@2Grumpy What date did you say ICO made Vodafone to correct? Why is there a need for SAR disclosure from Vodafone? There is no lack of written evidence from Vodafone. Why is there a need (now) to complain to Vodafone and appeal (again) to ICO when all probable steps have been exhausted? Where in my post did you infer that Vodafone admit any data accuracy failure? Does this look like data accuracy failure or a malicious act condoned and aided by ICO that is not fit for purpose? Why dont you simply advise me of the advantage of fixing the default through the backdoor here rather than going to court? We all quite know that backdoor exist to help Vodafone avoid the court, which is not a bad thing in entirety..... at least the backdoor created jobs here.

I have provided my MP with a copy of my complaint letter to the Information Commissioner's Office. My complaint clearly states that, 'There was no default on my part', and 'Because there was no default, default notice was not communicated to me'. The fact of the matter was that for 3 months Vodafone could not provide me service (3G Mobile broadband) when I moved to a new home (current address). After much frustrations Vodafone admitted that its signal in my current postcode is variable hence network cannot be guaranteed. I informed Vodafone that if unacceptable signal and poor network is responsible for lack of service delivey there is a need to end the contract, quoting Vodafone's terms and conditions of contract. Vodafone insisted that I pay early termination fee of future 18 months (out of 24 months contract) before it can end the contract. I told Vodafone it is unreasonable to ask me to pay for a service that it confirmed it would not be able to provide (for the 18 months). Six months later, Vodafone filed a default against previous address. Credit reference agencies refused to investigate and continued to report the default. I progressed my complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office. After months of frustrations in the hand of the ICO, and I did not give up, Vodafone had to claim that a default notice was sent to previous address (which it lied to be the main address) and that another letter was sent to the billing address (current address) to inform a change of billing address. My address has never been differentiated into main and billing. No doubt no default notice would have been sent to previous address. It was simply a malicious act. Vodafone would need to bring to court (if the matter gets to the court) the letter it claimed it sent to the current address with which it advised a change of 'billing address'. The Information Commissioner's Office also chose to misrepresent mycomplaint as, 'You were concerned that your default notice was sent to your previous address'. By that the ICO allowed Vodafone to (recently) move the default (of 2 years) from previous address to current address in the name of fourth data protection principle i.e. personal data must be accurate and kept up to date when necessary. How could a default notice I was not be aware of be my concern? It was when I was refused a credit I should have been granted that I applied for a credit report and found out that Vodafone filed a default against my previous address (6 months after Vodafone acknowledge my current address and was unable to render service in my current address). When a junior, a senior and the manager at ICO have frustrated me enough, I involved my MP. The head of ICO had no shame in writing to the MP that, 'as I understand it, he is concerned that his default notice was sent to previous address'. The head however advised that I should take Vodafone to court to get what I deserve. What a shame? This is clearly a case in which the ICO aided, abetted and perverted the cause of justice and frustrated me. Some people opined that ‘ICO and FOS are under-resourced and toothless’. Is it the case that ICO is under-resourced and therefore takes side with Vodafone and the likes (the sponsors) and work against the tax payers?

2Grumpy, thanks. Can anyone please direct me to the template/example letter that I can use in drafting my letter. I have come across some template letters on this site before. Thanks in advance.

Sometime ago I complained to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) when Vodafone refused to remove the unwarranted default from my credit file. I proved that there was no default but a dispute; I also proved that no default notice was received by me. Vodafone told ICO that it sent default notice to my previous address. Vodafone confirmed that I communicated my new address before it sent its claimed default notice to a previous address, and of course before it filed the unwarranted default with credit referencing agencies (I proved all that; Vodafone wouldn’t have admitted to it). Vodafone eventually told ICO it was an 'administrative error' (on its various databases that were not 'synced'). Would anyone believe that Vodafone would not have updated or synced their various databases for over 2 years that the default had been filed? Information Commissioner' Office ruled that Vodafone did not comply with the forth principle that requires customer personal details to be accurate and where necessary kept up to date. Despite having been refused credit as a result of the default on my file, proving that the matter was a dispute, and proving that no notice was received by me, ICO did not ask Vodafone to remove the default. Any company that is found to have not complied with the forth principle would have processed customer personal data in way that caused substantial damage or distress to the customer. In my case I have been refused credit which I would not have been refused had Vodafone not filed unwarranted default which I was not aware of. Any excuse of 'administrative error' for a bogus default notice sent to a previous address is untenable. The fact remains that I did not receive any default notice because there was no default. Information Commissioner's Office did not consider the first principle of data protection that requires personal data to be processed in a fair, lawful and transparent manner. ICO overlooked Vodafone's failure to comply with first principle of data protection (i.e. fairness, lawful and transparency), and refuse to honour my objection to processing my personal data (i.e. the default) with credit referencing agencies, which is causing me damage and distress. It doesn't matter to the ICO if the matter was a dispute or a default; It doesnt matter to the ICO if I did not receive a default notice. Vodafone also wrote to me saying, 'Vodafone have now amended your account and no further correspondence will be sent to your previous address'. Did I complain to the ICO that any correspondence was sent to my previous address? Did I complain that I received any correspondence in my previous address? Obviously I did not. Can an unlawful default in an invalid address (previous address) at the time of filing such an unlawful default be updated (or be 'amended' as ICO and Vodafone put it) and be brought into a current address? In fact it appeared to me that Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) covers for Vodafone as many things didn't look right about how the ICO dealt with my complaint. I keep all that didn’t look right for my fight if Vodafone and Information Commissioner's office didn't do the right thing as soon as possible. Anyone with similar experience?

How do we know and conclude that Vodafone's 'carelessness and poor systems' is to be blamed for damaged credit files? Someone has got to prove it to Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), isnt it? Its unlikely that Vodafone would tell customer 'sorry, it was our poor system'. Could it just be an excuse offered by Vodafone to Information Commissioner's Offiice? If Vodafone accepts responsibility for its carelessness/poor systems (which often it won't unless court action is in looming; of course no one is surprised about that) and remedied the damaged credit files (with or without compensation), one would not need to complain to the ICO. The question is how reliable and independent is the ICO being recommended by the 'pop-up campaign'? The word 'campaign' is good, so let’s call it campaign if there is no better word. Carelessness and poor systems: The word system is generic as it can includes human as a part of it. But let's limit it to computer systems (especially various computer databases that needs to be updated or synced (manually or automatically). My point is, it’s very possible that Vodafone would blame their systems when in fact the problem is not their systems. I won't subscribe to a belief that Vodafone had not programmed or cordinated all necessary databases in a way that they would update or sync to avoid systems errors or 'administrative error' (as Vodafone usually puts it). Man's intervention in Vodafone databases updating, I would argue, must have been minimised (this is 21st Century!). I do understand that appropriate personnel may need to activate the 'syncing' or updating (of appropriate databases) at a defined time (say at the end of a shift, end of a day, end of a month, etc). If truly there are rampant 'administrative errors' or 'poor systems', (which I doubt) it’s a shame on one of the largest telecoms. The Customer service representative and their bosses (who they take instructions from when they put you on hold on telephone) we write to are the problem (not systems); they are human being of course with emotions and attitudes (good and bad) just like me and you. Its just that some are quite unreasonable. How reliable and independent is the ICO? Anyone been helped by ICO? Is here anyone who have complained to ICO quoting 'carelessness or poor systems' and have reported back on CAG forum that ICO have helped them out (with or without compensation)? How did you know or prove 'carelessness or poor systems' to ICO'? I am however happy for CAG that Lee (VF representative) helps.

dx, what's the CAG username for marc and webby

Has anyone else come accross the following campaign that pops up while on CAG forum? Does anyone know who can be credited for the campaign? Vodafone, ICO or CAG ''Vodafone and your credit file We are getting a disproportionatenumber of complaints that Vodafone is damaging people's credit files throughcarelessness and poor systems. If you have suffered as a result of inaccurate data being entered onto your creditfile then you are not alone. You should make an immediate written complaint to the:- Information Commissioner'sOffice Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF or call the Information Commissioner on 01625 545745 The more official pressure which is put on Vodafone, the more likely they areto sort their systems out.''