Default added illegally??? 10 October 2022 at 1:09AM in Credit file & ratings 5 replies 274 views

njjr19

Ok I need some serious advice here please as this is causing me so much stress and upset. 

I work for o2 (important note as I wouldn’t stop paying an account for the company i work for) I took an iPad out on contract over 3 years and as far I was aware paid it off in full. I contacted customer services to advise them I wanted to close the account and didn’t want to upgrade as the iPad was fine. They closed the account for me and as far as I was aware, that was that. This was in March of this year.

Fast forward to September and I login to my credit report to find my score had dropped dramatically! It turns out o2 had updated all at once that I had missed 5 payments. I was straight on the phone to them and asked them what was going on and that I currently have 2 phones out with them and a Samsung tablet which are all upto date. The advisor told me it was the iPad and that the final payment hadn’t been made, I queried this as the account was closed and working for o2 myself knew an account can’t be closed unless the device was paid for in full. They stated that for some reason the payment had failed and needed to be paid (£33.80) I said that’s not a problem I can pay right away but asked them why I wasn’t sent a letter or informed of this, they had no answer for me. I paid the amount and o2 credited my account with £30 as goodwill for this mess up and not being informed. I kindly asked them to update my credit report as had I known the payment was owing I would have paid it. They assured me they would deal with this and sent a referral through to the credit file amendment team. 

On Friday I got an email from the credit file amendment team saying not only was the information regarding the missed payments correct but because it had been 6mths they were adding a default to my account!!! So now, although I paid the £33.80 that day (24th September) they have added a backdated default (date of default 1st September) 

I am absolutely furious! I haven’t even received a notice of default that usually gives you 14 days to pay to stop the default being added. 

Please please someone give me some clear advice, are o2 in the wrong here or is this something I need to just accept? I’m so upset by this for the sake of a measly £30 I didn’t even know I owed. O2 hadn’t updated my report in all that time otherwise I would have noticed and queried it earlier.

Thanks in advance for any advice 

[Deleted User]

Default should be done within 3 contractually missed payments though if it's the final payment it's a bit different. Note though, there is no rule they have to give you 14 days notice or everyone in debt would pay it as late as possible, they just tell you it's defaulted after sending warning letters.

If you technically defaulted by not paying this amount then it's correct but it's still worth fighting. I would complain in writing that they should not have done this without telling you the payment had failed (though there is some onus on you to check the payment did go through and query why if not) and why they didn't send you letters chasing the payment. 

Ignore the effect on the fake "score" though, nobody but you ever sees this

spinningsheep

njjr19 said:

Ok I need some serious advice here please as this is causing me so much stress and upset. 

I work for o2 (important note as I wouldn’t stop paying an account for the company i work for) I took an iPad out on contract over 3 years and as far I was aware paid it off in full. I contacted customer services to advise them I wanted to close the account and didn’t want to upgrade as the iPad was fine. They closed the account for me and as far as I was aware, that was that. This was in March of this year.

Fast forward to September and I login to my credit report to find my score had dropped dramatically! It turns out o2 had updated all at once that I had missed 5 payments. I was straight on the phone to them and asked them what was going on and that I currently have 2 phones out with them and a Samsung tablet which are all upto date. The advisor told me it was the iPad and that the final payment hadn’t been made, I queried this as the account was closed and working for o2 myself knew an account can’t be closed unless the device was paid for in full. They stated that for some reason the payment had failed and needed to be paid (£33.80) I said that’s not a problem I can pay right away but asked them why I wasn’t sent a letter or informed of this, they had no answer for me. I paid the amount and o2 credited my account with £30 as goodwill for this mess up and not being informed. I kindly asked them to update my credit report as had I known the payment was owing I would have paid it. They assured me they would deal with this and sent a referral through to the credit file amendment team. 

On Friday I got an email from the credit file amendment team saying not only was the information regarding the missed payments correct but because it had been 6mths they were adding a default to my account!!! So now, although I paid the £33.80 that day (24th September) they have added a backdated default (date of default 1st September) 

I am absolutely furious! I haven’t even received a notice of default that usually gives you 14 days to pay to stop the default being added. 

Please please someone give me some clear advice, are o2 in the wrong here or is this something I need to just accept? I’m so upset by this for the sake of a measly £30 I didn’t even know I owed. O2 hadn’t updated my report in all that time otherwise I would have noticed and queried it earlier.

Thanks in advance for any advice 

Hey, fellow vmo2 drone here, I'd email helping hands if I were you, they've always been excellent when resolving issues for f&f. 

sourcrates

I`m afraid 02 have a terrible customer service reputation, and especially for complaints handling.

What you describe is a fairly typical account of how a lot of people's complaints are handled by the company that you work for.

They tend to work around the guidance quite a lot, often claiming that as it`s a service agreement, they do not have to comply with the requirements of the consumer credit act, and it can be a grey area as for example on a new iPad contract, its part service agreement/part loan.

02 are definitely guilty of bad work practices, the problem will be getting anywhere with this, all I would suggest is keep making a nuisance of yourself, keep complaining, take it to the ombudsman services (mobile) there are two, make sure you choose the one who covers 02.

Van_Girl

I had a default put on my file by O2 quite a few years ago, after I received and paid a final bill, changed to a different network and carried on with my life. For some reason they then re-billed, leaving about £6 owing and never bothered to tell me. They let it sit for a year or so and then suddenly added a default to my credit file.

I chased this up with them, provided proof of my final bill and payment, as well as me updating them with my new address (moved at the same time as I finalised the account). They did remove the default and apologised, but it took a lot of stress and numerous phone calls 

njjr19

So the plot thickens, I’ve had another look on my credit report and my o2 account was marked as “settled” on my report in March 2022, then in September it was “reactivated” by o2 yet they never sent me any correspondence. So they have updated my account as settled, realised their mistake, then updated my account as 5missed payments during the time it was marked as “settled” then defaulted me after I made the payment in full. What are they playing at!?