Advice with default notice

Cee-Cee_3

Hello everyone

Although I have used the site lots of times before, this is my very first post and I'm not sure if this is the best place for it so sorry in advance

I am hoping to buy my first home with OH early 2011 and I checked my credit report on experian over the weekend which showed a default recorded against a Next Directory account from April this year. This would obviously make any mortgage applications very difficult or impossible.

The thing is that, although I have relied on credit cards and overdraft regularly over the last few years, I have always managed to keep it in check and have maintained regular monthly payments so that they are nearly paid off... I've even managed to put a little aside to start saving for a house deposit.

As far as I can work out, the default relates to an order I made online with Next at xmas last year which at the time I assumed I was paying for by card at the time. The order didn't turn up as expected and I checked my bank account which showed no payment taken and so I decided to buy the goods in-store instead. Then, in May this year, I was contacted by Lewis debt collection chasing payment for £96 on behalf of Next, warning me that I had 7 days to pay or they would send the bailiffs round!... so, thinking I just wanted a quick resolution to the matter I (probably stupidly) just paid the money over the phone, thinking it would just go away.

I now realise after some research and sleepless nights over the weekend that this is now on my credit record for 6 years and will probably destroy any chance of a mortgage in the near future.

Before everyone thinks I am completely daft, I could kick myself for not challenging the 'debt' in the first place since I never received the goods. I would like to think I would normally be more on the ball but my mum was terminally ill at the time and my priorities were elsewhere

I'm not sure what options I have now as the advice online seems to suggest it's rare to have a default removed. I'm worried that I've basically 'owned' the debt by settling it with the recovery company and not sure what I can do?

Any advice on whether you think I stand a chance of having the default removed and how to do it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the essay, lots of pent up stress...