My 'fair' credit rating has got me stuck!

jdw1_2

I owned a Topshop store card I routinely paid back my bills when I was sent statements. Between 2007 and 2011 I was a student and from September 2011 until January of this year I lived at a temporary address when I first moved to London to start my first job. Therefore, my parents would forward my statements to me to save me changing my address on the card every few months. This is a common occurrence for many people in my situation. However around September last year I stopped receiving my bills. When I investigated this in December I discovered it was because a bill had been returned to sender and a trace had been put on me.
Whilst I accept that I should have realised I had not been sent my bill and contacted Santander Cards, nobody contacted me to let me know that this had happened and the system of forwarding on my bills had always worked before. However when I discovered the problem I found I had been charged late fees for those months where I didn’t receive a bill and have also been left with those instances on my credit rating.
Due to owing little over £100 for 3-4 months I have since found myself blocked from getting a credit card or even opening another current account. After further investigation I discovered I had 'fair' credit rating but this has still meant that HSBC would not give me even another current account. For someone of my age and stage access to these banking services is essential. However by asking other banks I risk being rejected and therefore making my credit rating worse again. Hence the result that I am trapped and would love some advice! I am being punished in a manner that I do feel fits my crime of missing payments on a fairly small amount because I did not receive statements.

BugsyBrowne

As credit ratings are only visible to lenders when credit scoring you not sure where you got this FAIR rating from unless it's from those silly CRA's that sells scores.

Small amount is regarded as a missed/late payment however way you look at it.

jdw1_2

I found out I had a 'fair' score when I used experian (recommended by the bank) to find out where I stand.
My problem is that I am being treated the same way as someone who owes a lot more than I did and I want to know if there is a way that I can be treated in a way that reflects my situation more fairly. Aside from these three missed payments with Topshop I have never missed a payment on anything.

BugsyBrowne

jdw1 wrote: »

I found out I had a 'fair' score when I used experian (recommended by the bank) to find out where I stand.
My problem is that I am being treated the same way as someone who owes a lot more than I did and I want to know if there is a way that I can be treated in a way that reflects my situation more fairly. Aside from these three missed payments with Topshop I have never missed a payment on anything.

Advised by your bank to check your experian report not the worthless scores I might add as these are not a true reflection on how a lender would view you.

Unfortuantly it's law that missed/late payments MUST go on to each CRA'S It's done now and afraid you can't do anything about it.

CLAPTON

check what your credit files actually say

if they say you missed three payments then there's little you can do as this is correct



however in future maybe consider using the internet to access a/cs.

innovate

jdw1 wrote: »

However around September last year I stopped receiving my bills. When I investigated this in December I discovered it was because a bill had been returned to sender

So the 'system of forwarding' you put in place has failed somehow

jdw1 wrote: »

....nobody contacted me to let me know that this had happened .....

How do you know nobody tried to contact you, given that your mail-forwarding-system failed at least once before? How do you think companies should be contacting you, other than on the address you gave them to contact you at?


I am afraid, I think you should stop moaning and blaming others for the failures that happened because you chose to make mail-forwarding arrangements that didn't work flawlessly. Expensive and painful lesson to learn, but you need to assume responsibility for your own actions, and you need to pay back your debts in the manner agreed.

You could apply for a basic bank account, perhaps, to tide you over until your late payment markers have disappeared from your credit files. They'll take some 6 years to go, though, unfortunately.

BASFORDLAD

Just open a basic account or a straight forward building society account

No reason you cant manage without an overdraft etc.

So get down to your local building society and stop whinging

pmduk

Sadly, you've come unstuck through your own fault. This is a pretty unforgiving forum when the customer is to blame. If you learn nothing else from this, just learn who you owe money to and when payments are due. It may save you a fortune in the future

innovate

pmduk wrote: »

This is a pretty unforgiving forum when the customer is to blame.

Yeah, it might sound pretty unforgiving - - - but most people on this forum live in the real world and provide realistic responses.

Most people here realise that they are responsible for the money they spend, and that they cannot spend money they do not and will not have.

The few who don't realise that simple fact need to ask themselves who would foot their bill and why.

May be it would help them if they considered how they would react if they were asked to pay someone else's bills? But to start with, they should give priority to settling their debts.

jdw1_2

I did not mean to come across as whinging, moaning or as someone who blames others. I got into trouble through a miscommunication with a store card company (who actually could have phoned me as they had done beforehand) and whilst I take full responsibility for my money I felt trapped by a small mistake.
I thought this was a site for advice rather than an unsympathetic place where I would actually be make to feel worse about my situation.
Of course I have learnt from my situation, that obviously happened straight away- I will never take out another store card and will keep careful track of all payments in future. I simply hoped that someone else who is not perfect might have some advice.

innovate

Sorry but your are whingeing again.

It has been suggested twice you should look at getting a basic bank account, and check what your credit files actually say. There's not much else you can sensibly do in your situation right now.

There are other boards on MSE where you get hugged and kissed - if that's what you were looking for, go there. They won't give you pointers on how to get your finances back on track though.