Credit File ruined for £59

Thrugelmir

felixflyer wrote: »

I am livid, I was told that their lower limit for registering a default is just £50. How can they justify this being an accurate record of my ability to pay?

As far as they are concerned it is. They followed a set procedure. You choose not to settle the debt. You are not being singled out for attention. This is the Company's process. You should be livid with yourself. Not at others.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

looks as though, because you have a previous history of default, they may think you are trying it on again.

noh

felixflyer wrote: »

Well I have been contacted by Southern Water who say my case went right to the Directors who asked for a full investigation. They have told me that the default will not be removed form my file.


I am livid, I was told that their lower limit for registering a default is just £50. How can they justify this being an accurate record of my ability to pay?


I really want to fight this and don't mind how long it takes or how many letter I need to write. I will be complaining to the ICO but this will take ages. Can anyone recommend any solicitors that would specialise in this kind of thing?


I am still unsure how they can process my data when I have not agreed for them to do that? I don't even know where they got my details? I think the first thing to do is to SAR them and take it from there.


I know this could be a long haul but I will not give up even if it takes 5 years 11 months and 29 days.

No point in contacting the ICO

Your details were provided to Southern Water by South East Water.

https://www.southernwater.co.uk/south-east-water

South East supply the water and supply and read the meter.
Southern Water supply the waste water and sewage services.

This is most likely made clear in your agreement with your supplier South East Water.


The Data Privacy statement from South East Water
http://www.southeastwater.co.uk/resources/legal/privacy-policy#.VWDfY_lViko

In section 19 states:-

19. We may give access to the personal information we hold to certain persons. Examples of such persons include:

employees and agents (or those of our contractors and sub-contractors who are involved in providing part of our services to you on our behalf) to administer any accounts, products and services provided to you and to communicate with you on any matter relating to the management of your account and the provision of water and related services to you, or the carrying out of our functions as statutory water undertaker;
lawyers, local authorities and debt recovery agencies, to help us trace and collect money owed to us ;
professional advisers in relation to the provision of our services and the carrying out of our functions as water undertaker;
your sewerage company, so that they can provide their services to you and that their and our records are up to date;

chanz4

raise it to ofwat

noh

chanz4 wrote: »

raise it to ofwat

Raise what to ofwat?

What have the water company done wrong?

GingerBob_3

A bit of general advice: minimise the amount of information water companies hold about you. Your surname or "the occupier" is all you should provide. Never, ever, give them previous addresses, DoB, contact details or anything that. Ideally pay by standing order (though you may lose a small rebate as a consequence of not paying by DD).

PaulW922

There is no requirement for Southern Water to issue a default notice as this is not a credit agreement. They should however, have advised you what they were going to do. I think it might be best to go to the Information Commissioner about this and say that the default is unreasonable and that SW has not issued you any warnings etc.

I assume you have actually paid the water bill now? It will be difficult to claim it is unfair to get a default recorded, if you still owe them money.

BTW a default is not just about whether you can afford your bills, it is about how you manage your affairs.

chaplin2020

Yes, I paid as soon as I realised the bill was for my current address and not my old one. I have offered to pay them a years worth in advance. It was a genuine mistake and if I had received the default notice it would definitely have spurred me on to look into it further. They say they sent it in feb and only have to prove it was sent.


With what I have been through over the last 8 years any default notice coming through my door would have sent me into panic and would have been paid before it hit the doormat. Especially one for £59.


I am going to SAR them and contact a solicitor.

PaulW922

I don't think either of those routes will help. A SAR will not tell you anything of value will it? I still think a complaint about the credit file entry to the Information Commissioner is the way to go - it won't cost you anything.

In all this please remember that on basis of the facts Southern Water are not technically in the wrong here - you need to convince them or the ICO that the circumstances are as such that the default is unfair.

And again - this is not a credit agreement so there will be no default notice. Just a letter telling you what they were gong to do.