Failed Credit Check at Carphone Warehouse

[Hackney]

My wife has been researching mobile phone deals as she wants to get an iPhone 6.
Current supplier (O2) wasn't the most competitive and after looking around Carphone Warehouse looked like the best deal.

She went there this morning and failed the credit check (for Vodaphone and EE) but this doesn't make sense. We're both solvent with little debt.
We've lived in our current (rented) flat for 9 months but were at the previous address for over 3 years.

We're both in full time employment but she's on maternity leave at the moment.

Do Carphone Warehouse have some strange rules that we're not aware of?
Would being on maternity leave affect her credit rating? (At the moment I'm not sure if she told them this when they did the check)

I suspect it's some small thing which means "computer says no" but I'm buggered if I know what it is.

[boxst]

Have a look here: https://www.noddle.co.uk/

I was surprised how much information is there.

[davek_964]

You will need to check with Experian or somebody like that, and get her credit report.

Many many years ago, I failed a credit check when trying to buy a phone (can't remember which shop). Oddly, I only failed for a specific network and was allowed to buy it for a different network because they each had their own rules.

It made no sense that I failed and I had to get a credit report. Turned out to be because a couple of years previously, our company had arranged to special deal for us (by coincidence also phone related). However the company providing that deal had problems with their billing, and at the time we were told not to pay until they'd sorted it all out - unfortunately, as far as their computer was concerned they were issuing bills and we weren't paying them. Hence credit black mark.
Was easily solved once I knew what it was.

[Hackney]

Just to add, our current address is a new build.
Most systems are up to date but there are still some that don't recognise the post code. I guess that could be a factor?

[jesta1865]

davek_964 said:

You will need to check with Experian or somebody like that, and get her credit report.

Many many years ago, I failed a credit check when trying to buy a phone (can't remember which shop). Oddly, I only failed for a specific network and was allowed to buy it for a different network because they each had their own rules.

i went through the same thing, 02 turned me down, but accepted by my current carrier.

i contacted experian to find that the credit check for 02 was against the name i use daily (i shorten my name) not the actual name on the card, my bank would have accepted it.

experian obviously didn't and so i was turned down, they ok'd the virgin check 10 minutes later. mad.

i don't know much about how it works, but this is what i was told on the phone by the young lady at experian.

[Zoon]

Hackney said:

My wife has been researching mobile phone deals as she wants to get an iPhone 6.
Current supplier (O2) wasn't the most competitive and after looking around Carphone Warehouse looked like the best deal.

She went there this morning and failed the credit check (for Vodaphone and EE) but this doesn't make sense. We're both solvent with little debt.
We've lived in our current (rented) flat for 9 months but were at the previous address for over 3 years.

We're both in full time employment but she's on maternity leave at the moment.

Do Carphone Warehouse have some strange rules that we're not aware of?
Would being on maternity leave affect her credit rating? (At the moment I'm not sure if she told them this when they did the check)

I suspect it's some small thing which means "computer says no" but I'm buggered if I know what it is.

Are you on the electoral register? It makes a massive difference to approval rates for credit.

[Jez m]

boxst said:

Have a look here: https://www.noddle.co.uk/

I was surprised how much information is there.

Wow! Me too! Thanks for that.

[Sharted]

It's a symptom of the poorly trained and unmotivated workforce that are employed in such places.

A little digging around and confirmation from the customer can often turn these declined cases around, however, this means making an effort in an environment where it is easier to just decline and move on.

It's depressing really, these shop workers provide poor service then expect poor service and eventually we all receive the service that they expect.

Edited by Sharted on Friday 5th June 13:46

[Cuchillo]

Jez m said:

boxst said:

Have a look here: https://www.noddle.co.uk/

I was surprised how much information is there.

Wow! Me too! Thanks for that.

And you were happy handing over name, phone, addresses, credit card details, etc?

[marshalla]

Cuchillo said:

Jez m said:

boxst said:

Have a look here: https://www.noddle.co.uk/

I was surprised how much information is there.

Wow! Me too! Thanks for that.

And you were happy handing over name, phone, addresses, credit card details, etc?

To Noddle ? Which is run by CallCredit - the third credit referencing agency ? What's the problem ?

[bigandclever]

Sharted said:

It's a symptom of the poorly trained and unmotivated workforce that are employed in such places.

A little digging around and confirmation from the customer can often turn these declined cases around, however, this means making an effort in an environment where it is easier to just decline and move on.

It's depressing really, these shop workers provide poor service then expect poor service and eventually we all receive the service that they expect.

Edited by Sharted on Friday 5th June 13:46

I agree; why the silly sods in the shop don't go "Hang my minimum wage, I shall ignore the results from the expensive and complicated credit checking process I've been presented with and sign up my employer to a credit agreement regardless; I shall give the customer what they want, they've got an honest face" is beyond me.

[Sharted]

bigandclever said:

I agree; why the silly sods in the shop don't go "Hang my minimum wage, I shall ignore the results from the expensive and complicated credit checking process I've been presented with and sign up my employer to a credit agreement regardless; I shall give the customer what they want, they've got an honest face" is beyond me.

I guess that you have never worked in finance.

See the poster above who goes by 2 names, a little more investigation would have meant that the application could have been re input and accepted.

[Aphex]

boxst said:

Have a look here: https://www.noddle.co.uk/

I was surprised how much information is there.

Thanks

[Cuchillo]

marshalla said:

Cuchillo said:

Jez m said:

boxst said:

Have a look here: https://www.noddle.co.uk/

I was surprised how much information is there.

Wow! Me too! Thanks for that.

And you were happy handing over name, phone, addresses, credit card details, etc?

To Noddle ? Which is run by CallCredit - the third credit referencing agency ? What's the problem ?

Went though with it and Google warns about the welcome email :: "Be careful with this message. It contains links to websites hosting malware."

[Pheo]

Sharted said:

I guess that you have never worked in finance.

See the poster above who goes by 2 names, a little more investigation would have meant that the application could have been re input and accepted.

Yes because they're paid enough to care?

I very much doubt CPW training includes the ins and outs of the credit checking services. Most of which operate in a black box anyway!

[Sharted]

Pheo said:

Yes because they're paid enough to care?

I very much doubt CPW training includes the ins and outs of the credit checking services. Most of which operate in a black box anyway!

What has pay got to do with it?

Do you accept st service from bar and restaurant staff because they earn less than you?

Edited to add:

last time I used the EE shop I received outstanding service, the salesman tried for weeks to get me a specific deal. This included trying different ordering systems and ways to input it.

Edited by Sharted on Friday 5th June 16:42

[bigandclever]

Sharted said:

bigandclever said:

I agree; why the silly sods in the shop don't go "Hang my minimum wage, I shall ignore the results from the expensive and complicated credit checking process I've been presented with and sign up my employer to a credit agreement regardless; I shall give the customer what they want, they've got an honest face" is beyond me.

I guess that you have never worked in finance.

See the poster above who goes by 2 names, a little more investigation would have meant that the application could have been re input and accepted.

Guess again, Columbo

There is no way it is within the remit of shop-floor staff to override the credit worthiness of the customer determined by (let's call it) head office.

[Sharted]

1

bigandclever said:

Guess again, Columbo

There is no way it is within the remit of shop-floor staff to override the credit worthiness of the customer determined by (let's call it) head office.

If you look again you will see that I never suggested an over-ride, far from it. Had the assistant had any desire to make the sale or be of any use he/she might have tried to establish the issue and RE-INPUT the details.

You'd think that sales people working in a targeted environment might have sussed this out, or maybe they just didn't give a st.

[bigandclever]

Sharted said:

If you look again you will see that I never suggested an over-ride, far from it. Had the assistant had any desire to make the sale or be of any use he/she might have tried to establish the issue and RE-INPUT the details.

You'd think that sales people working in a targeted environment might have sussed this out, or maybe they just didn't give a st.

In the OP's case, the right info was (presumably) given; the right info was (presumably) entered; the credit check was (presumably) processed correctly according to the 'rules' and the appropriate response was given. That's the end of it, there is no discussion or debate that can be had on the shop-floor. 'Sales people working in a targeted environment' would drop the prospect they can't sell to immediately and move on, why wouldn't they? You'd also think that people would give the right information in the first place, not play some fking guessing game. Guess we're both perfectionists.

[Hackney]

Just an update on this.
We suspect the shop staff didn't take enough details to complete a thorough check. For instance they didn't ask for previous address (we've only been in the current address for 9 months)

My wife has signed up with a credit checker (Experian I think) and is waiting for a PIN to be mailed out so she can check what credit checks have been run before going back to the shop. Unfortunately CPW did have the best deal
Their online checker gave her 5 out of 5 credit rating.