Sevent trent fail to contact me for 6 months about a failed DD but report me each month

Kobrien0510

---

I’ve had a water account with Severn Trent for 15 years, always paid via direct debit without any issues. Out of the blue I get a letter saying I owe around £500. Turns out my DD bounced 6 months ago and they cancelled it.

Here’s the kicker – during those 6 months they’ve reported me as “missed payment” every single month on my credit file. That’s 6 black marks in a row.

No letters, no calls, no texts. They admit they only sent emails. I checked – I got 6 emails in that time, 4 were spammy marketing, 1 was just “here’s your bill,” and 1 vaguely mentioned direct debit. Nothing clear or urgent.

So now my credit record looks like I’ve been deliberately not paying bills for half a year, when in reality it was just a single failed DD mandate I wasn’t properly notified about.

Surely a utility company has a duty to use more than a few automated emails before trashing someone’s credit file? They’ve been taking money off me without issue for 15+ years, then the first hiccup and this is how they handle it.

Is there any regulation around how they should notify customers before reporting to credit agencies? Anyone had luck getting these markers removed?

---

Ayr_Rage

What exactly was the email that "vaguely mentioned direct debit"?

Did it vaguely say "we've been unable to collect your DD"?

If you have a online account then email would be the preferred method of communication.

How have you not noticed that the DD hasn't been paid for 6 months?

p00hsticks

Kobrien0510 said:

---

1 was just “here’s your bill,” 

so what did the bill say ? surely that would have shown that no direct debits were being taken ?

penners324

You didn't notice the DD wasnt getting taken?