TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

[NAG90]

Hi,

Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated. It's a complicated one.

In September 2014 I moved out of a shared flat in which I had ownership of the broadband and line rental with TalkTalk. When I moved out, I filled out the change of ownership and direct debit form to transfer the account to my housemate and sent it off. She continued to live in the property with someone else and pay the account.

Fast forward three years to May 2017, and I received a letter from debt collectors stating that I owe £285 on a defaulted TalkTalk account.

I then spoke to TalkTalk, who inform me that I owed the money for a contract set up in May 2015 (after I had moved out the property).

It turns out, that the Change of Ownership form was not processed, but that the account was being paid for using my former housemates bank card and all login details had been changed to her name. I did not know the form had not been processed, and could not have known.

She then moved out and somebody else took over the account, using their own bank card and email address, but never questioned the name on the account.

The new account user then requested that TalkTalk move the account to her new address, and managed to do so in my name with no questions asked. She then defaulted on this account.

I sent off proof I lived at a different address to the debt collectors, who then wrote the account off and removed all defaults in my name. TalkTalk had told me that once I had settled with Lowell the debt collectors, they would amend my credit file. However, they are now going backwards and forwards on whether they will or will not do this. 3 months on, the default is still on my equifax file and preventing me from getting a mortgage.

TalkTalk spoke to the person who set up the new contract in my name who admitted they had done it by mistake, and TalkTalk confirmed it was unfair to have the default on my file. But still will not remove it. Even after I sent them proof I lived at a different address.

To make matters interesting. According to my credit file, I only paid on the account from October 2014 (after I sent the form off) and there is no record of me paying it before then (when I actually was there!)

What can I do? I would be grateful for any help.

[ostell]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

Talk Talk are not the best for handling problems. Do it all in writing or in email. Start at the the top with a complaint. the "help (?) desk" have no authority to do anything. perhaps here?

[NAG90]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

Thanks for the response Ostell! Much appreciated.

I have been going through the CEO team for around three months now.

It was the CEO team who informed me they would remove the default. They have no gone back on this and requested I open a police investigation. Once I open the police investigation, they will remove the default. This makes no sense to me, as the reason someone was using the account in my name was because they 1) failed to process the change of ownership form and 2) didn't ask any security questions of the person taking out a new contract in my name.

You're right though, they aren't the best. It says a lot that Lowell have offered the best customer service in all of this.

[ostell]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

So take their advice and report it to the police to get a crime number and then forward the crime number to talktalk.

[NAG90]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

Hi Ostell,

My problem with this is that I would be implicating someone who was using the account in my name, but did not know they were doing so.

They didn't know they were because all login names and bank names/details were changed into their name, Talk Talk never asked any security questions when creating a new contract and they had trusted the Change of Ownership form had been processed correctly. It was on TalkTalks own system that my name was used, but not on the front end.

[ostell]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

Who said the fraud was perpetrated by the person who took over the account? The fraud is talktalk by not checking.

[Kati]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

It was the CEO team who informed me they would remove the default.

do you have this in writing?? If so, you should be able to get it removed yourself: (http://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/q...kjames282.html)

Tell us which entry is wrong, and what’s wrong with it. To query information on your statutory Experian credit report, fill out our online query form. If you’re a CreditExpert member, please email us at customerservice@creditexpert.co.uk or call us on 0344 481 0800 and we will raise the dispute for you.

We’ll contact the organisation that’s recorded this information on your report
And we’ll ask them to check the accuracy of the data they’ve recorded. We’ll let you know that we’re doing this, and we’ll add a ‘Notice of Dispute’ to the entry – so that anyone looking at your report in the meantime will know that the entry is being disputed. We do this because we can’t delete or change the data without their permission.

We’ll let you know the outcome

Once the organisation replies to us we’ll be in touch to let you know whether they've said it needs changing, deleting, or told us that it’s correct. It takes 10 days on average for us to receive a response from most organisations and we’ll let you know as soon as we hear from them. You’ll be able to see any changes on your credit report.

[Amethyst]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

Yip seems to me this isn't a police matter but a talktalk customer service matter

It turns out, that the Change of Ownership form was not processed, but that the account was being paid for using my former housemates bank card and all login details had been changed to her name. I did not know the form had not been processed, and could not have known.

So that is talktalk's customer service issues. ... which then led to the rest.....

She then moved out and somebody else took over the account, using their own bank card and email address, but never questioned the name on the account.

The new account user then requested that TalkTalk move the account to her new address, and managed to do so in my name with no questions asked. She then defaulted on this account.

I'd go back to them and tell them this. There doesn't seem to be any fraud perpetrated by the account user that took over from you. Sounds exactly like what normal people would do, use the account and ask it is transferred to their new address where they carry on paying it until things get a bit tight then default. It is down to talk talk not processing that change of ownership form so if you have ( or can get - SAR? ) evidence that they should have done that I think you'd be okay.

[ostell]

Re: TalkTalk: Someone else's default in my name

The CEO wants said they will take action and remove the default notice if it reported to the police. Report and get back to them.

I think the OP has talked to them till he is blue in the face. It is standard talktalk rubbish help.