247orbital - the debt already is with a debt collection agency - its with Westcot. the account wont show as zero unless the debt has been paid. Also the credit reference agencies cannot remove a default unless they are instructed to do so by o2. the advise you have given will only make the situation worse.

is the credit file with Experian, Equifax or Callcredit? A D with Equifax is a Default, whilst a D with Experian means a Dormant account (a default with Experian shows as a 8) and for Callcredit a default would show as DT.

contact Lee at Vodafone again as Vodafone will be able to check to see whther they have recorded any adverse information on your credit file and it will save you having to pay Experian, Equifax and Callcredit.

Hi, Brandibroke, Have you contacted the Vodafone Web Forum on behalf of your friend? She will need to authorise you to help her deal with the account. As other people have mentioned, getting a copy of her credit file is really important. It would be best to get one from Experian and one from Equifax as not all lenders report to all three credit reference agencies (there is another one called Callcredit but Experian/Equifax are the biggest two) - this way she will see exactly what has been taken out in her name. In the case of Vodafone it would be worth contacting the Web Forum advising the situation. Rather than worry about the ins and outs of whtether a contract was signed (using the service and paying for it has tended to be taken as acceptance of the airtime agreement) she should ask for it to be investigated by the Fraud Team - if the application was processed over the internet it may be possible to prove impersonation fraud. If it was taken out in a shop she may be able to prove some sort of coersion - to prove this she will need to back this up with as much evidence of her ex's behaviour as possible - i.e. police reports. If she can provide this they may be willing to come to some sort of arrangement to either pay in instalments or reduce the debt. Another thing - dont forget he still knows all her personal details so she should get herself either registered with CIFAS - she needs to ask to be put on the protective register - this means whenever she applies for credit the lender has to follow more rigorous checks. She can also add a Notice of Correct to her Credit File with Experian, Equifax and Callcredit stating a certain password and advising that no form of credit must be given unless the password is quoted. Finally - good luck to your friend and dont forget that the CAG and Citizens Advice Bureau etc will offer her support and advise regarding her finances.

when you agreed to the airtime agreement/contract there would have been a clause included which advised that your payment history would be provided to the credit reference agencies. they are not obliged to send you a default notice but usually will send a letter advising that a default will be recorded for non-payment.

Its not a form of credit therefore the CCA is not relevant to a mobile phone contract. You will have agreed to them sending your payment information to the credit reference agencies when you agreed to the contract. They are not obliged to send you our a Default Notice, however most will send a warning letter advising that a default will be recorded for non-payment.

did you pay the outstanding invoice in January? When was the invoice due? are you showing late payments on your credit file followed by a default status?

your credit card would have been used to check your identity, plus you would have been credit checked. if you don't pay you will end up with a default which will potentially stop you from getting any other form of credit i.e. another contract mobile fone, car loan etc.

did you clearly state as part of the case that you wanted the default removed?

You state that there is urgency to the situation because of a mortgage, you have been offered support by someone at Vodafone based in the UK, yet you are still choosing to ignore that offer of help and go a long winded way of trying to get this issue resolved.

Hi, You've had an offer of help from someone who works at Vodafone, therefore it would be sensible to take up that offer. I agree with sending the info by recorded delivery but there is no harm in getting the info to Lee_Vodafone as he will then be able to deal with your query immediately for you rather than wait on the recorded delivery letter to get to Vodafone.

If you've been in contact with Equiax then use them to raise a query to Vodafone. They will be able to provide Vodafone with the account number. Vodafone have bought several companies out in the last few years and therefore older information may not be easily available on their main billing system. Was the account taken out through Singlepoint or Carphone Warehouse at all? Equifax will liaise directly with the department at Vodafone who are responsible for dealing with credit file queries. I believe their address can be found on your credit file (I know my Experian credit file shows a list of useful addresses for all the lenders I have agreements with).

Have you raised a query through Experian or Equifax? They will contact Vodaofne and will be able to quote the account number?

Don't forget that prior to an account being settled there's only so much account history prior to the settlement status that can be held. Its either 36 or 48 months worth of history so as new history gets added to an account the older history starts falling off so in that sense the account may have had historic late payments but if you keep the account going and pay on time each month the old late payments will fall off your credit file.

any account that is settled will be removed from your credit file completely 6 years after the settlement date. any account that is defaulted will be removed completely from your credit file 6 years from the default date regardless of whether it is settled as a later date i.e. account defaulted in 2005 but default then satisfied/settled in 2007 will be removed 6 years from the 2005 date. the same rules apply for CCJ's and bankruptcy

Speak to Experian again - you should be able to Dissassociate yourself from your father. Under the rules of 'third party data' whoever is credit checking you must use your title, full forename, middle initial (if applicable) , surname and date of birth so that they are purely credit checking you (and anyone you are financially linked to).

you need to be more specific in what 'data' you are after as they have different addresses for different departments

Write to the following address as according to my credit file from Experian this is the department that deals with credit file issues. If they've sent you to a debt collection agency they are probably going to record a default if they haven't already done so. Quality Assurance Pembroke House Vodafone Limited Banbury Business Park Aynho Road Adderbury Banbury Oxon OX17 3NS

Can you be more specific in what you mean? I think this is the address for their Customer Realtions Department.

CIFAS markers are held at address level

I believe they have an eForum Team on their website or you could write to their Customer Relations Department. Have you received your final bill and does it state on the bill how the payment will be taken? Usually it will say whetehr its on direct debit and when the due date of the direct debit is. Have they sent you any previous collections letters regarding the outstanding?

Have you checked to see if its covered under your house insurance? Sorry can't be more helpful, but that's the only other thing I think you could do.

Here's the address to write to: Customer Relations Vodafone Limited Babbage House The Connection Newbury Berkshire RG14 2FN England

The Consumer Credit Act stuff is a waste of your time as they are not regulated by this. Write a letter to their Customer Relations Department in Newbury - they will deal with your dispute and if there has been any impact to your credit file they will liaise with the Vodafone Department respnsible for that. Advise the DCA that the account is currently in dispute.

Singlepoint were an independant service provider who used both the O2 Network and the Vodafone Network. Singlepoint would have sent you the invoices and again it would have been Singlepoint who levied any late payment charges, not the networks. Vodafone acquired Singlepoint several years ago (approx 2005) and Singlepoint as a company ceased to exist. I don't know how you would go about claiming charges against a company that no longer exists, but there may be someone on the forum with some legal contract knowledge who could help.