Water Company Default

RainMaker_2

Hi

I was horrified to find that a water company has registered a default on my Experian credit file in the sum of £185.

I receive a large amount of junk mail, credit card offers, etc, etc. Some of the junk mail is addressed to people not even known to me. The default notice which was sent by post from the Water company (and subsequently printed on my credit file) was addressed to MR BRIAN PATSONS and my name is MR BRYAN PARSONS. I can only assume that this post was considered junk mail and discarded. A while later I was contacted by telephone and asked to pay an outstanding balance of £185. This was paid immediately over the telephone.

My credit record is otherwise outstanding.

Any opinions as to whether I have a case to get this default removed? Many thanks.

[Deleted User]

I wouldn't have thought so. Is it a valid debt?

RainMaker_2

Yes the debt was valid and was paid immediately when they contacted me by telephone.

Surely there must be a limit as to how badly misspelled a name can be before the default notice is considered invalid ?

HappyMJ

RainMaker wrote: »

Yes the debt was valid and was paid immediately when they contacted me by telephone.

Surely there must be a limit as to how badly misspelled a name can be before the default notice is considered invalid ?

It's only two letters out. That's not as bad as misspelling with mixing the order of names around. It's amazing they can even link the names together. I assume they've got your date of birth correct and that's what links the records.

RainMaker_2

There is no date of birth recorded in the default registered by the Water Company at Experian.

daniel86_2

You should firstly complain to the water provider ask them to remove the default for whatever reason you think they should.

If you are still unhappy, you can complain at http://www.ccwater.org.uk/ Consumer Council for Water

GingerBob_3

Did you consent to the water company reporting your accounts to Experian? Trick question - the answer is "no, you didn't".


BTW - NEVER provide water companies with details such as DoB, previous addresses and so on.

RainMaker_2

I certainly did not consent to the Water Company reporting my account to Experian.

McKneff

You admit the debt is yours, you have paid it because it was a valid debt.

It is a true record of your credit history

You wont get the default removed, simple as that.

HappyMJ

GingerBob wrote: »

Did you consent to the water company reporting your accounts to Experian? Trick question - the answer is "no, you didn't".


BTW - NEVER provide water companies with details such as DoB, previous addresses and so on.

Probably not with the water company itself but read the website and you find the following...

http://www.thameswater.co.uk/legal/18173.htm

We may collect your personal data in a number of ways, for example:
"when you enter a competition or promotion;"

It doesn't say what competition so it could be anything at all on the internet sponsored by the water company.

RainMaker_2

McKneff wrote: »

You admit the debt is yours, you have paid it because it was a valid debt.

It is a true record of your credit history

You wont get the default removed, simple as that.

Thanks for your comments.

However, you cannot reasonably be expected to pay a debt if correspondence relating to it isn't addressed to you. For example, if your name was JOHN SMITH and the bills were addressed to JACK BROWN then I'd have thought (maybe you wouldn't) that you didn't deserve a default on your file for not paying.

If your name was JOHN SMITH and the correspondence relating to it was addressed to JOHN SMITH then absolutely fine.

But what if your name was JOHN SMITH and the bills were addressed to JONNY SMYTHE ?

This is exactly what happened to me. The letters were considered junk mail (I get a lot), they went unopened and were binned.