Moving to EE affected my credit score

[#1]

I've just discovered that my credit score went down by some points which resulted in downgrade to the worse category, and it was due to the EE credit check. I didn't expect that and am not too happy about it. Is this normal? (I am aware this is not a question directly related to mobile service but I hope it's relevant enough).

[#2]

@pkw 

That also happened to me a while back, when I moved from Plusnet to EE.

I think that it is due to the fact that at the time of setting up the new EE account, your Plusnet account was still active. As far as the Credit Rating system is concerned, you now have another, extra, bill to pay - it doesn't seem to understand transfers between suppliers? I have also had similar in the past when changing energy suppliers.

In my case, once I had left Plusnet, my PN account was "closed", (although I could still access it online for a while afterwards), a month or so went by, the PN account disappeared from my credit ratings "Active Accounts", (moved to "Closed"), and my Credit Score went back up to its previous level.

Hopefully yours will be similar?

[#3]

I believe EE (like many mobile providers) do a 'hard' credit check which will drop your credit score (usually by around 5 points) for about 6 months.

[#4]

Your "credit score" is a meaningless, made up number. No potential lender will even see it when credit checking. They are interested in your credit history and credit worthiness, not some number plucked out of nowhere.

My "score" differs depending on where I look.

[#5]

It was not a hard check. Also interestingly Virgin mobile that I tried in the meantime doesn't appear at all. Hopefully it will go back up as @Mr_Paul said.

[#6]

Not true! My missus just moved from Plusnet mobile to EE, 1 month rolling contract for £10per month. They did hard credit check even thou she wants aware as the woman on the phone with a heavy accent read T&C's too fast. Week later she checked and her credit score dropped by 50 points not 5-6! She canceled the contract and now trying to despite the hard check. It's ridiculous what EE does. I was with Three and now with Smarty on monthly SIM only rolling contract and none of them did credit checks on me.

[#7]

@Demideus 

"Week later she checked and her credit score dropped by 50 points not 5-6! "

Just to clarify, how did you prove that it was definitely EE doing a "hard credit check" that caused such an alarming drop in credit score, and not something else? (I'm not saying it wasn't that, but I haven't heard of it before).

Without going in to personal details, was the credit score good before the check? I'm not an expert on credit rating, but I'm wondering if it was already low, then any check would have caused it to fall that much?