Need to remove a default - debt in dispute

ExNicotineQueen

I apologise if this is the wrong forum, please move my post if you feel it is. The situation is this. I lived with my MIL for about 3 years from 2001 to 2004. During that time I must have at some point applied for a Fashion World catalogue. I never ordered anything from them, ever. So I left MIL’s house in 2004 and didn’t think anymore of it. In December 2006 (someone allegedly although I’m guessing the catalogue company sent out the goods themselves in the hope I would keep them) ordered a skirt from them in my name which was signed for/delivered to MIL’s house. MIL contacted me as obviously was wondering why I was ordering goods to her address. Embarrassment aside, I contacted Fashionworld, who told me to just send the goods back via the freepost envelope thing it came with. So I did that and thought no more of it.

About 6 months later they started to send letters to her address for missed payments etc. MIL again had to ask what was going on and I assured her that I was on the case. I contacted Fashionworld again about the situation and how I hadn’t lived there for x-amount of years, the clothing was sent back to them etc and the lady I spoke to on the phone said she would make a note of it on the account and the matter would be passed to their fraud team to deal with but there would be no further charges. I didn’t hear anything for a long time so assumed that the matter was dealt with.

Fast forward to early 2008 when Fashionworld started sending letters to my current address chasing the alleged debt. I certainly didn’t give it to them so I assume they accessed Equifax or Experian and checked on there or something. Unfortunately due to other issues going on at the time I didn’t bother to deal with the letters or chase them asking why they were still insisting I pay for this debt and eventually various DCA letters started arriving with the debt getting increasingly bigger each time.

My question is this. I assume since it has gone to the DCA’s that this is now noted as a default on my credit reference files. My first step will be to apply for a copy of both files which I will do later today. Secondly, since this whole mess is in dispute as I never ordered the goods in the first place and can prove I wasn’t living there, what bearing does that have on me being able to remove the default from my credit file?

Is it simply a case of writing to Fashionworld enclosing evidence of say a bank statement dated from 2006 at my current address and asking them to remove the default from my account because it is in dispute, or is it a case of going down the CCA request route to get them to remove it that way? Is there a template letter or guide I could use to draft a letter stating as such?

Any help would be appreciated.

ExNicotineQueen

Bump.

Anyone?

AliceBanned

This happened to me with Freeman's and they got their fraud dept involved. It came to light as I got a statement forwarded to me from my old address; with things that were ordered and not even in my size; so I contacted them and said i had not placed these orders. Once it was resolved they took the default from my file; it didn't take long. If for some reason they are not investigating and resolving this I would contact the police and see what they say; it is a crime which needs to be investigated and until the catalogue has had this done they probably won't remove the default notice. You could also try the FSA (Financial Services Authority); phone them or look on their website; they should give advice on this.