O2 entry On Experian - nightmare!

jen0155

Hi,

We're at our wits end here and hoping for a bit of advice.

We're ready to apply for a mortgage and have gone through all the details with a broker.

However O2 are holding us back. When we got our experian record on May we were shocked to find an unpaid account in my husbands name. They had not tried to contact us in any way for over two years and We'd completely forgotten about it. (Our fault at the end of the day).

We paid the outstanding amount in full and O2 said that they would have to update the experian entry to state that it had been defaulted but was now settled. Over 4 months later the entry has not been changed so it still states that he has an unpaid account with O2.

(A bit miffed that we get a default without any warning letter but have been told the telecommunications industry have very few rules about this).

Whenever we call O2 we are told we can't speak to the department directly and get fobbed off being told that its being dealt with. They say that it will be changed - the time frame changes every time we call, but nothing ever happens.

We have contacted experian who say they will contact O2 but that has been fruitless so far.

Is there anything at all we can do? My husband has been transferred to supervisers and then their supervisers but they all seem powerless to deal with the particular department we need!

Any advise at all would be hugely appreciated. When I had an incorrect entry on my record Next changed it within 24 hours - do O2 have the resource to do this?

Thanks,
Jen

mildredalien

Sending letters to senior people by recorded delivery will probably work better than trying through phone

Also, I thought that you have to be informed of a default in writing for it to be valid? Are telecoms companies exempt from this for some reason?? It may be worth writing to them to ask them to prove that they gave you fair warning of the default, as if not it should be removed altogether.

jen0155

Thanks for the response.

When we emailed the department (the only way to contact them directly) with some legislation we'd found on the net, they responded saying that it did not cover the telecoms industry. We've only their word for it but not sure how to find out for sure.

So we've been focussing on at least getting it updated as paid - but even that is seeming too difficult.

A recorded delivery letter is worth a try!

DVardysShadow

As there is now no money in this for O2, the only department you will get to speak to on the phone is the fob off department. So you should have started with letters a while back. If a letter or 2 does not work, you need to involve the Information Commissioner's Office

jen0155

Yes I think we're slowly realising that - very frustrating. It must just be a sake of clicking a button or submitting a form. Like I said, Next had it changed within 24 hours and I no longer have an account with them - just good customer service!

knoxvillain

personally I would have tried the nicey nicey way first before quoting legislation at them. It worked with Vodafone for me.

jen0155

That's how we approached things back in may. It was only after several emails and getting nowhere that we eventually tried to push them to do something. No luck with either approach:(