How to obtain credit reports

theonlywayis_up

Hi all, just a quick query.... Once I've checked my credit online with say Experian, does it have a negative impact when then applying for a credit card (ie the fact that a credit search has been done)?

TOWIU

Chrysalis

What a nightmare 10 minutes getting all my addresses for last 6 years (long time) and then this.

Sorry there has been a problem

Unfortunately your application for a credit report has not been accepted because there is a problem with the service. (Code WF03)

Your card has not been debited.

You may wish to send a written application to the following address enclosing a cheque or postal order for £2, payable to Experian Ltd. You need Adobe® Reader® to open and print this form.

Consumer Help Service
Experian Ltd
PO Box 8000
Nottingham
NG80 7WF

Alternatively you can call us and order your report by phone (a fee of £2.50 is payable by debit or credit card). Just call 0870 241 6212, and select option 2. When calling this transcription service, you will need your credit/debit card in front of you plus all of your personal information, including all addresses you have lived at in the last 6 years.

lisyloo

does it have a negative impact when then applying for a credit card

No, there are different types of credit checks.
Lenders only get to see those that are done for the purposes of lending so they do not see the ones that relate to you checking your file.

pigeonpie

I can't get Equifax to even reply re the false entries. Experian handled one error and sorted it out, but won't do the other one as I cancelled my membership. I was really upset to see the mistakes that these faceless entities make which affect my life! Only in the UK do orgs like this hold such power. Are they accountable to anyone?!

jonnyb

Pigeon, stop moaning and start acting.

Yorkshire Boy kindly offered some advice, suggesting you contact HFC direct, as they are the only people who can tell you what the "loan" is for.

1. All the credit ref agencies are supposed to provide you with full details of any company that they show you have an active account with. If you don't have that info, then I suggest you write to them and pay your £2 fee to get a paper copy of your credit report, which will have the address details for HFC.

2.The credit ref agencies only report data to them from the lenders; HFC must be telling them that they have an account in your name at your address. YOU HAVE TO QUERY IT WITH HFC !

3. The agencies are accountable, at least to the office of the information commissioner. If you can prove that they are reporting incorrect data, and they refuse to change it, that's where you escalate your concern to the information commissioner.

4. You say that you don't have any loans at the moment; you don't say whether the HFC record is for active credit or settled credit. I have to assume it is for active credit.

5. HFC are part of HSBC (I think) and might provide financial products for other brands, including various credit cards.

6. In the absolute worst case, someone else has taken out a loan in your name, and you need to get to the bottom of it. Act quickly, instead of complaining about the credit ref agencies on here. Contact HFC direct, as Yorkshire Boy suggested over a month ago.

browsingid

I used the above site to request access to my credit report with Call Credit. I chose the £12 per quarter option. I went through the sign-up questions, then needed to wait until I got a pin/password in the mail. The password duly arrived and I attempted to log in.

Upon attempting log in, it looked as if I had got my password wrong, so I chose the 'forgot password' option, which required me to enter some of my security info. I then got a page saying the usual 'thanks, your new password has been emailed to you'.

I then check my email to find the following:

Dear Browsingid

Thanks for your request for an updated password, unfortunately our records show that you do not have an active subscription with Callcredit check.

Please log on to www.callcreditcheck.co.uk and sign up or feel free to contact us at [EMAIL="care@callcreditcheck.co.uk"]care@callcreditcheck.co.uk[/EMAIL].

Kind Regards


Customer Care
Callcredit check

When I try to email the 'care@..' email address above, I get a message failure response.

Anyone got any ideas? They have taken the first £12 from my credit card, and I am now a bit miffed that I am going around in circles. The only phone number I can find for them appears to be an automated one for requesting your credit report. and I am now at a bit of a loss as to what to do next.

I'd be very grateful to hear if anyone else has used the above site to request access to their creditreport.

Katie789

pigeonpie wrote: »

My credit report with Equifax has a loan from a bank that I don't recognise. I don't have any loans. Equifax say to take it up with the bank but I don't know who they are (HFC??). They are declining my request to amend the error in the report, saying it's the 'lender' 's responsibility. There IS no lender. What can I do in this catch 22?
Note to moderators: Can this thread (credit reports) have its own dedicated space within the site as it seems undervisited compared to the other credit threads, while problems with credit reports must be very common (?).

Probably a bit late but HFC are the company that do the finance for purchases from Currys. Hope that's of some help

AMH82_2

Repeating myself a little, but after being denyed a cc I got a report from Experian.

One thing that does seem wrong is on the application details, it says people who I am financially connected to, and it says my name again, but with a date of birth of 01/01/1900, more than 82 years my senior!!

Could this be a problem? Why would it be there?

Also on a few other financial association entries, it has me associated to myself again but this time with a dob of 01/01/2000 again, very wrong.

Does this mean anything?

Other than, out of all the entries I have loads of green zero's, and only one entry with a 2 in it (2 missed payments).

Is it worth me applying for my credit score for £5.99? Will that tell me anymore?

YorkshireBoy

AMH82 wrote: »

Is it worth me applying for my credit score for £5.99? Will that tell me anymore?

No, and no.

You need to contact the companies concerned and ask them to correct the entries, ie amend to show your correct DOB and erase the associations.

If you experience difficulty, let Experian know and they'll approach the companies on your behalf.

AMH82_2

OK thanks, one of the associations is on the first part of the report, i.e. my application details so almost as if that is something Experian have made up, but there are a couple of entries in the financial associations section, to myself, with a wrong date of birth!

I will phone Experian.

WIth reference to my two recent cc rejections (Virgin, then a month later, Barclaycard) is this likely to be caused by one of the anomolies mentioned above?

Only other thing that has changed since I last applied for cc's is that my lloyds cc (one that I use for purchases) has had the credit limit upped to £12,250.

Is it likely that the cc companies are seeing that I have too much credit available and so declining my application? If I were to phone Barclaycard would they be able to give me details as to why I was rejected?