Failing credit check for mobile phone contract

LindyLoop

grumbler wrote: »

I think you greatly overestimate the general level of competence and intelligence of any low-level telephone CS. There are some bright people there, but they are not very common.

Hmmm ... you are probably right. BUT in fairness I have just IM'd an O2 CS guy and he was very helpful and apologetic. I felt a bity guilty as I sat drinking my red wine and watching XFactor on Sky+ whilst he is working away!

He confirmed that you can cancel a contract and take out another one immediately. He gave me their credit check team's telephone number so I'll phone them on Monday. Thanks again!

MrSilk

Check your report, if everything is fine, hold off applying for a new contract for 2/3 months, then try again.

ahxcjb

grumbler wrote: »

Every credit search gets recorded in your credit file and affects negatively your credit score. An effect of one search is pretty small, but several searches in short time interval have a more serious impact, especially when it is some stupid computer that does the scoring and there are some discrepancies.

I'd agree re several over a short space of time, but I must pick you up on your use of the words 'credit score'. Have you even read the URL you quoted? There is NO SUCH THING as a one size fits all credit score. The CRAs simply maintain a credit profile of you. It is up to the lender to score you based on this information.

grumbler

ahxcjb wrote: »

I'd agree re several over a short space of time, but I must pick you up on your use of the words 'credit score'. Have you even read the URL you quoted?

Yes

There is NO SUCH THING as a one size fits all credit score.

I have never said that any universal score existed.

The CRAs simply maintain a credit profile of you. It is up to the lender to score you based on this information.

Yes, every company works out their own score that is affected detrimentally by the recent credit searches recorded in the file(s).

LindyLoop

d123 wrote: »

It's easy, just not quick, you consented to 3 (4?) credit checks in under a week, it's hammered your file, wait a few months, and it should settle down.

Perhaps you only get one attempt where they have to delve deeper and get your driving licence/passport details since yesterday's check would have been the 2nd check in one week? If so, then I imagine I will have to sit it out and try again in a month or so. I'll see what O2's credit check team say. I hope that they can tell me what the issue is and we can work around it.

Herongull

In case it is any help, in the meantime (while you are getting this sorted out), there are some great PAYG deals - cheap as chips!

Perhaps they work out cheaper than the O2 sim only deal you wanted?

Take a look at
Ovivo (on vodafone network) http://ovivomobile.com/our-offer/

or

Giffgaff (on O2 network) http://giffgaff.com/index/offer

or

Talkmobile http://www.talkmobile.co.uk/pay_as_you_go.html

LindyLoop

Herongull wrote: »

In case it is any help, in the meantime (while you are getting this sorted out), there are some great PAYG deals - cheap as chips!

Perhaps they work out cheaper than the O2 sim only deal you wanted?

Take a look at
Ovivo (on vodafone network)

or

Giffgaff (on O2 network)

or

Talkmobile

Thank you very much for this!

LindyLoop

So, I telephone O2's credit referall team this morning. After explaining at length what happened at the weekend, the person I spoke to looked at my record and told me that nothing had flagged up with them. They could see my new SIM only contract details from last Monday and she could see the two failed attempts to get a new contract and handset but NOTHING on their records showed that I had failed their credit checks. The information she could see stopped on both occasions at the order point. She told me that there was no reason whatsoever to be refused the contract due to their credit clearing checks.

I was then told to go back and try again. The person dealing with me said that if I had the same issue, to tell the O2 sales person to refer back to the credit referall team who would tell him/her that the order could proceed. So I did. And guess what? I FAILED THE CREDIT CHECK!!!!!:mad:

I told the O2 sales person that he needed to speak to the credit referall team who would in turn tell him that there was no issue. He told me that he couldn't do that as they didn't have a direct line to their own credit referall team. Great.

So I decided to get a free report from Equifax. I had to phone Equifax to complete the application process and the person I spoke to (whose English was not great) asked me a series of questions about my credit - loans, credit cards etc. I passed all that and she then told me I had to upload a copy of my driving licence or passport and a copy of a utility bill. I haven't changed any my utility bills yet (just done so now with EDF. Done it via IM in 30 seconds flat. If only everything were so simple!) so I couldn't do that. She told me it would take up to 10 working days in any event to get the report.

I am at my wit's end now as I seem to be going around in circles with O2 credit referalls telling me there's no problem as far as they can see. I just don't understand why the O2 sales person could not simply call the credit referall team and this would all be sorted. The fact that I can't get my hands on a credit report is also highly frustrating.

I've sent off for a Giff Gaff SIM for the interim. I could just stick to Giff Gaff as it's not a bad deal really BUT I have to understand why O2 have refused me even though their own credit referall team did not.

Rant over ..... :T

Herongull

Yes, you definitely need to check your credit record in case all these O2 applications have messed it up.

If I had your experience with the wonderful (not) O2 customer service, I'd have 2nd thoughts about my decision to get an O2 contract.

If it is that difficult and hassly to sign up, imagine what it might be like once they've they've got you on the hook.:eek:

Perhaps this experience can be considered as a forewarning.....

LindyLoop

UPDATE: Got my contract with O2. Armed with exactly the 100% gleaming credit report that they were looking at, and after explaining in length to the credit referall guys that my name had changed through marriage so essentially I did not exist at my address, only my previous persona, they simply did an override, passed me through to the sales team and Bob's your uncle! So why the hell could they not have done that in the first place?

Valuable lesson learnt here. When you get married your previously solid, built-up-over-the-years-credit rating ceases to exist. I made the mistake of not changing my name on everything immediately. The only way to keep your credit rating is to get the credit rating companies to acknowledge your change of name and put both your names on your record after you have changed everything. I now have to provide them with bank statements in both names along with my marriage certificate, a utility bill and passport and/or driving licence details. Once they have these they will update their records (and that updates all the credit agency records) so that any search on my maiden name or my married name will return the same record.

Alas for women, the contract of marriage is a lot more than merely signing the marriage register.