Three Mobile default affecting credit rating

r4dly wrote: »

Hi,
I was refused credit this week so signed up to Experian to check my credit file. I found two accounts for Three mobile although I only have one. The first is a Mobile and Sim contract I took out in 2017 and is all paid and up to date. The second is showing as a default account, on contacting Three the agent told me I had taken out a Sim Only deal in November 2017, the first 4 months were paid but in March 2018 I switched to Barclays bank so the payments to this contract stopped (I wasn't paying attention to my bank statements to see the money coming out). The account went into default, however Three mobile never contacted me for any payments or provided any paperwork. When I spoke to the Three agent today he told me as the account had accumulated debt Three had 'adjusted' the balance to wipe out the debt and cancelled the contract. I find this bizarre as whenever I have not paid a contact before the provider has always chased me for the money, presumably it would also go to a debt collector. When I questioned the Three agent as to why they would be so kind as to wipe out my debt he couldn't answer, I asked for details of the usage on the account and again he couldn't answer. Then I was cut off.

The problem is this is affecting my ability to obtain and build credit and as I have read will remain on my credit file for some time.

Can anyone advise me of steps I can take to resolve this and regain control of my credit file? I feel like a sales person at Three has simply sold me a contract without my knowledge and then cancelled the debt owed to cover it up, is this even possible? I tried 'Resolver' but could find this specific issue listed.

Thanks in advance

Not sure what you expect. I can't see how Three has "sold" you anything you didn't agree to. You appear to have known about both contracts yet somehow expected one to disappear when your payments stopped (due to you switching banks, at which point direct debits could have been automatically switched over if you requested that). You also seem to expect your credit files to be "corrected" when the error was no-one's but yours. What are they supposedly "covering up"? Your error? Many people seem not to check their bank accounts and other statements more than once every few years and then cry when something nasty finally comes to the surface; when switching banks you should be even more vigilant than normal (i.e. check everything at least weekly if not daily - it's pretty easy and fast nowadays). It sounds more likley from an objective poiint of view that you'd thought you'd got away with not paying than not noticed - but either way it's impossible (and unnecessary) to prove.

If the bank made an error by not transferring the direct debit you can go the formal complaint/ombudsman route with them, of course. That might not achieve a correction to your credit file, however, since that could only come from the network and from their standpoint it wasn't an error on their part. Further, IF it was a banking error (given you inattention) the first thing I would now do is check to see what other direct debits may have gone unnoticed into the ether.

Good luck with that - I can't see you have a case on any point unless your description is missing some unknown information. You could make a formal complaint then go to the Ombudsman. You might get lucky, but if it's Ombudsman Services they are almost as bad as the networks even when you do have a case. As far as I can tell your only excuse might be that the network failed to notify you; however, they also produce monthly bills which you apparently also neglected to check.

r4dly wrote: »

Maybe you should learn to read rather than acting like some kind of forum junkie, I had no idea they’d subscribed me to a second SIM card deal as I stated. If it was legitimate then they would have chased me for the money surely? Who lets a customer walk away from a contract without paying for the entirety of the contract (12 months) but they did. They just adjusted the balance their end to write off the debt.

No paperwork at all, plus I have a three mobile account online and the app and neither show the extra contract. There is also no usage on the sim what so ever.

Maybe you should do as you suggest. If you were reading your own bank statements (apart from anything else) you'd have seen extra money going out that (according to you) shouldn't have been. Of course, you could also check your external credit files once in two years. Using your own logic if your position was "legitimate" you would have taken action at the time.

With that attention to detail you're unlikely to get very far.