Tandem card - my terrible experience.

Pollitt92

I wanted to share my experience of the Tandem card and warn others!

I have a perfect credit score - 9999/999 on experian and have never been refused credit. I have a mortgage, a good wage, and I've been stable with all of my accounts for 5+ years.

I applied for a Tandem credit card and was surprised to find that I've been decided. I tried to contact them to understand why on the phone number provided. The number has a recorded "out of hours" message on it despite the fact they claim that their phone lines are open according to their website and app.

I contacted them to ask them on email why I was declined and received a generic answer and they refused to tell me what the specific rationale is.

I then asked them to close my account and was told that this can only be done over the phone, but at the moment phonelines are down. It appears there is no option at all to close it.

I am really disappointed with my experience - I hope you experience better but thought it was worth sharing.

Nick_C

You are not entitled to a credit card. It would be issued entirely are their discretion.

They declined your application so there is no account to close down.

A4445

This happens all the time don’t take it personally. For whatever reason you didn’t fit their lending criteria. Your credit score makes no difference as they use their own credit scoring. Experian is not the one that’s lending you the money.

Just try applying for a card elsewhere.

Something similar happed with Natwest. I’ve had a current account for 12 years and a credit card with over 11k limit. I asked for an overdraft after being told I was highly likely to be accepted. It was declined.

I decided to move my account to Nationwide when gave me the account and overdraft I wanted. I didn’t take it personally and moved to someone else. They did get a poor email survey from me they didn’t care and I walked with my feet.

epm-84

Pollitt92 wrote: »

I have a perfect credit score - 999/999 on experian and have never been refused credit. I have a mortgage, a good wage, and I've been stable with all of my accounts for 5+ years.

Those aren't all the factors a lender would consider. Other things they would consider:
- How many credit accounts do you have (regardless of whether or not you use them)?
- How much credit do you have available to you (again, regardless of whether or not you use it)?
- What percentage of the credit made available to you are you currently using?

[Deleted User]

Your “score” isn’t a factor used in lending.

You just didn’t fit the customer base for Tandem.

As you were declined there is no account to close.

Terry_Towelling

Are you trying to warn others not to apply for a Tandem card lest they get declined, or that Tandem are not as easy to reach on the phone as they could perhaps be?

Losing your home/life/family in an earthquake/fire/flood/terror attack (etc) is a terrible experience, being declined a credit card is perhaps not quite so difficult to endure.

eDicky

Your application may have been declined when the system detected inconsistencies in the data you entered, similar to that of your apparent efforts to close an account that was never opened for you...

System

Add your experience to the ever growing list of complaints. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5815394/tandem-bank-credit-card-woes&page=8&highlight=

There is clearly something wrong (broken) with their application process.

jimbo26

Thank you for sharing this experience, and proving to doubters your score with Experian means diddly squat.

[Deleted User]

^^^^ this
Nothing to do with the score or any other “broken” process.

They just don’t want you as a customer for whatever reason or criteria you don’t match with.

Slipper5

Similar thing happened to me, more baffled rather than annoyed I contacted them and asked why. The response was that I didn't meet their criteria,I asked which bit of criteria I didn't meet and the answer was my annual income. Still confused I asked what the minimum annual income would be to meet their criteria and they said £13000. So I earn significantly more than that so argued that it didn't make any sense. Conversation continues, I ask twice to speak to a supervisor, both requests were ignored and then I was told that I was too high risk for the level of lending, again asking for more information on how this was the case the call handler basically couldn't answer me. It felt very much like they were just trying to fob me off with any excuse and wouldn't admit that they couldn't help me. So not only annoyed about not being given a real reason but also poor customer service which has resulted in a complaint.