to think credit reference agencies are the work of the devil?

[HellAtWork]

Have just gone online to sort out a problem with my credit report with one of the major credit reference agencies (starts with an E, ends with an X) and have discovered that they have

(a) not updated my current address for the past 5 years despite me sending them a letter when I moved in with a copy of the electoral roll registration and the fact that I have been registered to vote at this address for the past 5 years (I was sure they are legally obliged to purchase electorall roll details once a year and update - they are denying this)

(b) my address (and therefore my credit blip that I am sorting) is linked to another flat in my block simply because she and I share one of the same surnames (I have a poncey hyphenated affair - she has one surname which I have too and it is EXTREMELY common - think Jones or Smith)

Have no idea how (b) happened automatically so have now had to write a very apologetic email to my neighbour (thankfully know her from flat committee stuff) letting her know we are linked, asking her if she's had any unexplained credit problems recently and telling her I am getting sorted asap!

WTF! If they can just link people in this way does this mean the whole of Wales are credit linked because Jones or Evans is a common surname or that every Singh or Patel must be so closely related they should be credit-linked.

AAAAAAAARGH. Credit reference agencies seem to have no accountability, no recourse for complaint, operate as a law unto themselves and yet affect everyone's financial freedoms. Huge student loans I paid off without a sniff of default with my bank are not on the credit report (which would add points to my overall credit score) because I cannot force my bank to report good credit, even when they would be quick enough to report anything bad.

Anyone else had similar problems and want to rant too?

Can understand your criticisms and I am rather surprised about the electoral roll problem.

Since Equi...x is only one of the three agencies, have you checked what the other hold about you? I know your 'rant' relates only to this one, but if you have found the others are more up-to-date then if you are turned down on a credit check, you could perhaps submit photocopies of your credit reference checks from the other two and explain that equi... is inaccurate in the data they hold.

Additionally, where there are similarly named people "linked" you should be able to have a statement recorded on file about your (lack of) relationship.

As for the student loan, the records (in my experience) are more routinely kept for credit cards and a person can therefore find actually having a credit card (paid off before any interest can be charged) may be a valuable addition, in making a good credit history - for example if you have a regularly charged fee - say 2 pounds a month, and can pay in 20 quid some time in advance, it will cover more than a year and each month should show you as being 'up to date'.