EON have ruined my perfect credit rating :(

GeorgeKnows

Hey all! Usually just a browser here, but I've got a real issue which I need some help with.

I purchased my flat around 5 years ago and went with EON as my energy provider by default (the previous owners were with EON). No real issues to start with, until January 2018 came around and I spoke with Customer Services and asked whether my account was 'IN CREDIT' - it was! To the tune of about £600. So I asked for my upcoming bills to be deducted from the pot of money which I'd accrued and for normal billing to resume once the pot had run dry. At no time did I instruct anybody to cancel my Direct Debit.

Fast forward a year or so later, I check my mailbox and have a handwritten letter from somebody from EON who had been to my flat for me to settle a debt of circa £1,100. At this point I spoke with EON and discovered that my Direct Debit had been cancelled. I then asked to be put on a payment plan to settle the debt (minimum payment - because it's not my fault!). At the time, I did ask whether this would've effected my credit rating at all and I was told "NO". So I left it and haven't had any need to communicate with EON since. 

And then we reach the present day. I've started getting very organised at the age of 28 and I signed up for 'CheckMyFile' to see how my credit rating was. I've never had any trouble paying bills or applying for credit cards etc - but wanted some clarity. I then found that I have 5 MONTHS OF ARREARS on my credit file courtesy of EON. 

I called EON to try and get this settled, I explained that they had cancelled my Direct Debit without my authorisation and that they needed to rectify. I was advised it may take up to 5 working days for a Manager to get back to me and that a case had been opened. Today is working day number 5 and I haven't heard from anybody.  

I'm now sitting on hold with EON with a Customer Service agent. I've just been read several notes from her system and they are as follows (paraphrasing):
- I am the one who requested cancellation of my Direct Debits (I have asked for her to retrieve the recorded phone call to verify this - but was told that they are often deleted after 6 months).
- A case handler spoke with me on Monday and told me that they won't be contacting Equifax to rectify as it was me who cancelled the DD and EON has subsequently closed the case. A direct quote at the end of this note was "The customer confirms I've resolved their complaint" - which is baffling as I haven't spoken to anybody!

I find myself in a very frustrating situation. Neither of the above points are true (I didn't cancel my DD and I haven't spoken with anybody from EON since I called last week), but worse than this, my otherwise perfect credit file is now in tatters. I have a rating of 725 on CheckMyFile instead of where I should sit at 900-1000. I've never missed a payment in my life and am in very good shape financially for my age.

Forgive my naivety, but could anybody point me in the right direction? Whilst I've been speaking with a friendly customer service lady today (a first!), communicating with EON is usually like speaking to a brick wall. 
Do I raise this issue with Equifax directly? Do I need to put a case together? Does anybody have experience with EON being a nightmare and completely destroying a young, hardworking, honest persons credit rating?

Although this isn't going to effect me in the short term, I'm really worried about what this may do for me in the long term. 

D3xt3r5L4b

Don’t look at your score or rating - it’s not seen or used in lending practices so you can ignore it as much as any lender would. 

Raise a complaint with Eon and let it go through the complaints process. After 8 weeks have passed and you receive a letter of deadlock (or whichever comes first) then you can escalate it to energy ombudsman. 

GeorgeKnows

D3xt3r5L4b said:

Don’t look at your score or rating - it’s not seen or used in lending practices so you can ignore it as much as any lender would. 

Raise a complaint with Eon and let it go through the complaints process. After 8 weeks have passed and you receive a letter of deadlock (or whichever comes first) then you can escalate it to energy ombudsman. 

Thanks a lot - since I've had these marks on my credit score I've managed to lease a new car and have also been given a Credit Card with an £8K limit, so it did make me wonder what effect it's really had. I'm worried more so about when I step up to purchasing a larger property. 

I've raised a(nother) complaint with EON. I'm told that I'll speak with someone in the next 5 working days (although I am dubious based on the other call which didn't happen). What does a letter of deadlock entail? Is it effectively what happens when it's my word against theirs and there's no resolution?

D3xt3r5L4b

Yes. When you can’t reach a resolution from
both parties you enter deadlock. You’ll need a copy of the deadlock letter to supply to the energy ombudsman before they’ll look into your case ideally. Or you need to show that 8 weeks has passed since you logged and official complaint.

Have you actually raised a complaint yet or are you just in comms with their CS team?

GeorgeKnows

D3xt3r5L4b said:

Yes. When you can’t reach a resolution from
both parties you enter deadlock. You’ll need a copy of the deadlock letter to supply to the energy ombudsman before they’ll look into your case ideally. Or you need to show that 8 weeks has passed since you logged and official complaint.

Have you actually raised a complaint yet or are you just in comms with their CS team?

I see, thank you for that. 

I raised a complaint last week on Wednesday (07/10) which they have closed their end. They said that I'd settled the case when I spoke with the advisor - a conversation never took place, and I've asked them to pull up their recorded phone call since they're adamant it took place.

They've since opened another case, which I should have some more clarity on over the next 5 working days. I won't settle this case until they admit liability for cancelling my DD

D3xt3r5L4b

If they don’t agree then ask them to send a deadlock letter

Thrugelmir

Was the direct debit inactive for over 12 months? 

GeorgeKnows

Thrugelmir said:

Was the direct debit inactive for over 12 months? 

Yes, and no.

Yes - It was inactive for a total of 12 months - but for 5/6 of those months money was deducted from the amount of money I had in credit with EON.

No - I've only got 5/6 months of arrears on my credit file.

GeorgeKnows

D3xt3r5L4b said:

If they don’t agree then ask them to send a deadlock letter

Okay, thank you for your help.

PRAISETHESUN

GeorgeKnows said:

Thrugelmir said:

Was the direct debit inactive for over 12 months? 

Yes, and no.

Yes - It was inactive for a total of 12 months - but for 5/6 of those months money was deducted from the amount of money I had in credit with EON.

No - I've only got 5/6 months of arrears on my credit file.

If the DD doesn't get used to pull money from your bank account for 13 months then it will be cancelled due to inactivity. If they've been taking money from your credit balance for that length of time rather than your bank account, the DD would've been cancelled. Not sure if it is EON or your bank who does that but either way the DD would've been cancelled if it wasn't used. 

Not much you can do here apart from getting the formal complaints process started (if you haven't already) and escalating if/when they do not resolve it to your satisfaction. 

GeorgeKnows

PRAISETHESUN said:

GeorgeKnows said:

Thrugelmir said:

Was the direct debit inactive for over 12 months? 

Yes, and no.

Yes - It was inactive for a total of 12 months - but for 5/6 of those months money was deducted from the amount of money I had in credit with EON.

No - I've only got 5/6 months of arrears on my credit file.

If the DD doesn't get used to pull money from your bank account for 13 months then it will be cancelled due to inactivity. If they've been taking money from your credit balance for that length of time rather than your bank account, the DD would've been cancelled. Not sure if it is EON or your bank who does that but either way the DD would've been cancelled if it wasn't used. 

Not much you can do here apart from getting the formal complaints process started (if you haven't already) and escalating if/when they do not resolve it to your satisfaction. 

I appreciate the reply thank you. The issue here is that EON cancelled my direct debit without my authorisation or approval which has lead to me having a crap credit score. 

The formal complaints process has started - I'll keep this thread updated with what happens here on in.

Again, thanks for the reply!