Help needed on Orange default

[royboy68]

Hi all. Great site. Im looking for a bit of advice on a default registered with Equifax by Orange. To try and sumarise as best i can. I had a contract phone from orange from June 2002. During a particular traumatic part of my life in 2003 where i ended up homeless albeit only for a week when i was living in my car untill i was able to privately rent somewhere i got into a bit of trouble with my orange bill. My file is showing up with a few 1s and 2s until november where it hit a 3 and stayed there until Jan 2005 when i found out about it. I did arrange to pay it off but maybe that was a mistake and maybe i should have contacted them when i had the funds to pay it of as one payment as they then put a default notice on my file in Feb 2005. I dont remember ever recieving a default notice but maybe i am wrong. My questions are how do i find out if they did send one out to my correct address and what action i can take if they did do it wrong. I know its clutching at straws and maybe i do deserve it but im trying to sort myself out and have been doing for a while now. Recently did an AP marker with beneficial with ease and thought i would see if there is anything i can do about this. Any advice would be gratefully recieved.

[buzby]

Because Default Notices are sent in standard mail and not by Recorded/Signed for, it would be reasobable to assume Orange's automated system correctly logged that it had sent you a Default letter on the day stated, and that the PO delivered it. There's always the change it was mis-delivered or returned to Orange if it couldn;t be delivered, but the return of the Notice doesn't invalidate it, and there is no requirement for them to note its return.

Your contract will state they can serve a notice on you at your last advised address, and as far as they're concerned that is their obligation complete. If you don;t respond or don;t pay then the juggernaught rolls onward. For experience, the pragmatic view is to ignore the default and clear the debt if you can - it disappears from your record in 6 years anyway....

[royboy68]

Thanks for the reply Okanski. I did pay it off when i found out about it. When i did find out i contacted them and arranged to pay which i did within a couple of weeks. My point being that it was only after i contacted them and started to pay that they put the default on there. Surely with my new details they should have sent it to the right address. When i did contact them I didnt try to hide anything and gave them all my new contact details. Maybe im mistaken and did get a notice, it was a traumatic time. It seems unfair when they only do it after i contact them.

[buzby]

I agree. I think you should craft a letter to them, stating that when you relaised there was an outstanding balance you immediately made arrangement to have it replayed. You were never in receipt of a Default Notice and as such feel aggrieved that despite your best endeavours, Orange has placed a black mark on your credit file, aparently after-the-event and your agreement to reply. Expain that you feel their action was taken in bad faith, and as the account is now clear (?) hope that they will realise the matter has been resolved and the blemish on your credit record should be removed.

It can't hurt to ask nicely!