Here's the founder of Debt Compare, Michael Leah, waggling his gut around in the office for a giggle in a video posted online.
I doubt it raised many belly laughs among unhappy clients of the company, which says it can help people struggling with debts.
Debt Compare says that it can discuss your income and outgoings with its “Personal Budgeting Service” to assess how much you can afford to pay your creditors.
It insists that it makes clear that it is not a debt management company and any fees paid by customers will not be used to pay their creditors.
This seems to have come as something as a surprise to clients I've spoken to, who've wondered why they were paying Debt Compare a monthly fee if they were still being chased by creditors and issued with default warnings.
One of them is Fahed from Essex, who made three payments of £346 to Debt Compare.
"After three deductions I was being contacted by my creditors who were saying they weren't getting anything and I was defaulting," he said.
"The whole reason for contacting Debt Compare was so I wouldn't get this stress.
"I contacted them and they said to ignore the letters from my creditors but that made no sense, they were supposed to be sorting this.
"I called all the creditors and they said they had not received a penny. I was shocked and didn't know what to do.
"I phoned Debt Compare and said I wanted my money back but they said they had worked on my file and would not refund me."
Another customer was Ben from Burnley, Lancs – like Fahed he asked not to be identified.
He had ten debts coming to around £8,000, and agreed that he could spare £100 a month, with Debt Compare taking £40.
“I was still getting letters and being charged interest by my creditors,” he told me.
“Debt Compare washed their hands of me even though they were getting £40 a month.
“They said I had been told that my creditors would still contact me but that's not what I was told at the start, I feel that I was misled.
“They had at least £500 of me.”
The Manchester company was founded by Michael Leah, 30, who has since resigned as a director but still works there according to his LinkedIn profile.
The sole director is now Fiaz Ashraf, 35, who's doing very nicely judging by his social media posts posing with a Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Audi R8.
Another posts shows a wrist wearing two Rolex watches while a third features a hand stroking a big bag of £20 notes. I'm sure the struggling clients of Debt Compare will be impressed.
The company responded to me through law firm Taylor Price, who said the vast majority of clients are “completely happy with the service they have received”.
The lawyers said that Debt Compare took only its agreed fees and no one was told that it would pay creditors on their behalf.
They told me: "Our client have conducted themselves correctly and have kept in constant correspondence with each of the customers."
A third complaint came from a Surrey nurse called Sarah.
“They cold-called me and the person said they were from the Citizen's Advice Bureau, that's what drew me in,” she claimed.
“My affordable repayments were worked out at £400 a month but after the first two went out I was still getting default letters.
“After that they took £40 a month, it left me in a worse situation that I was before.”
“When I complained they denied that they would have said they were calling from Citizen's Advice in their initial call, so I said that they claim to record all calls, so let's listen to the recording, but that's not happened.”
Debt Compare's laywers denied that Citizen's Advice was mentioned, saying they “unambiguously explained” who they were and what service was offered.
They did admit that the firm apologising and refunded £585.84 after taking an early fee deduction from Sarah one month and “the fact that she had not received the best of advice on the matter of potential contact from creditors during the process of adjustment and negotiation of a collective agreement.”
I forwarded the letter from Taylor Price to Sarah and she was so outraged that she replied directly to them to correct what she says are their inaccuracies.
“I was contacted in September 2018 by Debt Compare, this was a call out of the blue - I had never heard of, or had communication with, this company previously,” she wrote.
“My initial conversation was from a gentleman who stated he was calling from the Citizens Advice Bureau, this is something I mentioned several times during my relationship with Debt Compare.
“It was always vehemently denied, yet no one has been able to provide me with a transcript of the call to prove otherwise.
“I am not a stupid individual and fully aware of what was told to me during that initial liaison.
“It was decided I could afford £400 per calendar month to repay debts, the first three payments went to Debt Compare beginning November 2018. At this point I was unaware that this money would not be going towards my debts - I am fully aware I signed the paperwork, however I was misled over the telephone conversations.
"I had no spare resources to make payments towards my debt, so they went untouched. In this period six defaults were registered against my name as I did not make payments and Debt Compare did not contact them as I believed they would.
"In total I have given Debt Compare £2185.84, and had a refund of £585.84.
"I feel totally violated. I believe I was preyed on in my very vulnerable position and believe my dealings with Debt Compare have not only affected my financial situation incomparably but also had a negative impact on my mental,and physical, health."
PS Taylor Price have accused me contacting Debt Compare customers who have posted online positive reviews and “actively going around, telephoning their clients and inciting them to post negative reviews”.
Which is pure fantasy.
