Doorstep visit from Fieldcall? Read this before you open the door

If you have been told to expect a Fieldcall doorstep visit, the underlying account has reached the field-agent stage — usually because letters and phone calls have not produced an agreed payment plan. The creditor has paid for someone to knock on your door in person, in the hope that face-to-face contact pushes the matter forward.

Fieldcall agents are doorstep debt collectors. They are not bailiffs, they have no enforcement powers, and you are under no obligation to open the door, speak to them or sign anything. This page covers exactly what they can and cannot do at your door, your absolute right not to engage, and how to bring the matter to a calm close in writing — including how an IVA stops them.

Who Fieldcall are

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Fieldcall is a UK doorstep collection service offering field-agent visits to lenders, debt purchasers, telecoms providers and utility creditors. Their agents are dispatched on instruction from the underlying creditor or debt owner — they do not own the debts themselves. Fieldcall is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer-credit collection activity and operates within the FCA’s CONC framework.

Two important framing points before any visit:

• Doorstep agents are debt collectors with extra steps. They have no powers beyond those of any other debt collector — they cannot force entry, take goods, threaten arrest, or insist on entry to your home.
• Their job is simply to make contact. Their incentive is to get a face-to-face conversation that leads to an agreement on the doorstep. That can be useful in some cases and unhelpful in others.

What Fieldcall agents can and cannot legally do at your door

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Fieldcall doorstep agents can:

• Visit your home at reasonable hours
• Ask to speak to you by name
• Hand over a letter or leaflet through the letterbox
• Ask whether you would like to discuss the account

They cannot:

• Force entry, even peacefully against your wishes. You are under no obligation to let them in or speak to them.
• Take goods. Doorstep agents are not bailiffs and have no power of distraint.
• Threaten arrest, court action or police involvement. The matter is civil, not criminal — false implication of police involvement breaches CONC.
• Disclose the debt to anyone else, including your spouse, family or neighbours, without your express consent.
• Continue the visit if you ask them to leave; they must.
• Refuse to identify themselves or refuse to show ID on request.

If a Fieldcall agent does any of the things in the second list, that is a complaint-worthy CONC breach. Note the time, the agent’s details, and what was said, and complain in writing — first to Fieldcall, then escalating to the Financial Ombudsman Service if not resolved.

What to do when a Fieldcall agent calls

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1. You do not have to open the door. If you do, you do not have to invite them in or have a conversation. “I am not willing to discuss this at the door, please leave the leaflet and I will follow up in writing” is a complete answer.
2. Take the leaflet, close the door, follow up in writing. Almost everything they want to discuss can be handled by post or email at a more measured pace.
3. Send a written request for contact-by-post-only. Under CONC, Fieldcall and the underlying creditor must comply. The visits stop.
4. Run the standard checks — section 77/78 CCA request, statute-barred check — before agreeing to any payment plan.

What the underlying creditor is trying to achieve

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Fieldcall is rarely instructed cold. They appear in the chain when the underlying creditor or debt owner has not been able to reach you any other way. So before agreeing to anything via the doorstep agent:

1. Identify the underlying creditor. The leaflet should name them. If not, ask in writing.
2. Decide whether to deal with the underlying creditor directly. This is usually more efficient than going through the doorstep firm — and the original creditor often has more flexibility on settlement.
3. Run the section 77/78 CCA and statute-barred checks so you know whether the debt is enforceable before discussing settlement.

What happens if you ignore Fieldcall

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Doorstep agents have no enforcement powers — so ignoring them at the door is not the same as ignoring a court claim form. The likely escalation:

1. Repeat visits — Fieldcall typically attempt a small number of visits over a few weeks
2. The file passes back to the underlying creditor or debt owner
3. The owner decides whether to escalate to a county-court claim through the Northampton bulk centre, or pass the file to a litigation solicitor
4. If a county-court claim is then issued and ignored, default judgment follows after 14 days

The leverage is highest before a CCJ is entered. A doorstep visit is a signal that the underlying creditor is preparing to escalate — it is a good moment to take action in writing rather than at the door.

Routes out

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• Pay the underlying creditor directly in lump sum or instalments — Fieldcall’s role ends once the account is resolved at source.
• Affordable repayment plan with the underlying creditor, in writing, based on the Standard Financial Statement.
• IVA to combine the underlying debt with every other unsecured debt over a 5–6 year term, with the unpaid balance written off at completion. Eligibility starts at around £5,000 of total unsecured debt across two or more creditors.
• Debt Management Plan for a smaller total debt that can be cleared within a reasonable period.
• Debt Relief Order for total debt under £50,000 with very low spare income.
• Bankruptcy where no realistic monthly contribution is possible.

Pitfalls when Fieldcall are at the door

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• Don’t agree to anything at the door. Pressure on the doorstep is the precise reason the visit was scheduled. Take the leaflet, follow up in writing.
• Don’t share bank details with a doorstep agent. Pay through the underlying creditor’s official payment channels.
• Don’t sign anything. Even seemingly innocuous “acknowledgement” forms can have implications for the limitation clock and any future dispute.
• Don’t engage if you suspect impersonation. Ask for ID, take down the agent’s details, and report any concerns to Fieldcall and (if relevant) the police.

Frequently asked questions

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Are Fieldcall bailiffs? No. Fieldcall are doorstep debt-collection agents. They have no enforcement powers — they cannot force entry, take goods, or compel a conversation.

Do I have to let them in? No. You have an absolute right to refuse entry. Politely ask them to leave and they must.

Can they tell my neighbours about the debt? No. Disclosure of the debt to third parties without your consent breaches CONC and is a basis for a complaint.

Will an IVA stop Fieldcall visits? Yes. Once the IVA is approved, all creditors and their agents — including doorstep firms like Fieldcall — must stop contacting you on the included debt.

Related guides

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• Resolvecall — doorstep agents in the Lowell Group
• Do debt collectors give up?
• How long can I be chased for a debt?
• Can debt be written off?
• How do I apply for an IVA?