ABSTRACT
Consumer misbehaviour is a relatively under-researched area. Far more attention has been given to the positive aspects of consumption. Consumer misbehaviour where credit is concerned is not new. Evidence presented in Chapter 1 demonstrates that as long as credit has existed, there have been some consumers who have refused or have been unable to pay their debts. What is perhaps different about contemporary consumer society is the scale of consumer misbehaviour, the variety of forms it can take and the responses of creditors. In social contexts where lenders and borrowers were personally known to each other, there was an underlying moral and ethical commitment to repay the debt. However, given the impersonal, institutionalized nature of credit authorization, that moral obligation is somewhat distanced. Default and delinquency in credit relationships can be understood within a broader context of consumer misbehaviour in consumer societies.
