Adverse listings

How to have listings removed

Adverse listings


By Stephen Logan of Logan Attorneys

 

CCA Defaults

If you have one of these listings it means that you owed a company, medical practitioner etc. and failed to pay them. This listing normally stays on your record for a period of 3 years from the date of the listing. Provided the debt is settled we can arrange with the creditor for the listing to be removed from your credit record. We charge R500 plus VAT to arrange for the removal of defaults.

CCA defaults are defaults listed by companies that are members of the Consumer Credit Association. The CCA members have agreed not to remove a default even when the account is fully paid. The CCA and their members claim they are justified in pursuing this policy because you have agreed to be listed if you fail to pay your account on time. This CCA policy is disgraceful as you are no longer in default of your obligations and should obviously not be listed.

Most retailers, companies such as Edgars, Foschini, Truworths, Woolworths, Ellerines, Rainbow Finance, Relyant, Joshua Door etc are members of the CCA. If you pay them they will nevertheless continue to list you as being in default. You should only pay these accounts if the company undertakes in writing to remove the default and any associated listing on payment .

Alternatively, if you pay the amounts owing the default will not be removed from your credit record, but you can insist on the default being amended to read that the account is paid.  The company concerned, e.g. Sales House, will then send an instruction to the consumer credit bureaus, TransUnion ITC and Experian requesting them to reflect in the default listing that the account has been paid.  You can do this yourself by contacting the account department of the company concerned. Unfortunately, in most cases, even amended to show the account has been paid the default will prevent you obtaining further finance.

 

Bank Defaults
If you have one of these listings it means that you owed a financial institution money and failed to pay them. This listing normally stays on your record for a period of 5 years from the date of the listing. Provided the debt is settled we can arrange for the listing to be either amended (as fully paid up) or removed from your record. We charge R850 plus VAT to arrange for the removal of a bank default.