= YES = August 2005 which was the last correct bill I received from 3G = No, is this likely to help? Right, well the debt is statute barred in any case, it became so in August 2011, so there shouldnt be any reporting. Therefore, why is it necessary for them to be checking your file on such a regular basis ?? Umm, the Information Commissioner.. I rather suspect they are pretty much the same as the FOS.. toothless, over worked and indecisive. You COULD take your complaint there first as a kind of test run.. but it will take time. I will flag your thread for site team and see what they have to say.

I have been trying to resolve this matter for 6 years to no avail.I have contacted Experian for assistance 3 previous times again with zero support.This company now searching my credit file EVERY MONTH! I have NO CREDIT AGREEMENT with this company, how is this allowed?I have never signed anything with LOWELL PORTFOLIO. They took over a disputed debt from 3G and I have written to Lowell instructing them to take me to court as they refuse to amend the bill for the amount that it is meant to be. Why are you allowing a company to update its information on my account therefore making my default look current when I have disputed this information so many times? Why are you allowing this company to search on my credit reference file when I have no signed agreement with them?Are these searches detrimental to my credit score – I believe they are due to me being turned down by Amex. I have exhausted all avenues of trying to resolve this matter with Lowell, they simply do not respond to my letters or when I speak to them on the phone they threaten bailiffs and court action WHICH IS WHAT I WANT but they never follow through with the court summons. I have provided proof that I was billed for “free minutes” in 2005, they still refuse to amend their records to the £75 that the bill should be (which I would immediately pay – They want me to pay the £75 and we can “sort the rest out afterwards” I know this will not happen and then allows the debt to be current instead of statue barred after 6 years).It is totally unacceptable that you are allowing this company to taint my credit record but not take me to court as they know they cannot win. If this matter is not resolved I will take 3 courses of action: Post about this matter on CAG Address Email this issue to Watchdog File this matter with the SMC listing Experian as the Defendant – I know you claim that I won’t win but I have zero options left and this matter needs resolving.My contact number is xxx

Some time ago I posted about the issues I was having with Lowell Portfolio, well the issues have not gone away – in fact they are getting more annoying. Below I have copied an email that I have sent to Exprerian. As you will note I have already contacted them on 3 previous occations but I have got no where other than them stating that they only place details on an individuals file based on the infiormation supplied by the applicable company.I now plan to take action against Experian and Lowell – Has anyone done this before?I know that it likely to cost me more than just paying the disputed debt but there is no way that I am willing to let this go, I despise bully boy tactics.Does anyone have any advice on the best course of action/grounds for a claim? In my view these searches have a detrimental affect on my credit file to the extent that I have been declined credit. In the past 10 months Lowell have searched my current address and my previous address once per month so that is 20 searches in 10 months! As I understand it, increased searches also affects your credit score and therfore the availability & interest rates offered to you – Not to mention the unjustified default!Any advice would be greatly appriciated.Thanks(I have tried to make this post look presentable but the formatting does not seem to work)

Edited

Any one> Today I got some pathetic 'CONFIRMED RESIDENT' piece of yellow card sent by normal mail threatening yet again to take me to court. As it happens they are sending all their mail to an address that I do own but do not live at, clearly their understanding of the word 'RESIDENT' is different to mine! The last letter included: Outstanding Balance to pay now £197.12 Interest £0.00 Court Fees £15.00 Solicitors Costs £50.00 New Balance to pay £ 262.12 Love to know how they can charge me court fees without going to court! So, I think it is time to hit them with some of the CAG letters - Any suggestions on which ones I should use? These guys have also registered a Default on my credit file even though I don't have a credit agreement with them (It was with 3G and even that was not signed) Can they do that? Thanks in advance

Hi, Well it has been about 15 months since I started this thread and I pleased to say most things are now paid off. The only things left are: Egg £8,200 (Original amount £26,000) - £355 per month 7.66% Interest Rate Barclays £9.800 (Original amount £25,000) - £399 per month 9.1% Interest Rate And that 3G that still refuse to pay! ~ More on that in a mo. Thankfully, my big concerns about job security were just that, concerns (Well up to the time of posting this anyway! Touching wood that won't change!) Overall I was blessed as being one of the lucky ones and actually made more than my previous years in bonuses and rises mainly thanks to me expanding my role & divisions at work (No I am not a banker!!!) Sadly some of my closest freinds have not been so lucky So, on to that 3G bill then. 3G seem to of passed my account to everyone in the debt world! The most persistent seem to be: Lowell Financial Group Red Square Debt Co. Fredrickson International BWC Group FredPay Bryan Carter & Co. Now I could pay the bill but I refuse to pay for something I don't owe. I have emailed all of the above saying that I refuse to pay so please take me to court as I will present them with my legal bill (I assume I can do this?). I can prove that I have been over billed but no one wants to listen. Today I got some pathetic 'CONFIRMED RESIDENT' piece of yellow card sent by normal mail threatening yet again to take me to court. As it happens they are sending all their mail to an address that I do own but do not live at, clearly their understanding of the word 'RESIDENT' is different to mine! The last letter included: Outstanding Balance to pay now £197.12 Interest £0.00 Court Fees £15.00 Solicitors Costs £50.00 New Balance to pay £ 262.12 Love to know how they can charge me court fees without going to court! So, I think it is time to hit them with some of the CAG letters - Any suggestions on which ones I should use? These guys have also registered a Default on my credit file even though I don't have a credit agreement with them (It was with 3G and even that was not signed) Can they do that? Thanks in advance

Ok, got a bit more time to add some information that I didn’t put in the first post due to time constraints at work. What I ideally want is some advice on how I can freeze the interest on all or at least some of my credit cards so I can actually start to significantly reduce the balances, but I want to do this without it being detrimental to my credit file. (I know, cake and eating it springs to mind here) If I write to these companies are they likely to demand the whole amount back and then start adding detrimental information to my credit file? Any advice would really be appreciated! Thanks

Well this post feels like I am baring my sole to an unknown (Yet seemingly very helpful) bunch of people... First off, the amount of debt I am in is certainly all my own doing and up until very recently I have never really worried about it, but I think I need to start making some major changes in my financial priorities and get my debts paid off ASAP. At present, I have never missed a payment to any of my creditors but I do have a default on my credit file from 3G as I refuse to pay a bill for £234 as £200+ of it is made up of incorrect charges (This has been going on since Mid 2005) with no resolve. They have recently passed the debt on to some debt management company after I tried once again through Experian to remove the default but they claim the debt is correct, Equifax have removed the default from my file as 3G never responded to their requests after 30 days. The debt management company for 3G have sent me two letters but I have so far ignored them, I am perfectly happy to go to court over the bill as I can prove all the charges should not have been made. (They billed me for every call I made despite having a contract with 2000 inclusive minutes!) Historically I always paid of the full balance but we have done a few home improvement projects plus I do have a habit of spending quite a bit of money on my hobbies, so much so that now most of my cards are only getting the minimum payments... Has anyone got any advice on how I would be best to tackle this situation while I still have the opportunity to do so. (IE While I still have a job! - I think I am fairly secure but you just never know in this current financial climate!) My biggest gripe is my Egg Credit cards, Egg have written to me to say they have cancelled my cards but they have said I am fine to keep paying them monthly providing I cover at least the minimum balance. (To be honest this was a bit of a shock to me as I have had an Egg card since 2003 and never once missed a payment...) Is there anyway I can get Egg to either stop the interest or at least charge it at my loan rate? When I last worked out the amount of interest I am paying per month it is somewhat nauseating. Monthly creditor outgoings - All of the following are active and up to date: (Some of the balances are estimates as I have not gone through every statement to get the most up to date figures due to being at work) I have also listed the last monthly payment that I made. CREDIT CARDS: MBNA Platinum - £7700 - Minimum monthly payment £200 - ?% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £10,000 - Opened Apx Sept 2005 MBNA Virgin - £3900 - Minimum monthly payment £37 - ?% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £5,000 - Opened Apx May 2006 Egg Green Card - £4900 - Minimum monthly payment £100 - 26.9% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £8,000 - Opened Apx Apr 2003 - The rate went up over 10% once they sent me the letters I referred to above Egg Money Card - £ 3220- Minimum monthly payment £64 - 16.9% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £5,000 - Opened Apx Apr 2005 Barclaycard Platinum Visa - £7900 - Minimum monthly payment £147 - 26ish% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £35,000 - Opened Apx June 2005 Morgan Stanley Gold (Now rebranded as Barclaycard Platinum MasterCard) - £3500 - Minimum monthly payment £61 - ?% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £15,000 - Opened Apx Jan 2003 Mint Platinum - £0 - Minimum monthly payment £ - 0% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £350 - - Opened Apx Jan 2005 Thomas Cook Platinum (MBNA) - £7980 - Minimum monthly payment £ - 23% Interest Rate - LIMIT: £10,000 - Opened Apx Sept 2004 UNSECURED LOANS: Egg £14,000 (Original amount £26,000) - £355 per month 7.66% Interest Rate Barclays £17,400 (Original amount £25,000) - £399 per month 9.1% Interest Rate Tesco £5000 (Original amount £15,000) - £230 per month 8?% Interest Rate CIRCA - £1600 per month on unsecured debts based on minimum payments only I also have mortgage payments of £2000 (Although my wife pays half), again these are 100% up to date and we have never missed a payment. (It is a fix term mortgage and the charges to change are extortionate! But the rate is good at 4.25%) Other bills are around £500 per month (Insurance, food ect) Whilst I do have a pretty good job but the nature of it does mean that I don't have equal monthly wages and when I get a flat month things are somewhat tight (As in more going out then I have coming in). If I loose my job then things will obviously go into melt down!!! (None of the debts have PPI so I guess I'd be pretty screwed) I have recently received loads (as in 10 plus calls per week) from various companies offering me 'Debt free solutions' - I have no idea how they have my details as I have never enquired about such services and I am Ex-Directory, plus I always tick the 'Do not SPAM me' box with everyone I deal with. (Plus I am register on the TPS & MPS). Sorry for such a long post, but I would really appreciate anyone's suggestions on how I start to resolve my situation.