Credit score lowered by multiple credits checks by car dealership

lauren67

Recently made a visit to Arnold Shark in the hope of buying a new car. After 2 full days of not hearing anything (i.e. when i can pick car up, is finance agreed) decided to check credit report only to discover that aforementioned car dealers have put through 7 credit applications for hire purchase in one day...all of which have been rejected. Turns out my credit rating was low in the first place because of a mistake made by british gas claiming I have owed them money for over 18 months (have since contacted British gas-who admit this is a mistake on their part and I don't, in fact, owe them any money). However, several credit applications by Arnold Clark later, and my credit score has now entered the "very poor" category and I now have no hope of gaining credit of any kind in the foreseeable future. Contacted Arnold Clark the following day only to be told that multiple credit checks are not unusual and why am I complaining that they didn't feel the need to contact me after the first 2/3 companies rejected the application when i might have been accepted by the 7th company!!!
So not only am I not the proud owner of a new car but through no fault of my own I'm left with a really low credit score.
Has anyone else had an experience like this or have any advice that will help my credit report recover?

System

lauren67 wrote: »

Recently made a visit to Arnold Shark in the hope of buying a new car. After 2 full days of not hearing anything (i.e. when i can pick car up, is finance agreed) decided to check credit report only to discover that aforementioned car dealers have put through 7 credit applications for hire purchase in one day...all of which have been rejected. Turns out my credit rating was low in the first place because of a mistake made by british gas claiming I have owed them money for over 18 months (have since contacted British gas-who admit this is a mistake on their part and I don't, in fact, owe them any money). However, several credit applications by Arnold Clark later, and my credit score has now entered the "very poor" category and I now have no hope of gaining credit of any kind in the foreseeable future. Contacted Arnold Clark the following day only to be told that multiple credit checks are not unusual and why am I complaining that they didn't feel the need to contact me after the first 2/3 companies rejected the application when i might have been accepted by the 7th company!!!
So not only am I not the proud owner of a new car but through no fault of my own I'm left with a really low credit score.
Has anyone else had an experience like this or have any advice that will help my credit report recover?

Hi lauren67

I had the same experience with Car Giant, I was left with six searches, although I did eventually get approved by one company.

I wrote to the five companies that had searched my file and not approved me explaining the situation and asking them if they would be kind enough to remove the searches, four of them said yes and one said they couldn't legally do it (lies of course!).

It's well worth asking, they can only say no. I would also advise sorting out the issue with British Gas before you apply for credit again. What have they actually entered onto your credit file?

I really do think motor dealers should be much more transparent about their credit application process, I had no idea they would make so many searches.

I hope you manage to sort things out.

UNDERGROUND

PNPSUKNET

I got accepted first time with aclark, they put it on a live system for lender and first to accept gets it and removed from applications, so only got 1 search

WhiteHorse

There's a similar problem with using online insurance quotes. These are treated as credit applications. My GF recently insured her car having first obtained numerous quotes. Taken together, these knocked a great hole in her credit rating.

They are requests for quotes. They are not proposals, and should therefore have no effect. The whole credit scoring system is madness.

PNPSUKNET

WhiteHorse wrote: »

There's a similar problem with using online insurance quotes. These are treated as credit applications. My GF recently insured her car having first obtained numerous quotes. Taken together, these knocked a great hole in her credit rating.

They are requests for quotes. They are not proposals, and should therefore have no effect. The whole credit scoring system is madness.

insurance apart from aviva dont do full searches, they are unrecorded so shouldnt have any effect on scores. although scores dont mean anything

WhiteHorse

PNPSUKNET wrote: »

insurance apart from aviva dont do full searches, they are unrecorded so shouldnt have any effect on scores. although scores dont mean anything

Thery are noted. I've seen a credit check that mentioned them. I queried it, and was told that yes indeed, the lowered score was due to repeated requests for insurance quotes.

PNPSUKNET

you must be the only one as myn say unrecorded

WhiteHorse

PNPSUKNET wrote: »

you must be the only one as myn say unrecorded

Hmmm. Can't add anything further, but certainly something seems peculiar there!

lauren67

Underground,
When you wrote to the companies to ask them to remove the credit checks did you address it to a particular dept? I only have the company names from my credit report I'm hoping I can get addresses etc from the internet.
Lauren67

System

lauren67 wrote: »

Underground,
When you wrote to the companies to ask them to remove the credit checks did you address it to a particular dept? I only have the company names from my credit report I'm hoping I can get addresses etc from the internet.
Lauren67

Hi

No I didn't address it to any particular department. I did the same as you and just searched the internet for the company address and just relied on the person opening the letter forwarding it to the relevant department. I had replies from all the companies I wrote to so it worked OK!

Regards
UNDERGROUND

amibeingrippedoff_2

Well within 4 days i had 9 searches done on me( 3 IN DAY 1) all rejected. I contacted them and they said it was in the contract i signed at the office that they can do this. In fact they actually have 28 companies they can use and made it very clear that if they feel the need than they are entitled to try and get credit for you. I only found out about all the searches when i got an alert on my credit file by text message.
Arnold Clark dont care how they go about their business all they care about is getting that finance for you and a sale!!

I have a £10 monthly mobile contract and A £200 limit CC. I have never had problems getting anything until I went to them. They have ruined my life as I have been turned down for a mortgage based on the multiple searches done on me.


TO ANYONE WHO READS THIS PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES AS I PLAN TO BUILD A SITE TO POST YOUR COMPLAINTS AND PASS THIS ON TO THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES. THIS NEEDS TO STOP!!

lauren67 wrote: »

Recently made a visit to Arnold Shark in the hope of buying a new car. After 2 full days of not hearing anything (i.e. when i can pick car up, is finance agreed) decided to check credit report only to discover that aforementioned car dealers have put through 7 credit applications for hire purchase in one day...all of which have been rejected. Turns out my credit rating was low in the first place because of a mistake made by british gas claiming I have owed them money for over 18 months (have since contacted British gas-who admit this is a mistake on their part and I don't, in fact, owe them any money). However, several credit applications by Arnold Clark later, and my credit score has now entered the "very poor" category and I now have no hope of gaining credit of any kind in the foreseeable future. Contacted Arnold Clark the following day only to be told that multiple credit checks are not unusual and why am I complaining that they didn't feel the need to contact me after the first 2/3 companies rejected the application when i might have been accepted by the 7th company!!!
So not only am I not the proud owner of a new car but through no fault of my own I'm left with a really low credit score.
Has anyone else had an experience like this or have any advice that will help my credit report recover?