Unauthorised credit enquiry by Next Directory

pmf_3

I subscribe to Equifax credit alerts and I've just seen this on there:

"An enquiry by NEXT PLC T/A NEXT DIRECTORY on 22/07/2013 has been deleted from your credit report."

As far as I know I have never bought anything from the Next Directory. I have bought a few things from the Next shop but don't believe I have ever given them my details.

This may not be the case for my girlfriend who lives with me - is it possible that it shows up because of her?

I'm not terribly keen on random companies doing credit enquiries on me - is this even legal?

Does anyone have any advice on how to tackle this or who to complain to?

Thanks,
P

ML420cdi

Your being watched, read their T&C's...

"In the interests of responsible lending and for security purposes we carry out searches with credit reference agencies when you register with Next and further searches may be carried out before deciding whether to accept orders and/or grant further credit. The agencies record these searches. We also share information about you and the conduct of your account with credit reference agencies, other lenders and relevant third parties.

Information about you and other members of your household and those with whom you are financially linked will be used to verify your identity and for the credit assessment of you and them.

We may also use your information for payment recovery or fraud and debt tracing. We will pass on details of defaulting accounts to debt collection agencies."

GingerBob_3

Moral of the story; never buy anything from Next Directory. They won't do any business with you without probing your finances, even if you pay up front.

20aday

It was on the front page of MSE a while back too.

When I bought some items from the last year I chose not to open a credit account with them.

Didn't stop them opening up an account with a limit of £600! Needless to say one dispute raised with Noddle and Experian and it's now been removed.

pmf_3

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So those T&Cs are pretty sinister, allowing them to credit search other members of the household!!

It looks like my girlfriend did buy something with them last year, so that must be what it is. Grr.

Thanks,
P

GingerBob_3

pmf wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone.

So those T&Cs are pretty sinister, allowing them to credit search other members of the household!!

My girlfriend is pretty certain she hasn't registered with them.

Presuming that's correct, does anyone know which body would be responsible for regulating this behaviour - ie who should I report it to? Would this be something for the Information Commissioner's Office?

Thanks,
P

Yes, the ICO could be the way forward. They should not be creating financial associations at all, unless you have some sort of joint account. Presumably you gave them your date of birth? A good rule of thumb is that if you're just wanting to buy something without setting up a credit account, but the merchant insists on collecting your DoB, give them a fake one, or better still, shop elsewhere.

PaulW922

If you and your GF live together and have any joint finances (including a current account) then your finances are 'linked'. So if she applied for a Next Directory then the search against her name would extend to you as well. This is not unique to Next - most credit providers will do this.

The question is whether your GF knew she was applying for credit.. although the point is academic now as the search has dropped off your file.

Redroxymog

I have had problems with next but with a slight twist. My husband received a credit agreement through he post which he didn't apply for in December 2015. I called them and was advised that 'all' the orders had been cancelled as my husband had been a victim of ID theft. I was alarmed to say the least. I spent the next two hours locking down our finances with various calls to fraud action line, our bank, CIFAS and enrolling both of us with Noddle. It was only when I checked my husbands credit file on Noddle and saw no searches for the last two years I became suspicious. I googled next complaint forums and was amazed at the number of people receiving credit agreements they hadn't asked for. I haven't seen any with the ID theft twist but would love to know if anyone else has had similar. I am currently waiting for them to send my data subject request for all information they hold on us. I asked for this as I am pretty sure they won't have any of the details on him to open a credit account. Once received I intend to alert the ombudsman about the underhand tactics they are using. Havent bought anything from next for years and will avoid for ever after this.

davidsuffolk

Not quite the same thing but I got searches by Hastings Direct when I used a comparison site to check car insurance despite never approaching them further.

I complained and was told that I had agreed to searches hidden in the comparison site's T & C so"tough luck" (not their words but the gist).

However, Hastings failed to respond within their agreed time scale and sent me £30 as compensation as well as removing the searches so not all bad.

GingerBob_3

A couple of things: it's myth that anyone needs your consent to either smack you with a (hard) credit search or report you to the CRAs. They can do it without your consent. Secondly, when dealing with comparison websites, always enter bogus, but realistic, data in the first instance. Only when you're ready to accept a quote should you then redo the application with the genuine stuff, maybe direct with your chosen supplier.