They do. If you look very carefully DCA is mentioned. They searhced my files too and when I complained to Equifax the just weren't interested because it was a Table 2 search which doesn't affect you credit rating. It was an Unclassified search so Equifax don't even know the reason for the search. It drives me mad that a company I've never heard of in my life can do this without any consent given. Who are they? Why is there no info anywhere about them????

I have been inundated over the last week with 'robotic' phone cals from CSL (02087634575). The metallic voice says this is a message for Ms XXXXXX then instructs you to call CSL urgently quoting reference number XXXXXXX. I ignored them originally but they were becoming so annoying I called to complain. They kept me hanging on for 10 minutes then when I got through to an agent I told her I was receiving these calls for someone who does not live at my address and I wanted them to remove my number from their database. She checked the phone number and said 'so are you not Ms XXXXXX? and I said no, I most certainly was not, she then said 'Is that XXXXXX Street?' I said it was and she replied 'so is that not number 17?' (it isn't) then she said 'so what house number is that?' Fed up with her by now I told her it was none of her business, I am not the person she is looking for and please remove my number from the database. She apologised for the 'inconvenience' and said she would do that. Haven't had any more calls yet, but what I do know is that CSL are chasing Ms XXXXXX at number 17 in my street!!! Big time breach of DPA, scary isn't it?

Same thing has happened to me. I sold an item on Ebay yesterday for £175 and the buyer paid instantly. Got an email from Paypal as follows; OK to send Payment Status: CompletedThe money from the payment you received is being held temporarily for up to 21 days. During this time the money will show as pending and you won't be able to access it. Your funds will be released after 21 days, providing your buyer hasn't reported any problems. We may be able to release the money sooner if we can confirm that the item was delivered or, if this is an eBay item, your buyer leaves you positive feedback. To help speed up the process, please take the following steps: Check below to see if this transaction is eligible for seller protection. For more information, see our tips on how to sell securely Send to the buyer's address as stated on this page If your item is over £150 please use a postage service which offers signature confirmation Save all proof of postage, and email tracking information I have a 100% feedback on Ebay, never had any problems with sales or purchases. Yet Paypal are telling me to post the item and they will get around to giving me my money when the buyer leaves positive feedback!! Bearing in mind that when the payment was made they immediately took their cut. What if the buyer is one of those people who forgets to leave feedback or does their feedback once every month or two? This is a great money maker for Paypal,. I have made a formal compaint and told them I am informing Trading Standards and the Financial Ombudsman. Where do I sign up for this class action against this bunch of thieves????

Martin said that the FSA issued guidance on hostile responses to reclaiming charges, I have trawled through their website and can't find reference to it anywhere. Can someone point me in the right direction please? I'm about to write to Vanquis and like to know what I am talking about when quoting things!

I don't know, anybody ??

Thank you for the replies. I agree their response is hostile, hiking up interest rates AND introducing an annual £25 fee for just having the account, or requiring payment in full and closing the account and I still don't know what they intend to do with the £168 refund. Should I write to them (don't want to call) informing them that this is a hostile response to my claim and report them to the FOS?? I have received another letter because I claimed PPI which Vanquis call repayment option plan which I cancelled a few months ago. I understand that you are unhappy as you feel the Repayment Option Plan was mis-sold. For training and security purposes Vanquis record all telephone calls mad to and from all departments. Having reviewed the call made on xxxxxxxx I can confirm that the agent offered to include the plan on the above account. It was on this call that you agreed to have the Repayment Option Plan set up on your account. Therefore the charges which have been applied to monthly statements since the account was opened have been correctly applied. For your information, the agent fully described the benefits of this plan and how much the plan would cost. You were also informed that further information regarding the Repayment Otpion Plan would be issued to you and therefore after reading this booklet and decided that the plan was not suitable for you, you could cancel the plan at any time. Further to this the agent did advise you during the call that this plan is not an insurance. Due to the above, I am unable to corroborate your claim that the Repayment Option Plan was mis-sold, therefore I regret that no refund is due. Brilliant!! I can't remember the call referred to. Also, All the time that I have had this account I have been medically retired on a small pension. I have had a chronic medical condition for many years. So would never be in a position of beig made redundant or losing my job. I am now retired on State Pension. Vanquis are really not pleased with me are they?

I hate it too, it was fine the way it was. Pleeease make it the way it was before, it was so much more user friendly.

Exactly Alf! I was wondering myself what would happen to that. As I say, I wanted it paid off my balance but the two options really have me baffled. Neither sound like what I want to do.

I claimed my default charges from my Vanquis Credit Card and have received an offer of £168. I wanted this refund to be applied to my credit card balance but the letter they have sent says I have 2 Options. Option 1 We will vary your account to ensure that in future you do not incur the following fees: Late payment Charge Over Limit Charge Return Payment Charge Returned Credit Card Cheque Charge Tracing Charge As part of the variation to your account, your annual cash interest rate will be 59% and your annual purchase interest rate will be 54.9%. Your account will also be subject to a £25 annual fee. Full details will be provided by way of a Notice of Variation that will be issued once our offer has been accepted and the refund processed. Your account interest rates are currently at 47.89% for purchases and 53.95% for cash transactions. OR Option 2 Pay of the balance at your current rate of interest. You will not be able to use your card in future and it will be closed when the balance is repaid in full. To confirm your acceptance of this refund in full and final settlement of your claim in respect of default charges levied on the above account, please sign the enclosed acceptance form and indicate your choice of the two options. Is this their normal MO??? and is there anyone else who has had this experience with Vanquis?

I tried posting this question earlier and have absolutely no idea why it came up with a blank page, sorry I have a current account with Natwest and so does my husband, both accounts are in good standing. We needed to open a joint account for bills etc and went to the branch to apply. I came home on Friday to a message on the answer machine from the Bank Manager. He said ' your application for a joint account has come back only offering a basic account, this is a result of our credit report checks, perhaps you might want to check your credit report and call me back, I am on holiday next week so just speak to Ms *******' I know this is for an old account which is in dispute and I have a default on my credit report which is due to fall off in September. As this is from a previous marriage, my husband doesn't know about it. I hope I am not over reacting, but anyone could have heard this message as it was on the family phone. The Bank Manager had my mobile number. Surely this is a breach of confidentiality at least and breach of Data Protection at worst?

Agreed dx, they are 'speaking in tongues' is there anyone who has come up against this 'excuse' before???

I am trying to get two Linked Addresses removed from my Experian credit report, one I have not lived at for 10 years and the other for eight years. I cannot for the life of me understand what they are on about.... This refers to the 10 year old address; they have asked me to add this old address to my profile????? I note you have not resided at this address for some time. You have, however, lived there as you registered yourself on the Electoral Roll at this address. Whilst you were there you closed one of your accounts. As it was no longer active, the details of this account were not transferred to your new address when you moved there. This is why we have advised you to add this address to your report profile. If you wish to see the details of this settled account, this is what you will need to do. This refers to the 8 year old address; FURTHER INFORMATION: Please can you confirm if you have ever lived at ********** I reiterate that you (or someone you have had a financial connection with) should have had a financial connection to an address for it to appear on your report. You do not ever have to have lived at the address for it to appear. I am demanding that they remove these addresses because I have not lived there for 8 and 10 years, longer than a CCJ for heaven's sake!!!

I am having a similar dispute with Experian about this. They have addresses on my file I have not lived at for 10 years. I got this response; A linked address entry may appear more than once if there is more than one address in your CreditExpert profile. Although you may see the same linked address entry several times when you check your report, there is only one entry on our records. These entries are retrieved when we search your current address and again when we search each previous address. So please don't worry. Although you can see the same link more than once, when lenders look at your information they can only see the entry once at each address that they search. We keep linked address entries on your report for up to eight years from the date of registration with us. This is to ensure that any relevant financial information at your previous addresses is made available to lenders. They still haven't removed the addresses I complained about......ongoing

The default has been recorded on my file for 6 years this month, although it is not statute barred, so it is due to expire. I have had the account in dispute for more than two years and that's when I stopped paying. I don't see how Mackenzie Hall can update on an expired default??

Thanks guys, I've been reading about them on here and they seem to be the bottom of the feeding chain. They are searching the CRA's on my previous married name and on my old address. I'm thinking of complaining to Equifax as this bunch are searching without my knowledge or permission, and Wescot have sold them an account in dispute ..... Am I right in thinking that as Wescot's default will fall of my credit report at the end of the month that Mucky Hall can't register another one for the same debt?

I have checked my credit report with Equifax today and found a search by Mackenzie Hall. This is for an account with MBNA which was sold to Wescot. I have been scrapping with Wescot for almost two years. They have no enforceable agreement, no Notice of Assignment and no Default Notice was ever sent or received. I sent them the 'account in dispute letter' and haven't heard from them now for about 10 months. They refused to remove the default on my credit report, but I'm not bothered anyway as it comes off at the end of this month. Now it appears they seem to have sold this to Mackenzie Hall who are searching my credit report without my knowledge. They are searching in my old name and at my old address. I have recently moved and haven't given anyone my new address, not even the CRA'S have got the new address. SO it seems that Wescot have given up the ghost on this one and sold it to Mackenzie Hall while it is dispute What is the best way forward with this? I'm fed up that they are searching my files without my permission, and, as I'm keeping my new address low key, I don't want to conract Mackenzie Hall?

We did pay by Paypal with a credit card. How do I file a chargeback please??

We paid by Paypal. When we tried to complain through Paypal, the site just referred us back to Ebay. It seems because it is past the 45 day limit nobody is interested. And, it wouldn't be past the 45 day limit if the seller hadn't messed us around so much.

My husband bought a petrol mower on Ebay in February on a Buy it Now price of £82.00 plus £12.00 shipping from an Ebay business seller. Delivery was promised in 48 hours by courier and after countless emails it finally arrived 10 days later. The mower was a piece of scrap, totally rusted, filthy, full of old grass cuttings, covered in leaked oil with the leaf bag rotted a full of holes. It was totally unusable. We requested a return with full refund as the item did not meet the description. The seller agreed and after many more emails it was finally collected 6 weeks later. He now has the mower plus our £94.00 even after three weeks has not issued the refund. Ebay will do nothing for us as it has past the 45 day deadline, (only because the seller stalled constantly) Has anyone got any suggestions where to go next with this, I may be just seeing red mist but this has got to be theft, pure and simple?

Another update. I complained to Experian and this is the reply. Bearing in mind, I have no idea what this is about, no communication whatsoever, no DN, no N of A, nothing. I have reviewed the previous correspondence in this matter and I would firstly advise that Arrow Global are a debt collection company who would have purchased the debt off the original creditor recently which is why the entry has only just started appearing on your credit report. Although Arrow Global have advised that the account in question defaulted in 2004, the account would not have been recorded in their name. Quite often when a debt collection company purchases the debt off the original creditor, they do not have all the details relating to the original account and so they have simply confirmed that, as far as their records go, the details they have are correct. However, upon contact from yourself, they would no doubt be willing to investigate further with the original creditor. We would strongly recommend that you contact Arrow Global and establish who they have brought the debt off so that you can then establish whether the debt does actually belong to you or not. I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you in full the processes we have in place when an individual queries the accuracy of an entry recorded on their credit report. Under Section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, you have the right to query information on your credit report that you believe to be inaccurate, once you have received a copy of your report. You may wish to refer to the relevant legislation below that outlines the process we adhere to when dealing with disputed information. CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974 159 Correction of wrong information (1) Any individual (the ?objector?) given- (a) information under section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 by a credit reference agency, or (b) information under section 158, who considers that an entry in his file is incorrect, and that if it is not corrected he is likely to be prejudiced, may give notice to the agency requiring it either to remove the entry from the file or amend it. (2) Within 28 days after receiving a notice under subsection (1), the agency shall by notice inform the objector that it has- (a) removed the entry from the file, or (b) amended the entry, or © taken no action, and if the notice states that the agency has amended the entry it shall include a copy of the file so far as it comprises the amended entry. I also draw your attention to the fourth Data Protection Principle, which states that: Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. Within Schedule 1, Part II (Interpretation of the Data Protection Principles) of the Data Protection Act 1998 it is explained that, as a credit reference agency, we are not considered to have breached the Act by querying the disputed information and adding a Notice of Dispute statement. 7. The fourth principle is not to be regarded as being contravened by reason of any inaccuracy in personal data which accurately record information obtained by the data controller from the data subject or a third party in a case where- (a) having regard to the purpose or purposes for which the data were obtained and further processed, the data controller has taken reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the data, and (b) if the data subject has notified the data controller of the data subject's view that the data are inaccurate, the data indicate that fact. Our regulator considers our action to query disputed information with the data provider as taking additional steps to verify the accuracy of the entry and by adding a statement to this effect to your report we are recording your viewpoint that the entry is inaccurate. Therefore, we were choosing to take no action with regards to your initial request to remove this information from your report. Should you wish to verify this you can contact our regulator at the following address: The Information Commissioner's Office: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF In view of this, I am of the opinion that we have acted correctly throughout this matter and in accordance with the relevant legislation. I remind you that under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, each lender that supplies us with information is obligated to ensure that the data is accurate and kept up to date. I hope this explains why we cannot act unilaterally to remove data from your report, especially when the company concerned has confirmed it to be accurate or has not authorised us to make any amendments, as in your case. Furthermore, as we also have a responsibility to enable lenders to make informed lending decisions, I am sure that you can appreciate why we cannot amend information simply because the individual concerned claims that the data is incorrect. If we operated in this way, any individual could claim that all the adverse information on their report was inaccurate purely as a means of improving their credit report. This would put our clients at risk by enabling people to potentially obtain finance that otherwise would not be offered to them Because of this, if a consumer disputes information on their report we query this with the data provider. The only instances where we would remove information without direct authorisation from the data provider is if a Court Order is provided that specifically states that an entry should be deleted or a ruling is made from a recognised regulatory body. If you are unhappy with the outcome of the queries that we raised on your behalf, then I suggest that you take up this matter with the Information Commissioner's Office.

Will do Bazooka when I calm down. I know the DCA's are a devious bunch of ******* but I suspect this is a sneaky means of getting me to contact them (which I b****y well won't) to get my address etc etc.

Update on the Arrow Global problem. I complained to Experian that I have no account with this company, have never heard of them, have had no Notice of assignment, no Default Notice and no communication from them at all yet they have defaulted me. As expected Experian refuse to remove the default without Arrows permission as follows; RE: Arrow Global Ltd WHAT THEY HAVE CONFIRMED: - The lender has confirmed that the details we hold are accurate and have requested that we retain the information on our database. - The lender has advised that you put the details in writing as to why you believe this should not be recorded as defaulted and send them to : Arrow Global, Belvedere, 12 Booth Street, Manchester, M2 4AW. Once received, this matter will be fully investigated. - Unfortunately I am unable to amend this information without their authorisation. Yeah right! So all I need to do is write to Arrow Global, giving them my address and details and they will 'investigate the matter' Pray tell, if they have informed Experian that the details are correct why do they need to 'investigate' ???? Do they really think I was born yesterday...I'm spitting mad as you can tell no doubt!

No, I check my CRF online and they only have my old address. I am really concerned about the posts on here where Arrow Global are making people bankrupt on a whim. I own no property, have an 8 year old car and live on Incapacity Benefit and DLA.

I have just finished reading pages and pages on Arrow Global and I am really worried. They do seem to be very aggressive and quick to take people to court. Because they have entered a default on my credit report in my old name and address, (both wrong) they probably haven't got my new address. The default will fall off my CRF in September anyway so what are they likely to do?

Sorry guys but I am not in Scotland! Also it is not statute barred. Although the account is 15 years old and was defaulted by Lloyds in 2004, I made the last payment 2 years ago. Strangely, Experian do not have my new address, might have something to do with the fact I have not registered on the Electoral Roll and don't intend to. The entry on my CRF is in my old married name (9 years out of date) and my old address, (which is also wrong). I do my CRF checks online and they still have my old address on there. It really ticks me off that I have worked on cleaning up my files for ages and the last default is due to come off in May, now Arrow Global have made this entry it will still show a default until September now. Waste of time complaining to Experian, they won't take it off even though it is incorrect, false, misleading etc etc, can't expect accuracy from them now can we ??