Advice for removing a British gas default

Iantx

Hi everyone

A quick story about my situation,

I'm after some advice on removing a default from British gas. I changed my gas supplier from British gas in March 2016 and received my final gas bill from them for £377. In April my dad was diagnosed with cancer so in the midst of everything else going on, I'd forgotten about the bill. My dad's health deteriorated over the next few months and I was so busy with my own full time job, hospital runs (40 mile round trips) and finishing off his work for his customers (he was a self employed craftsman), that I don't recall seeing another reminder off them. Unfortunately my dad passed away on Oct 29th and I was still kept busy until Christmas as I had to sell all of his machinery and stock and hand the workshop back to the landlord.
In January 2017 I saw a mortgage advisor who needed a copy of my credit report, thats when I noticed the defaults which had started in Oct. I immediately paid it in full, told the lady at BG my circumstances and asked about removing the defaults. She basically said there's nothing they can do so I just let it be.

Recently I searched through some paperwork and found the default notice which they sent on 6/9/16 (ironically, the same date that we were told that dad's cancer was terminal). I also found a few letters from Morecroft debt recovery saying that they had taken over the debt. These were dated before and after the BG default notice.

So my questions are,
Can you get a default removed on compassionate grounds?
I have asked over the phone but the minions that answer say they can't do anything, I also read a thread which says to write to the creditor asking for removal as a good will gesture, as it's such a small amount. Has anyone tried this and have any success?

Should British Gas be giving me default if the debt had been passed on before the default notice?

Also, I've read about a 'notice of correction' you can add to a credit file, do they work?

Sorry if this is long winded but it's affecting my chances of getting a decent mortgage deal.

Many thanks,
Ian

Candyapple

Iantx wrote: »

So my questions are,
Can you get a default removed on compassionate grounds?

I would say no, because it's based on factual way you have ran the account. You are however welcome to follow the advice of writing and asking for it to be removed as a gesture of goodwill - be sure to keep the thread updated of the outcome as sadly too many posters start threads but never update them so as you found - you never know the answer to the original question.

Iantx wrote: »

Should British Gas be giving me default if the debt had been passed on before the default notice?

My guess is that BG didn't sell the debt to Morecroft at the time Morecroft sent you any letters as they would have appointed them to try and collect the money from you and they sold it after the default notice was issued. It's common. The debt however still remained with BG hence they sent you the default notice.

Iantx wrote: »

Also, I've read about a 'notice of correction' you can add to a credit file, do they work?

Definitely don't do this, they cause more harm than good. All it will do is make every application you make be instantly referred so that a manual underwriter will look at the application, or declined in most instances.

Iantx wrote: »

Sorry if this is long winded but it's affecting my chances of getting a decent mortgage deal.

You may have to face facts that if BG don't remove the default based on goodwill, speak to a mortgage broker who can search the market for lenders who accept people with adverse credit histories. You won't be able to get the high st rates but you may stand a chance.

ellison007

Hi


Which credit report is the BG default on? Is it Experian, Equifax, Noddle (also known as CallCredit) or more than one?


I don't think BG report to all the CRA's (credit reference agencies).

Iantx

Thanks for the quick responses.

You may have to face facts that if BG don't remove the default based on goodwill, speak to a mortgage broker who can search the market for lenders who accept people with adverse credit histories. You won't be able to get the high st rates but you may stand a chance.

Our mortgage broker has given us some lenders details that can help but the rates are terrible!!

Which credit report is the BG default on? Is it Experian, Equifax, Noddle (also known as CallCredit) or more than one?

BG default is on Noddle and Experian, I haven't checked the others.

Also, just checked the Moorcroft letter and the first line says 'we are agents of BG and work with them to collect payments' so have no case there.

I don't suppose anybody knows of who I would need to write to? I can't find anything on Google and the staff at BG aren't very helpful regarding defaults.

Thanks Ian

mrmagooooooo

I agree that the information they have put on your credit file is correct and as such there are slim chances of getting it removed...

Although i wouldn't let it stop me having a go.

I would email their CEO a begging letter detailing the reasons why it happened etc.

mark.hodges@britishgas.co.uk

Again i wouldn't get your hopes up at all but id have a go.

Hope that helps

maggs44

Hi

I have a similar problem to the one you have detailed in the Forum June 2017. I too changed companies to EDF from British Gas to save money and British Gas sent me a bill for over £1,000. I queried this and without going into a load of detail, I eventually thought it had been sorted out between my new company EDF and British Gas. I had a letter from British Gas saying they were looking into my complaint still and one from EDF stating that everything was now completed and that I was in credit. 4 years on and I have just applied for a mortgage and been refused, because they have put a Default on my account. This is the only blot on an otherwise perfectly clean credit history. All y payments to British Gas for many years previously were paid by Direct Debit and on time. I can now get a mortgage from a company with much higher rates, but over the course of a 10 year mortgage I will be paying £34,000 extra! So trying to save a few pounds on my bill has resulted in me now having to pay an enormous sum of money back. I have tried to sort it out with British Gas, with emails and protracted telephone calls, but they refuse to remove it, even though ( although I don't think I owe it still) I have agreed to pay it, to sort out the problem.
I imagine that since your post was so long ago, you may not be any longer on the forum. But if you are - or anyone else can help- can you let me know what happened or any advice on what to do. This is urgent now, as I am 74 years old and trying to find a house near to my daughter. If I cant find an answer then I will have to accept a higher payment mortgage, which I am not sure I can afford.

Thanks in anticipation

Margaret

Willing2Learn

Hi Margaret and welcome to the forum

What was the written outcome of your query of the £1,000 bill that was issued?

Were you paying a Direct Debit for estimated meter reads (because no-one had read your meters) or were you submitting regular meter reads to British Gas?

maggs44

Thank you so much for your reply.
This all began in 2013. I have a lot of the correspondence since then, but not the bills - I think I may have changed to online. I believe it was a mixture of estimated bills and me giving readings. When I changed to EDF, British Gas said that from the readings that EDF had given them there must have been a twisted meter read and I owed £1185.13 on top of the final bill I had already paid. I said I couldn't possibly owe that much and I needed someone to come and read the meter. I am a pensioner I live alone and I am always very frugal with my electricity. I never have the central heating on all over the house, usually in that flat I had one heater on in the main room and that was all. I just wore lots of layers and a scarf if it was very cold. I did washing and ironing during the cheaper rate and always turned things off when I was not using them. I had been with them since 2006 at least, always paid on time by Direct Debit and my bills were usually around £50 per month .The arguments on the phone went on. I asked them to send an engineer. They said they couldn't do that as they were no longer my supplier. I did a kettle test with EDF and confirmed the readings. They said EDF was wrong, but they had issued me a bill based on these readings. Then they began to send me debt collection letters and I was still ringing up and asking for someone to explain to me how I could owe so much. I had letters from at least 3 different debt collection agencies. Eventually, EDF sent me a letter in March 2015 saying that British Gas had agreed the readings needed to be amended and that they had amended this manually ( as it was over 14 months) and that now I had a credit of £157.48 ( I have this letter) . it says 'British Gas are aware of what they have to do and may have already amended their final bill'. On 19th june 2015 I had a letter from British Gas saying they were still looking into my account and hope to be able to get back to me as quickly as possible. On 4th July they put the default on my account! i had absolutely no idea they had done this until I applied for my mortgage a few weeks ago. I know that I probably should have followed this up at the time, but you can imagine after 18 months of phone calls and debt collection companies i was so relieved when I got the letter from EDF saying I was in credit, I was happy to leave it at that. I just thought the whole thing had been sorted out between the two companies and was so glad it was all over.

I do have copies of my recent email correspondence with British Gas , which I could forward, but no written decision has yet been received. The last guy told me he had referred it to someone at the 'highest level', so I asked for a a name. He said Zelda Fergus and I looked her up- she is a Risk Analyst. He told me she doesn't accept phone calls- he seemed afraid I might call her? I think I may have to give up and take the high rate mortgage, or I will lose this house near to my daughter, but it is so unfair. I always pay my bills. I am 74 years old and I don't have any debts at all.
If you can suggest a solution or another avenue I can pursue, that would be great

Margaret

Willing2Learn

Hello again Margaret

The letter from EDF March 2015. The one that says British Gas agreed to amend the readings, and that you were now in credit. If it were me, I would use that letter as evidence in an official written complaint to British Gas. British Gas would then have up to eight weeks to respond. If they either failed to respond or were to offer a resolution that is unacceptable to you, then you would have the right to escalate the complaint to the ombudsman (OFGEM).

maggs44

Hi

Thank you so much for trying to help ( more than British Gas has done!) but I already did that and they have still refused to remove the default. They replied they were not EDF and that letter was nothing to do with them! I also included numerous other emails and letters to prove how my mistake had come about. They have refused to agree that they did anything wrong. On my daughter's advice I also CC'd in the CEO and other higher ranking people ( which is why I think they even deigned to telephone me )
On only one occasion I spoke to someone who was in any way understanding, he still said he had to manage my expectations ( I think that is one of their standard phrases) The rest were querying why I had complained now ( because I had only just found the default - I had spent 18 months previously trying to get people to understand I just wanted someone to set out how they had calculated I owed so much ). Most were, suggesting I was lying ( in a veiled kind of way) and trying to fob me off ( by telling me on 2 separate occasions I was speaking to someone at the highest level and thus suggesting there was nowhere else to go!)
I am now going ahead with the more expensive mortgage, otherwise I will lose the house near to my daughter. I would advise anyone to stay with British Gas, if they are with them, because the upset and financial loss I have incurred by trying to change is just not worth it. I feel I have been very badly served and I will continue my fight by going to the ombudsman. It can't help me now, as even if they found in my favour, I would still be tied into this new mortgage for the next 5 years ( penalties if I leave) but it might just vindicate me and stop British Gas from treating people in this way.
Finally, thank you again for trying to help. It was just a last ditch attempt and it was nice that someone listened to me. I do hold Martin Lewis partly responsible for all of this, because it was on his advice that I changed -sort of joking ! That is why I posted on his forum. I have had so much stress- both previously with all the calls and debt collection letters and now again, having discovered the default -and at my age, it's just not good. I think I have been very badly served by a very large and unreasonable company. I have done my best to fight back, but I now have to admit they have won.
Thanks again
Margaret

Willing2Learn

Even though you are going ahead with the higher rate mortgage, I am pleased to see you have decided to escalate your complaint to OFGEM (the ombudsman). I wish you well in your new home.

I am sorry that I have not been able to help.