Closed petition Outlaw financial penalties as a result of having no money

Closed on 15 August 2012

Currently we have a wide range of institutions (public and private) which apply financial penalties for any reason they can find.
Most common is failure to pay.

It is ludicrous that any person should be subjected to financial penalty in response to finding themselves without money.

The idea this is necessary as a deterrent to forming contracts that cannot be afforded ignores the credit checking system.
With consumer contracts often in excess of 18 months it is unreasonable to expect an individual to be able to predict recession, bankruptcy of employer, new bills through ill health or other changes of circumstance from the time at which the contract is formed which are beyond their control.

This petition does not seek to account for unwillingness to pay.

Simply that "It should not be legal to apply financial penalty in response to a person's lack of financial resources. Or force/incite a person to take any loan against such an event."