What’s new at Gemstone
Consultation on Debt Management Guidance - June 2011

Today the Office of Fair Trading has released its latest consultation in respect of Debt Management.

We welcome this comprehensive document, and are pleased that some keys areas have received a particular focus, being:

As a founder and board member of the Debt Resolution Forum (DRF) we naturally already comply and advocate good practice in this regard. Gemstone's processes are robust and quite apart from our own comprehensive in-house training, we have developed a structured program of external development for staff centering around the only independently accredited qualification in respect of debt advice, being the Certificate in Debt Resolution.

Gemstone currently does not use any third party 'lead' generation service, and would only ever consider appropriately licenced businesses.

In summary, we believe the focus on a more prescriptive guidance for the industry is preferable, thereby removing any misinterpretation and / or ambiguity. Ultimately we anticipate this will lead to the marginalisation of inappropriate service provision, and hopefully lead to recognition for those like Gemstone that provide a valuable and professional service.

Gemstone take on Apprentices - May 2011

We have recently taken on two new team members through working with the local apprenticeship scheme. We are delighted and proud to be part of this initiative and Josh and Heather have made a fantastic start.  They receive support from the college along with ourselves and also gain a recognised qualification.  Gaining hands on experience whilst being supported by our experienced employees will further their personal development.

In addition to their qualification with the college they will also be introduced to our very own 'Gemstone Academy' which ultimately leads to a BTEC qualification, the Certificate in Debt Resolution (CertDR).  This will result in them having a well-rounded experience in business and specifically the financial management industry. We are sure this will be a very successful relationship for all involved and look forward to being a major part of their career development.

Apex DCM Debt Management and Debt Dr – April 2011

With the recent news of two debt management companies (Apex DCM Debt Management and Debt Dr) going into receivership, it is understandable that their clients will be extremely concerned on who to turn to next for assistance.

Being founder members of the Debt Resolution Forum, we at Gemstone believe in giving best advice to anyone who is suffering from the burden of debt. If you have been affected by the closure of either of these two companies, please call us on 0800 112 4313 as we will be able to offer you the assistance that you need with managing your debts. However, it is essential that you contact us as soon as possible to prevent any lengthy disruption on payments to your creditors.

As long as you can provide proof of your previous arrangement plan, we will waive all of our set up fees thus meaning your first payment to us will go directly to your creditors less our normal flat monthly fee.

Please feel free to call us to discuss your situation in further detail on 0800 112 4313.

The Gemstone Academy - March 2011

With an ever growing team we are continually developing new areas to develop our team. Passionate about developing our people, we have introduced the Gemstone Academy as a 12 month training programme for each of our team members.

This programme is expertly designed to take each of our team through a journey teaching them all important industry knowledge, customer care and negotiation skills. Putting this training process in place will ensure that we continue to build upon our service levels and continue to improve the results we achieve for our customers.

Always striving to be at the forefront of our industry each of our team members will also be taken through the process of achieving the BTEC Certificate in Debt Resolution (Cert DR) making us one of the few debt management organisations with a team trained to this standard.

Not just a new look – January 2011

Having been in this industry for over a decade now and continually aiming to deliver a market leading service we are continually developing internally to do all we can to reach that goal.

We pride ourselves on being different from others by having a business that treats all of its customers as individuals and have an experienced team of in house advisers and account managers. This ensures that we continually put our customers’ needs first and are in control of the quality of advice and service we provide.

With this in mind and new for 2011 we have unveiled the new look Gemstone, after a lot of hard work and we hope you like it. Now it might just look like a new website and new logo but the refinement and hard work has stemmed into all areas of the business.

For the turn of the year we have new team leaders in our account management and financial solutions teams. We have also made some major improvements to our internal IT systems resulting in both improved efficiencies and increased levels of service.

2011 is set to be a challenging year for many people and we are ready to provide our solutions time and time again for our customers and continue to set the standards for others to follow.