Back in 2010, Money Clinic listener Kalyan bought an iPad with a monthly 3G subscription. Thirteen years later, that long-forgotten purchase might stop him from getting a decent rate on his mortgage. It’s a story that shines a light on how credit rating agencies score you and how things can easily go wrong. Host Claer Barrett hears from Sara Williams, who runs Debt Camel, a blog and popular Instagram account, as well as James Jones, head of consumer affairs at Experian, one of the UK's main credit reference agencies.  Want more? Free links: UK watchdog calls for reform of credit rating market How to improve your credit score  If you would like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at [email protected] with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help.  Follow Claer on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @Claerb Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Philippa Goodrich. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.