Debt collector calls - will they affect my rating?

poorlittlefish

I had mobile internet via Three with a dongle to keep me online for a few months between selling my old house and moving into my new one. I cancelled the contract in April 2012, giving the required 30 days' notice and I then cancelled my direct debit in mid-June 2012.

A couple of months later I started getting missed calls on my mobile but the caller never left a message. I found out that the number was from a debt collection agency working on behalf of Three. I called them and they told me I owed Three about £11 and, even though I'd cancelled in April, they didn't take the final payment until June, a couple of days after I'd cancelled the direct debit. I wasn't told there was anything further to pay, otherwise I wouldn't have cancelled the direct debit.

I'd received no prior phone calls or letters from Three, so I was really annoyed to have a debt collector chasing me. I'd notified Three of the address where I'd been living, but it seems they'd been writing to me at my old house. If they had checked Experian or whatever, they would have found my new address because all my bank accounts etc had been changed over. Obviously I paid the £11 and that was that.

What concerns me, though, is whether I now have a "black mark" against my name, through no fault of my own, and whether what happened could count against me. Can I just write to Experian and Equifax etc to ask for a note to be put on my records or am I forced to pay each agency to see what they hold on me? For a "debt" of £11 this doesn't seem worth it.

Many thanks.

UsetheFORCE

A black mark is probably a understatement, has the account been DEFAULTED???

If so, you need to rectify it or it will do serious harm to your ability to get credit...even for the sake of £11!!!

pauletruth

have you spoken to three.

Buzby

The only way to find out is to request a copy of your file - £2 is all you pay from whichever CRA 3UK report to.

The_Boss

poorlittlefish wrote: »

Can I just write to Experian and Equifax etc to ask for a note to be put on my records or am I forced to pay each agency to see what they hold on me? For a "debt" of £11 this doesn't seem worth it.

.

Or think of it another way - a default possibly being placed on your account/credit file, which for a "debt" of £11 doesn't seem worth it.

You can do a free online trial with Experian and Equifax to see the impact on your credit file. Otherwise, the £2 cost is very worth it at least once a year to ensure your file is up to date and accurate.