Credit check declined - 7th circle of Hell in trying to progress

[Toweliechaos]

So my contract runs out in a few weeks. Finally, the phone I wanted was available on a contract at a price I was happy to pay. So placed an order. Comes up with credit check declined. This is bizarre - I've literally never been refused credit in my life. My rating with Transquin is 669/710 and the only way I can make that any better is by living at my current address for longer than the 3.5 years I've been there. Experian is 999 and Equifax is 1000. I am literally at a loss to know how to 'fix' an already perfect credit score. Plus, as the credit team refuse to talk with customers, no-one can tell me which credit company to check with.

Then I made the mistake of trying to find out what was going wrong. Oh dear. I actually got someone helpful who advised me I had to file an appeal form. I agreed even though there was no need for an appeal in my eyes as it was obviously a computer error elsewhere. Anyway, I got a response within a few hours that simply told me it was still declined due to 'not meeting the criteria' and with no means of reply offered. Oh, and telling me I should wait 90 days before trying, despite telling them I only had about 20 left on the contract.

I then got on to live chat and had said I wanted to make a complaint. The first person, very nice and all, clearly ignored the complaint part and tried to see what the issue was with the credit check. The Credit team wouldn't even speak to him apparently and in the end he put me on to the manager, who is now filing a complaint. He also tried to talk to the credit team and they refused to talk to him either.

I was then advised to try the social media channel. I had the same experience as always (and I have no idea why people keep advising to do that in here) - once they understood the issue the response was 'call 191 and speak to the team'. I mean, where do you even start with that?

So, it looks very much like I will have to leave Vodafone and go elsewhere as they appear too pig-headed to accept that perhaps, just perhaps, their customers of several years with multiple products and a perfect payment history don't really need to be credit checked to the nth degree and then refuse to talk to them about why they've been refused credit. Perish the thought they might just accept that moving to evo has been a total balls up and must be costing them customers hand over fist.

Anyone found a way to get past this 'computer says no' mentality?

[WelshPaul]

With Vodafone's new EVO contracts you're applying for a loan to cover the handset side of things and agreeing to a separate service agreement. This is extremely damaging to anyone's credit report, no different to walking into a car showroom and applying for a loan to buy a car.

FYI - Just because you have a good credit history doesn't guarantee a pass. Companies have their own criteria.

[Toweliechaos]

Thanks for your supercillious and unhelpful response. You are acting like I'm asking for tens of thousands of pounds as opposed to a few hundred. Or that I'm not a long-standing customer with impeccable credit history. Or that there is any criteria that would prevent me from being eligible with 2 perfect and 1 near perfect credit scores with their own credit checkers. Do you work for them?

[WelshPaul]

No, this is a customer based community. You won't get any official help here. 👍

You won't get a decline overturned no matter how hard you stomp your feet. You could always upgrade via a third party such as Carphone Warehouse? Only Vodafone do EVO and so you won't be applying for a loan when going via a third party. You often get better deals too! Anyway, good luck.

[simax]

It seems odd that Vodafone still insist on a credit check when an existing customer wishes to upgrade. O2 do exactly the same as Vodafone with regards to splitting the handset and airtime separately but they don’t re-credit check existing customers…. Maybe that’s why they retain so many? Hmmm…

[HelpfulBadger]

Vodafone is notoriously one of the hardest companies to pass a credit check with - I got declined and succeeded on appeal (my address history was more complex than their system could handle I think, due to being at university and having certain things move with me and others stay at home, as well as being dual registered on the electoral roll etc).

The fact you have a "perfect" score, which as others have pointed out is only an indication that the credit reference agencies use and not what actual lenders do, is actually normally a bad sign, indicating a lack of general credit provision or a lack of use - Both of which make your credit report useless to someone who actually wants to give you credit.

The other thing that may have happened is that someone fat fingered your income and expenditure figures, so if they said you earned £3k/mo and spend £22,000 it would decline, but normally with obvious errors like this they'd be able to tell you - The fact they're saying they won't means it's something that's actually pulling through and not some of the information you've provided directly.

My understanding is that Vodafone primarily use Experian for their searches, but will use all 3 in some situations.

[chistery]

The credit scores you see at places like Clearscore are meaningless and are just used to sell you services on their web site. Vodafone don't see it, and have their own internal credit scoring.

If Vodafone works signal wise, maybe buy a phone SIM free, a lot do 0% finance, and get a SIM only deal from Vodafone.

[Toweliechaos]

Why on earth would I continue to give Vodafone money? They don't want to accept it despite being a top-tier customer with them for years. Why should I reward them with my patronage when they don't even acknowledge my credit history with them?

The issue isn't the credit check, it's the slavish acceptance that the computer is right. I even had one tell me yesterday that the appeal process involved a 'deep dive' into my credit history. I pointed out that this 'deep dive' apparently happened inside an hour after 5pm on a Friday. So, less of a 'deep dive', more of a 'press the same button again and get the same answer'.

I know some keep pointing out that the credit scores don't mean anything (well, they obviously do as they point to a general picture and vodafone clearly tell you to check your ratings with these services as they use them so either you or they are wrong) but there is literally nothing negative on my credit history EVER. I have never been refused credit and have plenty of credit history. If they are declining credit, it is due to an error their end, not my credit score. But they simply refuse to countenance this. And the ***** at the credit team refuse to speak to anyone. 

The issue isn't the system; it's the morons glued to their scripts pressing the same buttons over and over and pretending it might give a different answer. I guarantee had a human ever looked at this properly, it would have been cleared instantly. So screw them. They lose my custom and all the other accounts our house have with them and the broadband when I can. Treat customers like pond scum, get what you deserve.

[hrym]

The credit team are not, in the jargon, customer-facing - they won't talk to you.   What they will do, however, is review the response and decide whether the refusal is correct or a technical glitch.   At that stage, their decision is final.

No company offering credit will ever give their reasons for a decision either way, so you'll be (frustratingly) in the dark.   Criteria include all manner of things, including previous credit activity.   Ironically, a lack of it can be as much of an issue as too much.  

What may be worth looking at is whether the address you're using is the same as the one on the credit agencies (look at more than one).   A minor difference there can mean a mismatch in the appliccation although, if you've appealed Vodafone's decision, I assume this is something that would have been considered.  Also make sure you're on the electoral register as a lot of credit agencies use this as a way of verifying the address.

[Toweliechaos]

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@hrym wrote:

if you've appealed Vodafone's decision, I assume this is something that would have been considered. 

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As I said, the appeal was 'considered' between 17:30 and 18:24 on Friday evening. Not even a full hour after I sent the form in. If anyone wants to try and convince me that anything was even looked at in that timeframe other than someone either a) just re-running the same check or b) simply doing nothing at all, then they are welcome to try.