I've paid off my student loan but still can't get credit

I had been repaying my £8,000 student loans for the past three years. At the start, I made an administrative error and paid late. The default has been on my credit file ever since. I did not miss any further payments but this made it difficult to get credit. The Student Loans Company said the only way to clear the default notice was to repay the loan in full. I did this last July, with money I was saving for a mortgage deposit. But the default is still on my file and I cannot get a personal loan for a computer I need for work. AL, London The Student Loans Company blamed a technical error when you paid off your loan for its failure to update your file. It immediately did so manually and has corrected your details with the credit reference agencies. You can email Margaret Dibben at [email protected] or write to Margaret Dibben, Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU and include a telephone number. Do not enclose SAEs or original documents. The newspaper accepts no legal responsibility for advice.