Lowell and defaults

aymz1983

I defaulted on an account in March 2014, and paid balance off in full in Sept 2014. Account closed.

May 2015 Lowell slap the default on when it was not on my file at all previously.

Is there anything I can do about this? Have been getting myself sorted over the last few months, everything due to drop off file by mid 2019, now going to have this on until late 2020. I'm aware that things should be recorded, but adding it 8 months after the account was closed?

Thank you

National_Debtline

You should be able to dispute the date of the default. According to the Information Commissioner’s guidelines a default should normally be registered within 3-6months of the first missed payment, so, based on what you have said the default itself may be correct but the date seems to be wrong. This is a link to the ICO guidelines: - http://www.scoronline.co.uk/files/scor/high_level_prinicples_document_final.pdf

Make a written complaint to Lowell on this basis; ask them to amend the date of the default. If they refuse then escalate the matter to the ICO.

Laura
@natdebtline

Tixy

What date have they used for the default on your file?

aymz1983

Sorry just had to double check. The date of the default is correct (march 2014) it's more that they've added it to my credit file almost a year after the account was closed (and 14 months after the default happened.)

I've just noticed that Experian do not seem to report whether a default is satisfied or not, just shows a £0 balance. Is this the norm now? would a £0 balance be viewed in the same way as the word satisfied?

Thank you

Tixy

Usually for a credit account to appear at a later date it is either as a result of an address correction (e.g. if the address wasn't linked or if there was a typo in the way the creditor was previously reporting) or sometimes that the creditor has switched which credit ref agency they are reporting to.