The repayments on many loans and car finance are too high to be manageable so people get deeper into debt trying to repay them.
When you applied, a lender should have checked a loan would be affordable for you – often they did not check properly and you should never have been given this loan.
This article describes how to complain, with a template to use.
Many people have won complaints using this. If you win, you get the interest refunded in cash. When you still owe a balance, the interest is removed so you only repay what you borrowed.
These complaints do not hurt your credit record if you carry on making the loan repayments while the complaint goes through.
Contents
A quick overview
What types of loans?
- any personal loans, including high-cost lenders, bank loans, and credit union loans;
- you can complain if you are still paying the loans, it has already been repaid, it has defaulted, or you have a payment arrangement/DMP;
- a consolidation loan may have been cheaper than the credit cards it cleared – but it may still have been unaffordable!
- you can also complain about car finance. But if you are still paying car finance, be careful as in some cases early in the car finance you may win the complaint but have the car repossessed – read Car finance affordability – what you get if you win a complaint
- the complaints here do not apply to mortgages or business loans.
What is “unaffordable”?
The regulator says “affordable” means:
you can make the repayments without hardship or having to borrow elsewhere.
For large loans, a lender should have made adequate checks at the start. The larger your loan, the worse your credit score and the more other debt you had, the closer a lender should look.
You can win an affordability complaint if you have made every payment on time. That doesn’t make the loan “affordable” if you had to use a credit card say as paying the loan left you short.
If your loan was fine at the beginning and only caused problems later when you lost your job or your mortgage repayments went up, you are unlikely to win an affordability complaint as this could not have been predicted at the start.
How does this work?
You make a complaint to the lender, saying the loan was unaffordable and ask for a refund of the interest.
There is a complaint template . You can adapt to say what happened to you. Send it by email.
The lender has up to 8 weeks to reply. Lenders reject many good complaints, so you can send a rejection to the Financial Ombudsman if you know the loan has caused you problems.
Will this hurt my credit record?
Not if you carry on making payments. If you can’t afford to, ask the lender for a payment arrangement, which will damage your credit score. If you win the complaint, this damage may be repaired.
Complain to the lender
Send a complaint by email
It’s easiest if all communications are by email – free, instant and you have a copy with a date stamp to show the ombudsman.
If your loan has been sold to a debt collector, send your complaint to the original lender not the debt collector.
Find the right email address to use
BANK EMAIL ADDRESSES see this list : email complaint addresses for banks.
CAR FINANCE LENDERS see this list: email address for car finance lenders
PAYDAY LOANS see this other article as there is a better template to use for smaller loans where you borrowed a lot
OTHER LENDERS Here are the email addresses for most large non-bank lenders. There are a lot of smaller lenders, including many Credit Unions. If your lender is not listed, ask in the comment below for an email address.
Abound (used to be Fintern, other brand is Credisphere) complaints@getabound.com
Admiral Complaints@admiralfinancialservices.co.uk
Anico complaints@anicofinancialservices.com
Avant Credit emailcomplaints@avantcredit.co.uk
Bamboo Loans complaints@bambooloans.com
Better Borrow enquiries@chetwood.co
Castle Community Bank complaints@castlecommunitybank.co.uk
Creation customercare@creation.co.uk
Everyday Loans – for loans after 31 March 2021, see Evlo and use the template in this article. It is no longer possible to make complaints about their loans before that date
Evlo (rebrand of Everyday Loans) complaints@evlo.co.uk
Fair Finance complaints@fairfinance.org.uk
Finio Loans (rebrand of Likely Loans) complaints@oakbrookfinance.com
Fluro (used to be Lending Works) cx@fluro.co.uk
Hastings lending@hastingsdirectloans.com
Humm (does not apply to their 0% finances) complaintsuk@humm-group.com
Koyo loans info@koyoloans.com
Lendable/Zable complaint@lendable.co.uk
Lending Stream debbie.gandy@gaincredit.com
Lifestyle Loans info@lifestyleloans.co.uk
Likely Loans – see Finio
LiveLend support@livelend.co
Loans by Mal (Monthly Advance Loans) Complaints@loansbymal.co.uk
Loans 2 Go read Loans2Go – how to complain
MBNA mbnaonlinecomplaints@mbna.co.uk
Moneyline headoffice@moneyline-uk.com
My Community Bank complaints@mycommunitybank.co.uk
Norwich Trust complaints@norwichtrust.co.uk
Novuna (used to be called Hitachi) ComplaintsTeam@NovunaPersonalFinance.co.uk
Omni complaints@ocrf.co.uk
One Stope Money Shop gary@theonestopmoneyshop.co.uk
Plata complaints@plata.com
Plend complaints@plend.co.uk
Progressive Money complaints@progressivemoney.co.uk
Quick Loans customerscare@quickloans.co.uk
Ratesetter complaints@ratesetter.com
Reevo (now in administration but still complain) complaints@reevomoney.com
Salary Finance (Neyber) complaints@salaryfinance.com (for loans, not “salary advance”)
Savvy info@savvy.co.uk
Shawbrook Customercare.team@shawbrook.co.uk
Snap Finance customer@snapfinance.co.uk
Stream (used to be called Wagestream. For loans , not “salary advance”) complaints@stream.co
Tandem pl@tandem.co.uk
TM Advances info@tmadvances.co.uk
Updraft complaints@updraft.com
Vanquis customer.relations@vanquisbank.co.uk
Wagestream see Stream
Zable loans see Lendable.
Zopa complaints@zopa.com
118 118 Money complaints@118118money.com
Use this template
Email the lender to begin your complaint. Put AFFORDABILITY COMPLAINT as the subject of your email.
Template for you to adapt:
I have moved since the loan started. My current home address is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please do not send any letters to other addresses on my file. [only include this if you have moved!]
Please confirm the date this loan started, the amount, the interest rate and the monthly repayments. [don’t include this if you already know the information]
I am asking for a refund of the interest and any charges I paid, plus statutory interest.
Also to delete any negative information from my credit record. [delete this sentence if there are no missed payments or other difficulties with the loan on your credit record.] I also want the CCJ that I have for this debt set aside. [delete this sentence if you don’t have a CCJ]
I attach copies of my bank statements and credit report from the time I applied for this loan/these loans. [delete if you don’t yet have them yet, but they help your case if you do. Even if they show gambling, that supports your argument that the loan was unaffordable.]
I didn’t know that the lender was supposed to check that I could repay the loan without having to borrow more. I only found out in [2025] when I [saw a newspaper article in the Sun/an advert on Facebook for refunds/a friend said they had made a complaint/posts about them on Instagram/TikTok, whatever]. So I am complaining within 3 years of having found out that I have cause to complain. [only put this paragraph if some of your loans are more than 6 years old. It explains why you haven’t complained before. It’s only an example so change it so it really covers what happened to you!]
Add extra information if you want – see below for some ideas – you don’t have to do this.
Do you need a payment arrangement now?
If you want an affordable payment arrangement now, add a sentence to the complaint saying this. These complaints may take months to sort out – a payment arrangement can get your finances into a safe place:
- a payment arrangement shows on your credit record, but if you win the complaint all negative marks will be deleted
- talk to a debt adviser such as National Debtline if you want to know more about payment arrangements
- but don’t risk a payment arrangement for car finance or a logbook loan – one would put your car at risk.
Other details you can add
The template above is fine, you don’t have to add a lot more details.
But you can add extra points if they apply in your case, for example
- my bank statements and credit record (attached) show that I was unable to afford the loan repayments.
- this was a large loan, you knew I had poor credit and may have been in a difficult position so you should have tried to verify my income and expenses. If you had done this, you would have rejected my application.
- during a telephone call, your agent suggested some figures should be lower to get my application accepted.
- (if the lender was your bank) – you should have seen from my bank account that I was in financial difficulty, I was using my overdraft a lot, I was only making minimum payments to my credit card from you.
And some points about top-ups or second loans:
- a credit check would have shown that my finances had got worse since the first loan
- I had said the first loan was to consolidate debt, but you should have seen that this hadn’t happened.
Waiting for a reply
Some lenders send an acknowledgement quickly, others don’t.
You should get a decision from the lender within 8 weeks. If you don’t, phone them up and ask when you will get it – a couple of days is worth waiting for but many responses are rejections, so don’t wait weeks for one, go to the Ombudsman straight away.
Try to get copies of your bank statements from 3 months before the loan to three months afterwards. You can get statements from closed bank accounts, normally going back 6 years.
Also get a statutory credit report now and download it. You can get one from TransUnion. Do this as soon as possible as sometimes the details change, so you want a full one saved to show the Ombudsman later if necessary.
Do not wait until the Ombudsman asks you for credit records or bank statements – you want them ready to hand. They really help your case as they prove your financial situation when you took the loan out.
6 month deadline to go to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS)
This deadline starts when you get the decision from the lender.
6 months may sound like a long time, but it’s easy to forget this if someone in the family is ill, or there is a new baby, or you are trying to move house or just coping every day is hard…
It’s important that you make the time to do this.
There isn’t a template to send off because it’s best to use the FOS online form (see below). It’s pretty easy!
Don’t be put off by a rejection or a poor offer
Sometimes lenders send long, complicated replies designed to make you look as though you should give up:
- if they say the loan was over 6 years ago, see below for “time limits.
- they may say you were going to use it to consolidate more expensive debts – that doesn’t mean this loan was affordable, it was just not as unaffordable as the other debts;
- if the lender said it was your fault because your loan application wasn’t accurate, the lender should have made checks to verify it.
I suggest you rely on your instinct – if the loan caused you problems, send it to be looked at by the Ombudsman.
If you aren’t sure, ask in the Comments below this article.
It isn’t usually worth trying to negotiate with these lenders, you are just wasting your time.
How to send a case to FOS
This is easy with the online form here: send a complaint to the Ombudsman. It asks you for all the details they need.
The main part of your complaint can be a version of what you sent the lender in your complaint. Add any more details you want, including pointing out mistakes in the lender’s reply. Also attach:
- the reply from the lender
- Trans Union statutory credit record
- bank statements starting 3 months before first loan
- do not worry if you don’t have A copy of your credit or finance agreement – lots of people don’t. The lender will supply a copy if FOS asks for it. Don’t delay sending a complaint to FOS while you try to get this from the lender.
Bank statements
Don’t delay sending a case to the Ombudsman while waiting for this information.
If you don’t have the bank statements from the time of the loan application, get them now. And then send them to the Ombudsman, don’t wait to be asked.
You can get these going back at least 6 years even from closed accounts. And you can often go back a lot further with an account that you are still using. Ask your bank if you need statements from further back than you can get in the app.
“Is there a time limit?”
You can’t complain about a loan that started before April 2007.
If your loans from this lender ended more than 6 years ago, then it is very unlikely you will win a case at the Ombudsman.
Lenders will often reject any complaint if the loan started more than 6 years ago. But if your loan was still being repaid within the last 6 years, the Ombudsman may well decide they can look at it. So if your loan started in 2018 and finished in 2023, send this to the Ombudsman if the lender says it’s too old, because it isn’t.
The ombudsman may also look at older loans if you had a continuous stream of borrowing which carried on into the last 6 years. So if you had 2 loans, the first from 2014-17, when it was refinanced into a loan from 2017-2021, the Ombudsman may decide they can look at the earlier loan as well. And if you had two overlapping loans, eg from 2014-2019 and 2017-2022, the Ombudsman may look at both.
Need some help?
Don’t use a claims management company. They are expensive, often incompetent and use a similar template to the one in this article.
Instead, ask a question in the comments below.
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Refunds from cards and catalogues
Isobel Chamberlain says
Hi Sara
How do I begin the process with the Ombudsman? Loans2Go have lied saying that they requested bank statements for the affordability complaint. They never did and they see having to pay over £1,500 of interest as reasonable when the original loan amount was £600.
Grateful for any advice.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
there is a link to the FOS online case submission page in the article above.
It is MUCH stronger for your case to argue non affordability with your bank statements as evidence, rather than complaining about the obscene amount of interest
Isobel Chamberlain says
Hi Sarah, loans2go have never asked for my bank statements despite saying they have. Will this go against me with the ombudsman? Or can I provide my statements to the obudsman with no issues?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are L2G saying they asked for bank statements before giving you the loan?
Or that they asked for bank statements when you complained?
Neither can “go against you” at the Ombudsman, but it affects what you say to FOS.
Isobel Chamberlain says
Hi Sara
They never asked for bank statements at either. Their initial email said “we may ask for bank statements” but they never did.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then send the statements to the Ombudsman now, do not wait to be asked. And tell the Ombudsman that L2G have never asked you for your bank statements, either when you applied for the loan or when you made the affordability complaint
Shane Titley says
Just had a rejection letter from zopa saying all my loans over the last 6 years there saw as affordable even though you can see on there checks my credit was increasing and the loans I requested were too.. also paying off loans with other credit cards / loans before getting another loan mmoff them and moving credit around getting further into debt
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then I suggest you send this to the Ombudsman. The article above explains how
Laura says
Do you have an email address for Oplo complaints please? Thanks x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is this for an affordability compliant? when did the loan start?
Or a motor finance commission claim?
Brice says
Hi Sara
I have multiple loans, about 6 , totalling around £35000.
One being a consolidation loan for £15000.
I am a gambling addict (in recovery 4 months), with potentially undiagnosed ADHD/autism.
Would it not been flagged up that I was on gamban and that my spending and money coming did not matching this.
Would I be able to submit something for this?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You were gambling when you on Gamban?
Brice says
Yes, I was using non-gamstop sites because of my addiction.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ah yes, Gamstop is pretty easy to get round. Gamban isn’t, which is why I queried it
No, people can’t easily see you are on Gamstop.
But they may have been able to see that you new loan or credit you were asking for would be unaffordable. So make affordability complaints about them all. Lenders reject most of the cases involving gambling so send them to the ombudsman when that happens.
Lauren says
Hello
Do you have a complaints email for antelope loans? Got this loan originally through marbles
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what date was this taken out?
Lauren says
09/05/26 for 6 thousand already had a loan out 6k from oakbrook taken out in April 26 and 118 money 6K from March 30th
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I would send this complaint to Newday (marbles owner) complaints@newday.co.uk
Let me know if they say contact Antelope
Lauren says
Thankyou I have an ongoing complaint with new day for two credit cards currently with aqua ans marbles this complaint is with FO shall I wait for this outcome before I complain about the loan?
Thankyou
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, get going on all the complaints as soon as you can. There is NO reason to wait.
James says
Hi Sara,
Helping someone who’s had debt problems and gambling – I got a lot back through this site and hopefully they can.
One concern for them is that on *some* of their payday loan applications they lied about their income to increase the chances of a “YES”. Is there a risk that by complaining they get done for fraud or get a fraud marker etc on credit file?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have never seen this happen to anyone, although some payday lenders threaten CIFAS markers a lot, nothing seems to happen when you ignore them and send the rejection to the Ombudsman
JB says
I find it really disheartening when the investigators keep saying the ombudsman wont see it differently as they use the same methods.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They always say that. Ignore it if you think you have a good case. Use actual numbers from your bank statements to show why you diasagree with the investigator’s calculation
Scott Taylor says
Dear Sara,
I followed your template with regards to 3 loans I had in 2018/19/20 with Loans 2 Go Limited I first complained May this year – They agreed loans 2 and 3 were unaffordable and made and offer to clear balances and redress me £233 I took to the ombudsman who agreed Loan 1 was unaffordable due to my circumstances Loans 2 Go have agreed and today I received £1386.33 on top of that my Balances have also been cleared and all adverse credit markets to be removed.
Thank you Very Much
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Excellent!
Paula Brown says
Hi there
I have a £7500 loan with TSB. This was to consolidate debt (I know – terrible idea and it did nothing other than put me £7500 more into debt). It was granted at a time when I already had circa £20,000 in debt on a salary of £22,000. The loan is for 5 years and has four years left. The payment is £149.00 per month. My issue is that TSB are my main bank and I rely on the overdraft I have with them. If I launch an unaffordability complaint will they close my account and overdraft?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No they won’t.
In theory a bank can close a bank account at any time with no reason.
In practice, I have never seen any bank do this when someone has complained about a loan or credit card with them.
Also what did you pay off with this loan? Look at affordability complaints about them too.
Paula says
I paid off one card and saved the remaining amount (now spent). I had a M&S Loan for 3000 which I was keen to close down. I did do an affordability complaint but the investigator at the FO did not uphold it. They stated that they did not view the fact that it was unaffordable, despite the fact that I had seven credit cards/loans. She advised that they were not all utilised to their maximum and that after the loan repayment I would still have £200 a month disposable income. therefore the loan was affordable. M&S did send my application to the underwriters – but they approved it.
Pat says
Hi Sara, thank you for this website. I’m trying to get manage my debt and have recently complained to Fernovo about the loans they lent me since 2021. There were more than 10 loans, some of which were taken out only a couple of weeks after repaying the previous and some of which were taken out very soon after payday loans from other lenders, which I believe would have been observable on my credit record. In addition, although I made every payment on time, I always had more 95% credit utilisation and had multiple credit cards, lived in my overdraft, etc. I’m not contending that every loan was irresponsible – some were taken out after a reasonable gap however there are 5 I think that shouldn’t have been issued. Fernovo have come back to me and offered around £200 as a goodwill gesture, plus the removals of all loans from my credit file. What do you think? Thank you again.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
can you list the loans in date order _ date taken, size, amount of interest paid (that amout you paid less the amount you borrowed.)
Pat says
No problem – thanks again!
Date taken out – amount – interest – date repaid
1) May 2021, 200, 112 (interest), August 2021
2) April 2022, 200, 109, July 2022
3) September 2022, 300, 179, December 2022
4) March 2023, 300, 103, June 2023
5) July 2023, 150, 78, August 2023
6) September 2023, 300, 122, November 2023
7) December 2024, 150, 50, December 2024
8) February 2025, 150, 30, March 2025
9) April 2025, 500, 205, July 2025
10) August 2025, 400, 258, December 2025
11) January 2026, 200, 93, January 2026
12) February 2026, 150, 100, May 2026
13) July 2026, 200, 132, about to repay
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it is complicated…, but none of the gaps was very big except for the gap between loans 1 and 2.
Were you taking out other payday loans at this time? were your other non payday laon debts also going up?
Pat says
Yes, I had at least one credit card that was always maxed out at the start, and eventually multiple other credit cards with the same issue (thankfully under control now). I also had other payday loans from other lenders during this period. You could certainly tell from my credit file that my debt was growing over time.
Thank you again for your help!
Pat says
I was taking out other loans; I included reference to these in my original complaint to Fernovo, gave examples of the time in between these loans and the Fernovo loans, etc. In terms of other debt, by early 2026 I had multiple credit cards which was increasing my overall debt. But I think because I’ve never missed a payment (and my credit card debt in total was never that high), Fernovo have taken the position that the debt was manageable. Thank you again!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can argue that the 500 loan was MUCH larger than previous loans and you had already had a lot of previous loans so Fernovo should have looked more closely. Say that the intereat on the the last 5 loans came to 788, but in the interest of q quick settlement, you are prepared to accept £500. Otherwise the case goes to the Ombudsman.
You can increase the “prepared to accept” number if you want, it is pretty uncertain what you may get back from FOS, your choice. £200 looks pretty low though!
Amy says
Hi Sara,
In July 2026 after years of borrowing and in debt I have filed some with most of my lenders for unaffordable lending complaints below is an example –
On 6 May, I took out a £1,678 loan with Salad Money.
On 8 May, I took out a £400 loan with Mr Lender.
On 27 May, I took out a £500 loan with Savvy.
On 4 June, Reevo Money £1,000.
21st July – Drafty -£1000
I was already make payments to
● Lending Stream £169, Quid Market, £155, CreditSpring £166, Fernovo £139
Many of the above lenders did not request bank statements which would have also shown reversed direct debits, klarna and clearpay payments. At the time of taking loans from Mr Lender, Quid market, lending stream, salad market and credit spring I was in a debt management plan (i did not tell them) do you think its worth taking this further? Lending stream has been paid now but I took 21 loans in 3 years. Some with multiple loans in a couple of days.
Thank you in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know how many loans you had from each lender?
Are you now out of this debt spiral? Can I ask if you have gambling or other addicition problems?
Amy says
Hi Sara,
I had a gambling addiction and was on gamstop. In the last 18 months I have been using my friend’s accounts to gamble. My bank statement would have shown multiple transactions to friends sometimes 6-7 a day for small amounts.
Credit spring 2 loans paid in full 2 years in a row 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. I took out another loan with them in June 2026.
Lending stream – 21 loans over 30 months.
Mr Lender- unsure by approx 6 loans
Salad money 1 loan previously paid in full and current loan was for £1200 i accepted top up to £2000 when my balance was at £316.
Quid market, savvy, reevo and Drafty 1 loan each all within a couple of months.
Fernovo settled with me before taking to FOS to wipe debt and remove all history from credit file.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you now managed to stop gambling again? And told your firned not to allow you tonuse their account in future?
Amy says
Yes, all accounts are closed now so neither of us are gambling.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
GUESSES as to which lenders are worth complaining to. Basically its either frequenscy OR a large loan. You are unlikely to won a one loan case for 400 even if you had a lot of other payday loans.
Worth complaining to :
Credit spring 2 loans paid in full 2 years in a row 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. I took out another loan with them in June 2026.
Lending stream – 21 loans over 30 months.
Mr Lender- unsure by approx 6 loans
Salad money 1 loan previously paid in full and current loan was for £1200 i accepted top up to £2000 when my balance was at £316.
Rreevo and Drafty 1 loan each but large
I probably wouldn’t bother with quidmarket and savvy if they were just 1 loan and small
EXPECT most complaint to be rejected and have to go to the Ombudsman.
ALSO Download a copy of your credit record now. eg TransUnion statutory credit report. You do not want to wait and find some other lenders have deleted payday loans, you want a report showing as many as possible
Lydia says
Hi Sara.
Just to say, I used the email address you recommended for Tesco Bank via Barclays to submit an affordability complaint for a Tesco Loan. I had a response from a Barclays customer relations representative to say they would forward it directly to Tesco.
I then received acknowledgment and a reference number from Tesco Bank with an email address of: feedback@feedback.tescobank.com.
Thought it might be helpful. Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Thanks!
NC says
Hi. I would like to say a big thankyou to you and your affordability templates. I had a refund from 118118 a couple of weeks ago that closed my card and today I heard back from Lendable about a loan I took out in February. They agreed they should’ve looked more deeply into my financial situation when they offered me the loan and have cancelled all the interest and charges so I just have the initial loan to repay. Saved me almost 5k. Thankyou a million times.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
excellent!
Vicky says
Hi
Natwest have rejected my affordability complaint & sent an sa back about why.
Do i go straight to the ombudsman now?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes if you think it was unaffordable
Trying to get control says
I just wanted to give you an update.
The investigator didn’t support my complaint so it got passed to an ombudsman.
I had an email yesterday saying the ombudsman supports my complaint for the 2nd and 3rd NatWest loans. NatWest have been asked to refund the interest I paid on these loans plus Bank of England base rate +1%.
Hopefully NatWest agree to this outcome.
I will update when I know more.
Thank you Sara.
Aneleh says
Hi Sara,
I wrote a complaint to Fair Finance a while back, and they initially told me that they were still investigating it. The investigation then went beyond the 60-day timeframe, and I didn’t receive any further communication from them.
I contacted them again to chase for an update, and they responded saying that they needed a little more time to investigate the complaint. However, they didn’t provide any timeframe for when I could expect a response.
It has now been another two months since that response, and I still haven’t received any feedback or updates regarding my complaint. I contacted them again recently asking for an update and advised them that, due to the length of time this has been ongoing and the lack of communication, I would be taking the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Would you say that, given that it has now been over five months and they haven’t responded to my recent emails, I should go ahead and take the complaint to the Ombudsman, or would you recommend waiting a little longer for Fair Finance to respond?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
5 months is unreasonable, send this to the Ombudsman right away
Aneleh says
Hi Sara ,
Would you say that one can complain to their bank for student overdraft that had no interest however took over seven years to repay and still not repaid in full or closed.?
I took out my student overdraft of 2500 in 2015 with Barclays however they were not charging interest and I struggled to repay it back when I was a student even after gaining full-time work. Do I have to stand on with a complaint?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have never paid any interest, there is nothing to be refunded.
If the bank started charging interest after it was no longer a student account, then your complaint dates from that point.
Joe says
I’m looking for advice on multiple lenders approving credit during a period of clear financial vulnerability and heavy gambling.
Between Oct 2025 and Jul 2026, I was approved for £28,000 unsecured credit plus a £40,000 secured loan.
Most lenders did not request bank statements. Several loans were pre‑approved.
My bank issued both a credit card and a loan, despite having full visibility of thousands per month in gambling, overdrafts, repeat borrowing and financial instability
The secured‑loan lender (Oct 2025) had full access to our joint bank account transactions, including gambling activity, but still approved a £40,000 secured loan.
Additional unsecured loans were approved without proportionate checks:
£10,000 – Feb 2026
£5,000 – Apr 2026
£3,000 – Jul 2026
Plus credit card debt from the same bank that issued the July loan.
There are also 3 other credit cards amounting to roughly £7000
Across all lenders, there appears to have been no affordability assessments, no review of bank statements, no identification of gambling behaviour, no vulnerability checks and no assessment of rapid repeat borrowing
Now there is £28k unsecured and £40k secured debt.
I’m looking for guidance on irresponsible lending complaints, mis‑selling, and escalation to the Financial Ombudsman.
Any help would be appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Complain about them all. Including the secured loan – my template above is not designed specifically for secured loans but I have heard recently of a couple of people having success usong it for secured loans / second mortgages.
Mention the gambling. And emphasise where the lender had access to your bank statements and should have seen it.
Expect all of these to be rejected by the lenders – this is what usually happend with gambling cases. Send each to FOS as soon as you get a rejection, don’t wait to get more responses from other lenders.