January 27, 2009 Archives

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There are 74 million mobile phones in Britain. The owners of 26 million of them have signed up to a mobile phone contract.

 As Lucy Siegle found out, there can be more to these contracts than you might expect. They could seriously affect your credit score because mobile phone contracts are actually credit agreements.

Lucy met Rachel Westbury. Rachel had tried to leave her phone provider, but they claimed she owed them £33.12 which she believed she had paid.

Because of this small contractual dispute, the phone company's claim that she was a bad lender was added to her credit record, and Rachel has been been refused credit with other companies.

Rachel: "I didn't think that an amount such as £33 for a mobile phone contract would have such an affect on my credit and mean that I can't get credit or can't get a mortgage or store cards. I just find it baffling and just appalled."

Lucy's advice: While Rachel tries to get the phone company to acknowledge that she wasn't a bad borrower, she can get the credit agency to put a note on her file explaining her situation. When the dispute is sorted out she could then ask for the file to be amended.

If you want to keep your file clean and remain on contract, Lucy's advice is to pay by direct debit, which should ensure that all of your calls are paid for.

See also: Credit record advice - Consumer Direct (external website).

Have you had difficulties with your phone contract? How do you keep your credit record clean? Can you pass on any hints and tips? Add your comment.

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Tonight, Clare Balding investigated food allergies and intolerances. She asked if we've become too fussy about the food we eat.

Clare met nutritionist Azmina Govindji. She explained the difference between an allergy and intolerance, and warned against the dangers of self-diagnosis. She recommends a visit to the doctor if you are worried about an allergy or intolerance.

Celebrity culture was also mentioned. Has the rise in allergies come in part from celeb culture and the way that we model ourselves on those in the public eye?

But Clare also met Tony Hart. Tony's food intolerance is very real. He has Coeliac disease, which is caused by a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, and other similar proteins found in rye, barley and oats. The disease affects approximately one in 100 people in the UK. Tony is a member of the charity Coeliac UK - external website here.

See also: Allergy symptom checker - NHS website.

Have we all become too fussy about food? Or are food allergies and intolerances much more common than many of us realise? Have changes to your diet improved your life? Have your say.