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[french frank]

Hasn't Experian acquired something of a dodgy reputation of late for some reason, I seem to remember?

Just looked at the TrustPilot reviews. Looks all right to me . However, the page does give some information, namely that Experian is only one of the credit reference agencies. I presume they don't all hold my details ??? How would I know if they did (I didn't know Experian did but it knew my current credit card balance)? In any case my bank also gives me a credit rating, so I'm not sure why anyone else needs to have this info.: I can't foresee any circs where I would need to furnish my credit rating in order to borrow money.

[Petrushka]

Just looked at the TrustPilot reviews. Looks all right to me . However, the page does give some information, namely that Experian is only one of the credit reference agencies. I presume they don't all hold my details ??? How would I know if they did (I didn't know Experian did but it knew my current credit card balance)? In any case my bank also gives me a credit rating, so I'm not sure why anyone else needs to have this info.: I can't foresee any circs where I would need to furnish my credit rating in order to borrow money.

When I worked as a credit controller I used both Experian and Equifax (preferred the former) and I would expect them to hold the same information but then I was dealing with mostly businesses. I'd expect them to have the same information from the same sources but it's all a bit of a mystery exactly how it all works.

[oddoneout]

This might be of interest, with regard to credit reference agencies, although I must admit it did send a chill through me.

https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/credit/

I came up against a CRA issue last year when I had to apply for a different credit card thanks to John Lewis discontinuing theirs, and faced the fact that I don't have a suitable credit rating for such a process to be easy or straightforward. It is annoying to be penalised for not having any debt...

[kernelbogey]

Experian used, or so I believe, to be a credit rating agency; presumably they hoovered up all information available about companies and individuals. More recently they've hit on the wheeze of 'helping you improve your credit rating'. (Presumably folk pay for this service.) Thus they've apparently devised another source of information about people as these unfortunates will have disclosed all their financial information to Experian.

[oddoneout]

Experian used, or so I believe, to be a credit rating agency; presumably they hoovered up all information available about companies and individuals. More recettly they've hit on the wheeze of 'helping you improve your crecit rating'. (Presumably folk pay for this service.) Thus they've apparently devised another source of information about people as these unfortunates will have disclosed all their financial information to Experian.

Clever wheeze isn't it? Why pay for valuable data when you can get it for free - or even, in the case of the paid for schemes, get paid to collect it...
I must confess I find the ads for such services completely baffling. I can understand that there are occasions when advice and help to improve a personal credit rating are necessary or desirable, but the idea of punctuating one's day with updates about it are beyond me.

[eighthobstruction]

Clever wheeze isn't it? Why pay for valuable data when you can get it for free - or even, in the case of the paid for schemes, get paid to collect it...
I must confess I find the ads for such services completely baffling. I can understand that there are occasions when advice and help to improve a personal credit rating are necessary or desirable, but the idea of punctuating one's day with updates about it are beyond me.

....all the family gather around for the happy news of a boost....Ah the joy, our credit ratio is up - straight down the mall for a stupid tattoo or a collagen filler injection....

[french frank]

Clever wheeze isn't it? Why pay for valuable data when you can get it for free - or even, in the case of the paid for schemes, get paid to collect it...

I don't think this is exactly what you mean but, after some fiddling about, I've opted out of having my details shared with 'partners'(?) and all others for marketing, targeted advertising, interesting/useful emails for services I'll love ...

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't think this is exactly what you mean but, after some fiddling about, I've opted out of having my details shared with 'partners'(?) and all others for marketing, targeted advertising, interesting/useful emails for services I'll love ...

"Partners" may be assuming business arrangements - I have found this with the firm dealing with my tax returns, which always includes a questionnaire including sections asking how useful their service is to my business... which I always leave blank!

[french frank]

"Partners" may be assuming business arrangements

I assumed it was businesses which had forged some sort of 'partnership' with Experian in order to receive information on their (Experian's) clients. I'm not having that. I say, I'm not having that. No.

[oddoneout]

I assumed it was businesses which had forged some sort of 'partnership' with Experian in order to receive information on their (Experian's) clients. I'm not having that. I say, I'm not having that. No.

Yes, partners in the business of getting as much out of your details as possible... The offers they want to make I can just about fully guarantee will not be of interest or relevance to me, and even if they were I wouldn't follow up from such a source direct. I don't "agree" to marketing/outsourcing to partners and have been known to refuse to proceed if I can't opt-out. The more my details are disseminated to others in such a fashion the less control I have over what happens to them - the assurances about partners abiding by equivalent privacy etc standards don't mean much by the 3rd or 4th transfer onwards by said partners.
There is more than enough "sharing" of my details already without choosing to add to it.

[Dave2002]

Banks! Several are irritating, but one I have used until recently - the Spanish one with a name beginning with "S" is being really troublesome.

It started when I tried to use my credit card - and was asked for a pin number. Since it is contactless and I was hardly ever asked for a pin I had unfortunately not remembered that. I realised that if I kept trying it would be blocked, and usually I remember numbers or other things after a while if I just don't pay attention. Unfortunately a day or two later I still couldn't get it right, and the card was blocked.

The bank office is at least 15 miles away, so I wasn't going to deal with that immediately, but eventually I had other business in the area, so went to get advice/help. "Oh - we'll send you a new PIN number." "Will I need a new card?". "No - this one should work when you get the new number".

Other events intervened for a while, but eventually a new number arrived through the post. I read the bumf which came with it about whether it needed to be authorised or re-registered. Seemingly not, but maybe putting it into a bank machine would be useful. I was not intending to drive the distance back to the one outside the bank itself, but others should "surely" do .... Well - maybe not. The card steadfastly refused to work, though I was able to see some details of my account using the card and the new number. Oh - almost as soon as I'd contacted the bank to discuss the problem, I think I remembered the original number, but of course I can't check that now.

Now I wait for another period before going back to the bank, to explain that the card no longer works. "Oh - that's your old card". "No, it's the card I used - I was told that all that was needed was a new PIN number".

Mmmm. "A new card is on its way to you now". "Will that work with the latest PIN number?" "Yes".
"Will I need to authorise the card?" "You can do it in several ways, including by telephone, [plus of course via online banking, or the banking app ... " - which I really don't want to use - more issues with those ...].

Eventually the new card arrives. I read the bumf, and indeed it does seem that I can authorise the card by telephone, so I make the call. After the usual tedious number pushing and speaking code words to the automated service, I eventually get to the section for authenticating the new card, and get the message that it has been successfully carried out.

Later I go to the shops, and try to use the card. I don't even get to a point at which I'm asked for a PIN number - it just doesn't work, so yet again I use one of my other cards to make the purchases.

I suppose it's just possible that the card might work if I use it today - maybe it takes a day or two for the cogs to start rotating, but I fear that I'll have to make yet another trip to the bank to get this sorted.

I might deliberately try to make one more purchase using the contactless card tomorrow, before walking into the bank, as I do have to be in that area anyway, so it won't be too big a problem. The time taken to get this sorted is really not acceptable.

[oddoneout]

Contactless cards will request a chip and pin occasionally to ensure it's still you using the card. The point at which they do so will vary according to the card issuing bank. I think my limit is about £130, which as it's used for small amounts of food shopping isn't an issue - and I get a sense of when I'm getting close to being asked for my PIN so it doesn't come as the surprise (and worry!) it was the first few times until I found out why it was happening.
Although I think things have improved somewhat I have avoided Santander ever since they swallowed Alliance and Leicester around the time I was having to assume Power of Attorney for my mother, and A&L was her main, everyday, account. I had endless difficulties(a lot of which were to do with being Spanish and not understanding the POA business), the worst of which was when they "disappeared" the savings account from which I paid the care home fees. First they denied it wasn't available online(and blamed me for not being able to even see it online let alone access it) then said that it would be "restored" shortly, which it wasn't, and stopped responding to any queries, in any form, about it. In the meantime the fees were due... I discovered that mine was not an isolated instance, many others also suddenly found their savings had disappeared, and some had my problem of having care home fees to pay. 12 years on and I haven't forgotten the furious impotence I felt during that time, which was already stressful due to the circumstances of needing POA.

[french frank]

The time taken to get this sorted is really not acceptable.

Some day my comeuppance will come But I have apps for all my cards and can check the PINs in the apps - but I do have to remember all the (different) account security info/PINs to access it.

[JasonPalmer]

My debit card stopped working for contactless payments, rang the bank and they sent me a new card. No problems with the co op bank, used them for years.

[Dave2002]

Some day my comeuppance will come But I have apps for all my cards and can check the PINs in the apps - but I do have to remember all the (different) account security info/PINs to access it.

Therein lies the rub!