Why a bad credit rating?

[pansyflower]

A friend of mine wanted to set up a mobile internet connection with 3Mobile. They did a credit search and told her that she had a bad credit rating.
She is surprised as she is in full-time employment, her bank account is in credit, she has never borrowed money, has no credit card and has been at the present address for almost a year.
She is going to make enquiries at her bank but is there anything else she should do?

 

[dave2k]

Yes, get her credit report from the ICB.

 

[pansyflower]

That's great, Dave, thanks.

 

[JP1234]

I used to work at an Irish Based Uk Credit Reference agency - one of the big two. Mobile phone companies are notorious for giving out this kind of incorrect information and more often than not telling people that <credit reference agency> have turned them down and to contact them to find out why.

From reading what you say and knowing that mobile phone companies set the bar quite high for people to pass their criteria I would say that it is most likely she failed because she has no credit - nothing to judge her against and the length of time at her present address - she might want to check she is on the electoral roll.

 

[jhegarty]

Yes, get her credit report from the ICB.

Ignore that. The mobile phone companies don't have access to these records.

They do their own credit scoring.

 

[Cat101]

Ignore that. The mobile phone companies don't have access to these records.They do their own credit scoring.

If the OP's friends can prove good credit rating with a report, can't they then question the companys reasons for declining credit?

 

[so-crates]

Ignore that. The mobile phone companies don't have access to these records.

They do their own credit scoring.

What do they score on the basis of? How do they compile it?

 

[Mpsox]

if she has no credit card and never borrowed, is it possible she has no credit rating?

 

[TSThomas]

I used to work at an Irish Based Uk Credit Reference agency - one of the big two...

My condolences, I too spent 5 years in one of them

But yes, ICB follows the same line "Don't blame us, ask the (prospective) lender why" - Point Three to the [broken link removed] if that's who they got the report off & insist it's up to them to explain the refusal.

 

[Stapeler]

I got the same response from them when applying for 3Mobile a while back. My credit history was fine, same address for 15yrs, no loans etc.
This prompted me to get my credit report from ICB, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of content.
I wrote to 3mobile and explained my case, immeditially they responded approving my application, I pretty much told them to bugger off as they had annoyed me by refusing in the first place.