Southern Water Debt

RobT75

New to this so please be gentle.

I am looking for advice into possibly getting a Southern Water default removed from my credit report. I can't dispute the default but the circumstances and conclusion (me paying) really don't warrant 6 years of not able to borrow a penny! I had bad debts way back in my past but this is long gone.

I'm in full time time employment earn a decent wage, I work at sea and spend months away at a time. In March 2015 I'd moved to a new rental property after split / divorce. I was then sent away for two long stints over the summer months. I'd set up all utilities on DD but neglected to sort Southern Water - my fault entirely (i'd simply missed it in the rush to leave and got them and Bournemouth and West Hants confused). Was horrified upon my return in October to find a dreaded Moorcroft Letter (remember these from old). I paid it up immediately and thought no more. Fast Forward to July 2016 and I decided to venture to Experian and see where I now was in regards to a Credit Score eligibility for a small bank loan.

All is good although my score is Poor (totally expected as I haven't borrowed for years) no negatives on my account accept for this; one missed payment...but it's not a missed payment it's a default....a BIG RED NO. Experian have been very helpful and added a note but I really want to try and appeal to Southern Water and ask for them to remove it....I'm not looking to go on a spending spree, I want to try and build a Credit Score back from the ashes. The thought of 4 1/2 more years as a black mark in the world of borrowing fills me with dread.

Browsing here and elsewhere on the web brings me to the the conclusion SW are hopeless in dealing with complaints and almost got out of their way to make any process nigh on impossible...well SW I'm in for the long haul...can anyone on here offer advice as where to start to try and get the Default removed??? They told Experian no chance but that's not a surprise.

I know I messed up but there is a human element in all of this...I'm not in denial, not claiming I didn't know the debt was there...they got their money (which is for advance charges...yep I hadn't even used the water I am now in debt for) and plenty more, on time I may add, over the following year. I just want one day to see pretty green lines across my Experian report walk in to Barclays and the Computer Says "Yes".

All best
Rob

National_Debtline

Hi Rob

Welcome to the forum.

All I can really suggest is that you ask Southern Water. I think it would be best to write to them and summarise the main points you’ve given here such as you working away and not realising you owed the debt. The default is disadvantaging you and isn’t a reflection of your ability to pay.

I’m afraid you shouldn’t get your hopes up too much though as it’s rare for defaults to be removed. Southern Water are obliged to record accurate information on people’s credit files.

James
@natdebtline

MrsTinks

As James has explained then you can ask but they are certainly not from what you say obliged to remove this default.

Your only possible direction here might be that you don't actually owe the money or didn't in the first place as they were advanced charges and therefor assuming you cancelled your account with them are not your debt in the first place and actually you'd like a refund...

I don't know where you would stand if you didn't give them a final reading and you're not disputing that you owe the money.

Anyway - I'd suggest you look closely at if you really owed this in the first place or not, if you did then I doubt you'll get it removed as it was applied correctly - it wasn't their fault you moved and didn't tell them or closed the account (not saying to blame here) so according to the rules they have followed the correct process.

RobT75

Thanks for reply

I'm not contesting the debt. It was paid off as soon as I realised I had it (Moorcroft Letter) it was a new account, not old. As I mentioned in my post there is a Human element.

My reason for asking is advice on the process to 'try' and get it removed or more specifically if any users may have first hand experience.

Southern Water did not close my account, Moorcroft didn't turn up on my door. It was a paltry amount too boot (£130). I'm gutted that I can be black balled over this and from these two replies there seems to be no way of sorting it out. A criminal record disappears quicker than this.

National_Debtline

Adding a notice of correction might help with credit applications while the default is on your credit file, so was the right thing to do with Experian. That information wouldn’t be factored into automated credit scores and eligibility checkers, so if you really need a small loan you could still try an application as a human would need to check your notice of correction and assess your application from there.

There are 2 other main credit reference agencies in the UK – Equifax and Call Credit. Some potential lenders might use them instead, so it’s worth looking at your file with them and adding a notice of correction there too. You can check the Equifax file information for free on www.clearscore.com and Call Credit for free on www.noddle.co.uk

James
@natdebtline

RobT75

Certainly will do that too James. Can these other agencies take your info from Experian and replicate it..I am a paid up member of Experian??

I had a contested default that was removed by the Nationwide. It's gone from Experian, would that also be removed from Equifax and Call Credit?

sourcrates

People have had success in the past, by including removal of default as part of a settlement offer.
However you have lost that leverage by paying the debt.

Of course it can't be taken for granted that they would of removed it, but that would of been your only chance of removing it.

The good news is the further back in time the default is, the less impact it will have on you.

National_Debtline

RobT75 wrote: »

Certainly will do that too James. Can these other agencies take your info from Experian and replicate it..I am a paid up member of Experian??

I had a contested default that was removed by the Nationwide. It's gone from Experian, would that also be removed from Equifax and Call Credit?

As far as I’m aware they don’t share information on things such as defaults, only in cases where fraud is reported. That’s why you need to keep your eye on all 3 of the main UK credit reference agencies to get the full picture.

The general opinion in this forum is that it’s not really worth paying for a monthly subscription service from a credit reference agency as you can check them for free. You can actually access your Experian report for free through MSE now, along with the 2 other free options I mentioned previously.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/creditclub

James
@natdebtline

RobT75

Joined this morning before posting!

Once again thanks for the advice. I shall go to them on bended knee!

nkkingston

Bear in mind lenders don't look at your score, they look at your whole situation and history. You may find that though it trips the automatic eligibility checkers, you'll have more luck in an actual application. Of course, that depends on your income and expenditure and other factors meeting the 'real' criteria, and what you want the loan for.