CREDIT TEAM CONTACT

[Bdurand]

I had a contract with Vodafone over 3 years ago. I was told that to end my contract a fee of £190 was to be paid due the outstanding balance. This was reiterated several times before paying the balance to confirm process.   As much as I was aware this was terminated. I had no further acknowledgement. No letters or contact. I have since checked my credit report in which shows that a default has been placed due to an outstanding fee of £250? However I have never been notified of this and as far as I was concerned my account was closed once I paid the outstanding balance.  This has now effected my credit. I have contacted Vodafone to try and resolve this issue to be told they cannot find any account information linked to my name or the number in which I had an account with. I really could do with this resolving and removing from my account to level my credit score 

[srb001]

Hi Andy thanks for your message however i have no idea what to do nor do i think i should be using facebook and/or twitter to get vodafone to correct their mistakes.  i am happy to give my account number? as for online chat besides all the hours/days i've spent doing this while trying to do my job only to be told 'you are absolutely correct, thanks for your unbelievable patience, there is no need to worry,  i will personally see this through' etc etc  I can't see how spending even more time doing this will be productive

[TJ]

As part of the Social Media team here on the Vodafone Community Forum, we deal with all of our account specific queries via our social channels. One of the Credit File Specialists in our team will be happy to take a look into the issues you've had, if you'd like to get in touch here.

[GreatBritian]

I have experienced several defaults before due to entering into a DMP when my Credit got out of hand, borrowing too much than I could afford which resulted in multiple creditors leaving lovely Default Markers on my Credit File. Basically made it almost impossible to get the latest smartphones on a contract or generally speaking almost anything that I pay monthly for (Mobile Phone Contract, Car Finance, Electrical Goods etc...

As far as i'm aware a Default is a legal requirement that lenders have to post to your Credit file when it's in a Breach Of Agreement this is all in the terms you sign and agree to once taking out the Credit. This might be refered to as a Consumer Credit Agreement which is regulated via the FCA (Financial Conduct Authoirty).

As viewed multiple times across many forums (Not just Vodafone) defaults on Mobile Phone Contracts usually happen at the end of a contract when the customer has given his/her 30 notice to terminate their contract and switches to another provider, you will get sent letters regarding this but it won't be tracked like "Royal Mail - Special Delivery" due to costs and amount of automated letters, unfortunately if you make a choice to ignore these or not check your online Vodafone Account after sometime usually a couple of months you will have a Default issued against your credit file which will make it substantially difficult to obtain Credit, though it won't make it impossible you'll usually find you'll have VERY high APR rates.

In a small number of cases I have seen default complaints on threads they have been able to overturn these decisions. Though it's rare you've got no harm in challenging the default against your account.

That been said if the default has been applied genuinely whilst it can temporarily and have the potential to distrupt future plans for a duration of around (6 Years) such as purchasing a house, it's not the end of the world. Usually (Unless it's a secured Loan) you can set up payment plans of a smaller amount which can take a huge strain if you feel you can't afford repayments of substantial amounts and it means you'll often find it can help you save money in the long run.

[TaylorJayBlake]

This has recently happened to me also. Could you send me details of what to do next please. 

[Josh]

@TaylorJayBlake I'm sorry to hear you too have been affected by a situation similar to this! Please can you send your details over to our team using one of the channels mentioned Here? We'll look into this for you and make any amendments neccessary to get you back on track! 

[Bdurand]

I had a contract with Vodafone over 3 years ago. I was told that to end my contract a fee of £190 was to be paid due the outstanding balance. This was reiterated several times before paying the balance to confirm process.   As much as I was aware this was terminated as discussed on the phone .  I later called to state no letter of end of agreement had been sent and was further notified that the account was closed and the £190 had been paid. I had no further acknowledgement. No letters or contact. I have since checked my credit report in which shows that a default has been placed due to an outstanding fee of £250? However I have never been notified of this and as far as I was concerned my account was closed once I paid the outstanding balance.  This has now effected my credit. I have contacted Vodafone to try and resolve this issue to be told they cannot find any account information linked to my name or the number in which I had an account with. I really could do with this resolving and removing from my account to level my credit score 

[BandOfBrothers]

Hello @Bdurand

I know personally how a default can affect a person so I fully understand you wanting some clarity and resolution.

When a person chooses to end their Vodafone contract the final bill is created in approx 2-4 weeks and then is taken via direct debit.

When-will-I-receive-my-final-bill.

What-happens-when-I-leave-/ I-m-leaving-Vodafone-what-will-happen-with-my-bills.

Any refunds if applicable are applied the same route.

What we sometimes see is a person shuts down their direct debit too early.

When the final payment is collected Vodafone then send a Sorry your leaving letter and a £0 bill which should be retained as that confirms account closure.

I do not have account access understandably as I'm a fellow customer so cannot see or say why you haven't I assume recieved these follow on pieces of paperwork.

Probably because of the amount outstanding so the account couldn't be closed.

The reason they maybe having issues finding your account is that not too long ago Vodafone introduced a new customer base account system and moved accounts across.

May I ask did you close your direct debit straight away ?

Vodafone would chase Payment firstly by direct debit but if this was cancelled then I would have thought by letter to the last known address and a phone number if it was still live and owned by the account holder.

Vodafone are not required to pre warn a customer they are adding a default to their Credit File which is done as a last resort and typically the debt is then sold onto a debt collection agency.

The default lasts 6 years for the default date with its status changing from outstanding to settled if the amount is paid - but the default remains for 6 years.

I appreciate you've tried to get this resolved and hit the proverbial brick wall so now I'd suggest to let the Vodafone Social Media Teams here catch up with your thread and they'll bring you in away from the open forum via private message to pass security  checks and help, and also I would think involve their Credit File Specialist Team to investigate the default.

I wish you all the best with this situation. 

[Bdurand]

Thank you very much for your guidance. 

The whole thing is  all very bizzare. I followed what the customer advisor told me to do, which was to pay the settlement figure and cancel direct debit t avoid any further charges to which I did?

i did contact them weeks later to ask about paperwork, they had my up to date phone number alongside my email and my address but yet still nothing. An advisor also stated to not worry and any information would be sent. 

I just hope that the default can be removed from my credit report to allow my credit score to be improved 

[StuC1985]

I also need to contact the credit team but cannot find contact details anywhere. 

[TJ]

Hey @StuC1985 - if you'd like to contact one of the Credit File Specialists in our team, you can get in touch via one of our social channels here.

Please also provide a link to this thread, along with your username; this will save time and we’ll be able to help you quicker.