Feels like i'm loosing the battle

jessie4109

Having been reading on here for the past few days that Equifax don't automatically remove accounts with default date over 6 years old I thought i'd best pay the £2 and have a look for my own peace of mind that my old defaulted Natwest loan account had been removed. The worst case scenario I thought was that the default was still showing but no. The account was there just saying in arrears with a great big number 6. No default date just that I owed £X,XXX.

I've had enough trouble with this account and not having the default date applied with Experian last year and managed to get it put on this March right before it dropped off. At the same time Equifax had it recorded as defaulted!!!

Luckily I saved screen shots etc and had a scanned copy of the Natwest letter to confirm the default date that I used in previous complaint to ICO.


Now had to raise another dispute to try and get this account removed.

I've attatched copies of my proof so lets see what happens. I just wonder if they intentially irritate people soo much just to get the £2 fee!

Anyone else been through the same thing?

matttye

Are you saying the default has been removed and replaced with late payment markers? If so, it's highly unlikely Equifax would do that of their own accord - it's likely the lender has told them to do that.

jessie4109

I have checked the other CRA's and the account has been removed. On the Equifax report there is no previous account information and its starts from May 2013. The original default date is 18th April 2007. The start date is the same as my previous report had with the same terms etc. The lender had confirmed the default date in writing so i'm under the impression that once a default date has been placed on the file it can not be later have another default issued upon it or have it marked as being in arrears. I am desperate to sort out my financial future out.

matttye

jessie4109 wrote: »

I have checked the other CRA's and the account has been removed. On the Equifax report there is no previous account information and its starts from May 2013. The original default date is 18th April 2007. The start date is the same as my previous report had with the same terms etc. The lender had confirmed the default date in writing so i'm under the impression that once a default date has been placed on the file it can not be later have another default issued upon it or have it marked as being in arrears. I am desperate to sort out my financial future out.

You're right, they shouldn't change the date of the default nor should you receive more than one default for the same debt.

You should be contacting the lender though, as Equifax will not remove the information unless the lender tells them to. Write a letter of complaint to the lender (either to their data controller or credit reference amendments team) and send it recorded delivery.

You should be able to get it removed no problem, it's just that these things take time.

jessie4109

I've just checked my updated noodle report and now this too is showing as 6 late payments. I just want to cry.

matttye

jessie4109 wrote: »

I've just checked my updated noodle report and now this too is showing as 6 late payments. I just want to cry.

Have you written to the lender? They should remove the markers, but if they don't, you can complain to the ombudsman after eight weeks if the lender hasn't resolved the issue, or if they've sent you a final response.

jessie4109

Wrote to them last week but obviously with the bank holiday this will have slowed things down. I'm now playing the waiting game for the 8 weeks to be up. Sent off for an updated Experian stat report too so waiting for that to come in the post as I am guessing it will show up on there too.

If I have to take it to the ombudsman what exact legislation will I be using to get the account removed ?

matttye

jessie4109 wrote: »

Wrote to them last week but obviously with the bank holiday this will have slowed things down. I'm now playing the waiting game for the 8 weeks to be up. Sent off for an updated Experian stat report too so waiting for that to come in the post as I am guessing it will show up on there too.

If I have to take it to the ombudsman what exact legislation will I be using to get the account removed ?

I'm not sure about any legislation that covers the filing of default notices with CRA's, but the ombudsman doesn't only consider legislation (as a court would), but also common practices. Clearly they cannot file a default and then remove the default when it's about to drop off just to do further damage to your credit files.

Often companies try to suggest they are doing you a favour by switching a default for late payments, as late payments are not as damaging as a default. This is not always the case, however, as late payments will stay on your file for longer than the default would.

Once an account is in default it cannot then 'un-default' if that makes sense.

MAYA58

Hi, I am battling the same with a default notice since 2006 where Equifax or the lender change it to 2010 ???? so annoying, Noddle so good in correcting their data. Experian a week later, still fighting with Equifax.don't stop fighting.

jessie4109

I have just read about your problem regarding this on the back of the other post. I will keep this updated as soon as I hear anything. Seems like 1 step forward and 1000 leaps back!

jessie4109

In all honesty I don't think this will come off my report now until another 6 years. The account wasn't settled in the 6 years the account was defaulted so now I will have to wait until 6 years from settlement date, so 25th May 2019 until this thing leaves me. All my future plans gone up in smoke now. Only hope is that the complaint I sent to Natwest will help but I highly doubt it. I just feel like I shouldn't have bothered paying anything back and have let it gone SB!!!