@vodafoneuk Vodafone incorrect default on my Credit File -not my fault - they keep promising to sort it since August 2015

[natalyakub]

Hi all,

 

This is my first post on the consumer forum.

 

The error that Vodafone is continuously failing to correct causes me great distress and badly affects my health. I have tried to sort this issue personally through Vodafone Customer Service making endless phone calls but it got nowhere. I was going to take the mortgage in March but Vodafone INCORRECTLY has placed a Default Account on my Credit Rating which prevents me from getting a mortgage.

 

I have written formal complaint to Vodafone Customer Service that was posted to them on 14/10/2015 but the letter was never acknowledged and I have never received a response from Vodafone.

 

To cut the long story short:

 

I had Vodafone account opened in September 2013. I have systematically paid monthly payments of £39.50 up until December 2014 (shown on my bank statements). I then accidentally stopped the Direct Debit to Vodafone and I had accumulated some unpaid months to them. I have paid all those unpaid months on 29.05.2015 plus all the future monthly payments up until September 2015 (I had minimum 2 years contract) in one payment of £380.40. The reason I paid all the future payments on that day is because I asked the Vodafone Customer Service to close my account during the same phone call on the 29.05.2015.

 

1. Vodafone has failed to acknowledge internally in their automated system my payment to them on 29.05.2015 of £380.40

 

2. Due to Vodafone failing to acknowledge my payment they employed the Debt Collection Agency to retrieve the payment from me and more importantly they incorrectly put a default account on my Credit File in August 2015. I'm in the process of applying for the mortgage and imagine what impact this incorrect Vodafone default account has on my chances of being approved.

 

3. After the Debt Agency started to chase me for the payment I have brought a proof of the missing payment to the Vodafone store first in August 2015 and then I was asked to do that again in September 2015 and the store manager made a note on my Vodafone account about witnessing the payment. I then had spoken straight away to Vodafone customer service on the phone and they said that they will be processing a Missing Payment Form and once done the information of payment clearance will be passed on to the Debt Agency and my Credit File will be cleared. I note that this was done in September 2015.

 

4. After giving 7 working days (in September 2015) for the Missing Payment Form being processed I have spoken to Debt Collection agency and they said that they still haven't received any instructions from Vodafone to close the issue. I have spoken to Vodafone Customer Service again and they again confirmed that they have submitted Missing Payment Form. I have spoken to the Debt Collection agency a week later and they said the issue has been put on hold for further clarification. I think they realised that I don't owe the money to Vodafone because I've sent to them the copy of my bank statement but they were not receiving instructions from Vodafone to close the issue of this debt.

 

5. I now checked my Credit File for the first time on 23.02.2016 as I'm just about to apply for the mortgage and it still shows Default Vodafone Account! Bearing in mind that Vodafone confirmed processing Missing Payment Form back in September 2015 they had 4 months to clear my Credit File from the default account, however, this still hasn't been done.

 

6. I have called to Vodafone again yesterday (23.02.2016) about the issue. Vodafone Customer Service yet again acknowledged over the phone the note from Vodafone store manager on my file made in September 2015 about witnessing the evidence of payment. They said that they had submitted the Missing Payment Form AGAIN and he said it will take 3 (three) months! to clear my Credit File from default.

 

But I was reassured previously by Vodafone Customer Service that the Missing Payment Form on that payment was processed back in September 2015 and they had 4 months since then to clear the Credit File but this hasn't been done! (I mentioned this to Customer Service). How can I allow another 3 months of empty promises to find out in May 2016 that nothing has been done.

 

I have read on the Internet an Experian expert saying that changes to the Credit File can be done overnight. The house prices are rising every month and I have been waiting since September 2015 for Vodafone to clear my Credit File from the default account that they had put in their error.

 

I have no idea what to do anymore and who to speak to about resolving the issue and clearing my Credit File from the wrong default. Vodafone is promising to clear the error since September 2015. Since September 2015 they endlessly saying to me that the Missing Payment Form has been submitted and that I should wait for the Credit File to be cleared of the default.

 

I'm worried that Vodafone will incorrectly make changes to the Credit File simply by showing that I have paid the default money. But I need the fact of default removed from my Credit File because all of the due payments were made by me in May 2015. The default was put incorrectly in August 2015 when I in fact didn't owe any money to Vodafone by then.

 

I'm also worried that Vodafone will reactivate my account once they acknowledge the missing payment when in fact I have asked to close my account in May 2015 and paid all the due payments then. I've asked the Vodafone Customer Service many times to send me the letter confirming that my account has been closed in May 2015 but they have never sent it to me.

 

Any advice on how to resolve the issue with removing the Default Account History from my Credit File and getting the Vodafone to confirm that my account has been closed in May 2015 would be greatly appreciated.

 

Kind regards,

Natalya

[silverfox1961]

Hi and welcome to CAG

 

As it stands, VF defaulted you AFTER you had cleared all the arrears and paid off the balance of the account. As you are trying for a mortgage, this default may cause you losses.

Have you been refused credit or a mortgage since the default was added? If so, you may have suffered a loss which can be reclaimed from VF.

 

We do have a rep that comes on here and 'may' be able to assist. If he does come on he will direct you to the VF website and assist in getting the message across.

 

In the meantime, you submitted a formal complaint which wasn't acknowledged. Do you have proof that they received it. If not, you may have to start this process all over again. You could also go the the telecoms ombudsman although they may pass it back as VF have no record of the complaint. If you do have to re submit a formal complaint, can you ensure that it is clearly headed 'Formal Complaint' as some companies won't deal with it as a complaint but more of a query.

 

I would send VF a SAR This costs £10 but should get back all the account history which may show what has gone wrong.

 

You will be unsurprised to know that VF are the worst company in the UK for complaints and are under investigation by OFCOM

[natalyakub]

Thanks Silverfox,

 

Yes, that correct. Vodafone has sent to me Overdue Payment - Final Notice on 2nd July 2015 saying that I've got 14 days to pay or they will register my account as a bad debt with a credit reference agency. However, I have an invoice from Vodafone that says Early Termination Fee for £380.43 dated 29.05.2015 and it's supported by my bank statement.

 

I have reported the issue to Ombudsman back in September 2015 but didn't follow it up. I had posted Formal Complaint in October and had to wait for 8 weeks for Vodafone to resolve. I wasn't aware of the Default Account on my Credit File back then and got carried away with everyday life as the debt collection agency stopped chasing me for the money after putting my debt account on hold for further clarification.

 

I have posted another recorded Formal Complaint today specifically asking to clear my Credit File from incorrect Default among other requests.

 

I have also followed up this issue with Ombudsman saying that since my first email to them in September nothing has been resolved.

 

I have also disputed yesterday the Default Account with Credit Agency and see what happens.

 

I'll wait for 8 weeks and then will be going to Small Claims Court if the incorrect history and Defaulting my Account in Credit FIle is not removed by then.

 

I have tried to report it to Ofcom but couldn't find the correct link for that. I wonder what will be the result of the investigation by Ofcom. Vodafone is a giant and I don't think they will ever get suspended from operating.

[natalyakub]

I have sent the first Formal Complaint in October unrecorded.

If Ombudsman makes me wait another 8 weeks for Vodafone to resolve, will I be able to go to Small Claims Court without trying to resolve it via Ombudsman first?

[silverfox1961]

If the Ombudsman comes back (eventually) with a resolution you don't agree with, you are allowed to disagree and take court action. Also, rather than a full Ombudsman looking at your case, it may be an adjudicator and if the adjudicator doesn't agree with you, you can then escalate it to the full Ombudsman.

 

If you take court action before any decision by the Ombudsman, their role must stop.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi Natalya,

 

Thanks for making me aware of this.

 

I've got your email and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Operations

 

Vodafone UK

[natalyakub]

I made 3 phone calls to Vodafone today.

 

1st phone call.

 

I spoke to the lady in the Credit File Department.

 

She couldn't resolve the issue because she said that the unpaid balance of £264 is still showing on her screen and I need to speak to the Customer Service for them to close the unpaid balance.

 

I think clearing my Credit File would be another hassle. My Credit File on Noodle is showing that my Account with Vodafone went into Default in August 2015 after the late payments started to gather on January 2015. I paid everything off in May 2015 and closed the account at the same time. However, the lady from Credit File Department said that on her screen it shows that my late payments has started in June 2015 and that my account is not Defaulted. Bearing in mind that it's the lender who does any changes to the Credit FIle - I have no idea how Default appeared on my Credit File if Vodafone Credit File department hasn't even defaulted it according to that lady. Vodafone is a complete mess.

 

2nd phone call.

 

I spoke to the Customer Service straight after.

 

They said that the unpaid balance has been closed from their side on 24.02.2015 and that I need 28 days! for that info to be passed on to the Credit File Department. I don't understand how living in this age passing the info from one department to another takes 28 days. I would think they must have one database for every account and if the changes has been done all the departments should see it because they are accessing the same database.

 

3rd phone call.

 

Called to Vodafone Customer Service again to confirm that my account hasn't been reactivated as per previous phone call I was assured that the unpaid balance was closed.

 

After I asked if I have any unpaid balance on my account I was said that i have no unpaid balance. However, he said that the amount of £264 has been "rolled off". I asked what "rolled off" means and he said that the unpaid debt of £264 has been passed on to the Debt Collection Agency for recovery but because they failed to retrieve it from me it was returned to Vodafone. He then said that Vodafone has paid that amount (???) without trying to get it from me but as a result they recorded a bad debt on my Credit File.

 

I then went on explaining to him the whole story again about going into the Vodafone store in September with the bank statement supporting my payment of £380.43. He said that they can't find my payment in the "old system" and they are now liaising with the Quality Assurance to find the missing payment.

 

I strongly advise for anyone trying to sort issues with Vodafone to record the Phone Calls because when I asked Customer Service during the 3rd phone call what sort of notes they have for my account for September 2015 - they said that the ONLY NOTE they have made on 26th September was that Customer Service was filling in the Missing Payment Form and the phone call has been cut and in the middle of the process so he couldn't finish it without me being on the phone with him. They tried to call me back but couldn't reach me.

 

But the fact is that I have spoken endlessly time and time again with Customer Service in September 2015 and they kept reassuring me that the Missing Form has been submitted and that I have to wait few more days for it to be processed. Also they have only used to inform me over the phone that the Missing Payment Form had been submitted. They have never asked me for any information to fill it in. Vodafone is amending the notes for my account in their favour! This is just unacceptable!!!

[natalyakub]

Thank you Lee,

 

I will be looking forward to the issue get resolved ASAP.

[silverfox1961]

 

I will be looking forward to the issue get resolved ASAP.

 

Don't hold your breath! If they are having trouble with the old system AND trouble with the new systems, where the hell does that leave the most humble of customers. Do Vodafone actually care (and that is a rhetorical question)

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi Natalya,

 

I'm sorry to hear that this remains unresolved.

 

Although I wasn't able to get to your email last week, I'll aim to get back to you later today.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Operations

 

Vodafone UK

[natalyakub]

Hi Lee,

 

I have sent to you an email but haven't got the reply yet.

 

Yes, the Credit File issue was promised to be sorted and I'm waiting till 24th March to see the update on Noddle.

 

The email that I have sent to you is regarding the confirmation that my account with Vodafone has been closed. I just wanted a confirmation from Vodafone via email that my account has been closed as per my request in May 2015. Can you send me this please?

 

 

 

Many thanks

Kind regards,

Natalya

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi Natalya,

 

I've got your email and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Operations

 

Vodafone UK