Default on my credit report that isn't mine

angryman258

I recently obtained a credit report and saw a default dated 2010 registered by Orange, which I was surprised to see as I have never had an Orange phone.

The default was registered against my name, but against an address I have never lived at. The default also lists a date of birth of someone born in 1955, which is someone 30 years my senior.

I contacted Experian to get the default removed as it just looked like an error, and they in turn contacted Orange, but Orange wrote back to Experian to say that the default is correct!

So I contacted Orange, who have been as much use as a chocolate teapot. First I was told to go to a branch to get it sorted, but the branch said they couldn't help.

Then I was told that my query will be passed to the fraud team, but after a lot of calls I was told that the fraud team said that it wasn't fraud as payments were made to the account.

So I put my issues in writing to the Orange customer complaints team, thinking that my letter would end up on the desk of someone that could help, but I didn't get a response. So I wrote again, and didn't get a response.

So I phoned them again. This time the person on the phone had some information. They said that they had received my letters, and they had been passed to the fraud team, who decided it wasn't fraud and closed the complaint. He took a lot of notes, and said someone would call me back in 24 hours. But guess what, no one called! Aahhhhh

I got a copy of my credit report as we're moving house and are struggling to get a mortgage for the full amount. Without the default my credit rating would be at the top end of 'excellent'. With the default it's only just 'fair'. We were supposed to exchange contracts last week but couldn't and are at risk of losing the house (and all the money we've spent on legal fees, searches, mortgage fees etc).

I'm getting nowhere with Orange and spending hours on the phone. I'm writing letters that are just getting ignored. They just don't seem to care that they are causing my family so much stress. I can't believe that they would just ignore my letters but I'm the one doing all the chasing.

Has anyone had a similar experience? What can I do to get this sorted? I'm going crazy!

Any help gratefully received.

matttye

Tell Experian that they have put data on your credit file which has an address you've never lived at, and a completely different date of birth to you. Send them proof of your date of birth (scan/photocopy of driving licence ideally), and demand they remove the erroneous data.

Tell them there's absolutely no need to contact Orange. Tell them you're aware it's not fraud, it's just that someone at Experian has put somebody else's data on your file because you share a name, and you want it removing. There's absolutely no need at all for them to go to Orange. They can see from the information you have provided yourself that it shouldn't be on your file.

If they don't take the information off your credit report within 8 weeks, complain to the financial ombudsman, and tell Experian you will be doing this too.