How To Dispute Credit Report In South Africa

You finally got your hand on your credit report from one of the credit bureaus, and you realized some essential information in your report is wrong. What now? How do you dispute it?

According to the National Credit Act, you can dispute an error on your credit report with one of these four main credit bureaus in South Africa: TransUnion, Xpert Decision Systems (XDS), Compuscan, and Experian

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to lodge a dispute. I’ll go over what you can or can’t dispute, supporting documents you can use as evidence, as well as how to file a dispute with one of the four main credit bureaus step-by-step.

So if you’re a bit unsure of the process, then make sure you keep reading. I’ll make it as easy to understand as possible.

What CAN, Or CAN’T You Dispute?

When lodging your first credit report dispute, it helps to know what you can or can’t oppose.

What CAN you dispute?

In a nutshell, you can dispute anything on your credit report as long as you have enough evidence to back it up. Here are some example:

Any payments that have been mistakenly recorded as missed payments. Could include store, credit card, or loan repayments.
Any accounts that simply aren’t yours. This can include bank accounts, credit cards, and store accounts, etc.
They have the wrong account, loan, or even credit balances.
Wrong creditor information. This would include the information of a company you owe money to.
Wrong account status. If you haven’t used an account for a long time it should show as being inactive or dormant etc.

What CAN’T you dispute?

Unfortunately, you can’t dispute any transaction orientated errors that are older than three months. For example, if it was reported that you missed a payment six months ago, and you only notice today, then you won’t be able to dispute it.

That said, you’ll still be able to dispute ongoing information such as your personal details, accounts you have open etc.

Supporting Documentation You Should Use In Credit Dispute

Unfortunately, if you found an error on your credit report the credit bureaus won’t just take your word for it. You’ll have to have proper documentation that will back up your claims before they even consider making any changes.

That said, we do hold the right to make any changes, as long as we can prove it. If the error was really a mistake on their part, then proving it should be reasonably simple.

So what supporting documents can you use to lodge a dispute?

In a nutshell, you can use any official documents you can get your hands on. But to get your brain juices flowing, here are two examples that will give you a better sense of what you can use.

Missed payment – to dispute this you can use your bank statement that shows the date the transaction was made, as well as your account info to show when the payment was due. Just make sure you use official documentation to improve legitimacy.
Wrong credit or account balance – This should be simple to prove. All you’ll need to send is the most recent bank statement of the account in question.

These are obviously just example scenarios, in some cases they might ask for more supporting documents, while in other cases they might ask for less.

Choose Where You Would Like To Lodge a Dispute

There are four main credit bureaus in South Africa that you can use to lodge your dispute, they are TransUnion, Xpert Decision Systems (XDS), Compuscan, and Experian.

I recommend lodging your dispute with the bureau you used to get your credit report because you’ll already be registered with them so it will be a lot easier.

TransUnion Credit Dispute

To lodge a credit dispute using TransUnion all you need to do is:

Call 0861-482-482, or you can email TransUnion by using this contact page.
Let them know which area of your credit you would like to dispute
Attach any supporting evidence to the email as well as a copy of your I.D.

Experian Credit Dispute

To lodge a credit dispute using Experian:

First, call them up on 0861-105-665 or email them at consumer@experian.co.za.
Give them your reason for lodging your dispute.
When you send them an email, don’t forget to attach any supporting documentation as well as a copy of your I.D.

Compuscan Credit Dispute

To lodge a credit dispute using Compuscan:
Call the Compuscan customer service team on 0861-514-131 or send them an email to za.info@experian.com
When you email your information through, don’t forget to attach copy of your I.D, and any supporting documentation.

Xpert Decision Systems (XDS) Credit Dispute

To lodge a credit dispute using XDS:

Call them on 0860-937-000, or you can send them an email at info@xds.co.za.
On the call or in the email, let them know the reason for lodging the dispute.
When you send them an email, don’t forget to attach any supporting documentation as well as a copy of your I.D.

What if you got your credit report somewhere else?

If you got your credit report from another 3rd party platform that isn’t one of the four main credit bureaus then rather contact one of the main credit bureas I listed here.

The reason is that 3rd party platforms are powered by these bureaus, so they don’t have the authority to make any changes to your credit report. All they’ll do is advise you to contact the main bureau as I’m doing here.

How long do credit disputes take in South Africa?

According to the National Credit Act, credit bureaus have 20 days from the date you filed the dispute to settle the case. So you can use 20 days as a maximum. Just make sure you send in the right documents as soon as possible to avoid any delays.

Your Turn

Do you know of any other better ways to file a dispute again in your credit report? Or do you feel like I missed anything important in this article? If yes, then please let us know in the comments below so that we can start learning from each other.

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