and feels like to ourselves and our clients. TCS is a values-based organisation and as such, our actions and decisions must fall within the boundaries of these values –
Honesty
We provide honest and upfront interactions with our clients and debtors to achieve consistent results.
Integrity
We are accountable to our actions and committed to doing as we say.
Confidentiality
Trust is a bedrock for our business, we undertake all tasks and interactions with great discretion to maintain the trust of our stakeholders.
Fairness
We operate with fairness to all of our stakeholders and are responsible to each party in all that we do.
Respect
We show respect and value all stakeholders for their background, experience, style approach and ideas.
Effective and Efficient Customer Contact
Collection activity is initiated predominantly by sending a Notice of Demand, informing the customer that an overdue account has been placed with Tasmanian Collection Service. Such notice will include the creditors name, outstanding amount and the options available to resolve the account. The demand may be sent by mail or email.
TCS may also make contact by telephone or SMS.
TCS will aim to return all telephone calls on the same day and will attempt to acknowledge all emails within one business day of receipt.
Ethical Account Resolution
All Tasmanian Collection Service staff members are inducted and trained continually to adhere to relevant legislation concerning privacy, hardship, and other policies regarding debt collection.
Training includes, but is not limited to the Privacy Act 1988, ACCC & ASIC Debt Collection Guidelines, Australian Privacy Principles and Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act 2017.
Our employees are trained to listen and come to an understanding of our customer’s financial circumstances in order to work with them to bring about a favourable outcome to both customer & client.
Tasmanian Collection Service employees understand that each customer’s financial situation is different, so we ensure that payment methods and arrangements are tailor-made to suit the customer’s circumstances. These options are explained in plain and simple language.
If an error is made, we will work to the utmost of our ability towards resolving it and put in place measures to ensure that it doesn’t occur again.
Ethical Collection Practices
Tasmanian Collection Service staff members are well trained to conduct calls in a manner that is both respectful and constructive.
We will ensure that all payment arrangements entered into on behalf of our clients and offers of settlement are consistent with what is both best for the creditor and what is affordable to our customers.
Confirmation of repayment arrangements will be sent in writing either by mail or email.
Tasmanian Collection Service regularly searches for a record of bankruptcy for any customer with an account for collection. Collection action will cease immediately we become aware of the bankruptcy.
Protecting Customer Privacy
We take our privacy obligations very seriously. As a result, all actions and measures are taken to ensure that any information regarding the existence and the information contained within an account are safeguarded from third parties. This policy is only invalidated if the third party is authorised to speak on the customer’s behalf.
We proactively safeguard any confidential information our company is privy to, such as credit card details.
Any records containing collection activity done on our accounts will be documented appropriately and maintained for a reasonable amount of time.
We provide more details in our Privacy Policy.
Fair Litigation
From time to time it is necessary to proceed with legal action. Tasmanian Collection Service engages a team of Court appointed and licenced agents to handle service of documents and enforcement action.
Tasmanian Collection Service utilise the services of various law firms to carry out our litigation process, who will act ethically, fairly and in good faith.
Hardship and Financial Difficulty Guidelines
We understand that some of our customers may be experiencing financial difficulty or hardship due to a number of reasons. Our team can assist customers who are experiencing genuine financial hardship and will do so in a fair, considerate and compassionate manner.
Documentation can be submitted via our Financial Hardship Application form. Alternatively, this can be posted or emailed to you.
We understand that on some occasions accounts placed with Tasmanian Collection Service were incurred as a result of identity theft. Once advised, we will stop the collection process for a period of 20 business days to allow for an investigation to proceed. If this has not been completed within 20 business days we will contact you to follow up. If identity theft is then proven, we will immediately proceed to close our file.
Confirmation will be sent in writing of any agreed outcome either by mail or email.
Complaints
Tasmanian Collection Service is committed to resolving complaints effectively and efficiently. Please see our complaints page for further information.