Equifax errors on my credit file

shrek81

Hi Guys newby here for some advice cos big companies think passing you round will help me sort my problem.

I have reasonable income from employment and am self employed also which gives me the a good income uner a Ltd Company(2yr old). I have a mortgage on a property which i rent out (live with family!) and debts which are around 14k, all manageable on my income.

Experians credit score is 986 and call credit 842 yet equifax have someone with a similar name to mine (previous occupant) who has 3 ccjs and some other dodgy credit. Thier credit rating is 116 for me.

Now i have sent letters to them, the courts involved in ccjs to prove that that is not my debt yet Equifax want me to purchase their report which i did. (previously i used Checkmyfile) so know they cant blame CMF and thier report is the same CMF.

Now, does anyone have any advice as I want to buy a property and will not be able to obtain a good mortagage because of this rubbish on Equifaxs report.....this has gone on since July 2007 and i really am at the end of my tether!!!!!

any advice will be gratefully received. I may have missed something but if i need to post further details i will do this if asked!!

Shrek81

Butlers1982

what about the date of births for this person with a similar name?
when doing a credit search you need to put all the details in.

Contact the creditors and ask for full applicantion details as they are wrong,Give them 14 days to reply then tell them youll take further action because they are affecting you, and as far as your concerned its not your debt

Alfie_E

The information has come from multiple sources. Each company that the previous occupant owes or owed money to will have provided their information separately to Equifax. The information on the CCJs has come from yet another source. The government set up a company called The Registry Trust Ltd to maintain a register of CCJs and pass on this information to companies like Equifax. All the credit reference agencies should have identical information, just like with the electoral role.

As this information doesn’t show up on your credit reports from either Experian or Callcredit, it’s clear that Equifax are the only party making a mistake. The most likely explanation is that Equifax have linked together the credit records for you and the previous occupant, believing you and the previous occupant to be one and the same person. Does the file from Equifax also show information that is correct for you? Contacting the named creditors or the courts is a waste of time. In all probability the information they have supplied is correct, and, even if it were wrong, it’s not about you, so you won’t be able to do anything about it. Equifax have taken correct information and added it to the wrong file.

The regulations require that you contest the information that Equifax directly provide to you. So, it’s fair that they asked you to obtain your statutory credit report from them. The following two things should have happened, before taking the matter further.

1. You’ve re-sent your letter of complaint, this time including the reference number on your credit file.
2. You’ve waited 28 days and not received a reply or you have received a reply that gives Equifax’s final position and you’re not happy with it.

If both of those are true, you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. Their details should be on the back of the covering letter Equifax sent with your credit report. They’re also on the ICO’s Contact us page. You would ask the ICO to make an assessment as to whether Equifax have breached the Data Protection Act, by failing to maintain accurate records about you.

Another step is to consult a solicitor. You can, of course, do this at any time, but it would probably be best to wait for any investigation by the ICO. An initial meeting with a solicitor and a letter from the solicitor to Equifax may be all that it takes to push them into action, and it maybe one or two hundred pounds well spent, if speed is important. It’s possible to go all the way to court, using the Data Protection Act, to get a court order to force Equifax to correct their mistake. I assume you’d get all your legal costs back from Equifax once they concede they’re wrong or you get an order, but costs are something that would have to be discussed with any solicitor.

shrek81

Hi - thanks for the detailed replies.

I have sent Equifax a letter with reference number and am just sitting tight. Its annoying as I know its not my debt and that the rest of the information/acounts are mine and all in order.

To be fair to equifax they were quick replying to my original query and the stress has been caused by checkmyfile recommending i contact the courts and the registry trust not mentioning Equifax could have made the mistake!!

many thanks guys
Shrek81