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Aqua - Fraud and phantom default
ILikePretzels
Posts: 22 Forumite
in Credit cards
My current issue:
Aqua/Experian have incorrectly labelled an old CC as being in default (£400+). The card was used fraudulently, the balance cleared and a new number issued. I have statements showing that the account was settled (ZX code).
Aqua have insisted that I pay for a copy of my credit file and post it to them because it "doesn't match the records they hold". My understanding is that the onus is on them to ensure the correct handling of my data and that they should be able to do this themselves.
Does anyone know how long these things usually take? I am trying to move into a new flat, and the letting agent requires a credit check for all tenants (at my own expense - something I shall rant about in a different thread).
The background may be of use to someone else in this situation...
The Chronicle of the Corrupt Credit Card Charges
Aqua detected possible fraud and blocked the card. I discovered this when my card was declined in a shop and I called to sort it out. I identified all my own transactions for the month and narrowed it down to two transactions in Vermont.
The lady from Aqua told me a new number and card had been issued and I should destroy my card, which I did immediately.
The new card didn't appear and when I called back (about an unrelated matter), the fraud team had lost any record of my previous conversation and I had to go through the process again.
The new card still didn't arrive. I wrote to them and informed them that I was still waiting for a claim-form and new card, and I emphasised how unhappy I was that the account was still active when I had been told to destroy my card.
I received a non-apology letter, in which they very carefully avoided acknowledging that almost a month had passed without action, and they claimed that they had sent the claim-form to me and wouldn't refund/cancel the transactions (which they themselves identified as fraudulent) until I had signed the phantom forms.
Helpfully, the forms and a new card arrived shortly afterwards. I filled in the forms and noted their policy that they do not share the outcome of fraud investigations, though they would be in touch if they decided not to believe my assertion that I hadn't been in Vermont.
I heard nothing from them, save for statements for the new card showing the correct balance. This indicated that they viewed the matter as closed. Indeed, they told me today that the account should have been closed and their (internal) records show that it has a balance of £0.
Flash forward to this week and my wife and I are moving for work once again. The letting agents wanted a credit check done and, luckily, I opted to do this myself rather than pay their £10 fee.
I have discovered that Experian have been listing my cancelled account as being in default. For over a year.
Aqua, once again, deny all knowledge and were unable to tell me how long their customer complaint team typically take to respond.
I'm hopeful that this will not influence my ability to follow through on our application for the flat we like. It's a semi-rural area we're moving to, so there are very few options available and not much time left to organise something (our move-out date is the 31st of July). If this does stop us finding a new home (that we actually like), what are my options regarding small claims/ombudsmen/etc?
Aqua/Experian have incorrectly labelled an old CC as being in default (£400+). The card was used fraudulently, the balance cleared and a new number issued. I have statements showing that the account was settled (ZX code).
Aqua have insisted that I pay for a copy of my credit file and post it to them because it "doesn't match the records they hold". My understanding is that the onus is on them to ensure the correct handling of my data and that they should be able to do this themselves.
Does anyone know how long these things usually take? I am trying to move into a new flat, and the letting agent requires a credit check for all tenants (at my own expense - something I shall rant about in a different thread).
The background may be of use to someone else in this situation...
The Chronicle of the Corrupt Credit Card Charges
Aqua detected possible fraud and blocked the card. I discovered this when my card was declined in a shop and I called to sort it out. I identified all my own transactions for the month and narrowed it down to two transactions in Vermont.
The lady from Aqua told me a new number and card had been issued and I should destroy my card, which I did immediately.
The new card didn't appear and when I called back (about an unrelated matter), the fraud team had lost any record of my previous conversation and I had to go through the process again.
The new card still didn't arrive. I wrote to them and informed them that I was still waiting for a claim-form and new card, and I emphasised how unhappy I was that the account was still active when I had been told to destroy my card.
I received a non-apology letter, in which they very carefully avoided acknowledging that almost a month had passed without action, and they claimed that they had sent the claim-form to me and wouldn't refund/cancel the transactions (which they themselves identified as fraudulent) until I had signed the phantom forms.
Helpfully, the forms and a new card arrived shortly afterwards. I filled in the forms and noted their policy that they do not share the outcome of fraud investigations, though they would be in touch if they decided not to believe my assertion that I hadn't been in Vermont.
I heard nothing from them, save for statements for the new card showing the correct balance. This indicated that they viewed the matter as closed. Indeed, they told me today that the account should have been closed and their (internal) records show that it has a balance of £0.
Flash forward to this week and my wife and I are moving for work once again. The letting agents wanted a credit check done and, luckily, I opted to do this myself rather than pay their £10 fee.
I have discovered that Experian have been listing my cancelled account as being in default. For over a year.
Aqua, once again, deny all knowledge and were unable to tell me how long their customer complaint team typically take to respond.
I'm hopeful that this will not influence my ability to follow through on our application for the flat we like. It's a semi-rural area we're moving to, so there are very few options available and not much time left to organise something (our move-out date is the 31st of July). If this does stop us finding a new home (that we actually like), what are my options regarding small claims/ombudsmen/etc?
0
Comments
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ILikePretzels wrote: »If this does stop us finding a new home (that we actually like), what are my options regarding small claims/ombudsmen/etc?
Pretty much non existant. Just one of those things I'm afraid.0 -
provide the data and ask them to refund the cost, if you make it hard its gonna take longerDon't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.0
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provide the data and ask them to refund the cost, if you make it hard its gonna take longer
I agree that I want to make it as painless as possible, but I just wanted to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
It's frustrating that Aqua have failed to do anything correctly; every time I've had contact with them, something fairly fundamental has gone wrong.0
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