Vodafone Credit Check

devnull

Hi All,

Just been turned down for a contract by Vodafone which I really don't understand as the Credit Check is rather strange since they appear to be holding a debt by a previous owner/occupier against me to a house I recently moved in.

It asks me for
- Residential Status
- Time with Employer (several years)
- Address
- Time with Bank (9 years)

Strangely they didn't ask me
- A previous address as I indicated I only lived in new place for a few months
- My Salary details
- My income
- My expenses

Having filled all of that in, they inform me they cannot provide me with a contract unless I provide several hundred euros as a deposit

The most weird thing is I've NEVER been turned down for credit in all my life and the bank can't stop offering me upgrades on my loan and credit card and overdraft limits, and I've had an O2 and Three contract for many years, paying every bill on time.

Vodafone claim there is no one criteria that would stop me getting the contract, but it seems that there is nothing abnormal other than a previous owner owing money which was explained to me when I took the property and to return the bills as not at this address, I thought that debts against someone else not connected to me shoudn't be held against me but it appears they are?

Beano

Try here http://www.icb.ie/

devnull

Already know my credit history

Vodafone are punishing me for someone elses debts

its quite obvious when if i use the same details but my old address then i pass!!!

wmpdd3

devnull wrote: »

Already know my credit history

Vodafone are punishing me for someone elses debts

its quite obvious when if i use the same details but my old address then i pass!!!

Vodafone don't have access to icb data, it's a sum of your answers. So if you had answered a home owner with 5 years at that address then the situation may be different.

devnull

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Vodafone don't have access to icb data, it's a sum of your answers. So if you had answered a home owner with 5 years at that address then the situation may be different.

So basically they penalize you if you have moved? but if you have been someone for five years and are on minimum wage that is okay?

Also it means if someone has moved and has mountains of debts hanging over them they can get a contract if they have been in their place for a long time?

How bloody stupid.

former legend

Just as a matter of interest, is it a mobile phone contract or landline/broadband?

Devil's advocate here, but let's imagine this other person who ran up the bill was your partner or your flatmate. Couldn't he/she just stop paying, then you ring up and ask to be connected as a brand new customer? Maybe that's what they're afraid of.

Sounds like the problem is with the house, rather than you, if that's any consolation.

devnull

But that is exactly why they should be running a credit check on the person, rather than the actual property, because on the flip side every-time someone ran up some debt they could not suffer any consequences of it as far as Vodafone are concerned as long as they moved house.

The only debt I'm aware of at this house involves a gas bill which was not paid which bord gais are chasing through his new address.

dudara

The scoring mechanisms employed by companies like Vodafone and 3 are entirely their own logic. I've heard coloquially that they can depend quite heavily on renter/owner, voter registration, duration of time at address. When my other half and I first joined 3, at the same time, my application was processed first and all was OK. His application was processed next and it hit a red flag. A quick call and it turned out that the purchase of a second iPhone at the same address in a short time triggered something.

It kind of makes sense in a weird way. It's possible that you're linked to the original person at that address and are just covering for them. Obviously companies have been burned by this in the past, hence they've built it into their algorithms.

devnull

dudara wrote: »

The scoring mechanisms employed by companies like Vodafone and 3 are entirely their own logic. I've heard coloquially that they can depend quite heavily on renter/owner, voter registration, duration of time at address. When my other half and I first joined 3, at the same time, my application was processed first and all was OK. His application was processed next and it hit a red flag. A quick call and it turned out that the purchase of a second iPhone at the same address in a short time triggered something.

It kind of makes sense in a weird way. It's possible that you're linked to the original person at that address and are just covering for them. Obviously companies have been burned by this in the past, hence they've built it into their algorithms.

I see where it is coming from, but basically it punishes the honest person who could have had a crystal clear credit rating for 10 years, whilst the debtor can move from house to house and never have problems getting credit.

Every other credit checker I've used has always asked for a previous address if at current property under three years, to avoid this kind of scenario (so they link your previous address history up with your current) but it's odd that VF opt not to do this.

devnull

The whole thing is rather less scientific than that.

When I said I would like to port I was not asked for any deposit but I was asked for it when I signed up as a new customer?

How bloody weird.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

wmpdd3

Years ago when I worked for a mobile company, every person signing up said they were a homeowner living there more than 3 years, employed for 5 years etc.

I had no way to check and it must have been common knowledge at the time what would get you through the system.