This page covered the complaints and refunds process before Wonga went under on 30 August.
Events in August 2018
August 4 – Wonga forced to ask investors for £10million in funding as the cost of affordability complaints increases.
26 August – news reports that Wonga was in trouble.
- Sky News reported that:
Directors of the payday lender Wonga could appoint Grant Thornton as the company’s administrator within days, Sky News learns.
- Piece on Channel 4 News – including a Debt Camel reader talking about his situation.
August 30 – Wonga gives up and goes into administration
With Wonga in administration, complaints and refunds are now being handled differently, see Wonga – latest news of refunds for details.
That page will be kept updated, this one is now closed.
Much of the rest of this page is no longer relevant so the text colour has been changed to this.
Wonga affordability complaints before administration
If you had loans from Wonga that you struggled to repay, perhaps having to borrow again because you couldn’t afford the Wonga payment and get through the next month, then your loan may have been “unaffordable”.
You can ask for a refund of the interest you paid.
Slow complaints handling
Wonga sends a statement of your account without trying to charge you for it, but it can take a while. If you are trying to piece together your loan history from your credit reports or bank statements, old entries saying “Quickbridge” are Wonga loans.
The Financial Ombudsman’s rules say a firm is allowed 8 weeks to reply to a complaint. This clock starts running when you put your complaint in.
In summer 2018 Wonga is struggling to handle all the complaints. Here is a typical message people are being sent:
We’re currently investigating high volumes of complaints. If we can’t respond within our 8-week timeframe, we’ll contact you to explain the delay and let you know when you can expect a response.
If Wonga hasn’t answered after 8 weeks, take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. Wonga will still be looking at your complaint and you could get an answer in the next few weeks.
Have you already had a refund from Wonga?
Wonga had a major refund program a few years ago. If you had a balance owing to them, this may have been written off at that point. They also made some small refunds in 2016 – out of the blue people had a letter saying they will be receiving £6.20 or £51 or some other random number.
You may still have a good case for your other loans being unaffordable – we have seen many people win affordability complaints after already getting a refund or a write-off. The more loans or rollovers you had before the one that was written off, the more you are likely to get a refund now.
Think of the write-off as being the first part of your refund.
Sometimes Wonga makes reasonable offers… but often it doesn’t!
Sometimes Wonga makes good offers, some of them very large:
- John was worried when he was told his case had been referred to their legal team, then a couple of weeks later he got a refund of over £10,000;
- in September 2017, Danny Boy was very happy to accept an offer of £11,934.
However, Wonga rejects some excellent cases, which are then upheld by the Ombudsman. Examples include: Rob got £3,000; Lou got £500; Mart got £6,455. So if your complaint is rejected, don’t assume it is a bad case and give up!
Making a random small offer
And sometimes Wonga offers to just refund on a few loans picked at random from the loans you had. When challenged they have no explanation for why they are offering to refund those particular loans, they just say that’s their offer. With these cases you can do a lot better by waiting for a decision from the Ombudsman:
- Wonga offered Tony £818 for just two loans – the Ombudsman said that all loans should be refunded – £4,800
- Ross had 60 loans from wonga over 5 years. Wonga only offered to refund one loan – £26. He went to the Ombudsman and got a refund on 54 loans – £4,650.
Sometimes refuses to pay out on loans after 2014
Wonga often refuses to pay out on loans after they changed their lending policy in 2014. It’s true that they made a lot more bad loans before that, but they are not getting all the decisions right now!
Many people are getting good refunds via the Ombudsman for these recent loans.
Don’t rush to accept an offer if it misses off a lot of loans
We have also seen people accept an offer from Wonga but then regret it when they realise it is only for three loans. If you are made an offer, sit back and think for a few days if it is good enough.
Could you lose a Wonga offer by going to the Ombudsman?
If you are offered some money but it’s a lot less than the interest you paid, you may be worried you could end up with nothing if you reject it and go to the Ombudsman.
So far we haven’t seen any case, from Wonga or any other lender, where someone who was offered a refund ended up with less by going to the Ombudsman.
Wonga are arguing about loans over 6 years
The Ombudsman’s rules say that complaints have to be made within 6 years, but there is an extra rule that says a complaint can be made later if you have only become aware of the problem within the last 3 years.
Wonga is refusing to pay out on loans over 6 years old. Other lenders have now accepted the ombudsman’s decision that they can look at older loans as people have only recently heard about these affordability complaints.
At the moment Wonga and the ombudsman are arguing over a few test cases and everyone else with loans over 6 years is just waiting until these test cases are resolved. I hope this will be soon!
If most of your loans are within 6 years and only a few are older, you may want to agree to drop the older loans to speed up your case.
Comments on this article are now closed.
See Latest news on Wonga refunds for what is currently happening and the comments there.
Chris hanley says
Finally received my refund yesterday afternoon, around 4 o’clock. Must be done manually. Big thanks to this site. I’m now debt free! Whoop whoop
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yay!
Thomas says
Hi Sara,
Just wanted to say a huge thank you! The Wonga case has finally been settled today and I’m getting £2,219! This is a lot better than the pitiful £106 Wonga originally offered! Now just waiting for QQ &a Sunny complaints!
T
Sara says
Yesterday I received the following offer from Wonga
Total interest and fees
£1,978.20
8% Interest net
£479.11
Total settlement
£2,457.31
I have accepted the offer. I could probably get a bit more if I waited for the FOS however I really need the money and this is enough to clear my debts so ive decided to accept.
I sent my original complaint on 9th Feb and received acknowledgment on 14th Feb. At the 8 week mark I did email the FOS as id had an email from wonga to say that they needed another 8 weeks! I emailed wonga back and said that my complaint was now with the FOS and a week later I’ve received an offer
Thank you so much for this site!!
Lizzie says
Hi I have only recently come across the whole payday loan refund thing. I have had a few wonga payday loans I would guess between 2009/2012 ish I’m not sure of dates amount or how many and no longer have the same bank or live at the same address but I have sent an email to the complaints dept requesting a statement of my loans and my repayments etc. How long should it take to get a reply what is there typical reply also if I’m rewarded a refund how do I receive this like I said I no longer have the bank that I got the loans in thanks for any info
Suzanne says
Ok so back around 10th April I had a reply from Wonga saying we weren’t entitled to any refund even though we had 41 consecutive loans pretty much all mostly increasing in value and struggling more and more over a 4 year period 2010-2014. I contacted FOS who have rang me to let me know they have contacted Wonga and in the meantime could I provide bank statements, a credit report etc…..
I received the letter for this, this morning as the bloke on the phone said I would.
Can anyone give me an insight into how long things can take from here and what is likely to happen. Thank you
David S says
Hi,
Can anyone tell me the best way to make a complaint, with all the great experience and advice on here. I was in financial difficulty and was lent £10,012 over a 2.5 year period, paying a whopping 6,000 in interest. My last loan was written off. I do not have my statements, but went through my online banking statements to get the figures. All my previous loans have disappeared from my Wonga log in as I checked that also. Any advie would be great thanks. Great site, thanks admin.
Micheal Boulton says
First email that you want to complain to wongas email using a template.
Today i was awarded 2600 plus 8% and 250 compensation and 90 loans removed off my credit file.
Well worth it wonga rejected it but use the fos
Rich says
I have been offered just over £4000 including the 8%, they mention in the reply that they are only looking at loans younger than 6 years.
The money is nice and needed but what would you advise in terms of escalating to the FOS?
This is what they have said
You have suggested that we acted negligently when providing loans, however, the UK courts will not generally consider a claim of negligence if the event happened more than 6 years ago. The dispute resolution rules set by the Financial Conduct Authority also state that complaints cannot be considered by the Financial Ombudsman Service if the complaint is made about something that happened more than 6 years ago, or if later, more than 3 years from when the customer should have realised there was a problem.
Given the above, we do not consider it appropriate to investigate your complaint about the loans sold more than six years ago. Furthermore, as this complaint relates to loans being unaffordable, we think it should have been clear that the loans sold more than six years ago were unaffordable by the time these loan accounts were closed.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how many loans did you have older than 6 years? Under 6 years? Were the under 6 years much larger than the older loans? who is the lender?
KerryLou says
I complained to Wonga regarding a total of 43 loans and this was their late response;
———————–
[edited]
we have considered your position at the time and have found no evidence that you:
• borrowed high loan amounts when compared to your stated income.
We are not aware of any other factors that indicated unaffordability.
You have indicated in your complaint that you experienced difficulty repaying one or more of your loans. You did not, however, contact us before loan 0000 99794489 to let us know about your financial difficulty. When you did, we reviewed your circumstances and set up a suitable repayment plan.
Having looked in detail at your complaint and the information we had access to when we made our lending decisions, we have not found any indication that your loans were unaffordable. On that basis, we are unable to uphold your complaint.
———————-
[edited]
needless to say i have now taken this to the FOS.
Sunny on the other hand responded before time, refunded all interest and removed traces from my credit file straight away!
Mic says
Hi Kerry Lou,
How long did Sunny take to reply to you? I have had 22 loans with them, lodged the complaint and and just awaiting their ‘decision!!!’
I’m still even waiting for Wonga to supply me with a statement of account!
Thanks
Mic
KerryLou says
Sunny took about 6 weeks. Wonga didn’t response until 9 weeks
MH says
Thanks Kerry Lou. If you dont mind me asking with Sunny; were your loan dates with no gaps? i.e. borrowing every month back to back? I’ve calculated Sunny interest around 6.5K over 3 years i think it is.
Thanks
MH
Paul says
Wonga refused my complaint and tryed to delay the process on 50+ loan saying I payed them on time and they was only small amounts. I refered it to the ombusman.
I am contacting you as Wonga has been in touch with us to explain they would like to make an offer on this complaint. Wonga is willing to offer you £788.30.
The offer is for the loans taken out on the dates below and Wonga has informed us they will remove these loans from your credit file;
24/1/2012
13/5/2013
11/10/2013
13/4/2014
28/5/2014
At this stage I haven’t looked into the details of your complaint, however if you’re happy to accept the offer I will close your complaint in full and final settlement. If you decline this offer we will look into both sides of the story and then make an assessment.
Should I accept the offer? I think they owe me more like 2k and they are only settling on 5 loans.
VT says
Wonga timeline.
28th Nov – submitted email for statements
12th Dec – after receiving statements sent letter of complaint.
8 weeks passed – Wonga requested further 8 weeks.
Went to FOS on 8 weeks.
2nd March – received final response from Wonga offering 4 out of 45+ loans from 2009-2014 (not used PD loans since 2014).
Rejected offer – informed FOS (complaint has been with them after 8 weeks but now submitted final response and the fact if rejected).
March/April/ and as of 3rd May – contacting FOS for updates, seems to be passed to specialist team (?!!) now being told adjudicator being lined up (thought this was done already) nobody seems to have clarity for me. The whole process now already 5 months going on 6, how long should this go on and why does it appear to be no further ahead with the FOS?
Offer came back from Wonga on
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Your last sentence was cut off?
Did you get a small refund or write off from Wonga in 2014?
Kyle says
Very similar situation.
I was offered 9/22 and declined.
Awaiting on adjuacator to review. Hopefully not to long a wait now.
As far as I’m aware it’s been picked up by the adjucator so hopefully May/June response.
What was your intended last sentance
Zach says
Hey Sarah, this article is great and I really appreciate all the time you’ve spent on this, I’ve had some really bad times with PDLs and I want to send my own complaint to Wonga. I’ve written something up and was wondering if you could look it over and tell me if I’m missing something or critique it if need be. Thanks again for this site! Please note the letter is better formatted
To whom it may concern, Date: 08/05/17
I am writing this complaint in regards to the FCA finding in 2014 about unfair and irresponsible lending by Wonga to its customers, I have only recently found about this case, hence why my complaint is only being sent now. Although I do understand that the FOS will consider my complaint, no matter how much time has passed.
My complaint references approx. 60 loans & top ups provided to me by Wonga between 14/01/2012 – 05/07/2013. I firmly believe these loans were provided to me unfairly and irresponsibly. These Wonga loans trapped me in a spiral of debt that forced me to use Wonga every month to cover my living expenses, bills and debts. I also firmly believe that if these loans were NOT approved, I would have not been in financial difficulty. The interest and fees on these loans meant that a large part of my wages were paid to Wonga every month, making me take out further loans and top ups with Wonga to compensate. As the months went on, my borrowing increased, this should have been a red flag for Wonga to consider if I was able to borrow more. You can clearly see I was relying on Wonga EVERY month for over a year, I believe this is NOT responsible lending.
I would also like to add the following observations to my complaint:
Wonga advertises loans as “short term” yet was allowed to continuously borrow more and more each month without checks
Increased trust and credit without proper checks was irresponsible
The increasing amount of loans and the increasing capital on loans is a red flag
Frequent loan top ups during almost every loan cycle, often with days of initial loan
The fact that I was paying you a large sum of my income every month is a red flag
Many loans were made within days of paying the previous loans
Wonga loans put me in financial disarray for a long time, caused me a lot of stress
Wonga states on their website at the time of borrowing
“Our service is designed to put you in control of your cash flow, for those occasional times when an unexpected expense catches you by surprise.”
This was not the case; the loans took control of my cash flow away & were clearly NOT occasional
In light of my complaint, I believe to resolve this complaint satisfactorily Wonga must:
1. Refund all interest and charges (fees) relating to the loans dated 14/01/12-05/07/13
2. Plus interest as recommended by the FOS
Please note that if no satisfactory response is received by 03/07/17, this complaint will be forwarded to the FOS for consideration.
Should you need any more information regarding this complaint, don’t hesitate to contact me. I will provide my contact details below.
I will look forward to your response
Regards
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You have made good points about borrowing every month, frequent top ups and the loans amounts increasing. You don’t need to put the bit in about sending to the Ombudsman, but there is no harm in doing it.
Zach says
Thank you very much for your feedback, I’ll take that bit out and keep you updated
Sandra says
Hi,
I have found this really helpful to read.
I also used Wonga between 2012-2014, when the new law came in they did clear my outstanding balance but can I still claim on interest from loans that I took out and paid back?
Please let me know,
Many thanks,
S
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes you can, but the balance you had written off will reduce what you can get back. Think of it like having had the first part of your claim paid already.
VT says
Sorry, my last comment was to say that this has been with FOS since end of Feb and seem to be with legislation team, as are loaned with QQ and Payday UK. Wonga offer was derisory and said no but not sure how long this should take with FOS as now 3 months and ongoing and still no clear picture on what is happening. I appreciate this isn’t done overnight and I have loans from 2009-2014 so some fall in the 6 year plus period however, getting a bit concerned at the length of time given that my original complaint was back in Nov 2016! I have read people on here who have got a resolution from the FOS a lot quicker than this and whilst every case is different I fear this is drifting. I call weekly for an update and get the same message, with the legislation team.. any ideas would be gratefully received!
Andy says
I am about to complain to Wonga regarding 16 loans my girlfriend had over 8 months in 2012, I have already got a full statement off them and it clearly shows that they charged nearly £2000 in interest and fees over all the loans, my girlfriend was only on £100 a week benefits when all these loans were taken out and had to keep borrowing money from family and other payday loan companies to keep payments up to date. Do you think based on this information she would stand a good chance of being compensated?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sounds a good case to me!
Susan gray says
Whats the email for wonga ? And sunny loans ??
Dan says
Hi was just wondering how to go about the wonga interest refund and what do you have to send them? Has anyone got a template?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Template letters over here: https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/. Good luck!
Nik says
I never cleared my balance the last time I got a wonga loan. Would it be worth my while doing this and they might clear my balance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Had you borrowed from them a lot before this last loan? If so, definitely put in a complaint.
If you only had this loan then they probably aren’t going to clear your balance :( If they aren’t hassling you at the moment you may think it’s not worth waking them up with a complaint?
JV says
How long does it take to get a statement of account? Wonga replied asking for further information ( DOB and postcode) within 5 days but have heard nothing since…
Zach says
We called them up and asked for it over the phone, it took about 4 weeks for them to email it to us. Be aware though that the statement they provide doesn’t reflect ANY loan top ups between loans, so the loan amounts might look strange since they bunch the initial loan and the top up loan into one, luckily we had bank statements to show the top ups, these top ups are important to your complaint so make sure you are clear on your loans and top ups (if you had any)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s good advice – your bank statements are what really show what was going on!
Roch says
Really good point Zach, Wonga did send my statement Of account last week but it only showed 25 loans which I was so confused about as I know it was way more from my bank statements also. They have 1 week left to issue my final response or will be sending them to the FO.
Claire says
I have received an offer from wonga which I have accepted, I have competed the form and signed and provided them with my bank details to transfer the refund I was just wondering if anyone that has had a refund could tell me how long this process usually takes I have emailed to ask but haven’t had a response… thanks
Danielle Williams says
Hi have you received your refund? How long did it take to transfer your funds? I’ve returned my acceptance email this morning
Dan says
I sent an email about the interest on Friday and got an email back this morning saying your claim is being dealt with so hopefully the ball is rolling to get some money back
Alex says
Hi can anyone shed any light? I have made a complaint but had it rejected as I have been told it is over 6 yrs.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Normally the Ombudsman only looks at problems that have happened in the last 6 years and that is what Wonga are saying to you. However, the Ombudsman decided late last year that it could look at payday loan complaints that are older if the customer has only recently found out that they can complain. Some lenders have now accepted and started paying on these old complaints, Wonga so far hasn’t.
I suggest you send your complaint to the Ombudsman and settle in for a slow process. You have nothing to lose!
Sara says
Hi wonga got back to me, asking me to give them a ring as they don’t fully understand my complaint. I copied the letter and filled in the parts about how many loans I have taken. Not sure whether to ring them or not. Anyone any help?
Dan says
Wonga have said to me they are dealing with my complaint what happens next?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They will send you a response. If they haven’t replied within 8 weeks, or they offer a poor refund (Wonga sometimes randomly seem to offer a refund on a few loans) send your complaint to the Ombudsman.
Ruth says
Hi, today to Ombudsman have come back to me saying they agree that 9 of my loans won Wonga shouldn’t have been given to me! Over the moon! They have written to wonga and they have until the 7th June to reply. Is it likely they’ll contest it? If they don’t and agree the refund, how long does this usually take? Thanks! Ruth x
Liam Deacon says
I’m a bit confused. They will refund the full loan sometimes or just the interest and fees?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Just interest and fees. When people say they got a “full refund” it means the interest and fees on all their loans.
The FOS takes the view that you borrowed the money and should repay it…If you were treated particularly badly, you may be able to get a bit extra for that. But refunding the amount you borrowed doesn’t happen.
Ruth McIntyre says
Hi, today the Ombudsman have come back to me saying they agree that 9 of my loans with Wonga shouldn’t have been given to me! Over the moon! They have written to wonga and they have until the 7th June to reply. Is it likely they’ll contest it? If they don’t and agree the refund, how long does this usually take? Thanks! Ruth x
Katie says
Ruth. Did they respond to the findings ? Many thanks
Freddie says
Hi, I received a response from Wonga tonight(Sunday night!) regarding 3 years worth of loans, 26 in total, many rolled and £7k worth of interest paid. Wonga outright rejected my complaint saying I hadn’t borrowed over a long period, madness. They also stated my loans were not a high proportion compared to my income, am I missing a trick as thats not the point. Surely if whatever I earnt a month is not enough to cover outgoings by a long way then the loans are unaffordable, especially when considering the layered loans from all other lenders. My horrifying total interest outlay is almost £40k over those 3 years. Should I take this straight to the FOS please Sara? I have a statement from Wonga over this period and I think the fees paid show loans were rolled over, anyone know if the fees are the giveaway? Lastly, could going to the FOS ever come back to haunt me as it shows both me and the lender in a bad light?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They are trying to put you off… send it to the FOS. The FOS is a confidential service, no one else will ever know. Ombudsman level decisions are published but the customers are referred to just as Mr H.
Roch says
Morning all, Just received Wonga’s final response and want to know your thoughts
( they left it until the last day of the 8 weeks to issue the final response)
I’ve shortened it and cut out a lot but left main points
Further to recent correspondence, we are writing to confirm that we have investigated your complaint and our findings are set out in more detail below.
You feel we should have noticed that your loans were unaffordable given your pattern of borrowing and the other information available to us.
In your recent complaint you suggested that you were experiencing financial difficulties and we should not have lent to you. As such we have considered your position at the time and have found evidence that you:
• fell into arrears with your loans
• continued to borrow over an extended period of time,
• took out a further loan immediately after repayment,
• advised us you were in financial difficulty,
• borrowed high loan amounts when compared to your stated income.
Your loan agreement 119171080 has already been assessed under our affordability forbearance programme. As a result your interest and fees were written off, so you only had to pay back the money you borrowed without any further charges.
When improving our technology, we moved to a new operating system. Your loan number 119171080 was not moved to this system and, as a result, your outstanding balance was written off and your credit file was updated accordingly.
Outcome
Based on the above, there may have been more that we could have done to assist you and so we have decided to uphold your complaint.
Additionally, we will also request for the redressed loan to be removed from your credit record. This may take up to 30 working days to be updated fully on your credit file.
We would like to offer £132.46 which is an amount equal to the interest On this loan.
————–
I am not accepting this at all. I had 35 total loans that includes top up loans so why are they only refunding 1 loan
I know they wrote off some of my last loan but I believe they were all unaffordable considering I was gambling and on a very low income and had many other payday loans and borrowing every month sometimes twice in one day from them.
Interest I paid was at least 3k over 2 years
What do I do now then, do I email back Wonga saying I do not accept?
Thanks guys x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes reply saying you will be sending your complaint to the FOS.
Roch says
Thanks Sara
sending over online now and will keep you updated.
Freddie says
Hi Roch I had a very similar response but without any refund. I have despite it saying it was their final response given them another week via email to offer agreeable redress or I will refer to the FOS. I also mentioned the date to reply by but I think the FOS might be he only route.
Roch says
Hi Freddie, You should have sent them straight to the FO I wouldn’t have given them another week but I can understand why you have. I hope they do come back to you with a good offer. I am just so confused to why they think that only 1 loan was unaffordable and the others were not.
I will keep you posted as to what the outcome is with the FO and Good luck with your case x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“I am just so confused to why they think that only 1 loan was unaffordable and the others were not.”
They probably don’t •think* that, but they are hoping that some people will be confused or desperate and accept the low offer.
Freddie says
Rejected today. FOS it is for this one.
Liam says
Hello everyone,
I found this website yesterday and after scrolling through my emails from 2011(!) have drafted an email to wonga using the template complaint letter.
It seems the process with wonga is likely to take upwards of 6 months? I’ve taken £12.000 of loans since 2014 and pretty much every month. Slightly concerned that I underestimated by expenditure on the applications, obviously to help me guarantee credit but also as I wasn’t including other payday loan commitments. I have an Experian credit score of zero (!!) and have had a CCJ on my file since 2014.
Fingers crossed and I’ll keep you updated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You may be lucky and get a result quicker, some people get good offers from Wonga.
Daniel says
I had a complaint with Wonga.. I had 75 loans since 2009 – many on a rolling basis and have just had them say they are not upholding my complaint… I have taken this to the Ombudsman.. Has anyone else been outright refused and not offered a penny and had any results?
Aaron jackson says
Yes, I’m in the same boat as you.
85 loans since 2010.
25 out the 6 year limit
60 within the 6 year limit.
I got tired of waiting I asked for the loans outside of the 6 year limit to be dropped. They then refused this and said they won’t look at any of my loans (even the ones within it) because I have had previous loans that are now outside the 6 year limit.
It sucks! And wonga don’t seem to be budging on letting the FOS looking at cases over 6 years old.
Went to the FOS at week 8 and it’s now been with the FOS for 92 days and counting. I’m about 5 months in from when I first complaint and I’m still no further forward. Hopefully the FOS can make wonga give them the files in the end….
Daniel says
I have gone to the FOS so fingers crossed they see sense.
These firms will make life as difficult as possible to get money back from them if they feel they have a leg to stand on and will hope that you go away but keep on going.
The funny thing with me is that they did give me a final decision fairly quickly rather than waiting for the 8 weeks to pass, this has enabled me to go to the FOS earlier which hopefully will speed up the process by a few weeks.
I think eventually they will buckle but we just all need to be patient and persistent.
Keep me posted!!
Dan
Emma Charnley says
Hi guys received my refund today. After confirming they are processing my refund which they stated would take 3 -5 working days.. the refund was issued withing 2 working days. After hard graft of getting statements and requesting refund etc which took roughly 4 weeks for response and confirmations etc the refund was pretty quickly. In total the whole claim took roughly 5 weeks. Worth it. Good luck everyone
Dan says
How much did you get I’ve had a good few loans with them I sent a complaint and had a response but heard nothing since
MH says
Hi Sara
Wonga taken 7 weeks just to email me a statement of account (chased them by phone twice) I’ve just submitted and tailored the complaint letter requesting charges, interest and the 8% ontop. Are they likely to take another (upto) 8 weeks to respond to this?
Also the dates of lending are:
2/08/11
2/10/11
5/2/12
18/5/12
21/7/12
29/8/12
10/10/12
26/10/12
7/2/13
4/4/13
2/5/13
15/11/13
18/1/14
22/3/14
7/5/14
21/5/14
7/7/14
26/8/14
19/11/14
6/2/15
20/4/15
16/8/15
5/1/16
5/8/16
Total interest paid plus charges was £2,772.81.
due to some of the month gaps in lending does this affect the chances of a positive outcome?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Were all of the loans normal 1 month loans, or were some rolled / or instalment loans?
MH says
Thanks Sara; I’m really not sure and the SOA doesn’t say so, would I need to go back to them and ask?
Kyle says
Hey, Sara I’d like to thank you for you knowledge, help and information along the way. This website has been a godsend.
I made it my challenge at the turn of the year to chase up my past payday loans I grudged. Went through whole process and waited.
After refusing an offer from wonga of £2,080 for 9/22 loans. I had doubts I made the wrong decision. But after the comments and help from this page, I persevered and it paid off. They have now accepted fault of 16/22 loans and I’m getting back £2,636!! Though, more Importantly for me – more credit score history corrected.
I only await 2 more.
Sunny loans – potential full refund of around £680 based from the adjucators letter.
QuickQuid – flexi loan specialist team are invesgating – still ongoing.
It’s been the best thing finding the website and I am forever grateful for your assistance.
I have spoke to friends who were skeptical about this and have since went through the process and have recovered £1300 between them.
If your new to this or unsure – you’ve nothing to lose, just have patience.
Thanks again.
Kyle
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Good result – best of luck with the next two!
Well done for spreading the word…
MH says
Hi Kyle,
Well done! How long did it take the FOS to get in touch with you after referring it to them?
I rejected Wonga’s offer and filled the online form in on the FOS website Wednesday.
Thanks
MH
Kyle says
Hey, MH good for you for taking it further, persevere with it, I was offered mine initially Late March (28th I believe) and as early as this week money went into my account.
June it’s all completed. 12 weeks or so?
Just depends on the backlog they have. But I gained a further £634 and more statements off my credit file so good luck.
Emma Charnley says
Hiya does anyone know how long the money takes to be refunded once offer has been accepted?
Claire says
I sent my acceptance on Thursday 18th may and received the money in my account on Tuesday29th may, you should receive and email to confirm they are processing the refund and that tells you it will be in your account within 3-5 days.
Dave says
I have had the below email and just wanted to know if this means it will be in my account within 3-5 working days?
Thank you for confirming that you wish to accept our offer as outlined in our Final Response, in full and final settlement of your complaint.
We have started processing your settlement and we aim to finalise this within 3 – 5 working days.
A request has also been made to the credit reference agencies for the affected loan(s) to be removed from your credit file. It may take up to 30 working days to reflect the change on your credit file.
Thank you for giving us the time to resolve your complaint.
Claire says
The money was in my account within the 3 days after I received an email like this .
Dave says
Thank you and well done
Emma says
Between 20/06/2012-07/10/2014, I got a minimum of 24 loans from Wonga, totalling £3,255 and paid back a total of £3935.63. The amount of these varied, the maximum amount being £500. Most loans were not less that £100. At the time of making these loans, I was earning £700 per month and paying £200-£300 a month to travel to and from work.
I have made a complaint to Wonga as it was far too easy to lend this money. I was never turned down for a loan, even when I had less than £10 in my bank. I also got into arrears with these loans. At one point, I asked for help from MAS, and they contacted Wonga on my behalf to ask them to stop contacting me while we arranged a suitable payment plan for me to get on top of my debts. I was being called several times a day despite this, and was also being chased for money I had already paid, and when I provided proof of payment.
They state that I never informed them that I was in financial difficulty until my last loan 2 years after my first.
Today I was offered £190, and made a complaint with the Ombudsman (the advisor said it seems clear to him that I could not afford these loans). Do you think this will be worth it or should I just accept the offer?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It sounds a very low offer. A loan of £500 if you only earned £700 is absurd! So you have done the right thing by going to the FOS.
And I think you should also be asking the Ombudsman if you can have some compensation for they way they treated you when you were trying to arrange a payment plan.
Emma says
Hi,
I will wait until they get back into contact with me and then ask them about this, although as they have no record of this I can’t see it being successful.
I am disappointed in the offer, and the wait time is currently 12 weeks. This will make a 20 week wait from complaint to (hopefully) result.
Thanks for your response, I will go ahead with the complaint :)
Tony says
Hi, I have been given a settlement figure from wonga today of £1288.81 which I thought was very fair and I have happily expected, just wondering how long it takes them to send me the money, not trying to be impatient but they did stretch it out to the full 8 weeks to give me the final figure, just want to know how much longer it will take
Terry says
Hi Tony,
Well done on getting that sum of money!
Can I ask how many loans you took out with Wonga and on average what size of loans did you have?
Tony says
Sure, I took out around 15 loans over a 2 year period, the first 8 where not that large
(Between £20 – £150)
I started taking larger loans due to a financial mistake and my previous job which spiralled out of control, I ended up taking 2 (£800 est) loans and 4 (£1000) loans but I defaulted on the last because I could not pay it
However they have refunded on the 5 biggest loans (not including the default loan) and added the 8%) I was very impressed with there offer
So do you know how long it takes them to deposit the settlement? ?
VT says
I have spoken to the FOS regarding Wonga & Payday UK loans over 6 years and they are still under investigation (nearly 3 months with FOS now). The issue I have is bank statements i have 3 accounts of relevance – one where my salary went into, 1 where my loans went into and a joint account where all the bills went to. In order to help my case the FOS want bank statements for all 3 from 2008 -2014 (dates i had PD loans). One of these accounts is now closed! To request and send this information (going to be 100’s of pages no doubt) and try and work out what is what seems an enourmous task! Has anyone has any success with the FOS with loans without bank statememts being involved or do I have to ‘bite the bullet’ and send everything to them!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you talk to the ombudsman and point out what an enormous quantity of statements this is. You could suggest perhaps just getting a few statements – perhaps Jan-Mar each year instead of the full year? or Jan and Jun?
Dan says
Sara I’ve just recieved this email with an attachment of 18 loans I’ve had what do I do now?
—————–
Thank you for your email regarding your account. We have now sent you details of your loans with WDFC UK Ltd.
As a responsible lender, we must make sure every single application we receive is individually assessed. We look at your repayment history and a wide range of industry data. A decision is then made based on a combination of factors.
All applications we receive are assessed at the time of application.
If this is not the information you were looking for, please contact us on 0207 138 8330. We’re here to help from 7am to 10pm, every day.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you sent them a Step Two full complaint? If not, that is your next step.
MH says
Hi Dan,
I got this same standard reply on a Saturday then the following Wednesday I got an offer, which i rejected and sent to FOS.
Dan says
Did you make a complaint then or did you do nothing?
Suzanne says
Ok so I’ve spoken with the bloke at FOS who is dealing with my complaint. He’s said he will hopefully have a decision for me in the next couple of days. My Question is once a decision has been made how long before Wonga release funds if it goes in my favour
Dan says
I emailed my complaint to wonga asking for my interest back is that right or do you have to ring them?
Lee says
Just about to start a compliant regarding Wonga. Worked out from bank statements had 119 loans in 31 months between July 2012 – January 2015 to help fund my Gambling habit. I would gambling pay some off – then take out more a few days later resulting in the high amount. Suprising calculated about £1,659 interest paid on these loans in total. At one point they approved 8 loans at one time. Sometimes would get 3 loans approved in a single day. Also the £5.50 admin fee applied to each of these loans.
Do I have a strong case?
Dan says
How long does it normally take for a decsision after making a complaint ?
Barney says
I’ve had a number of really good refunds from PDUK, QQ & 1 Month Loan, but Wonga (the final of my complaints) are definitely playing hardball! Initially Wonga offered me a refund on only one of my loans (of around 16 loans/defers I’ve been able to find references for) spanning 2+ years. After I received that, I went straight to the FOS for a final determination. I don’t mean to the negative one here, but my complaint has now been with the FOS since September 2016. Many of the loans I had are now outside of the six year threshold, so that is undoubtedly the reason for the delay. I asked for an update from the FOS today, but I think this one’s not going to be resolved for some time to come…
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Were the loans outside the 6 year period at the point you started the case with the FCA?
Barney says
Some were, yes. I’d say the first few probably were (maybe 4-5 of them) but now more than 10 are outside of the six year threshold.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it’s the number that were within 6 years when you sent the complaint in that counts. It doesn’t matter how long the complaint takes.
Suzanne says
Can anyone help answer – I’m waiting on a response to my complaint to Wonga through the FOS. I have spoken to the adjudicator who’s looking at it and he’s apparently just drafting up his reply to both myself and Wonga. Am I getting my hopes up too soon in thinking that if he’s writing to Wonga it means success for me, or would he write to Wonga whatever the outcome ?
Thanks
Lee says
Not sure as just starting my payday claims following other success on here. Non with Ombudsman yet, only sent off Lending Stream, Sunny and about to send Wonga tomorrow. Got another 10 payday loan providers then to tackle trying to go after oldest ones first that are the biggest. Thankfully all of my payday loans are within 6 years – July 2012 to present.
Suzanne I would say having dealt with ombudsman about 5 years ago regarding excessive bank charges. They always sent a reply to both parties outlining their findings. So it doesn’t mean anything yet.
Lee says
Have worked out my 119 Loans (All in 6 year period) as start from July 2012 totalled just over £26,000 as recorded on spreadsheet to send off with letter and I double checked but paid back slightly over £28,000 in 31 months. Had 8 loans at one particular time just with them. Looking at around £2k interest paid. (Exact figures will be submitted to Wonga with copy of my spreadsheet workings from bank statements) – took me over 7 hours to record and then double check on spreadsheet. Does anyone think I stand a good chance as using these loans to fund my out of control gambling addiction at the time.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That actually sounds like a low amount of interest for that much lending. Unless you are 100% sure it is correct, I suggest you leave the amounts out of your complaint and just say how many loans you had over the period. Borrowing that often sounds like a good complaint to me!
Lee says
Worked out it’s exactly £2,559 interest paid in total on the 119 loans (they say some top ups) but 119 times given money in a 31 month period.
Going to go down the line to wonga lending supposed to be occasional use. You authorised this excessive amount and constantly allowed me to top up. like i said topped up 8 times at one time.
Dan says
Just had this email tonight what shall I do?
Your complaint is still being considered
Dear Mr fitzgerald,
Unfortunately, our investigation is taking longer than expected, and we can’t yet offer you a resolution to your complaint.
We appreciate your patience and apologise for any inconvenience that this delay may cause.
We do our best to resolve complaints in the order that we receive them. We are currently experiencing high volumes of complaints and so if we cannot respond within 8 weeks, we will contact you to explain the delay and outline when you can expect to receive a response. If you are unhappy with the progress of your complaint at that stage, you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Kind regards,
Customer C
Claire says
I had the same email and then received a final response about 2 weeks later.
Dan says
Hopefully hear soon then thanks Claire
Suzanne says
Fantastic News !!! So today the FOS have come back to me and said that Wonga must pay my interest plus 8% per year for the loans in the last 6 years. He has given them until 28th June so a response.
Can anyone tell me how long Wonga usually take and how long it’s likely to be until we get a payout.
Thank you
Lee says
Congrats Suzanne on your success. How much they awarding you back from Wonga.
Suzanne says
Apparently I’ve been told that Wonga have to calculate and make an offer ? Is that how it’s worked for others ? I’ve worked it out myself as 4.6K
Katie says
Wonga accepted my adjudicator’s findings today after the adjudicator sent their findings 10 days ago. In their response (Wonga’s) gave their settlement figure of £7488 which was almost to the penny which I had calculated which includes the 8% interest. So pleased as they originally offered me £2997 in April and I was worried that it might have to go all the way to The Obudsman. Good luck x
Suzanne says
Was it 8% per year you calculated Katie?
Katie says
Yes 8% simple per year x
Suzanne says
Fantastic thank you because I’ve worked mine out as 4.9k but then they take 20% tax from the 8% I think which leaves 4.6k.
Mine was sent to Wonga from FOS on Wednesday so here’s hoping it’s as fast as yours.
Do you know when you will get the funds in your account?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Don’t forget you can probably claim the first £200 of tax deducted in a year bac from HMRC, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/
Helen says
My claim has been upheld by the ombudsman too, and I am waiting to hear that wonga are not contesting it. How did you hear back from wonga? I am concerned as I have changed both address and bank account since making my account. I’ve updated them online as of last week, but don’t want them to have been trying to put the money fraught into an old account. I believe I am due somewhere around the £3800 mark when I calculated it. It’s been a long process and just want it completed at this point. Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Let’s hope they agree. You will be asked for your bank details at that point.
Helen bennett says
My email I’ve just received from Wonga. Is it worth going further?
———————————–
[edited to remove stabndard stuff]
we have considered your position at the time and have found no evidence that you:
• continued to borrow over an extended period of time,
• took out a further loan immediately after repayment,
• advised us you were in financial difficulty,
• borrowed high loan amounts when compared to your stated income.
We are not aware of any other factors that indicated unaffordability.
When improving our technology, we moved to a new operating system. Your loan number 000069858355 was not moved to this system and, as a result, your outstanding balance was written off and your credit file was updated accordingly.
You have suggested that we acted negligently when providing loans, however, the UK courts will not generally consider a claim of negligence if the event happened more than 6 years ago. The dispute resolution rules set by the Financial Conduct Authority also state that complaints cannot be considered by the Financial Ombudsman Service if the complaint is made about something that happened more than 6 years ago, or if later, more than 3 years from when the customer should have realised there was a problem.
Given the above, we do not consider it appropriate to investigate your complaint about the loans sold more than six years ago. Furthermore, as this complaint relates to loans being unaffordable, we think it should have been clear that the loans sold more than six years ago were unaffordable by the time these loan accounts were closed.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It sounds as thou all of your loans are over 6 years old? The Ombudsman is looking at these, it doesn’t automatically reject them. If you can explain that you didn’t realise earlier what an affordability complaint was and that you have complained as soon as you discovered Wonga were irresponsible to continue to lend to you then the FOS may well uphold your complaint.
Some lenders are no starting to pay out on these older loans, but not Wonga so far. This doesn’t mean you won’t get anywhere, but it does mean your complaint may take a long time to resolve.
But if you borrrowed from them for month after month, why not take the complaint further? You don’t have anything to lose.
Helen bennett says
Is there some sort of template letter I can copy and paste/ readjust to my needs to send further?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A template letter to send to the Financial Ombudsman? You can just use a version of the complaint letter you sent to Wonga. See step 3 here https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/ and note the bit there about what to add because your loans are over 6 years old.
Dave says
Can you please help, I have been approved for a refund which was processed on Thursday 15th , when am I likely to receive the funds in my Account? I know it state’s 3-5 working days just want to know how long it took other people
Ben says
Hi all I’ve just realised I took 3 payday loans out in 2013/14 amounting to about 2000.I took to much out and used one to cover the other etc.In the end I paid them back missing a few payments and gaining interest. Hugely stressful etc.So my question is can I still get it back??they were with sunny, wonga and swift sterling, one loan from each of them.Ive logged into the sites but all my previous loans have gone from their history.Any thoughts or advice would be great.Ben-
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Swift Sterling probably isnt worth pursuing. They are not based in the UK.
Wonga & Sunny – 1 loan complaints are pretty hard to win, but these sound like large loans, so you could try, just set your expectations low.
Stefan says
Hi,
Does anyone know how fast Wonga reply after adjudicator decision? What happens if they don’t agree with adjudicator findings? Or usually they are? I believe the Ombudsman won’t change the adjudicator decision, so what’s the point of not agree with him and pay fee for Ombudsman decision?
Thanks
Stefan
Suzanne says
Well today is the last day Wonga have to respond before my adjudicator puts my case to the ombudsman. I was really hoping they would have responded by now. I’ve been told they are taking longer probably due to an increase in work, and it’s now taking about 3 weeks for Wonga to respond.
Anyone heard anything lately and are you still waiting, if so how long ?
Dan says
I’ve been waiting Suzanne for 4weeks for an answer I’ve totalled my interest and fees to £1900 so see what they say
Louise Melia says
Hi, Iv been waiting for just over a week, my adjudicate sent his recommendations to wonga on the 20th. If they don’t reply and it goes to the ombudsman can wonga still respond after the deadline? Or do I then have to wait months for the ombudsman to respond. Very frustrating!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Wonga can still reply after the deadline – this happens quite often! Sometimes firms make several, increasing offers whilst you are waiting in the Ombudsman queue.
Suzanne says
Yes they can respond whilst we are in the queue, Wonga was supposed to have responded to me today but I haven’t heard anything , as you say it’s extremely frustrating as ive just moved house as well and I’m waiting to buy a bed.
Im hoping its not going to be much longer and they agree with the adjudicator
Nat says
The end of my 8 weeks was up next week but I rang them yesterday to ask how long in the process they was as I needed to think about taking steps to pass it onto the FOS, anyway I received an email today telling me they accept my claim and will be refunding £1398 so a phone call to them worked a treat … now just to wait for the money to hit my account :)
Paul says
Hi does anyone know how long it takes from accepting an offer until I actually see the money?
Thanks
Paul
Laura says
Hi Sara is there any point in me requesting a record of my account if I’ve got recons of them on old bank statements I have just went right back on my online banking and made a note of every wonga how much I got and how much I payed bk the dates etc! , so shall I just go to step 2?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No point at all! Straight to step 2 and you are pre-prepared to go to the Ombudsman if necessary – fingers crossed it isn’t!
Dan says
I’ve just had an offer from wonga 3weeks into my claim what shall I do they have offered me £389 I worked out the interest at £1300 do I take it or go the ombersman could really do with the money
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well that is a big difference. How long ago were these loans? Because if you paid £1300 in interest, you may also get 8% interest added on to your refund.
Could you summarise your case? How many loans over what period? Were there any big gaps of over a month between the loans (the time from the date you repaid one to taking out the next)? Were the amounts generally the same, often going up, or up and down a lot?
Dan says
Hi sara they’ve paid out on 5 loans there all one after another in 2013 then a gap till 2015 then but not paid any out from then on which was another 10 loans with some gaps
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So the 2013 loans must have been much smaller? What were the gaps between the second group of loans?
Suzanne says
Just had an offer to my adjudicator from Wonga and ive accepted. How long before the money is in the bank ?
Stefan says
Good news for you Suzanne? Did they accept the adjudicator’s findings? How long after the deadline they made you an offer?
Suzanne says
Deadline was last Wednesday, we worked it out at £4,600 and they have missed a couple of loans and offered £4,072. Ive accepted the offer as potentially if I refuse its another 6 months waiting for an ombudsman and ive just moved house so really could use the money.
Nat says
Hey, I received an offer last Tuesday I sent my acceptance form straight back but never heard anything so I phoned them Monday evening and unfortunately there complaints system was down so I resent it to a different email while being on the phone to the guy who might I add was very helpful anyway he received it straight away and I received the money yesterday :) so 2 days it took.
Louise says
Hi, anyone heard back from their adjudicate yet with regards Wonga? Wonga have missed the two week deadline. My adjudicator said he is giving them another week as he understands there are some delays with Wonga, anyone else heard this?
Suzanne says
Hi Louise, yeah ive just heard back today so im guessing yours wont be far behind
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There have been a few people saying that Wonga is having problems with its email/complaints system.
Danny says
Hi Sara
Wonga have offered me a refund of £1,185 which is for 5 loans out of 48 loans I have had since 2013 many of which have been back to back (paid at the end of the month and had to borrow again within a week to cover bills and living expenses) the interest and fees across all loans is £2,698.78.
Do you think the offer is reasonable or should I take to ombudsman?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, it doesn’t sound reasonable to me – I suggest you let the Ombudsman decide.