disputing adverse credit history.. help!!*Littlewoods*

[POBT]

Hi everyone,

 

I hope somebody can point me in the right direction regarding an old mail order account.

 

On my Experian credit report, I have lots of missed payments that I am disputing, I just don't know where to turn next.

 

Just a bit of background... Discount2Door is the company I held the account with, this was taken over by another company called Bargain Crazy - they are subsidiaries of Littlewoods.

 

Below is a letter that has been sent to both Shop Direct financial services, and the Information Commissioner. It outlines the entire saga...

I am writing with reference to account number ********.

I have been given your details by Experian to enable me to highlight information on my credit file that I feel is inaccurate, or misleading to potential creditors.

My account with discount2door was set up back in 2004 with which I had £100 limit. I always managed my account on line, until one time I attempted to log on and the website was no longer available. I realised that ‘Bargain Crazy’ had taken over from Discount2Door yet there was nowhere on the Bargain Crazy site that I could log in to view my account.

I called numerous times using the telephone number on the website, and also on previous statements to try to make payment, yet each time I called nobody could locate my account or even heard of Bargain Crazy/Discount2Door.

I was concerned about missing payments, and so again tried to locate my account. With the exception of this account, my credit file is immaculate. It isn’t usual practice for me to miss payment, in fact quite the opposite. I was calling to try and pay the balance yet nobody could find my records each time I tried.

After an agent again tried to locate my account and failed, I was advised that the account number didn’t exist, she has no idea who Discount2Door where, and if she can’t locate my account then I can’t make payments.

I had not long before this requested for my address to be changed as I had recently purchased a property. In light of the above conversation I had with the customer services representative, the website no longer existed, and the fact that I hadn’t been receiving statements. I naively assumed that the company Discount2Door had perhaps gone bankrupt. Bargain Crazy claimed to have taken over from Discount 2 Door on their website, yet nobody working for the company had any idea who they where.

A few months passed and I received a letter forwarded from my previous address. It was from Discount2Door advising that I was in arrears with the above account.

I immediately called the telephone number on the letter and again the customer services representative had no idea who I was, or Discount2Door. I again quoted my account number and still no record.

I decided to email the address on the letter but received undeliverable messages.

I called Discount2Door back and this time refused to put down the phone until my account was found and I could clear the arrears.

Finally after a very long time, my account was located. It was apparently on an old system, which was the reason my information couldn’t be located on previous attempts.

I promptly paid my account up to date and to avoid further problems decided to set up a direct debit.

The representative gave me the sort code/account number, which I arranged the same day with HSBC. I also requested for the address on my account to be changed to my new address as it hadn’t been changed after the last time I requested it to be.

I was still not receiving statements after this but was unconcerned as payment was leaving my account each month. I knew when the direct debit was due to finish and so thought no more of it. Discount2Door or Bargain Crazy had my new address and so could contact me if need be. (To this day, the address is still incorrect on the account)

Back in November 07 I received another letter forwarded from my previous address, again in relation to arrears on my account. I called the number again and was met with the same situation, no idea who I was, my account number wasn’t recognised and the representative had never heard of Bargain Crazy, or Discount2Door.

I advised the representative of the whole incident and that my account was on the old system etc. After a while longer my account was located. It turns out that I had been making payments, but they had been going to the wrong account number. (The account number given months prior) The representative kindly transferred the monies I had paid to my account. I paid the balance straight off my debit card and asked to close the account.

I made it clear to the customer services representative that I felt this was no fault of my own, and for this reason I felt it shouldn’t show as missed payments on my credit file. They agreed and assured me this would be the case, they also agreed that the account was/is paid in full and any missed payments related to the above were not my fault.

I have recently been refused credit on a number of occasions and for this reason requested a copy of my Experian credit report. I was shocked to see the missed payments on the report from you and equally shocked to see that the file was never updated even after full payment was received.

As this is the only file with defaults on my credit report, it is apparent that it is this account causing me huge problems with gaining credit elsewhere.

I called last week to talk this through with somebody at Shop Direct financial services, but my account number again wasn’t recognised. They were unaware of a company called Bargain Crazy, or Discount2Door and again I was told that if they couldn’t see my account then they couldn’t really help, I can understand this completely, but you must understand my frustration.

She was sure that Bargain Crazy and Discount2Door were nothing to do with Littlewoods, and even checked with her manager who backed up her claims.

I advised her that the email address on Bargain Crazy was a Littlewoods address.

She then offered to look into it and call me back.

I didn’t hear back and so managed to get the email address of Gill Butterworth from Littlewoods (E Commerce manager) who kindly contacted you on my behalf.

Gill called me back to say that you had actually managed to locate my account and that the file will be brought up to date removing any missed payments associated to the confusion.

I was thrilled. This has been causing me a lot of problems in moving my mortgage and understandably causing me huge stress.

I received confirmation from Experian but was surprised to see that the only missed payments that had been removed from my account where of the time that my direct debit had been paying into the wrong account.

I still have the adverse credit history on there from all of the times I attempted to make payment yet nobody could help me.

Experian have put a note on my file for potential creditors to read advising that I dispute the report from yourselves, but also advised me to contact you to request that you reconsider the missed payments.

I am writing to request that you remove the adverse credit from my credit file, only after much effort from myself is it that the account has been paid in full. I am still having huge problems re mortgaging my property because of the file and I truly believe this to be an unfair interpretation of my personal credit history. I tried time and again to rectify the situation to absolutely no avail.

I have also been given the contact details for the Information Commissioner to help rectify this for me but I thought I would try this route first.

I sincerely hope you can assist with this.

[jowalshy]

Hi POBT. Welcome to CAG. The letter sounds good to me. I would give them a timeline in which to respond and then send a reminder threateneing them with you reporting them to the Information Commissioners office. When claiming bank charges from the start we usually give them 2 weeks to respond as this gives ample time for your complaint to reach the right person in the right department.

[POBT]

Thanks for the reply,

 

I think I will have to start threat tactics soon, I seem to be getting nowhere with them at all. I have emailed the Information Commissioner this morning so fingers crossed I can get this sorted out very soon.

 

I have asked Experian to add some comments to my credit file regarding the dispute, yet I still can't re mortgage my property.

 

It's costing me a bomb as I have just finished my fixed rate period, my monthly mortgage payments have rocketed!...

 

arrrrgh... Im sooo angry!!!

[jowalshy]

Let us know how you get on and I hope it all works out for you. I would also check with the other credit reference agency in order to see if this problem is showing up on them as well. The other credit reference agency is equifax.

[POBT]

I will check equifax today.

 

I just received an email from Littlewoods asking me to call them in response to my email.

I have just called them to be met with the same answer... I can't find your account... never heard of Bargain crazy, or Discount2Door...!!!!

 

They are going to look into it and call me back!

 

Seriously, it's so rediculous i'm beginning to think it's a wind up.

[jowalshy]

If you do get any calls from littlewoods again, I would ask them to write to you as you will only correspond with them via letter.