Kirstie Allsopp's fury over credit rating row Gretchen Andersen employs three people in her Kensington antiques shop She has also held a bank account for 60 years But because she has never borrowed money she has no credit rating Fury: Kirstie Allsopp revealed on Twitter that her thrifty mother-in-law had been denied a mobile phone contract because she has no credit history As a business owner who has never been in debt, Kirstie Allsopp's mother-in-law should have found buying a new mobile phone to be a simple procedure. But 85-year-old Gretchen Andersen was turned down for a contract - because she does not have a credit rating. Mrs Andersen - who is mother to Miss Allsopp's partner of ten years, Ben, 55 - employs three people in her antiques shop in Kensington, West London, and has had a bank account for 60 years. But because she has never borrowed money and appears to have chosen not to pay her utility bills by direct debit, she does not have a credit history and was told by Carphone Warehouse that she could not purchase a phone and contract with O2. Financial experts warned that her situation - which Miss Allsopp, 43, revealed on Twitter - reflects a wider problem that affects thousands of thrifty elderly people who handle their money in a similar way. Miss Allsopp said Mrs Andersen felt "personally insulted" when she was turned down because it seemed she was being told she "wasn't good enough to have a phone." The television presenter added: "They came back and said she hadn't got a good credit rating and my mother-in-law was like "How on earth can I have a not good credit rating? I've never had a debt in my life. And that's when they said yes, that's why. James Daley, founder of Fairer Finance, said: "If this woman is being prudent and hasn't built up a credit history then she shouldn't be penalised for that. There is still a significant part of the elderly community who like to go to the post office and pay their bills. They don't like to have direct debits because they feel they have better control of their cashflow that way. A spokesman for Carphone Warehouse said: "There can be a number of reasons why customers fail their initial credit check ... We are working with O2 to investigate this matter to try to resolve the issue for the customer."