Vodafone Credit Check failed with Clear report

Legendary_Aced

Hello everyone!
So I have a fairly complicated story and I hope someone can help with this.

Last week I decided that it would save me some money if I switched to Vodafone (from Three) as they are giving a Spotify subscription with their Red plans.

On Thursday, I tried to apply for a SIM Only contract online and the process failed because the credit check failed. I thought I made a spelling mistake and I tried two more times (in total 3). All of them failed and I tried to contact Vodafone through their online chat for an explanation. Their chat representative told me that the report is taken from Experian and that I should contact Experian instead.

I signed up with Experian and received my report immediately. There is nothing worrying in the report. The only warning I see is that I opened a new credit card account in August 2015 (without any full credit checks) and that I have not provided 6 years of address history. I cannot provided 6 years of address history because three of those years are overseas. Please note, that there was no credit check entry by Vodafone.

I seeked help the next day (Friday) in their local Vodafone Store. The sales representative found the failed attempts to open a new contract in their system and called the credit team. They asked the Sales representative to send an escalation e-mail to Vodafone's Credit Team. The sales representative from the Store called me later to inform me that the credit team came back to them telling that this is their final decision (denying the contract).
I called their telephone sales and explained what happened. They told me that my previous application hadn't gone through properly so they applied one more time, failing. They called the credit team and the credit team asked again to send an escalation e-mail. Since then I haven't heard from them.

However, I spoke with Experian which they have confirmed that Vodafone has not performed a credit check to my account. Therefore, I do not understand why Vodafone is denying a contract with the excuse that the credit check is failing without asking Experian for a credit check?

The whole process is very frustrating and I don't know where I am standing.

Can anyone from Vodafone help me? Maybe another member that had a similar experience?

Thank you all in advance and any help is much appreciated.

grumbler

Legendary_Aced wrote: »

...Since then I haven't heard from them.
...
The whole process is very frustrating...

Lucky escape. Run and don't look back. Any other provider is likely to be better, although EE now compete with Voda for the worst CS prize.

Can anyone from Vodafone help me?

There used to be their web reps here - possibly the only few people in this dreadful company capable of doing something sensible and useful, but they seem to either have a break or have given up completely overwhelmed by endless complaints here.
Vodafone complaints - the longest from hundreds of threads here.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.php?u=791417
They logged in a few days ago, but stopped posting in Sep.

Maybe another member that had a similar experience?

I think getting runaround is a typical experience of all Voda customers that are unfortunate to need contacting their CS.

diamonds

From overseas experience and return, always give a address of a relative with the same surname as a previous address, you will only be assessed on your own credit score so any debt in others names will not apply, but they need to have electoral role info for between 3 to 6 years. This goes some way to proving your a random made up person with no history. Also send a photographic ID card or Passport copy to Experian etc, non EU passport holders should send visa copies too, proving your right to reside within the UK...I did not need to do that as the previous address of a relatives did the trick for me.

This is the advice Experian gave me over the phone whilst waiting on electoral role inclusion updates on a UK return. It worked when I used my old mans address (there was no info for me on file as I had left a decade+ earlier) and I even got offered a £900 overdraft facility for a current account from TSB online application. Obviously MSE head kicked in and I reduced it to £300 for emergency use only.


I only wanted a basic account which was available to apply online due to location, ended up with a account that gives me 5% interest upto £2000, 5% regular saving account and 5% back on contactless

MSE account I would say, Martin wheres my gold star mate ? lol



*Obviously* ask relatives permission before you use a address.

Legendary_Aced

Thanks for the tip. I do not have any relatives with the same last name so I cannot do that. Only people with different names unfortunately.

When I asked Experian about the addresses and their impact on my score they didn't request a photocopy of the ID. How will that help them? What should I ask them for?

I forgot to mention in the original post that my two credit cards increased my credit limit recently. The first one sent a letter increasing it at £2000 and the second one (issued in August) sent a letter for an increase at £2500+. The first one is empty. The second one, well under its limit. I don't understand how lenders are trusting me with more money and Vodafone denies a new contract with me.

Futuristic

As grumbler said you've had a lucky escape, Vodafone customer service is atrocious.

Legendary_Aced

I can't agree or disagree with how good or bad their customer service is, although my experience so far has not been pleasant. It is only Vodafone and EE that have good signal where I work, and EE is significantly more expensive. That is why I decided to go with Vodafone.

It looks like Vodafone does not want me to be their customer and there is no explanation why, so I might have to look elsewhere.

mobilejunkie

If the first application didn't go through properly any further applications within 90 days would be declined. That could explain it, though you're never likely to find what the reason was.

Legendary_Aced

Oh that is good to know! No one told me that. I wouldn't have bothered trying again. It would be nice to know though, why they declined. And more interesting, why they declined without a credit check from Experian?

Legendary_Aced

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to make this long post and explain how CRAs work. I can actually extract some useful information that I didn't know :beer:

In fact, I am registered in the electoral roll, but only for the last two addresses (from September 2014). I am unable to provide six years of addresses or three years continuously because I would have to provide addresses of friends. It would be very complicated to explain to them how and why, I don't feel that I have such a close relationship with them to do something like that.

Is taking a new credit card three months ago such a huge risk for Vodafone? Why wouldn't they give me the option to pay £50 or £100 deposit? 3 years ago when I had a contract with them they asked me to pay £50 deposit, and everything was up-to-date with the account without any missed payments. I had to end that contract early though by a month because I left the country but I paid the early termination fee and closed the account. If there was any missed payments I'm sure they would have let me know. I had my account changed to pay as you go and I made sure that the final pay monthly bill was paid.

But the big question remains and it is a mystery: Why does Experian indicate no credit checks from Vodafone, when Vodafone insists that their decision is final and the credit check has been done?

diamonds

Legendary_Aced wrote: »

Wow! Thank you for taking the time to make this long post and explain how CRAs work. I can actually extract some useful information that I didn't know :beer:

In fact, I am registered in the electoral roll, but only for the last two addresses (from September 2014). I am unable to provide six years of addresses or three years continuously because I would have to provide addresses of friends. It would be very complicated to explain to them how and why, I don't feel that I have such a close relationship with them to do something like that.

Is taking a new credit card three months ago such a huge risk for Vodafone? Why wouldn't they give me the option to pay £50 or £100 deposit? 3 years ago when I had a contract with them they asked me to pay £50 deposit, and everything was up-to-date with the account without any missed payments. I had to end that contract early though by a month because I left the country but I paid the early termination fee and closed the account. If there was any missed payments I'm sure they would have let me know. I had my account changed to pay as you go and I made sure that the final pay monthly bill was paid.

But the big question remains and it is a mystery: Why does Experian indicate no credit checks from Vodafone, when Vodafone insists that their decision is final and the credit check has been done?

Strange indeed given a recent customer, settled in full, did you give them your old account number or mobile number and ask them to review it and to see your not a risk, Voda hold this info internal and external for 6 years. Did Voda even show up on your CRA files ?


Put your first address on Experian to reach 6 years from Oct 2009 worked for me as I said, 1 month got me a refusal at, 6 got me a overdraft.


Ah so your are still a Voda payg with that number ? You might have failed security check for new account when they expect you to call and upgrade to sim only from your current payg. Unless thats the number you took to 3.



Strange enough they give you a upgrade to handset after 3 months on a sim only 12 month...this is designed for people to prove themselves credit wise ??


Did you try for a 30 day sim or 12 month ?


Were the credit team aware of your old number and V account number when it was referred to them ?

Legendary_Aced

Strange indeed given a recent customer, settled in full, did you give them your old account number or mobile number and ask them to review it and to see your not a risk, Voda hold this info internal and external for 6 years. Did Voda even show up on your CRA files ?

There is no record in Experian for a credit check by Vodafone. This is confirmed. I have it in my credit report that I downloaded as a PDF.

Ah so your are still a Voda payg with that number ? You might have failed security check for new account when they expect you to call and upgrade to sim only from your current payg. Unless thats the number you took to 3.

I am not a Vodafone payg customer anymore. I ported the number to Three when I got back to the UK in 2014. To be more specific, I ported it to a Three 12-month pay monthly contract.

Strange enough they give you a upgrade to handset after 3 months on a sim only 12 month...this is designed for people to prove themselves credit wise ??

Who knows? One of their internal policies I guess?

Did you try for a 30 day sim or 12 month ?

I tried for a 12-month contract. I am not interested in a 30-day rolling SIM, as it is much more expensive. Definitely not a good deal.

Were the credit team aware of your old number and V account number when it was referred to them ?

I did not specifically give them an account number, because I don't remember it anyway. The number I used to have with them is the contact number they have. And I mentioned numerous times that I used to have a contract with them 3 years ago. And that I also had to pay £50 deposit.


I called them again today, two hours ago. The assistant on the phone saw everything in the account notes. He called their credit team and discussed the matter. He also mentioned to the team that there is no record by Vodafone for a credit check (according to my Experian report) and they did not know why this is happening. They gave me an e-mail address from a third party that does the credit checks for them and asked me to e-mail them directly explaining the situation, with the client number. They also told me to attach the Experian credit report, which shows no Vodafone records for credit checks. Also no other checks in that period of time, except Experian checks for my reports with no impact. I sent an e-mail an hour ago to their credit escalations third-party, but I did not attach the credit report at this point as it contains many personal details. Let's see what they come back with... probably tomorrow.