Gas & Elec accounts

ElletheBelle

My N Power gas and electricity accounts have appeared on my credit report, this has affected my credit rating by a significant amount. I pay a certain amount, set by N Power, every month and currently I seemingly owe them £18 on electricity and £60 on gas. N Power never informed me they would be doing this nothing like this has happened before but my credit report shows that I have opened 2 new credit accounts in the last 6 months, I moved on the advice of MSE!
What the Hell?????

[Deleted User]

How has it affected your credit rating? Which lender has told you this?

GingerBob_3

Npower - Britain's worst company in all classes - are highly likely to screw you over regarding your ability to obtain credit. This forum is littered with examples of their criminal activity concerning misrepresentation of payment histories and consequent adverse effects on their customers' credit worthiness. I advise you to move. I think - but I'm not certain - that EDF don't report you to the CRAs, so maybe they are the supplier to be with.

ElletheBelle

I know it has affected my credit report because I have access to it and can see it

ElletheBelle

Thanks GingerBob, I will be looking at doing that very thing this weekend but since when is your Gas and Electricity bills being put on our credit reports. I feel that we should have been either told by the supplier and most certainly should have been warned about this possibility by MSE, who I just love so I am disappointed in them unless I have just missed it!?

[Deleted User]

Don't confuse a score that the CRA give you with how a lender views you. Changing utility suppliers is unlikely to have any impact with a real lender.

MEM62

ElletheBelle wrote: »

I know it has affected my credit report because I have access to it and can see it

Are you referring to the random made up number that CRA's try to convince you is your 'credit rating'? If so, ignore it and get on with life :-) If your concern is just that the accounts are being reported this should not have an adverse impact on your ability obtain credit.

GingerBob_3

ElletheBelle wrote: »

Thanks GingerBob, I will be looking at doing that very thing this weekend but since when is your Gas and Electricity bills being put on our credit reports. I feel that we should have been either told by the supplier and most certainly should have been warned about this possibility by MSE, who I just love so I am disappointed in them unless I have just missed it!?

I think it was back in 2009 that the CRAs successfully persuaded the first of the utility providers to supply them with customer account data. Since then, most other companies have fallen under the CRA spell. Most recently the CRAs have been successful in brainwashing the water companies to stump up account data. Who knows what their next target will be...


You can make it difficult for the utility companies to report you (and potentially blacklist you) to the CRAs by not providing them with data such as previous addresses, date of birth and full name. However, it's not always possible to restrict this data. For instance, if you're on a pre-pay meter the supplier may not move you to a credit meter without a credit check.


One more thing. If you move house you're immediately in a deemed contract with the incumbent gas and electricity supplier. You must register with them straight away (with meter readings) even if you plan to change supplier.


Register in writing - this is most important . Don't do it online or by phone. By doing it in writing you can provide the minimum identity information. Give them your surname only, address and meter readings. NOTHING ELSE. No first initial or title or previous address; nothing! The only time this could be problematic is if there's already a pre-pay meter in the property, but I guess that's not often the case.

For water, just write to the water company in the same way - no identity information, and provide meter readings if applicable.