Anglian Water 'Arrangement To Pay'

johnny45

Hi there,

First time poster here.

I've been trying to sort out all of my old debts and begin to get my credit score back on track and have just recently made an arrangement to pay back a debt from Anglian Water which was marked on my Noddle report as 'BB' and '6' in September 2016 but was never registered as defaulted.

The problem I have now is that since I have started this arrangement they have added 'AR' '6' to my report for last month which has knocked 50 points off of my credit score. (I'd managed to build up 100 points in the last 8 months and this has just slashed that in half )

Worse still i've been reading online that this will continue to stay on my report until it is paid off and then subsequently for another 6 years from that date!

I made the arrangement because I was trying to avoid a Default (and worse a CCJ) being added to my report but it seems I would have been better off waiting for them to default the account and then start a payment plan?

I'm posting for some advice really as for what to do?

Should I:

a) Carry on the payment plan with the 'AR' '6' status on there and would this look better than a default?

b) Call Anglian Water and Request that the 'AR' '6 be replaced with a default which would then fall off after 6 years?

Also if I went for this option would I be able to get the default back dated to Oct 2016 as this is when it should have been added in the first place?

Thanks in advance.

National_Debtline

Hi Johnny45 and welcome to MSE,


First of all, please don't worry about your score. Future lenders see your credit history and not the score, so don't worry that the score has dropped by setting up an arrangement to repay.


As far as whether a default or an arrangement is better for your overall rating, it is hard to say. A default would be more damaging in the short term, but would only show for 6 years from the date of default. Whereas an arrangement will show (and show the account as delinquent) until the debt is paid and then 6 years from the date of settlement.


If you feel that Anglian Water should've defaulted the account, you would need to write to them and request them to amend the details on your file. A default on your file will be added (according to the Information Commissioner's Office Guidelines) when the 'relationship has broken down'. So, if you made no arrangement between October 2016 - recently you could potentially make this argument. Ask them to backdate this and await their response. If you are unhappy you can take the matter to the ICO and the Consumer Council for Water. Please be aware that only inaccurate data can be amended/ removed from your rating.


Laura
@natdebtline

johnny45

Hi Laura,

Thank you for the advice.

I have just spoken to Anglian Water about this who have said they could stop the Arrangement To Pay and instead file a default. But as soon as I re-start the arrangement to pay this would show up alongside the Default so I would end up with both AR6 as well as the default?

He did say that he wasn't 100% sure on this as they only submit information to the CRAs and don't have any control over how they report it.

Could anyone clarify this? I would rather have the default instead of AR6 but I definitely don't want both!