Confused by Credit rating

moneycrisis

Hi all,
I just thought i would get a credit rating from experian see where i was at now and then I thought do one quarterly to see how i improve.
Strange though when i received my report it included cards such as Debenhams Store Card with nothing on it and HSBC CC which is clear. They seem to be present but i thought i had closed them. If there are still active could this be affecting my credit rating. Was thinking of applying for a 0% card to try and speed things up but with such a low scoring dont think i will bother. Any ideas

smellysnelly2003

All cards you have ever had can be held on your record for six years

moneycrisis

i understand that but just wondered if anyone knows how to tell wether they are open or closed accounts cos surely if they are open that is extra possible debt that i have against my name.

lynzpower

I see what you are getting at here
Is it that the debenhams card was as far as you are concerned closed. But it is still showing as "open" & available credit to you.

Yes this will affect your ability to get 0% cards, as it looks as if you have credit available to you which you are not using.

Contact these companies and find out if they are open or closed. If they are closed, why are they showing up on your file. if like our freinds at Next who are REALLY bad at actually closing cards when we request, they have kept it open for you "just in case" you want to get into debt qwith them again, put a strongly worded letter of complaint together adn request a manager confirm the card is closed.

moneycrisis

thanks thats a job for this evening

lynzpower

the fewer debtors you have the easier it is to get low LOB or 0% cards is a general rule of thumb unless you have defaulted majorly in the past

moneycrisis

well i know i havent been an angel in the past with my repayments but the report says i had no CCJ's or a such but only scored 480 out of 1000. I'll get these cards closed down and see how i get on. What is LOB?