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I had a mobile phone contract with Vodafone from 2015 - 2019. During this time I moved house and called and informed them.
In 2019 my Vodafone account was somehow frauded and direct debits set up in my name. I was able to recover the full amount from Vodafone through direct debit indemnity (£1600 paid in August 2019). I left Vodafone in January (after my two second year contract had expired).
Earlier this year (March and May) I was turned down for two personal loans and both companies mentioned an issue related to Vodafone in my credit report. I had just joined credit karma and also received an email from them alerting me to something new on my credit report - and when I looked at my credit report I noticed a £1700 debt to Vodafone.
I contacted Vodafone who said the debt related to my terminating my contract in January early (they thought I’d signed up for another two years and had terminated early). The agent said it was a mistake and to call back in ten days to check it had been sorted with their accounts department. He also informed me that the debt had been passed to a debt collection agency. I was shocked - I told him that neither Vodafone nor the debt collections agency had contacted me by post or telephone. He then said it was because they only had my previous address, but then when realising I had cleared security on the call admitted they had had my new address for 3 years. He said he would contact the debt collection agency and get the action cancelled.
i called back in ten days... this person said the debt related to my not having paid any direct debits for 2015 - 2017 and that the debt was with the debt collections agency. She said I had to contact my bank and prove to the debt collections agency I had paid. I went to my bank, got the statements for the whole of 2015 and 2016 (which showed a monthly direct debit to Vodafone. I called the debt collections agency who said they had passed the case back to Vodafone in October 2019.
i called Vodafone a third time. This time I was told the debt related to their paying me compensation in August 2019 (£1600) and it wasn’t noted why the payment to me had been made. I am to call back in two weeks.
net result - Vodafone have this erroneous debt against me from August 2019. They never contacted me about it - at least not at the address they had listed for me. They passed it to a debt collectors without my knowledge - I have no idea when or how many defaults I have as they also had my previous address from Vodafone. My credit score has bombed - I am red flagged, I was declined a mortgage application (not solely for this reason but it was mentioned). I was given three different reasons for the debt.
what redress do I have?
In 2019 my Vodafone account was somehow frauded and direct debits set up in my name. I was able to recover the full amount from Vodafone through direct debit indemnity (£1600 paid in August 2019). I left Vodafone in January (after my two second year contract had expired).
Earlier this year (March and May) I was turned down for two personal loans and both companies mentioned an issue related to Vodafone in my credit report. I had just joined credit karma and also received an email from them alerting me to something new on my credit report - and when I looked at my credit report I noticed a £1700 debt to Vodafone.
I contacted Vodafone who said the debt related to my terminating my contract in January early (they thought I’d signed up for another two years and had terminated early). The agent said it was a mistake and to call back in ten days to check it had been sorted with their accounts department. He also informed me that the debt had been passed to a debt collection agency. I was shocked - I told him that neither Vodafone nor the debt collections agency had contacted me by post or telephone. He then said it was because they only had my previous address, but then when realising I had cleared security on the call admitted they had had my new address for 3 years. He said he would contact the debt collection agency and get the action cancelled.
i called back in ten days... this person said the debt related to my not having paid any direct debits for 2015 - 2017 and that the debt was with the debt collections agency. She said I had to contact my bank and prove to the debt collections agency I had paid. I went to my bank, got the statements for the whole of 2015 and 2016 (which showed a monthly direct debit to Vodafone. I called the debt collections agency who said they had passed the case back to Vodafone in October 2019.
i called Vodafone a third time. This time I was told the debt related to their paying me compensation in August 2019 (£1600) and it wasn’t noted why the payment to me had been made. I am to call back in two weeks.
net result - Vodafone have this erroneous debt against me from August 2019. They never contacted me about it - at least not at the address they had listed for me. They passed it to a debt collectors without my knowledge - I have no idea when or how many defaults I have as they also had my previous address from Vodafone. My credit score has bombed - I am red flagged, I was declined a mortgage application (not solely for this reason but it was mentioned). I was given three different reasons for the debt.
what redress do I have?
