Another Unfair Vodafone 'default' on my credit report

mted19

Hi there

There seem a lot of these. August 2014 I cancelled my contract with Vodafone. 4th September 2014 I called to make sure there was no outstanding balance and that I had nothing outstanding to pay. I was told there wasn't and that my account had been completely closed.

In October I received a bill for £100 and was told that my account hadn't been closed and that I needed to pay the outstanding amount. A debt collection agency was later involved. I eventually paid the £60 which was actually outstanding at the 4th September however having just applied for a mortgage I was told Vodafone have logged my account as in arrears. This has gone beyond bad customer service and into the realms of harassing customers who leave.

I need this correct ASAP so that I can get on with my life. I've already been unable to buy the house I wanted because of this.

mobilejunkie

It sounds like to stuck your head in the sand a year ago instead of sorting out. Didn't you expect that would wreck your credit file?

Unless you can establish that you did not owe Vodafone what was claimed there is no chance of getting the adverse entry on your credit file cjanged and it will stay there for the next six years nearly (assuming it's been on there for a few months already).

The only people at Vodafone who would be interested in helping you would be the Web Relations Team - there method of contact is a little obscure and at present isn't working. Check other Vodafone issue threads for updates, the Vodafone Complaints thread being the main one.

mted19

Then I've not explained it very well - Vodafone told me the account was closed with no outstanding charges, then a month later I got a bill and a letter from the debt collection agency wanting an extra month's payment plus the debt collection charges. I called Vodafone immediately and they accepted that I just needed to pay the outstanding amount which I did and thought that would be the end of the matter. No sticking my head in the sand just serious issues I'm having to deal with a year down the line when all I wanted to do was end my contract. I'll take a look on the Vodafone Complaints thread - thanks for your reply.

mobilejunkie

Did you get any of that (Vodafone as opposed to the debt collector) in writing? If so you are in a much stronger position.

Vodafone are utterly incompetent and the last thing anyone should do is believe or accept any oral promises - they rarely arrive.

It is understandable that you assumed all was well, but with this lot that can never be assumed no matter what they may say.

Hopefully you will be able to get into contact with the WRT - even their basic and obscure method of communication seems to have broken down (again) recently. Methinks it may have to do with the ever-growing swell of complaints which Vodafone mainstream bats away with broken promises and complete disdain.

Buzby

There is no mystery - an account that is closed can still attract a debit entry (just try closing a credit card!). A debit amount can come from many sources, late roaming fees or calls from an overseas carrier &c, so the information may have led to the assumption with no forward debits showing the account was clear, it wasn't.

This is why it is never a good idea to cancel any DD as the onus is on them to collect, if they didn't the error is theirs and not yours. You need to nurse the ending of a contract to ensure late debits don't work against you.

mted19

They closed the account. They cancelled the direct debit. They said the account was completely closed with no outstanding debits and so I stopped using the SIM card. The error was completely theirs.

When my monthly bill just appeared as normal - as if I'd not had any conversations with Vodafone - I asked them to review their recording of their call. Instead of doing this they referred it to a debt collection agency. The only reason I didn't pay was because they told me the account had been closed with nothing to pay. When I found out about their error I called them and agreed to pay what I owed them straight away over the phone.