Debt Camel

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Wonga refunds – what happened before administration

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.

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.

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    Hi,

    I put my complaint into Wonga on 18th June so the 8 week deadline will be up on 12th September. I rang Wonga today to ask for an update and they advised they have prepared a response but just need one more final approval before sending it back to me, does anyone know what this means?

    Also, I complained to Quickquid at the same time and received the statement of my accounts no problem but not a word since, has anyone had a recent update from Quickquid??

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      “I rang Wonga today to ask for an update and they advised they have prepared a response but just need one more final approval before sending it back to me, does anyone know what this means?” It means you should get an answer soon. There isn’t much point in trying to guess what is going on at Wonga!

  2. gary says

    i received a final response from wonga on 6/4/2016 but i was claiming through a company called LS claims at the time and they informed me they had referred the case to the FOS.

    Fast forward to now LS claims nor the financial ombudsman issued me with a response to my complaint and LS claims are no longer in operation.

    i am with a new company and they had forwarded my case to FOS but Wonga are now refusing to deal with the complaint as it is outside the 6 month period from final response.

    i have explained to FOS that through no fault of my own LS Claims were supposed to refer to FOD on 6/4/2016, i am now sitting with an unresolved complaint. i have sent them the emails of me telling LS Claims to refer it to FOS.

    Any advice on being outside the 6 month period? or can i submit a new conplaint to Wonga? thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Why on earth after this experience did you opt to go with a new Claims Company? What does your new Claims Company say?

      There may be nothing you can do – this is one of the downsides of using one of the Claims Company Sharks – they often do a rubbish job.

      Wonga will refuse to consider any new complaint.

  3. Karen says

    Anyone know how long wonga taking to do irresponsible lending investigation .started on 11th August .are they taking the full 8 weeks. they wrote off my last loan as they had already identified it was irresponsible. does this make it quicker?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Full 8 weeks normally, their previous write off makes it more complicated, not quicker.
      Think of an affordability assessment on all your borrowing. Already having had a write off is like getting some of your refund early, so any refund now will be reduced. But the amount written off is not the same as a refund… say you had borrowed £300, paid nothing, it went up to £650 with interest and was written off. Here the write off was only actually £300 as the rest was interest that doesn’t count.

  4. Danny says

    Hi all,

    I’ve accepted an offer from Wonga. They’ve said that payment will be made within the next 14 working days – has anyone got any experience of how long this will actually take? Will it be the full 14 working days, or is it usually done quicker?

    Thanks,
    Danny

      • Danny says

        Thanks for letting me know Rosie. It’s strange that you can get accepted for a loan and paid out within 5 minutes, but it takes them 14 working days to make a refund payment!

        • Rosie says

          Yes I asked them that and also whether they will be paying me more interest as they are holding onto the money, but they said it’s a different process.

          • James says

            Nonsense really isn’t it? They could transfer it whenever they want but just keep you waiting 2 weeks…vile company.

            I’m on day 3 so I won’t hold my breath for the payment this week.

          • JoB says

            Apparently you get another email which tells you that your payment has been processed and will arrive in your bank in 3-5 working days! I’m on day 8 of the 14 working days and haven’t yet had the 2nd email……day 14 is next Friday 15th so on my calculations technically I should get that 2nd email in the next 24 hrs if they are to meet their deadlines!!! I know someone else who is a day behind me so on day 7 of the 14 and they are still waiting too!! I did re read the original email last night which says ‘we aim to settle within 14 working days’….AIM?? So does that mean they may not achieve this deadline???

          • Barney says

            I’m on working day 15, week three (via an adjudicator at the FOS) and I’ve heard absolutely nothing from Wonga directly! I spoke to my adjudicator the other day and he reckons it’s “reasonable” for the business to contact me within four weeks. Guess that’s another week to wait then, plus another week for them to make payment. Sigh.

    • Elizabeth says

      Hi

      I recently got my statement from wonga.
      14 loans from June 09 to dec12.
      I added the fees and interest and it was close to £5400!
      I have now emailed them making a formal complaint. Hoping to resolve without reporting to fos, did they uphold your complaint?

      • Sara (Debt Camel) says

        You have loans over 6 years old – it is VERY unlikely this will be resolved with a good offer from Wonga. You should expect this to have to go to the Ombudsman.

        • Elizabeth says

          Thanks for reply
          What about the ones that is under 6 years old? The ones u see 6 years come to approx £3500 in fees and interest?
          I was basically taking a loan & extending the max times then reloading :( hence high interest.
          In total I was using 4 different payday loans, shameful I know
          I’ve also emailed lending stream, payday uk and payday express

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            Payday UK and Payday Express have already agreed to pay out on older loans but you will probably have to go to the Ombudsman first.

            LS and Wonga haven’t agreed yet to pay older loans. Wonga you stand a chance of getting a good offer on the under 6year loans. LS hardly ever do.

            These are big cases – I think it’s worth taking a few extra months to get the most you can as it could be very large amounts of money…

  5. Ashley says

    Hi Sara
    I’ve had a final response from Wonga offering £2599.63 before tax deductions. I originally paid around £2800 in interest and fees. Do you think I should accept? Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      if you go to the Ombudsman you may get 8% interest added on top. Some people want to try for the maximum they could possibly get but a lot of people think that sort of money back, offered by the lender with no hassle, is a fair way to resolve their complaint. Does it seem reasonable to you? If they had offered £1,000 I would be saying it sounded very low but it’s your call as to whether this sort of offer feels good to you.

      • Ashley says

        Thanks for the speedy reply! Sorry I should have said the £2599 includes the 8%. I had already sent my complaint to the Ombudsman as wonga went over the 8 week deadline but it hasn’t been looked into by them yet.
        To be honest, I’m pretty happy with the offer. And more importantly, they’ll take those horrible loans off my credit file! It just seems alot more hassle and waiting time to see if the Ombudsman could squeeze a bit more out of them. I think I’ll accept.

        Thank you so much again for this website! I wouldn’t have had a clue where to even start without it! X

  6. JoB says

    Rosie forgot to say there’s that word ‘aim’ again what on earth does that actually mean!! An employer wouldn’t flipping say I aim to pay you by this date……imagine if we’d said to them whilstlending I ‘aim’ to pay you on that date grrrrr

  7. Rach says

    Hi, firstly just want to say thanks for all the useful info on this site, it’s been a massive help in my complaint.

    I put my complaint in on 15th July to Wonga and have given them a call for an update today. They have told me that the 8 week countdown only starts when they have allocated the complaint to someone which for my happened on 24th July, is this right? I thought it was from when I sent the first email to them

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Not it’s not right – that would mean they could take months to do it before the clock started running! But it’s up to you how fussed you feel about 9 days…

  8. anon37 says

    so my wonga case has gone to Financial Adjudicator, they have come back asking for bank statements. I have sent them via email. How many people have sent info to FO via email?

    I have not receiver email confirmation of receipt so slightly worried the emails get lost?

    • Natasha says

      I sent all my info via email. I didn’t receive any acknowledgement so called a week later to check and they had received it all fine

  9. andy ireland says

    Hiya Sara. Thanks for all your help. I’ve heard from wonga this money although I am a little confused. They have offered me £685 as a refund. But a bit further down the page it says total settlement of £965 which i am more than happy with. After all it is money I wasn’t expecting. But again underneath that amount there is tax of aprox £370. How much can i expect back? My loans total aprox £1800. In interest and fees.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Those figures don’t quite add up – could you post all the figures Wonga quoted you?

      Also it’s up to you, but if you paid £1,800 in interest and fees you may get more than £2,000 if you sent the case to the Ombudsman.

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Ok those figures are slightly different and look correct: ignoring the pennies, you are being offered 685 (refund) + 331 (8% interest) – 66.20 (basic rate tax on the 8% interest) = £949 would be paid to you.

      • andy ireland says

        I would be happy with that. As I said it’s money I never expected and a nice bonus. For me. Yes I could hold out for double. But that money would be very useful now. Thank you for all your help

    • James says

      Congrats Rosie, going off your dates I’m a week behind so hopefully I’ll have mine by this time next week!

    • Natasha says

      If you don’t mind me asking how long ago did
      You send your complaint to the FOS?? Just wondering how long the whole process is likely to be

    • Cmum says

      Congrats Rosie! I’m on working day 14 tomorrow, 3 weeks since they acknowledged my acceptance (I accepted 18th aug via FOS, they contacted me 22nd confirming). Still waiting for my payout. They told me up to 28 working days. Think they’re plucking any old refund to process, doesn’t seem to be a science to it does there ha!

      • Rosie says

        No there doesn’t, I didn’t get an email or anything saying it had been processed it just appeared in my bank tonight.

        • JoB says

          So pleased for you Rosie still nothing for me yet but spoke to Wonga last night and the lady was adamant that my money would be in my account within the 14 days….which she counted as no later than Thursday! I know someone else who also called them and they were told the same thing so fingers crossed I see my £3500 soon ?! Have a super holiday!

  11. Elizabeth says

    Hi Sara

    If I have to go to fos, do I include all payday loans on the one complaint form? Or do they have to be separate?
    Thanks

      • Elizabeth says

        Thankyou!
        Lending stream
        Came back to me today, just said I had 9 loans. They would write off last one which I defaulted on, and that was it. I replied asking for the loan figures before I could respond to their email. They said having multiple loans with them wasn’t irresponsible and they weren’t too know I’d 4 payday lenders.
        Is this just to try and make me go away?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Yes :(
          can you work out how much you have paid in interest on the first 8 loans? Possibly from your bank statements? Or you may be able to logon to your online account and see them there – try a password of DDMMYYYY. Then the last loan – how large was it and did you make any payments to it?

          The chances are this is a poor offer and worth sending to the Ombudsman, but it’s good to get some details if you can.

          • Elizabeth says

            I was able to get into my account! Thankyou!
            I estimate £1500 interest not including last loan, which there is a balance of £161.
            I emailed them back asking for £750 plus the £161 to be wrote off and entries removed. Lending stream was prob the smallest anyway.
            Wonga, payday uk and express are my big ones.
            Thanks for your continued help :)

  12. Leanne says

    Can somebody please advise on how interest and fees are worked out please? I made a complaint to wonga 7 weeks ago received an email of settlement today offering £1425 reduced from £1825 for tax. I had 66 loans over a year and half period, lending multiple times in a day and repaying earlier as to avoid interest but then having to ‘re lend again to see me through. I worked out that the 66 loans in total cane up to £7981. I played back £8182.20 leaving a £201.20 gap. I presumed this was my interest and fees and do accepted today’s offer as it was way more than expected. Also the loans they have paid put on ( 9 in total) don’t correspond with my bank account statements as far as dates and amounts are concerned which confused me as I sent them all my details in order to locate my account??? HELP!! ty in advance

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      “I worked out that the 66 loans in total cane up to £7981. I played back £8182.20 leaving a £201.20 gap.”

      That is the right way to work out the interest + fees… but something has gone wrong with your calculation, that is incredibly unlikely to be correct, even if you repaid the loans early the interest on that amount must have been way more than £201.

      Things that could have gone wrong – either you have double counted some of the amounts borrowed or you have missed some repayments. If you were working from your bank account, could you have made some payments from a different account? Or could a partner say have made some payments on your behalf?

      Have Wonga sent you a full list of your loans? You could ask them to do this as you need it to understand what their offer is?

  13. Lyndsey Strickland says

    I put my complaint in to wonga on 21/07/2017 I’ve called them today and they have advised that it has been completed but sent to a manager for review.

    Ive worked it out that we are currently in week 9 and they are saying we are only in week 7 as I got my acknowledgement on 26/07/2017

    Am I going crazy with my dates here? Or am I right? I work as a complaints handler myself and we start all complaints from the day they are received surely it’s same for every company and not from acknowledgement?

    • JoB says

      I’d say they are right although I say that loosely!! Wonga seem to go by the ages they actually acknowledge rather than the date received….

      • Lyndsey Strickland says

        I find that very strange.

        Where I work if we receive a complaint the clock starts from the moment we receive it.

        Because surely they would take weeks to acknowledge the complaint.

        Cheeky!!

        • JoB says

          Wonga have there own way as far as I can tell! They also tell different people different things! There’s two of us in the same family different addresses currently waiting for our refunds and you’d be amazed how varied the info can be! Last night was actually the first time we both got told the same thing so miracles do happen!! Let’s hope the wait is worth it for you it was for me £3500 refund done directly with Wonga!

  14. Danny boy says

    I’ve just received an offer today off wonga for £11,934!!! My complaint went in just over 8 weeks ago. But my claim only goes to August 2014??? Anyway happy as f….

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      I bet… but what do you mean your claim only goes to August 14? Did you have loans after that they aren’t refunding?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          People are getting refunds from the Ombudsman for post 2014 loans – even though Wonga changed its lending policy it still loaned irresponsibly in some cases and 10 later loans sound like such a case.

          So it’s up to you what you think is a fair settlement for your whole case. And you may understandably be very happy with 11k ! Especially as it hasn’t been dragged out to go to the ombudsman,

          • Danny Boy says

            I’m happy with the figure and the added bonus of wiping all the loans off my history. I could go for more but 12k is moooooore than ever than expected. Not being greedy and it’ll be a great help. I have quickquid, myjar (paid out 1200) , payday express, satsuma,cashasap and 247moneybox claims going through. An end the payday s !!! Yes been silly and learnt my lesson. Fingers crossed for everyone else and DONT REBORROW!

  15. Daniel says

    Hi,
    I have a final offer from wonga, but in order to accept they need me to email my bank details via the email they sent out and send them a PDF/ screenshot of my bank statement. Just wondering if this is normal procedure.

    • Danny Boy says

      Yes but read it carefully

      It says if your bank details have changed please forward copy of bank card with 16 digits covered or bank statement to prove sort code name and account number

  18. Elizabeth says

    Hi
    Does anyone know what payday uk shows as on credit file?
    Used both express and U.K. But can only see instant cash loans?
    I remember seeing mem???? Trying to work out how many loans I had with each.
    Thankyou

  19. Tom says

    Just got my offer off wonga £968 for the 3 loans I had with them and all loans off my credit file thanks for the help

  20. Rachel says

    Hi,

    Finally got my response from wonga today, 8 weeks and 3 days since I put my original complaint in. They have offered me £1549 (including 8% interest and after deducting tax) as a refund on 8 out of 38 loans! Of the 38 loans I had, 15 are over 6 years old, taken out July 2010 onwards.

    Do you think this should be referred to the ombudsman? If I do how long am I likely to wait for a response?

    Thanks for the help so far!

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      8 out of 38 loans sounds a very poor offer. I think that sounds well worth sending to the Ombudsman. Send them all – at some point you may decide you don’t care about the earlier 6 loans, but whilst it’s waiting in the queue, you may as well leave the full case.

      At the moments it’s about 6-8 weeks for a case to be picked up by an adjudicator. Then a few weeks for a decision.

      • Rachel says

        Thanks, I’ve just sent it off to the ombudsman with more details and some of my bank statements. It seems odd the loans they chose, as the last one is from Feb 2012 but my statement of my account shows I was lending right up until December 2012 with my financial issues only getting worse. I had to default on my loan and enter a payment plan to finally get out of the trap. Hopefully it will be upheld by the adjudicator, fingers crossed!

        Thanks for all the help this site has been a massive source of info for each step!

  21. andrew says

    hi i wonder if somebody can help, btw I think the advice is excellent.i contacted Wonga on the 23/07/17,I received my loans list on 14/08/2017, i had 53 loans between the dates 17/09/2010 to 03/05/2016.today i have received an offer of £61.93
    for 1 loan out of the 53 that i took out which really is a disgrace.

    for the last 10 years i have been on a DMP with pay plan.

    how do i contact the financial ombudsman and does anybody think it worth pursuing? thanks for your help

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      1 loan out of 53! Definitely send it to the ombudsman, it sounds like an excellent case and the DMP makes it stronger.

      Some of your loans are over 6 years old – at the moment wonga is being difficult with the FO over these older loans but just send the whole case across. later when it is picked up by an adjudicator (unusually a couple of months) you may decide then to only do the under 6 year loans, but i am optimistic that the 6 year problem may be resolved soon.

      The main payday loan refund page https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/ has details about how to send a case to the ombudsman.

    • Just says

      Hi Andrew, yes definitely worth putting it through the ombudsmen it does take quite a long time after initially filing my complaint with wonga I have only just received settlement letter this week. I was in the same situation and took out 44 loans over a year and a half, wonga came back to me fairly quickly with an offer on 2 loans £266.00 I took my case to the ombudsmen who agreed that 12 loans should be removed from my credit file and the fees refunded £1220.00 so defiantly worth holding out! Good luck!

  22. Daisy says

    Must have people working nights at Wonga as just got the below email at 23:50!!

    “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.”

    Is this to be seen as a good sign??

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      They often send these out at 4 or 5 weeks. It’s no news. Not good news, not bad news, just no news.

  23. Michelle says

    Anyone know of any way to get Wonga to action the refund before 14 working days is up??

    Any help would be appreciated!

      • Michelle says

        I received that email on Monday 11th September.

        A week later and still no refund or any other communication from Wonga..

        • Danny Boy says

          It’s 14 working days so you could add two weekends onto that. Also you’ll get an email saying process now completed expect payment in 3-5 days. Stop being impatient and wait

          • James says

            Actually some people don’t receive the 3-5 day email.

            Michelle I wouldn’t expect it this week, I accepted on the 1st and still waiting.

          • Michelle says

            Hardly being impatient Danny Boy as the whole process has taken nearly a year, but thanks for the update!

            Thanks James, will wait and see if I receive the 3-5 day email next week.

      • Dan says

        Hi James, I accepted on the 4th and nothing either. Would be keen to know when you receive yours! Did you receive a 3-5 working day email? I’ve had nothing.

        • James says

          No 3-5 day email for me but I’m sure others on here have they said didn’t receive a second email before the refund.

          I accepted on 01/09/17 and got the 14 day email on 05/09/17 through Wonga directly. No money yet but assured twice it’ll be within the 14 working days.

          • dan says

            I also received the 14 day email on 05/09/17, so it looks like we should be receiving our payments together. I dropped Wonga a call this morning and they told me that the payment was processed this morning, and the funds are no longer with them. They advised that it’ll be in my account in 3-5 days. Hopefully a bit sooner as I know Rosie was told 3-5 days and she got the payment that evening.

        • James says

          I just rang myself, was curious. Lady said it’s been processed and will receive it on Monday max but should be sooner. Also told I was getting £4800 not £3700, must have read the email wrong!

          • James says

            I received mine this afternoon, all £4800 of it! This was the 11th working day from receiving the email.

            Once again I’d like to say big thanks to Sara, couldn’t have done it without your help and this site. Good luck to everyone else claiming!

          • Dan says

            Congrats James – just checked my account and nothing for me yet! Hopefully it’ll come today or tomorrow.

  24. Paul says

    Hi sarah, my eight weeks is up on 11th oct, recieved email saying that wonga are very busy and if the eight weeks is up i can go to ombusman, whats the chance of them looking at it before then. As ive worked the intrest ive paid its around 700.00 ive even cut the first four loans out and also worked out the6year margin losing out on some big intrests. About 130 so do i include the ones over six year by a few weeks ie augest 23rd 2011 makes any loan before that over the six years. Only by a few weeks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      You may get a response at 8 weeks. Or it may come sometime in the few weeks after that.

      If the loans over 6 years old had a lot of interest you should consider sending the full case to the Ombudsman. At some point, the 6 year issue is going to get resolved and you may kick yourself if you dropped these loans in October to find Wonga had agreed to pay out on then a month later… It is an easier decision if the older loans were all small so you don’t mind if they aren’t counted.

  25. Natasha says

    Could anyone give me a rough idea on how long the FOS are taking to work through complaints? I sent mine to them 9 weeks ago today. Have already sent them all the additional information (bank statements, credit reports etc). Just wondering roughly how long it all takes?
    Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      at the moment cases are usually picked up around 8 weeks – I suggest phoning them if it gets to 10 weeks and asking if there is anything else they need.

      • Kenny says

        Hi Sara,

        Could you tell me if bank statements are imperative for a claim to be upheld?

        I no longer have access to my account I had at the time of the loans.

        Thanks,
        Kenny

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Yes the Ombudsman will always ask for them. But it’s much easier to get them from a closed account than people think. And if they want to charge a lot, tell them you want it for a payday loan complaint at the Ombudsman.

  26. Elizabeth says

    For anyones interest in timeline, here is my info:

    Original complaint to Wonga October 2016, loans going back to Aug 2011.
    Sent to FOS after refusal letter from Wonga at 8 weeks stage.
    Adjudicator upheld my complaint in Feb 2017, but Wonga refused to accept.
    Currently being investigated by an Ombudsman themselves as we speak (although she informs me she’s on holiday for 2 weeks, so will be completed on her return ?).
    So far…11 months in.

    I hope that is useful for others.

  27. Barney says

    21/07/2016 Emailed complaint to WDFC
    26/09/2016 Referred to FOS
    03/10/2016 Womga rejected complaint, but did offer recompense for one loan
    30/10/2016 Picked up by Adjudicator
    07/12/2016 Adjudicator explained that as complaint contained loans taken out over six years ago, they “aren’t allowed to look into these parts of [your] complaint”
    December 2016 – April 2017 Kept in monthly contact with FOS
    14/06/2017 Adjudicator update – they explained that there was still no progress on the six year+ issue, but requested bank statements from me
    16/06/2017 Told Adjudicator to disregard the loans taken over six years ago (tired of waiting!)
    19/07/2017 Adjudicator agreed with me that Wonga had missold me loans and gave Wonga 14 days to reply
    19/07/2017 No progress had been made so my complaint was passed to an Ombudsman
    17/08/2017 Wonga agreed with Adjudicator decision and agreed to settlement
    14/09/2017 Wonga said payment would be with me 3-5 working days (but nothing yet on day 3!)

    All told – 14 months from start to finish, but had I been willing for the FOS to disregard the loans I took with Wonga over six years ago, I’m sure the issue would have been resolved in a lot less time.

  28. AB1 says

    Hi all

    Has anyone else had the adjudicator ask for the following?

    For cases about short term lending we will normally look at what the financial circumstances of the consumer were at the time they took their loans. Therefore could you please send in the following documentation:

    · bank statements covering the periods you had your loans, which are from:
    o November 2011 to July 2013
    o December 2013 to October 2015
    · a copy of your credit file

    We’ll also need to know what your usual monthly expenses were at the time of your first loan for the following:

    • typical monthly income
    • rent/mortgage payments
    • transport payments
    • utility bills
    • council tax
    • insurances (please specify)
    • regular monthly financial commitments (credit cards, personal bank loans, hire purchases etc.)
    • your typical monthly spend on food
    • other (mobile phone contracts, gym memberships etc.)

    And if there were any significant changes to your circumstances whilst you were borrowing from Wonga then please specify what they were.

    Many thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      All adjudicators ask for your credit file & bank statements. You can use your bank statements to get the answers to the monthly expenses.

  29. Kate says

    Hi can anyone help with Wonga settlement they are wanting proof of bank details however my bank card doesn’t have the account number on and my phone won’t take a screen shot of my accounts, they are such slow timing idiots didn’t have any trouble like this with MyJar, and they paid out in 1 day!

  30. Kelly says

    Hi

    My bank statements and credit file etc are all now with the financial ombudsman. They said that wonga are claiming no jurisdiction on the case which when explained meant that I could have brought my complaint to them sooner. I wasn’t even aware that I could complain about it until now. So when my case is assigned to someone do I just explain that I wasn’t aware that I could complain until recently? My loans date from 2010 to 2014.

      • Kelly says

        Oh so it only applies to the older loans? I had about 23 loans from 2010 to 2011 and then 21 from the end of 2011 to 2014. They offered a refund on 9 of the later ones.

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          So you had a LOT of older loans. In that case I think you should tell your adjudicator that you would like them all considered and explain that you have only recently found out about these complaints.

          If you only had a half dozen small older loans you may have been happy to tell the adjudicator to ignore them.

  31. Si says

    Hi guys,

    Wonga have just got back to me offering me £1256.22 this is all the interest I paid on my loans which they have listed in the email as they sent me a state of accounts, they have all said

    ” Interest of 8% simple per year has been added to the total redress for each loan from the date the loan was taken out until the date of calculation. Please see the outline below.

    total interest and fees
    £1,256.22
    8% interest net
    £454.75
    total settlement
    £1,710.97
    tax

    8% interest gross
    £568.44
    basic rate tax deduction
    £113.69

    Compensatory interest is subject to income tax at the basic rate under UK tax legislation and, therefore, tax will be deducted at the basic rate of 20% from any payments made to you. If you do not pay tax, you may be able to reclaim some or all of this tax reduction from HM Revenue and Customs. ”

    Does this mean I will get the total settlement amount £1,710.22

    Any advice would be appreciated

    Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Yes, they are offering £1710.

      Are they offering a refund on every loan you had, or just some loans?

      • Si says

        Ok thank you, and no I’ve checked and I had 14 loans and only offereing me refund on 8 as the other 6 were more than 6 years ago and only just as well, what should I do next?

        Thanks for your response

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          You have a difficult choice to make. The Ombudsman is considering cases with older loans, but so far Wonga has been refusing to co-operate and pay out on these case… so they are just stuck.

          At some point they will become unstuck and there will be a resolution. Payday UK is already paying on the older loans.

          If you only had a few older loans you could decide to ignore them and just take the offer. After all the Ombudsman typically says only to refund after the first few loans anyway.

          If Wonga had only offered on a few of your recent loans it would be worth sending to the Ombudsman hoping to get more of those included and perhaps the 6 year issue will be solved soon (I hope it will be).

          But neither of those really apply to you. Do you know how much interest you paid on the older loans?

  32. Karen says

    I accepted my refund from Wonga on 31st August by email. Called a few days later to check they had everything they needed and was assured they did. Then on 13th September I received an email advising me that my complaint had been closed because they hadn’t heard back from me!
    Was told over the phone to ignore this email; they said it was just an automated email that everyone gets. I have received no other email apart from that one.
    So now I’m on working day 15 and still no refund so I just called them again. Now I’m being told the 14 working days start from 13th September!
    Absolute bunch of jokers. I’m really regretting not going to Ombudsman now.
    Just thought I’d share this info in case others are being treated equally appallingly whilst waiting for their money back.

    • Sarah Bellamy says

      I’ve had the same! 14 working days was up today but now told that the 14 days started on the 19th when the refund was “processed” then can’t actually enlighten me what the process is tho ?

  33. Claire says

    Needing some help.. today is the 11th working day from receiveing the 14day email. However I’ve had no email to state a refund has been processed (which should of happened yesterday as it will now take me over the 14working days)

    Any idea on what I should do should I call Wonga?

    • Jenny says

      Im in exactly the same position at the moment just keep checking my account the 14 days are up on Thursday so on Friday I will call if nothing is there x

    • Ashley says

      Same here. I’m on 13 working days from the 14 day email and nothing. I called Wonga yesterday and they said it has been sent to Finance but not approved yet. Then it’ll be 3-5 working days once they approve it! Funny how they could put money in my account within 15 minutes when they’re making money out of me though!
      Hope you get yours soon

      • Claire says

        I spoke to Wonga yesterday and they advised it had been approved and I should receive within 3-5 working days..

        Any luck on receiving yours?

        • Jenny says

          Im still none the wiser! Just called and they said everything on account is in order and if 14 working days is tomorrow it should be in there by then?!?! … Not very helpful but I’ll keep checking!

        • Ashley says

          Still nothing yet. I called this morning but they left me on hold for over 20 minutes so I had to give up as I was at work. I’ll try calling again tonight.

          • Ashley says

            Woo hoo! Mine has finally come through! 5.00pm on working day 14 so right to the wire but I’ve got it!
            Hope you get yours very soon!

            Thank you again for everything Sara. This is a fantastic forum and a massive help! Xx

  34. Roch says

    Not happy with Wonga, they refuse to reply back to my adjudicator or reply to my emails and today I have been told complaint will be sent to the ombudsman which is a wait of at least 3 months unless they come back with another offer. Has anyone managed to get through to them while waiting for an Ombudsman to investigate? Or can anyone advise if they had to wait the full 3 months as it’s already been 6 months since I sent the complaint.

  35. Markle says

    Hi just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH this website is brilliant came across it recently was a bit sceptical but I thought I’d give it a try. I had Loans with wonga over just 6 years old, asked for a list of loans using your template they responded within a few days. I realised I had over 15 -25loans with them. For about 6 weeks I didn’t contact them was away then used your template again to ask for interest and fees + 8% interest. Got as response from wonga within 2days offering money on 3 loans only £2500 but not accepting any thing above 6 years .
    I was shocked and surprised but I’m thinking of going to the ombudsman as I think it’s not fair to just offer on those loans only
    Please advise ?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Well it’s a good start! How many of the loans were within the last 6 years? Do you know how much interest you paid overall?

      • Markle says

        They are offering a refund of three loans out of 5 for 2012 as they are the biggest.
        There are 19 loans from beginning of 2011 not sure how the 6 years is being calculated As I would have thought part of 2011 would be up to 6 years.?
        Total amount of all interest including fees 2997.16 on all loans taken out. This is excluding the 8% interest as I’m not sure how that’s calculated ?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          The 6 years is 6 years from the date you complained to Wonga – any loans taken out before that are “older than 6 years”. (Although it could be argued that the relevant date is the date you complain to the ombudsman.)

          Their 2500 will include the 8% extra. From 2012 loans that is about 40% extra (it adds up!) but they are also taking off 20% tax on the 8%. At a guess they are offering a refund of about £1900 of the interest you paid – they have probably given you this figure. So it’s about 2/3 of the maximum you could get if all loans were refunded.

          It sounds as though you will have at least 8 possibly 9 loans within the 6 year period.

          Your choices are
          – accept the offer (it’s not the worst we have seen!)
          – send the whole case to the Ombudsman and accept it will be slow going because of the loans over 6 years
          – send the whole case to the Ombudsman but when it is picked up by an adjudicator say you are happy to only get a refund on under 6 year loans if the older loans are taken into consideration – this usually means you would get a full refund on the under 6 year loans.

  36. Mel says

    I claimed and got a refund from wonga in 2015 but have since borrowed again, £1200 and I have complained that my affordability should have stopped them from loaning to me, they said as I claimed in 2015 they wouldn’t be prepared to look at recent loans? Is this right or should I take this further? Can I still go to the Ombudsman if i agreed to a refund in 2015 but my issue is loans from 2017?

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      I think they are still obliged to check affordabilty so yes, you can complain. You may find the ombudsman unsympathetic though unless your loan applications were accurate.

  37. Jo Wright says

    Hi all,
    The Ombudsman has upheld my decision in part and told Lending Stream to refund interest and charges on one loan I had in 2012. The loan was for £365 and I repaid £1082! They’ve also instructed them to pay the 8% per year. Can anybody tell me roughly how much they think I should be getting for the refund? Just looking for a rough estimate. Also, does anyone know how long Lending Stream have taken to refund these charges?
    Thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      So you paid 717 interest plus roughly 5 years at 8% is another 40% would be about £1000.

      LS are as slow as they can be – expect them to take 28 days.

      • Daniel Hall says

        Ridiculously long :/ I sent mine to them nearly 3 months ago – it’s only just been assigned so I’ve been given a “within 90 days” timeframe for them to reach a decision. They then have to contact wonga, wait for Wonga to reply and go through the whole rigmarole of accepting offer, them acknowledging your acceptance and putting you in yet another queue for payment. Payday lenders should be financially penalised if it appears that they’ve made a ridiculously low offer based on the circumstances – they subject you to a 6 month wait just because they don’t want to be held accountable for their actions.

      • Jo wright says

        I first submitted my complaint to the Ombudsman about LS in March! They came back in June to agree about the one loan which LS disagrees with so it went to the Ombudsman who then issued a final decision in September.

        A breakdown of refund which comes to £917 altogether! Very happy as they’re a tough cookie to crack! Should be in my account by next week. Good luck guys!

        Thanks Sara xxxx

  38. Nicola Handley says

    Long process like.mine has been assigned to someosomeone they emailed other day saying it’s been giving to them to investagat and asked for more information so sent it all other day.well what I could they want full bank statments from me from 2012 till 2017 but I can’t get all full bank statments from that long ago can only downldownload them from a couple of months apart.even they when first asked they only wanted 3 months worth b4 I got wonga loans and 2 months from this year.so just a waiting game now and hopefully all the bank statments I have sent is anuf

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Talk to your bank – say you need them for an Ombudsman complaint against a payday lender. Many banks will be able to supply you with a lot of bank statements at a much reduced price.

      • Elizabeth says

        This was a helpful comment, my bank was charging me a max of £60 for 4 years statements. I emailed them back saying I needed them possibly for ombudsman. They replied saying they will send them free! Thankyou

    • Natasha says

      I use online banking and sent screenshots of my bank statements from 2011-2017 and they accepted this

  39. Diana says

    I have to applied for a refund,, have had a response last week which i have all agreed too. My advice would be call them, did this Tuesday and the person i was speaking to wasn’t very helpful or listening. At that point i said could i speak to someone in your complaints dept. These were helpful and understood what i was asking. They expedited the refund for me and i got the 3-5 working day email Tuesday, Just awaiting payment. fingers crossed its soon!

    For confirmation of account details i gave them a screenshot from my banking app on my phone, also had to provide marriage cert as have gotten married since, i would then call them once you have sent the information through as they do use far too many delay tactics.

    However all of your comments have been very useful i just check my balance through out the day.

    Good Luck Everyone :)

  40. andy ireland says

    I’ve spoken to wonga today and they have confirmed my claim has been paid so just waiting for it to show in my bank. Nothing yet thou so fingers crossed

  41. Ashley says

    So here is my long story with Wonga, complained to them back in 2015, received a late response telling me my complaint was not upheld. Due to personal circumstances I did not take the matter to the ombudsman until 9 months after Wongas final response. The ombudsman asked Wonga if they could investigate and were refused. I Left it and thought I had lost until about 4 months ago I decided I would issue a letter to Wonga with a breakdown of what I was asking for and giving them 14 days to respond or I would issue a county court claim (I work for a law firm so know the court process and how to issue a money claims) I received a response from Wonga offering me £1300 settlement so again I asked the ombudsman to look into the case. The ombudsman first said they were unable to look into the case but I advised them that the new offer from Wonga had reopened the case and this was now their final response therefore the 6 months to complain had started again. The adjudicator was unsure so referred the matter to the compliance team who ruled in my favour agreeing that Wonga had reopened the case and that the ombudsman could now investigate.

    Friday I received a decision from the adjudicator in my favour, today Wonga agreed to settle and will pay me £4000 within 14 working days.

    Don’t give up people.

  42. Rose says

    5 weeks and 6 days in from my initial response from Wonga saying they would look into my complaint and still nothing! Anyone else’s taking as long? I know I can go to ombudsman in another two weeks but just a little bemused that it’s taking so long in what I wouldn’t deam to be a “difficult” case (19 loans in 13 months from 2012-2013)? I’ve emailed them about two weeks ago where they said my complaint was still being considered, hopefully they come back with an offer good enough so I don’t have to start buying old bank statements…!

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      They aren’t studying your case in depth because it’s so difficult. It is waiting in a pile and no one has looked at it yet. Most people get replies from Wonga in the last of the 8 weeks however easy their case. Good luck!

      • Rose says

        You were right, 8 weeks is up next Wednesday and received offer today…however I need help! From loan 1 to finish (loan 19!) I paid total of 2582 interest and fees. Wonga sent detailed email claiming all my fault etc but at the end have offered 2269 (inclusive of 8% from 2012/2013 and 20% tax deduction) on 6 of the 19. They did wipe out part of last loan as was on repayments when they did sweep of accts in October 2014 but I can’t remember how much, max £120 from memory was outstanding. Few bitty loans (interest and fees between 7 and 50 quid) haven’t been upheld, which I’m not too bothered about but last loan fees and interest before they wiped it was 472 and they’ve missed a random one in the middle of the upheld ones with 130. Not good with math but also not desperate for money right now…is it worth going ombudsman as I personally can’t work out potential 8% on additional 480(ish)?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          The reply from Wonga will have included the amount of fees and interest they are refunding, usually just before the settlement amount figure. What is this?

          • Rose says

            total interest and fees
            £1,751.87
            8% interest net
            £517.06
            total settlement
            £2,268.93
            tax

            8% interest gross
            £646.32
            basic rate tax deduction
            £129.26

          • Rose says

            I can provide more detail if needed regarding amounts and dates and length of loans? I’m aware backlog at FOS so would like to get queuing asap if anyone can say it would be worth going to them instead of accepting the above? And just want to say big thank you for your website it’s been invaluable, I used a company a few years ago to reclaim PPI and it cost 30% of my final offer so I lost a massive amount as never realised how easy it was to do it myself! Bit annoying but lessons learnt the hard way!

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            I think it’s easier to compare apples with apples, by looking at the interest being refunded and ignore the 8% bit.

            So you think you paid 2582 in fees and interest. They have offered 1751. But you think they already wiped out c120.

            So the “gap” here is 2582-1751-120 = 711. Plus 8% interest. Of course you may not get all the loans refunded by the FOA, especially if some were very small. It’s not a bad offer, you may not get anything more added by the FOS as it seems slightly random how an adjudicator handles the last loan where there was a write off, but I would say there is a reasonable chance that you would get £400-£800 more.

            It’s up to you if you want to do this – it’s very much a personal feeling as to whether you think the offer feels fair or not.

          • Rose says

            Having checked again they wrote off 245 from last loan…but interest/fees were 717 (ouch) and when I’d calculated I’d gone from statements from Wonga so had already taken their write off into account unintentionally in my figure of 2582. So it’s another 470 they haven’t offered on just that one loan by itself never mind the other 12 loans they didn’t uphold….definitely heading to ombudsman!! Thank you, will let you know how it goes!

  43. Paul says

    Mines the same, after i take away the first four loans and then the six year rule, ive got about 30loans nothing big, did recieve. Email saying theres a back log but if it passes the 8week mark (23rd of october) yhen i can send my case to ombusman/adjudicator. Hoping i wont have to. I never emailed, i rang tham direct, found them easier as i read if you email it takes longer. Anyway hope we both hear good news soon

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      It is always better to email. It is not quicker to telephone, no idea where you read that. Using email means you have proof of when you sent a complaint and what you said. It’s also pretty easy to send a case to the Ombudsman, so don’t worry if that is necessary.

  44. Paul says

    Sorry sara, i meant i found it quicker/easier plus calls all calls are recorded.

    I’m more worried it will go to adjudicator, due to me switching banks, statements wise.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      that is really common – many people switched bank account to escape from a payday lender raiding their account! Most people haven’t had any difficulty in getting statements from closed account, and if they want to charge you a lot, tell them you need the statements for the financial Ombudsman for a complaint against a payday lender.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Well it’s up to you but people have had problems with lenders later saying they had no record of a complaint over the phone :(

    • Katy M says

      Wow , well done you :-) enjoy every penny of it ! It must be a fantastic feeling seeing it in your account , I’m on day 2 waiting for the payout , I’m expecting them to take the full 14 working days !!

      • sharon oates says

        Have i heard anything as yet i have just had the email back about the 14 day process u any idea of when and have u been paid as yet?

  46. Paul says

    Can i ask did it take long to get through. The whole process. Start t finish what ws the time scale, congratulations. On getting the result.

  47. Mark says

    I have recently clicked a post for [a useless claim firm ] for Wonga refunds, I filled in the details out and did not proceed with talking to them or anything now i got a refund for 500 with Wonga and Claims co are invoicing me for £150.00, I have not received any funds from Wonga, Do i have to pay this company or just ignore them? They call me all the time and email me lots over the past 2 weeks.

    Any advice would be great, also the email from wonga that said i would get the money was on 22nd september and near 2 weeks ago now, i replied straight away, what is the usual timeframe for a reply?

    Thanks
    Mark

      • Mark says

        I have not cancelled but i did today. Am i legally obliged to pay them if wonga pay out? What is annoying me is they are sending me invoices even tho i have not received any money. Can they put a default against my credit report or anything bad if i do not pay them?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Yes you have to pay them. Even thouh it’s a lot of money for writing one simple letter :( They can’t add a default to your credit record but they can go to court for a CCJ.

          • Paul says

            Hi Sara, I filled out one of these forms as well. However I made a typo on my email address so I never signed my name to anything but they still proceeded with the case. I’m thinking they shouldn’t have done this so I shouldn’t pay them?

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            I don’t know what the form you completed said so I can’t tell if that form authorised them to do any work on your behalf.

            Are you saying the typo in your email address was an accident so you never received any more information from them?

            If the form didn’t authorise them to put in a claim then you need to put in a complaint to the claims co saying this and then take the complaint further if they reject it: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-claims-company.

  48. Michael says

    Hi Wonga have finally replied to me with the below:

    “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.”

    I have then emailed info-complaint at financial-ombudsman .org .uk, saying i wish to make a formal complain, and attached the summary of borrowing provided by Wonga. The amounts to 11 Loans all increasing in amount over a 12 month period starting April 2011.

    Will the ombudsman investigate this? Or do i have to complete any forms etc?

    Thanks for the help.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Sending that email will have started a complaint. They may want to know more but the process is underway.

      The Ombudsman is looking at loans over 6 years old. Wonga is being difficult about these. Sit back and wait, don’t expect this to be speedy.

  49. Richard says

    Morning All,
    Just drafting my complaint and looking for some help. 33 loans 2010 to 2014 according to my provided list from Wonga (13 older than 6 years). My first question is does a top up within a month count as a new loan. A lot of my loans show fees of 11/16.50/22 dependant on the top ups I took through the month. If this was the case then in total I actually had 51 loans. I just want to use the correct terms in my complaint!!
    Secondly how much info should I include in the original complaint. Presumably I don’t need to provide bank statements unless I am going to the ombudsman. Do I need to summarise income expenditure at this stage?

    Many thanks in advance

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      I suggest being exact if you know the details: eg “25 loans and 16 top ups”

      No you don’t need to supply bank statements. The template letter in step two above suggests a summary of what to say about your I&E

      • sharon oates says

        Sara do we i have a claim due to be paid Approx £1800 do i have fo pay fees to any1 out of this?

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Hi Sharon have you made a complaint to Wonga? Or are you thinking of making one?

  50. Lee says

    Hi

    I’m at the stage where Wonga have rejected my claim so have passed it onto the FO who has asked for bank statements. I was wondering whether the fact I have gambled in the past would impact my claim?

    Any advice greatly appreciated

    Lee

    • Danny Boy says

      Gambling is a major contributor to payday loans. The fact that you were borrowing to gamble means you were living beyond your means. It doesn’t ask when applying about gambling but does ask about other financial commitments. It’s worth a try and may go in your favour.

  51. grey says

    Hi i got the 14 day e-mail from wonga it’s now been 17 working days and no pay out as yet, any one else having this issue??

    • Danny Boy says

      I had 14 day email on 15 th Sept was paid 3rd Oct. ring the refunds department and ask them it seems off previous comments that’s been enough to get it in your bank.

  52. roch says

    Has anyone had their refund quicker than 14 days please as I really need the money asap.
    I got my 14day email today after a lot of chasing.
    any help would be appreciated.

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      finding out someone else has really isn’t going to help you … you could phone up and explain your circumstances?

  54. Kyle says

    Hi hope someone can help. Made a complaint to Wonga. Went through until the 8 weeks and they said they upheld my complaint. Went to ombudsmen and they asked for a few things to be sent by September 18th. They required bank statements which unfortunately I couldn’t provide as closed the account down. I had about 30 loans and the spacing between them was really close. Will this affect anything not submitting bank statements. Many thanks

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      If you can’t get the bank statements you are unlikely to win your complaint. Have you talked to the old bank? Most people have managed to get statements from closed accounts with no difficulty. if you didn’t try, get back to the ombudsman and say you are now trying to get your old statements.

      • James says

        Hi, mine is currently with the FOS awaiting assignment. I’ve given them everything but the bank statements and they seem happy with that. Wonga only offered 3 of my 18 loans so have admitted liability to some extent already. I was reluctant to supply bank statements as I can’t see how they’re relevant….. The Wonga summary shows the money going in and out, the credit report shows high interest credit cards and loans at the same time. All the bank statements show is a complete and personal insight into your life for 18 months.

        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          Let me give you some examples… A bank statement could show you had extra sources of income. Or that you have been spending money on flights and foreign hotels. Or that you have been saving several hundred pounds a month into a help to buy ISA. Of course none of these unusual situations probably applies to you, but how does the FOS know that?

          Unless your adjudicator sees your bank statements you are VERY unlikely to win your case. There have been several people here upset to get what they described as a “rejection” from their adjudicator when the adjudicator was actually sounding sympathetic about all the lending but saying it wasn’t possible to prove the loans were unaffordable as they hadn’t seen details of your bank accounts.

          I suggest you send them now, or you will just delay the handling of your case.

          • Rose says

            Sorry to hijack thread but question on bank statements before I head to FOS…my loans were mostly sent into and repaid from an “unused” account, my wages and spending was done from a different account with a different bank (didn’t want Wonga taking money back if I couldn’t afford to eat if they did, I thought at the time I’d rather default their payment than not feed myself and my child but I digress) would I have to provide details from all of my accounts I held at the time or just the one they used?

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            You will need to provide all your accounts – the adjudicator needs to get a full picture of your finances.

          • James says

            Thanks Sara, duly noted.
            I’ve taken your points about hidden finances, but why would anyone with any of those reasons enjoy paying up to £200 interest a month to Wonga along with interest on credit cards with all this “hidden/spare” money at their disposal….?
            I may end up sending it but I see no practical reason to, especially if you’ve sent everything else.

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            The practical reason is that you won’t win your case until you do! It’s up to you…

            As for those examples – I have seen people lose cases in all three of those situations. Their problem was they had made some seriously foolish money decisions – but it wasn’t the payday lender’s fault. On any sensible view of their bank statements it was obvious they could have afforded to repay the payday loans and not borrow again, but they chose not to.

  55. Heather says

    I got a reply from Wonga today to say “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. ”

    My credit file had a lot of missed payments. defaults etc when I took out the loans and my credit score was quite low. I will take the case to the FOS, hopefully they will uphold my complaint.

  56. Nat says

    Hi can anyone help I currently have 8 loans with different companies all on a payment plan. My main ones I borrowed from every month were cash asap and 247 moneybox. From July last year I have borrowed every month paying back then borrowing again straight away. I have emailed cash asap 7 weeks ago and heard nothing at all back not even to say they have received it. I borrowed £110 off them every month total interest £350 247 moneybox the same total interest £445 do you think I have a chance at a refund. I still owe cash asap £75 and 247moneybox £188 I also have lots of late payments and a default on my credit file

    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      Regular borrowing like that – definitely put in complaints. Both of those firms have a reputation for being difficult to deal with, but just take it step by step and come back here if you aren’t sure what to do at any point.

      It is also worth complaining to any payday lenders you still owe money to even if you only had 1 loan. You won’t get any money back, but they may take off the interest from the balance you owe which would really help. They should have seen you had had lots of payday loans from your credit record!

      • Nat says

        What would I say for loans I have had like satsuma over a year? I got in such a mess but I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere by stopping the borrowing cycle. Thanks ks for the reply

      • Nat says

        Cash ASAP refunded me on my last 8 loans and removed my outstanding balance. Still waiting for money box to reply. Have emailed satsuma, lending stream, payday express, my jar, wageday advance. All have replied saying they are looking into my complaint. Wondering whether to email cash4unow I took 1 loan out with them still got 2 payments left but I had all these other companies on the go at the same time should I go for it? I borrowed £200 paying back £59 a month for 6 months

  57. Rose says

    How long does it generally take before FOS acknowledge your complaint? I filled everything in on website late Friday night and downloaded PDF copy of my complaint once submitted but have heard nothing since?

  58. James Edwards says

    I just wanted to at I big thank you to you guys as because of you:
    £450 vivus loan written off
    £1700 interest refund on all loans with my jar
    £2450 interest refund on all loans quickquid
    £3550 interest refund of wonga for 58/70 loans
    £300 written off balance of payday express
    Couldn’t have done it without you!
    X

  59. Rachel says

    Hi,

    Does anyone have an update on what the time scales are like for the ombudsman please? I sent my case to them around 6 weeks ago after Wonga only offered a refund on 6 out of 30 loans but I haven’t heard anything after the letter to say the case had been assigned to an adjudicator

    Thanks in advance
    Rachel

  60. Natasha says

    Mine was sent 13 weeks ago and got assigned to an adjudicator last week. They’ve been in touch this week to say they are now investigating it

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