Failed Credit Check

[Anonymous]

I am an exisiting account customer of VF with 2 broadband contracts. Today I spent a long time on the phone getting a quote for a third broadband contract and 2 sim only pay monthly mobile contracts. All these were to be a switch from BT. Having obtained the deal I needed, the process then failed at the credit check stage. I have an excellent credit score with Experian, pay by monthly VF bill on time by direct debit. I will appeal, but reading other messages, this appears to be a common theme and is probably a processing issue.  My biggest concern is that, this fail with VF will in fact affect my credit score. It's all been a massive waste of time and as an existing customer will switch away when my other contracts are up. Really disappointed.

[Mark]

Hey @Anonymous I'm sorry to hear you've had difficulties with your order. As with any responsible lender, there is a maximum to the amount to the credit we'd let any customer obtain. I can see you've mentioned wanting to transfer multiple services over to us, this may have contributed to you failing the credit check. If you feel the decision given to us by the credit agencies is incorrect you can ask this to be looked into via our online appeal form.

[Anonymous]

Afternoon Mark. Thanks for your comment. I don't believe that multiple services should be the case. We have been approached by Vodafone about adding mobile phones to our account on a number of occasions and were in fact VF mobile customers for a number of years before a switch to BT. We have also been VF business customers in the past, so VF have a very full record of our payment history. The additional ~£50 on the account for a further broadband and 2 SIM only mobile contracts is a very small amount by comparison to mobile and broadband charges in general. I have already appealed and am awaiting a response.

[Mark]

Hey @Anonymous, thanks for the extra details. It may not be the multiple subscriptions that have caused the failure, it's just something that I know has caused problems for people in the past. There of course can be a lot of reasons the check fails and not all of the are associated with affordability of the credit being requested. I'm sure once the appeals been looked into the team will either over ride the initial decision, or provide a little more information on the reason it's been declined. 

[Anonymous]

My appeal was declined, so today I have raised a complaint after visiting my local VF store, who, like me, are surprised at this outcome.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the additional analysis. Let's hope the appeal sorts this out...otherwise it is the loss of a long term customer to Vodafone, which would be a pity .....

[Leonrumble]

I had the same issue yesterday and today for broadband. Was told over the phone that credit check for broadband was lower as always pay ahead, but still failed the credit check. I check after and have 999/999 Experian credit rating and never been declined before. I raised an appeal and was told 

“I have reviewed your application which will remain as a decline at this time, as you have not met the minimum criteria in order to progress.  

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any information regarding our internal policies/criteria.  

I understand that this may not be the answer you were hoping for, however, you can find further information on our device financing and credit checks here :https://www.vodafone.co.uk/privacy/credit-checks.”

I wouldn’t mind but it’s wasted about 4-5 hours of my time, and seems to be an issue for lots others posting in other feeds in this forum. They don’t seem to care about actual resolving the issue. It probably doesn’t effect enough of us for them to care. 

[kyleland20]

I am writing in response to your recent experience, which mirrors my own frustrating ordeal with Vodafone. On Friday, I visited a Vodafone store to set up both a phone and SIM contract, only to be shocked and dismayed when I failed their credit check. Given the circumstances, I immediately feared I might be a victim of identity fraud, prompting me to check my Experian account. Fortunately, no issues were found in my credit history.

I then appealed Vodafone's decision, but hours later, I received the same generic response, which further suggested no real human review of my case. This lack of attention to detail only added to my confusion. In an attempt to proceed, I purchased an iPhone outright and then applied for a SIM-only contract. Yet again, I was met with the same rejection on the credit application.

To add insult to injury, I checked Experian once more and discovered that the only negative entry was the failed Vodafone credit check — the very application that should have been processed fairly. This now represents two failed credit checks by Vodafone, making this situation even more absurd.

Despite being told that I could opt for a prepaid plan, it does not offer the roaming features I urgently need. This situation is a complete farce, and it seems clear that Vodafone’s practices are not only flawed but discriminatory.

It is deeply concerning that so many customers are experiencing the same issue. Has anyone successfully escalated this to the FCA ombudsman? This feels like a case of systemic mismanagement, and I believe it warrants further scrutiny.

I expect a thorough investigation into these practices and a prompt resolution of this matter.