How to Amend My Credit File? Help Needed!

brydenn

Hey,

Over the years I've been slowly building up my credit rating and in the last year or two seemed to be getting accepted for credit where I would have previously been refused, I was always paying off my cards on time (mostly in full) and never had any late or missed payments.

Over Christmas I applied for credit at very.co.uk on a 12 month "buy now pay later"

Well there was a delivery charge added to the account, that was supposed to be payed by March, this was for a mere £4.90, needless to say I wasn't aware of this charge until last month when I noticed, on my invoice (via email) that I was due £4.90 as min payment.

I immediately phoned very and they told me about this charge, so I went ahead and payed the £4.90, as it turns out the women on the call also credited this back to my account, so technically I'm in credit.

Just a couple of days ago I applied for a credit increase on my AMEX card and was declined, so I requested my credit report from Equifax and Experian, my credit report is showing "Very Poor" with both companies, as there is 5 missed apyment showing on my account, all from this £4.90 delivery charge, and my file shows in "account in arrears"

I phoned Very and they say my account is in good standing as of now and that I should contact the credit reference agency regarding this.

Is this something that can easily be sorted? can this be removed from my account?

Please advise on how best to sort this, as it's really going to hamper me getting a mortgage, all for £4.90.

Thanks

happy_bunny_2

You need to complain, in writing to very, asking them to correct your credit file. Include a copy of your credit file in your complaint.

Although if it was due on your statement, sounds like its a correct report.

Very are the only ones that can realistically correct your credit report.

brydenn

I spoke to someone from very today, they're happy my account is up to date, the women I spoke to actually removed the delivery charge after I had payed the £4.90, so my account is in credit.

They says everything is acceptable on there end, and that I should contact the "credit reference agency" to have this removed, if it's still showing.

I still have the £500 balance to pay in full by December, which I plan on doing.

happy_bunny_2

The CRAs can only help if very agree.

If you raise a dispute with the CRAs, quoting what you were told, that's all you can do. I doubt it will help......

Write it very, confirming the details of your conversation, asking them to update your files. Then see what they say.

Very can tell the CarAs what to report. I feel you are being fobbed off.

brydenn

Is there a specific department you would recommend addressing the letter to?

Thanks

Buzby

Customer Enquiries or even the Data Controller c/o the firm that has placed the information you disagree with.

The_Boss

brydenn wrote: »

I spoke to someone from very today, they're happy my account is up to date, the women I spoke to actually removed the delivery charge after I had payed the £4.90, so my account is in credit.

Yes, the account is up to date now - but in the past (i.e. the missed payments) it wasn't up to date, so they may not want to remove the markers since they are an accurate reflection of your account at the time.

Btw, you don't have a credit rating/score.

Irisis

I worked (very briefly) for the Underwriting (credit) Department at Very a couple of years ago. I doubt they will remove this from your credit file as, as others have stated, it was (albeit perhaps a bit unfairly) an accurate account of your account at the time. They will likely argue that the delivery charge would have showed on your statements so you should have known it was due. I do not know why they are telling you to contact the credit reference agency, I think you may have spoken to someone inexperienced or trying to get rid of your call sadly.

Skinnymat

I have a dispute with Very at the moment. I moved out if my old flat and into my fathers last June to look after him and rented my flat out. I forwarded the mail to my new house and thought I had changed the address on the Very account until I applied for a mortgage last weekend and found that there was a default on the account for a bill of £156 which Very had sold to Lowell. This was a genuine mistake on my part but surely they can understand that. I contacted them and payed straight away. I have never received a default notice and I am now being passed around at the moment from department to department. I am trying to somehow clear the default on my file and hope they may do this as a good will gesture and allow me to apply again for a mortgage. This could ruin my future and I'm gutted that it has got this far. Any help and advice would be great.

Zkr65

Skinnymat wrote: »

I have a dispute with Very at the moment. I moved out if my old flat and into my fathers last June to look after him and rented my flat out. I forwarded the mail to my new house and thought I had changed the address on the Very account until I applied for a mortgage last weekend and found that there was a default on the account for a bill of £156 which Very had sold to Lowell. This was a genuine mistake on my part but surely they can understand that. I contacted them and payed straight away. I have never received a default notice and I am now being passed around at the moment from department to department. I am trying to somehow clear the default on my file and hope they may do this as a good will gesture and allow me to apply again for a mortgage. This could ruin my future and I'm gutted that it has got this far. Any help and advice would be great.

You will find this extremely difficult.. if at all possible. It's not a simple procedure to 'remove something from a credit file' it has huge legal implications.. Whilst it is common that as a gesture of goodwill they may not report it in the first place, once it's there, unless there is an error by the provider or CRA.. it's basically impossible to take it off. As a credit file is a historical CV of your finances, which the default is part of.

In response to the OP; Very are the only ones that can remove it from the credit file, and the only way they will do it, is if you get them to accept it is their error, simply them not making something clear or post not arriving etc is not enough. Understand that it's not in any way a simple process to remove something from a file.. Usually obvious provider mistakes or fraud are the only scenarios where it is done.

You're main issue is to get very to accept it is their fault, which is (as others have mentioned) best done logging a complaint.. as generally a complaint is dealt with by someone more competent than your average call centre operative. Though make sure they give you timescales of when they will speak to you etc and keep chasing.. The Financial Industry has a very strict ICP (Internal complaints procedure) which must be
Adhered to.

Also; worth noting that a credit file is not updated in 'real time' generally speaking there is a 'data exchange' from the provider to CRA often once a month to update them on account performance etc.

Hope this helps in some capacity

C

brydenn

Thanks for the advise.

It's been put forward to the complaints department so we will see what happens.

I've still never received a statement in the post, the women from Very thinks this may help my case as I was completely unaware of the charge. Hopefully this is my get out of jail card.

I can't believe your credit file can be effected so much because of a small £4.90 delivery charge. Surely there should be procedures in place to protect against "small" mistakes like this?