BT/JCIA default

mrso2012

I have recently had a default registered against me by JC International Acquisition, I had no idea what for. Turns out it was a final bill from BT which was back in July of 2024, I don't remember this at all, as far as I was aware it was all paid and done when I switched broadband. I've heard nothing about it until I saw this default which was registered in October 2025?! Can they do this? If I knew there was this issue I'd have paid it back in 2024 but I genuinely had no clue. I didn't get a letter from JCIA until a BW legal one arrived in the post offering to settle it for a lesser amount a couple of days after I saw the default. 

Is this legal, can they do that after so much time and is there anything I can do here?

I am due to remortgage this year so I am gutted this has happened

Nasqueron

They are meant to send you letters warning of potential default but if you miss the contractual payments then yes they can mark your credit file as an accurate state of affairs. 

Did you move house by any chance?

You could try and push back and ask for proof they sent the final letter (whether email or mail) and for copies of the reminders but if they were sent and you missed them, that's unfortunately all you can do about the default alone. You could try and get it pushed back as July 24 debt not being defaulted to October 25 is poor, they are meant to be done after 2-3 missed contractual payments which would be maybe October 24 so at least it looks a bit better for your file

ProcessMatters

The key issue here isn’t really whether a default can be recorded, but whether it was recorded correctly and at the right time.

A default shouldn’t suddenly appear many months after a service ended without a clear chain of billing, reminders and a formal default notice. If the first time you became aware was via your credit file, that’s a red flag rather than a formality.

At this stage I wouldn’t engage with settlement offers. I’d go back to BT / JCIA in writing and ask them to evidence:

when the final bill was issued

where it was sent

what reminders were sent and when

the date and basis on which the default date was chosen

Until they can show that sequence, the default date (and possibly the default itself) is open to challenge. Paying now can lock the record in place, which is the opposite of what you want with a remortgage coming up.

This usually turns on process and timing, not whether you were trying to avoid paying.