Default notice has wrong name. Advice please.. :)

cartika

Hi,
Just to give a bit of background I have been keeping a clean credit file i.e. no missed payments on credit cards or phone bills etc. for the last 4 years and was expecting my credit rating to improve last week when 2 pesky red defaults dropped of my file after 6 years. This is indeed correct for my call credit and equifax files however when I checked experian although the file was clear of these 2 there was another default on a 'small' loan I had forgotten about with (unfortunately) Provident Finance.
I really had forgotten about it and when I got my statutory report from Experian I remembered why. It is filed under another surname although the address and date of birth are correct. I was suffering ill health at the time of this default but can just about remember getting letters addressed to this name, none of which I opened and were returned to sender. I was therefore never sent a notice of default in my name regarding this.
Does any one know whether I have grounds for having this removed from my experian file on the basis that I was never made aware of the original default?
I am nervous to get in touch with Provident at this stage as if left alone the default would drop off in July 2015.
Any advice much appreciated as I thought I was nearly there this time last week and this has got me down......
Thanks....

rizla_king

How did it end up in a different name? I would imagine if challenged they would just correct the name rather than remove it.

redpete

So you acknowledge that the debt is yours but under a different name that is coincidentally the same as the name on those letters you ignored?

cartika

I'm guessing that the original loan agreement that I signed was 'mistakenly' filled out with a similar sounding name to mine. As I mentioned I was ill at the time (one of the reasons I would have needed such a stupid loan) and I certainly didn't notice if this was the case. As for the repayments I made some to the agent but then had some time in hospital. As much as I recognise it as my debt now, at the time I honestly forgot all about it and the agent never called again. As for ignoring the letters, they were not addressed to me and I have had various other mis addressed items.
What I'm wondering is if it is worth approaching provident and offering to pay the small debt in exchange for removal of the default bearing in mind that all written correspondence regarding this (I assume original agreement included) has been mis addressed.
I guess the question is whose responsibility is it to make sure this information is correct?
Thanks in advance.

Eonel

cartika wrote: »

I guess the question is whose responsibility is it to make sure this information is correct?

This is not the question.

You have admitted that the loan application was 'mistakenly' filled in with a similar name to yours. This would potentially be considered as defrauding the loan company if it came to light.

In your position, I would leave it well alone and wait until the default drops off next year.

shortcrust

My advice is to wait patiently until it drops off and count yourself lucky you've not ended up with a fraud marker on your file (yet).

cartika

Hey hey hey...... I have not committed ANY fraud.
There is no way that I would have given an incorrect name knowingly. I can only assume that the agent filled the documentation in for me to sign and either misheard or misspelt my name. I also assume that she checked identification and should have cross-referenced but either way it is on my file with the wrong name.
If I was to contact Provident it would not be to try and deny the debt but come to some agreement where they remove the default record from my account. Trying to wriggle out of money I owe is not what this post is trying to achieve but some advice on how to finally get a clean credit report.
Just to be clear I had completely forgotten about this accounts' existence until I got my experian report last week. I can obviously leave it until it drops off but as the 'fraud watch' posters point out it doesn't look good on my file and might imply that purposely used an alias. This , I repeat, is not what happened and the mistake is with the Provident agent.
Any advice that doesn't assume I'm up to something dodgy is very welcome!!

matttye

cartika wrote: »

Hey hey hey...... I have not committed ANY fraud.
There is no way that I would have given an incorrect name knowingly. I can only assume that the agent filled the documentation in for me to sign and either misheard or misspelt my name. I also assume that she checked identification and should have cross-referenced but either way it is on my file with the wrong name.
If I was to contact Provident it would not be to try and deny the debt but come to some agreement where they remove the default record from my account. Trying to wriggle out of money I owe is not what this post is trying to achieve but some advice on how to finally get a clean credit report.
Just to be clear I had completely forgotten about this accounts' existence until I got my experian report last week. I can obviously leave it until it drops off but as the 'fraud watch' posters point out it doesn't look good on my file and might imply that purposely used an alias. This , I repeat, is not what happened and the mistake is with the Provident agent.
Any advice that doesn't assume I'm up to something dodgy is very welcome!!

Nobody is saying you are dodgy, just that you might end up with fraud markers on your credit files.

Surely you can see why it looks dodgy? Account in a false name and all letters you receive with that name, you return to sender? That looks VERY dodgy, albeit it sounds like you have an innocent explanation for it.

I'd suggest waiting patiently as well.

JKSandy

It was your responsibility to make sure the information was correct before you signed.

Thrugelmir

The fact that you now seeking to take advantage of this at a later date could be construed as fraud.

cartika

Before posting on this site (which I use regularly for info) I read many threads and I must say I had noticed a degree of presumptive moralising. I posted in the hope that this would not happen to me.
I am not seeking collusion in 'taking advantage' of the situation as I have already suggested trying to come to some kind of agreement with Provident. Incidentally they have not chased me or handed the debt on perhaps because it is a small debt or perhaps they are not bothered. Either way the advice I am looking for is more than just 'hold tight and wait till you've got away with it'. I know this. Thanks anyway......
Has any one been in a similar situation for example?
Did they have any joy with the lender removing their default?
Any suggestions on the best way to approach this?
It occurs to me for example that it would be better to have the correct name on my file no matter what happens as obviously it doesn't look too good.
Just for further clarification I have no idea why the name is incorrect other than my suggestion that the agent made a mistake that I didn't notice. As for the letters that I returned to sender I had no idea that the two things were connected until I saw my experian report last week. I hope this is now clear.
Thanks for any constructive help in advance.