Clearscore

ConcernedDebtor

Hi everyone!

So I have debt, an unpleasant amount. I'm being hounded by a particularly unscrupulous collections agency who are refusing to set up a payment plan with me.

For this reason I have approached representatives from a "stop bailiffs now" service from a company called "My Bailiff Advice".
During our phone call they sounded very helpful, friendly and like they were in a position to assist us in tackling ALL our debts akin to a debt consolidation loan.

However, this is where things get suspicious.

Near the end of our call I was told that I would need to sign up for a credit check from Clearscore. I checked the company out and, whilst seemingly not the pinnacle of credit check services according to reviews, it seemed legitimate.
On top of merely signing up for a credit check, this debt advice company wants me to provide them with the username and password I created for my clearscore account so that they may access the account to review my credit history/score
This sounded a little off to me.

I can find little to no information about My Bailiff Advice online, save for what's on their website.

This, coupled with the following excerpt from the Clearscore T&C's has me extremely worried:

"5.3 You may access and use our website and our Services only for your personal use on your own behalf and not on behalf of anyone else. You must not engage another person, company, partnership or other entity to access our website or our Services on your behalf. You must not order, or attempt to order, credit information about anyone else through our website."

Please can any of you advise if this is standard/acceptable? Do companies like My Bailiff Advice actually provide help?
Do Clearscore allow such agencies to be provided with your login details as an exception to term 5.3?

Does it sound like I'm in the process of being ripped off?

Sorry for the long post, any help will be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

[Deleted User]

A company like that can't stop bailiffs knocking at your door...

Consumerist

ConcernedDebtor wrote: »

So I have debt, an unpleasant amount. I'm being hounded by a particularly unscrupulous collections agency who are refusing to set up a payment plan with me.
. . .
Please can any of you advise if this is standard/acceptable? Do companies like My Bailiff Advice actually provide help?
Do Clearscore allow such agencies to be provided with your login details as an exception to term 5.3? . . .
.

My advice would be not to agree to anything with this company.

Instead, contact a free debt advice agency without delay.

You could try <StepChange> and there are others including Citizens Advice.

Also you can get plenty of helpful advice from the <Debt-Free Wannabe board> from those who have successfully dealt with debt collectors before.

marcustandy

I've been with Clearscore for a few months and had been well up until now.

I have now noticed that I now have 1 negative on my report; evidently, I am not registered at my address with electoral register. Well I certainly was so I contacted the Electoral Services of my local council and they have confirmed that I am definitely registered at my address!

I also then noticed that my mortgage (long term debt total) is now £477, down £195,118 from last month!! I checked with my bank and unfortunately, no Fairy Godmother has cleared my mortgage for me and so the report is again inaccurate to the tune of nearly £200k.

It would seem to be impossible to actually speak to someone and the procedure for dealing with this matter is ridiculously drawn-out. Consequently, I'm taking a long-shot that someone from Clearscore will be along here soon to explain.

Consumerist

marcustandy wrote: »

. . . It would seem to be impossible to actually speak to someone and the procedure for dealing with this matter is ridiculously drawn-out. Consequently, I'm taking a long-shot that someone from Clearscore will be along here soon to explain.

Clearscore will undoubtedly explain that they only report the data which Equifax gives them. If you are concerned, you could get the report directly from Equifax for £2 to establish who is at fault.

redux

redux wrote: »

Also about Clearscore, I've received two emails so far entitled Introducing your weekly updates, and one yesterday saying Ping! You've gotan update.

Each time I've logged in. There doesn't seem to be any pointer to help find what this update might be, and I've been unable to notice any difference.

If this is just an excuse for them to send 10 or 12 emails a month instead of 4 or 5 it might get a bit tedious.

I just logged in the first time for a few months.

Now, 10 months after my post above, I've realised what the updates may have been.

Looking at the so-called timeline, which I hadn't much previously, I notice a negative factor was added in January - you have no active credit cards

Nonsense, and it lasts until September.

I assume that as they are only telling me this wrong information it doesn't matter, but I'm mystified why they are creating junk. Obviously it hasn't come from their supplier, as cards are listed, with changing balances.

Consumerist

redux wrote: »

I just logged in the first time for a few months.

I think you have to have some regard for the reason Clearscore exists - to earn commission from any financial offers you take up via their site. If you don't log in for long periods they are not able to earn anything from you so they spam you to get your attention.

I get an email roughly once a month and that's roughly how often I log in.

redux

Consumerist wrote: »

I think you have to have some regard for the reason Clearscore exists - to earn commission from any financial offers you take up via their site. If you don't log in for long periods they are not able to earn anything from you so they spam you to get your attention.

I get an email roughly once a month and that's roughly how often I log in.

My last 5 emails from Clearscore were on December 14th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 21st, the last two only a few hours after I had logged in.

Frequency of logging in isn't a reason for their info to contain inaccuracies.

PixelPound

They will only update if you regularly login because why would they waste resources on updating accounts for someone who logged in a year ago and hasn't been back since. As I don't always log in on time each month the date has been creeping along and it usually refreshes on that day I log in if after 30 days since the last update.

Strange thing this time is the change "we've added 2 new accounts to closed accounts" - took me by surprise and worried me, were they opened and closed without my knowledge. They were accounts I closed in 2013 from a previous address that appears on other CRA already. So sometimes they are slow to update.

Consumerist

redux wrote: »

. . . Frequency of logging in isn't a reason for their info to contain inaccuracies.

But it might be a reason for spamming.