Help needed - outstanding default won't be removed and CCJ

in_all_reality

I signed up to a free credit report service just before Christmas as I have been working to get my finances back on track. I had expected some defaults from when I was 18, I got accepted for a credit card and store card and went crazy. However I noticed a default on my account - British Gas. Wracking my brain as to why - I realised that my ex used British Gas when we lived together, I was not responsible for this bill and left the house at the start of January 2014 (I have the paperwork to say I cancelled myself out of the previous tenancy and have paperwork for the current tenancy I am in).
They have defaulted me regularly between January 2014 up until July 2014.

When I contacted them they decided that as I had lived at the address previously I would be responsible for the account even though they have never before been given my details (I have never paid them or contacted them).
They have flatly refused to remove this default - it is now showing as settled though. Is there anything I can do to have this removed?

Equally worrying - the next month of my report (January 2015) I received a CCJ on my file. This was also registered to my old address (so I did not receive any letters regarding this and was completely unaware) and there are no details of what it is for on my credit file?
I have a reference number and amount but it doesn't correspond to anything on my credit file let alone the defaults I am aware of?

How do you find out what it was for and challenge it?

Tixy

For the CCJ - contact the court that issued it and ask for a copy of the judgement.

solentsusie

British Gas did a very similar thing to me.


They put a default on my file for a gas account which was from a previous occupier of my property.


This account was shown as running at the same time that I had an open gas account in my name with them. They then defaulted the account that wasn't mine some time later and put it in my name.


I only found out about the other account that had been switched to my name when I got a copy of my credit report and it showed the two gas accounts in my name, one account started before I moved in but both running at the same time at one point at the same address, and then the account that had been open before I moved in being defaulted for £395.


I had never received any correspondence regarding this additional account or a default notice in my name. I only received bills for my genuine account.


This seems to be normal behaviour for them. If they can't find the person who ran up the bill then they pick on whoever seems nearest.


I hope you manage to get this sorted out soon.

in_all_reality

Tixy wrote: »

For the CCJ - contact the court that issued it and ask for a copy of the judgement.

Just found it was from CCBC - just phone the regular money claims number right?
I've just started getting on top of everything so I'm still not entirely sure what I'm doing.

lolavix

The exact same thing happened to me.

I lived with a friend for 2 weeks who had an account with British Gas - 6 years later a default appeared on my file.

It took a heck of a lot of emails, letters from my bank and the council confirming the address I was actually at at the time, a lot of arguments and tears! I had never given them my details and they had a password on my account id never heard of. Had no correspondence from them at all and the craziest thing was I'd even had an account with them for 3 years and they still didn't tell me about the so called debt.

I was naive and hadn't checked my credit score before I applied for a mortgage, as I knew I had never missed a payment on anything. I only found out when my mortgage was declined! Lesson learnt there.

I wish you the best of luck, it took me a year to get them to agree to remove the default, just be persistent.