Has anyone else had trouble with these 2 networks? I was on O2 for several years, I wanted an iPhone but they wanted a silly price for upgrading, so I cancelled my contract and applied for a new contract and got declined, that was several years ago.

I can get a contract fine on Orange, T-Mobile or 3 but have no signal in my area, I have signal on Vodafone and O2 but get declined, it seems that between the time I started my contract with O2 which was about 2004 and the time I left roughly 2008 they up'd the criteria for credit checks.

When you left before, did you owe either of them any money?

Your auto-answer will be 'no, how dare you' etc, I'm not saying you are a bad payer, but did you owe them some on your final bill and thought 'cobblers to that'?

Only O2 and Vodafone can tell you why. They do not have to give you exact reasons, but they should give you an idea, and must tell you if they used a credit agency. If they used a credit agency, they must give you the contact details, and you can then apply to the agency for a copy of your credit file. The credit file may reveal adverse information which you can then consider. If the information is true and accurate, then it cannot be removed. However, you can remove any inaccurate data provided you can prove it is wrong, and you can in some circumstances be allowed to place some comments on your own file, for example to explain the reasons for previous debt problems or defaults. You can also amend any information which has appeared on your file which is not about you, or is about someone who you have no financial connection with.

I did, but paid them a month later, it was only £15

If you do that without telling them then it will affect your credit rating. If you know you are going to have problems then the best course of action is to get on the phone and tell them that you are going to struggle paying, or if it was a genuine mistake then you should have let them known as soon as possible as most things stay on file for around 6 years. If it was in 2004 then it should be removed from your file soon. Until then you have no other option than to go PAYG if you want O2 or Vodafone.

Get on the phone with O2 and Vodafone and they may be reasonable as you appear to be okay otherwise no one would give you a contract.

O2 are the only network that will pass me. They can be very funny beasts these credit checks

Agreed! My mum is unable to get accepted on Vodafone, but T-Mobile and Orange will happily accept her.

Also O2 will happily pass me for mobile contracts totalling a monthly payment of approx £130. However when I applied for O2 Homephone in August costing £16 a month they declined me.

Like I said they can be very funny beasts

Very odd, but I had a similar experience with Orange, Mobile credit check no issue for an iPhone 4, Homephone declined.

Yep thats pretty much same as me with O2. Luckily sky were only too happy to offer me a homephone service and were also happy enough to take my broadband off O2 as well

I got knocked back by O2 for a contract phone several years ago but they were happy to take me as a Sim only contract customer which is easier to get.