Credit

October 31st, 2007

This week I’ve been trying to resolve my long-going mobile phone issues by finally signing up to Vodafone and cancelling my T-Mobile contract. As well as an inclusive allowance that will let me ring Hanni it means I can escape the terrible N95 handset I currently endure.

It’s all hit a snag.

Apparently, for no reason that I can comprehend, I’m currently failing credit checks. Since moving to the flat in London I’ve passed at least one — getting the original T-Mobile contract, for instance. My bills get paid on time, my salary is healthy, I’m already paying to same bloody amount on T-Mobile… I don’t get it. And of course, there’s no reason given. I have to contact another company to get information about my credit score; this mystery number that can apparently determine what I do with my life.

I’m really rather upset about it all. There are immediate issues: The fact is I need to send back the T-Mobile phone ASAP or lose the ability to break out of that contract altogether. If I can’t move to another contract, I’m going to lose my phone number. I’ve had it a few years and had been rather set of keeping it for as long as possible.

Then there’s the more anxiety inducing issue of having my life obstructed — for no reasonable reason, I should stress — by an invisible factor. Whilst addled by anger and frustration as I try to sort out what in holy hell is going on, the realisation remains that I’m not completely in control of what I can do with my life.

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Link to this post: http://benward.me/blog/credit
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7 Responses to “Credit”

Comment by Andy

October 31st, 2007 at 6:39 pm

Ben,

If you haven’t already read this, then it’s probably worth your time.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/credit-rating-credit-score#check

If you want to find solutions, this place often has good answers, including the on the forum,

Andy.

Comment by Olly

October 31st, 2007 at 11:56 pm

A friend ran into a problem getting a mortgage a while back. She’d never had any debts, credit cards or mobile contracts, and as a result she should have had a clean bill of credit health. But no, she didn’t have a credit rating at all. Having a perfect credit history actually disadvantaged her.

Then there’s the whole thing where shopping around for loans (etc) can damage your rating. Each time they run a credit check and you don’t take up the loan, it counts as a fail. Get a few of those and your rating is shafted.

It strikes me that the system might be a little bit broken.

Comment by don the clegnut

November 2nd, 2007 at 5:25 pm

rite, dont know how i stumbled onto this website but you have to be the most winy pusssy ass bitch ive ever read about. and i cant stress how little anyone could give a shit about “my ongoing problems” umugnst other shit you have to write about. get it sorted
xxx

Comment by Adam McArdle

November 3rd, 2007 at 10:39 pm

Yeah. erm, cheers for that Don.

Comment by Jade

November 4th, 2007 at 7:25 pm

Hi Ben

You state that you have recently moved in to your new property. Lenders will not lend to you unless they can confirm you at your current address, and they do this by looking at the electoral roll information for your address.

The annual register isn’t published until December, therefore it is likely that you do not appear on the electoral roll at your new address as yet.

You need to get a copy of your credit report to make sure all everything recorded in your name is all in order. Mistakes are often made as I have experienced whilst working in the financial sector for many years.

When you have received your report, you should be able to spot why you have been declined, if you can’t, T-Mobile should be able to give you a more specific reason why they have declined you.

Lenders can pick and choose who they want to lend to, so you just simply might not fit that lender’s specific lendng criteria.

My website http://www.howcreditworks.co.uk is currently being developed, which will offer much more helpful advice regarding credit issues once up and running.

Regards
Jade

Comment by Meri

November 11th, 2007 at 10:15 pm

Can you not get a just-SIM and port your number over to that? Then when you get the new contract you won’t have lost your number.

Lack of credit history may well be the issue, as someone else above pointed out.

Comment by Eileen

November 20th, 2007 at 12:18 pm

I have never had any form of credit and I’ve applied for a loan but have been declined. The loan company transferred my details to another lender, provident, they interest rates are unbelievable and I cannot understand why I’m being judged as if I had outstanding debts. I understand that you need credit to get credit but is there any bank that would give me a loan. 

Ben Michael Ward is a Web Developer in San Francisco.