I recently had a defaulted credit card account that had two defaults registered on my credit file for the same debt.

This was incorrect as only one default should be registered on my credit file for a single account.

The first default entry was being provided by the original creditor and the second default entry was being provided by the debt collection agency.

The debt collection agency had purchased the account from the original creditor.

I waited a couple of months to see if the duplicate default information was removed. However it was not removed and remained on my credit file.

As the original creditor had sold the debt to a debt collection agency, I could not see why they should still be updating my credit file.

The result of this was that the new debt collection agency became the legal owner.

This is why the debt collection agency had entered the default with their information on it, but still with the same date and other information.

Removing the Duplicate Defaults

I wrote a letter to the original creditor explaining the above and on that occasion, the second duplicate default information was removed.

However I was concerned that this could happen so I would recommend making sure that information on your credit file is correct.

Whilst in my case, I still have a bad credit score, it was still incorrect for two defaults to be entered for the same debt.

What if you cannot get the duplicate default removed?

If you find that you are not getting anywhere with removing a duplicate default, you can contact the Information Commissioners office who will look into the matter and contact the company concerned if they believe you have a valid case.

I have used the Information Commissioners Office only once. However they provided an excellent service and resolved my issue.

On that occasion I was contesting incorrect data on my credit file. The original creditor did not agree with me so that’s how I ended up using the ICO. They are certainly worth a try if you get stuck.