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.
Antony says
Just a question,
I had a refund from Wonga in 2016 for £1800 after making an affordability complaint. At the time, I wasn’t expecting anything back, so thought I was lucky to get it. Since then, and since reviewing the comments on here, I feel very regretful that I accepted the offer. I had been rolling over loans for a sustained period, and was lending up to £1500 every month.
About half way through this whole saga, I had emailed them to say that I was struggling financially – and following this they continued to let me lend money each month. The loans that they have picked seem to be at random, and the amount they have given me back is a fraction of the charges that I had paid to them. I think I have shot myself in the foot here given the success people are having (with the outcomes from the ombudsman) but I just wanted to ask whether this is worth challenging at this stage, or whether I’ll just need to accept this now and learn a very hard lesson.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry, it is a shame you didn’t look closer into this at the time, but unless Wonga actually misled you, eg by saying you had fewer loans than you did, then there isn’t going to be anything you can do – you accepted what was offered in full settlement of your complaint.
David says
A few years ago I was in a really bad financial state, following a marriage breakup I was struggling to make ends meet, and I turned to Wonga.
I had 28 loans (inc additional funds) over a 10 month period between end of 2011 and 2012; start at £220 and ending at £1430. I entered into a Repayment Plan and cleared the debt over a period of a few months. During this time I’d borrowed £9500 and I repaid over £12,000.
I was still in dire financial circumstances, and a day after I completed the Repayment Plan, they lent to me again! In early 2013, they lent me £400 and over a period of four months this increased to over £800 (excluding interest); during this period I borrowed £2300 and repaid £3300, again having to arrange a Repayment Plan to clear the debt, which I did by the end of 2013.
Guess what? 15 Days after I cleared my balance, they lent to me again, this block was for about 5 months, starting at £150 and ending at £900 (without interest) this time borrowing £2800 and repaying £3500 again using a Repayment Plan. (I’ve rounded these numbers a little).
Yesterday I emailed Wonga, with full information, asking them to consider my claim that their lending was irresponsible, and that it was clear I was unable to afford these loans.
I’ll keep you posted with their response.
Natasha says
Wonga had until today to respond to my adjudicators decision (which was in my favour). As yet no reply so it has now been passed to an ombudsman. Anyone have any info on how long this process now takes and what the next steps are? I’m sure I’ve read from some comments that wonga have replied while people have been waiting for the ombudsman’s final decision?
Mr W says
This happened to me with another lender, and it took around another 4 weeks at the end of which got paid out within 6 weeks. Just a waiting game now
Elizabeth says
Mine went to Ombudsman in Dec 2016, adjudicator Feb 2017 in my favour, wonga didnt reply. Still awaiting outcome from Ombudsman, wonga have just offered to settle this week but ive refused & said i may aswell just see it through now from Ombudsman seeing as its been so long already!
Mr W says
Hi Elizabeth, you say Wonga offered to settle this loan from Feb 2017, 12 months ago? Was the loan over 6 years old?
Elizabeth says
The loans were from 2011 to 2013, initially complained to Wonga October 2016 (so within 6 years at that point)
Adam says
had a settlement through the ombudsman against wonga. Do they take the full 14 working days to pay out does anybody know?
Terry says
When I accepted my refund from Wonga it was a Friday and the £6k+ was in my bank on the following Monday evening! By any luck you’ll already have your refund if not hopefully this week.
Nic Ormerod says
I have made a complaint to Wonga for 14 loans I had in 2014/15 but have been declined due to the loans being more than 15-days apart (from when one was repaid on time or not, and the next being taken out). Should I go to the Ombudsmen?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes send it to the Ombudsman, that is not a good reason to decline a complaint. If there were large gaps between loans a complaint is harder to win, but borrowing again after 3 weeks says shows that you couldn’t get trhough the next month without borrowing again, and so the previous loan was unaffordable.
Marta says
Hi,
I sent complaint via email to wonga on 6th of February but didn’t receive any email back from them… Should I give them some time?
I thought that I would receive an email saying that they were going to check info or that I had to wait for the decision etc. like it was with complaint to vanquis.
I have had 65 loans from them between August 2011 and 18.01.2016!!!
Gl1234 says
Thank you for your help Sarah, I’ve received my offer of £2717 today from wonga and it’s all down to this site.
I originally complained to wonga back in August and they did not accept my claim.
I sent it to the ombudsman in October and it was picked up by an adjudicator in November, I sent in the required info straight away and the adjudicator upheld my complaint for 72 out of 73 loans between 2012 – 2017 on 14th Jan 18
Wonga didn’t reply to the 1st deadline 26th Jan 18 but they send me an email today advising that they agree with the adjudicators decision and I have accepted :)
Rose says
Had an email from adjudicator today looks like FOS are standing on my side and have asked Wonga to refund interest on all 19 of my loans plus the 8%…I was offered £2200 by Wonga in October but decided as I’m no longer in dire straits cash wise I could wait it out and see what FOS thought and looks like it was worth it, I worked out just shy of £3500 if they had offered all interest back in October so potentially could be worth over £1300 extra just for the wait, if anyone is wondering if it’s worth waiting… my story says if you can afford to hold out, then do! Thank you so much for your invaluable advice and help Sara!
Nicola Handley says
Wonga never offers me anything but I won my case my adjudicator found in my favour.wonga gave till Wednesday to replay to him hoping they do and don’t drag it out any longer they owe me over 3000
Laura Scarbrow says
Was this including loans going back 6 years? Because Wonga have informed me they will not consider them in my refund amount and this is when i lent with them the most 2011.
Zoe says
Hi I made complaints against PDUK, payDay express and Wonga in May 2016 using templates from this site.PDUK and PayDay express paid in full on Feb and May 2017 total of £4,500. Wonga complaint still ongoing they made offer of £1,900 for some loans but not others which I declined. In total took out over 50+ loans from 2010-13. Wonga arguing complaints over 6 years cannot be looked at, adjudicator has said they can but that was not in Feb 2017, no progress since. Have spoken to FOS and they have informed me they are working with them on number of cases but seems that Wonga have been allowed to drag this out. One of reasons for complaints is to repair credit report but seems taking so long will drop off soon anyway. Just wond ring if anyone experiencing the same with Wonga.
Rob..J says
Hi,
So I have a folder with pretty much all the loan details in once place. And to be honest I’m shocked how much I lent from these sharks.
Wonga alone is nigh on 22k from 2008 – 2011 then the others just spiralled out of control roughly from 2009 until about 1yr ago when I got myself out of the debts.
So just to clarify I now send the second letter to said companies *especially* Wonga and take it from there, wait 8 weeks max if they haven’t come back to me in that time pass the complaint to the Ombudsman.
Regards
Rob.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes – good luck! Complaints with loans that are over 6 years old will probably have to go to the Ombudsman, so use the 8 weeks to get your bank statements together for that.
Natasha says
Does anyone know if Wonga refund the fees as well as interest paid? What are the fees for? I’ve noticed mine have ranged from £5.50 upto £35.50 with each loan.
David Cunliffe says
I was wondering how quickly after you have accepted the offer the money goes into your bank I sent in my acceptance email on 16th Jan and not had the money yet what is you guys experience?
Mr W says
Quickest was from MyJar within 2&3 days, then Ferratum at 4 days then Safe Loans dragged it out and sent a cheque! Still waiting for the rest
Laura says
Hello, I’m passed the 8 week and still waiting on final response from my complaint to Wonga, I’ve had acknowledgment response and a 4 week update. Really my question is do they usually reply with a no before the 8 week, should I be hopeful as it’s taking so long? I’ve repaid £13k just in interest so I’m hoping for a good outcome. Anyone who has been here I would appreciate some advice thanks Laura
dan says
there’s plenty of comments above of people receiving replies on the last day so fingers crossed you do, or if not then you can upload to FOS the day after the deadline anyway – some people have then heard direct from companies whilst waiting for an adjudicator
Not Wonga but one of mine hadn’t replied in time so I uploaded to FOS and emailed company saying I would still be willing to negotiate if they made a sensible offer before it was picked up by an adjudicator, don’t know if it worked but I did end up settling on 4/6 loans refunded before an adjudicator had been assigned
hopefully you get a nice chunk back based on the interest you paid
Lisa says
Hi Laura,
This doesn’t mean a lot. Quite often, Wonga take longer than the 8 weeks and the replies are varied.
Good Luck
Sara (Debt Camel) says
hi Laura,
no news is normally just no news, not good news, not bad news. But 13k in interest is a huge case… I suggest you phone them up and ask when you will get a response.
Laura says
Hello, me again. Wonga got back to me today three days later than the deadline. I had 65 loans over 48 months. They offered a refund on the first 16 which wass Probably just at the beginning of the debt spiral things got out of control after that but still continued it lend. They wrote this in the email You may be aware of the announcement from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regarding changes to short term lending. The changes mean that we had to place a price cap on the cost of our loans and be more responsible when testing whether customers can afford the loan they want to take out. We can see from your account that you had loan applications after the changes to our lending criteria were applied in November 2014. All your loan applications after this date met our new affordability criteria and so we are satisfied that we lent you responsibly. so didn’t offer anything after that. Should I accept the offer or Is it worth perusing ? Anyone have any advice? I’m a high rate taxpayer so not sure it’s worth my while accepting the offer as they were all the wee low cost loans. Any advice most welcome, laura
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It sounds like a very poor offer. I suggest you send the case to the FOS.
Laura says
Thank you for the advice. I wasn’t sure if the long response (5 pages) was just trying to talk me into accepting the offer. They offered just over 3k when in reality I’ve paid over £13k in interest. Sunny settled no problem but I guess I have to stick to my guns and take it forward. Thank you got the advice as always.
Tim says
Hello,
I received an email from Wonga in 2014 stating my loan of £1057 would be wiped due to affordability checks and issues.
At the time I was extatic because it was from then onwards I spiraled out of control. I simply couldn’t afford it and rolled it on about 3/4 times and missed payments and caught up and paid.
Now I have read this I wonder if I too can request a refund for all of the money and interest they took from me. I feel it would give me piece of mind getting my money back!!?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it depends how much interest you paid on the earlier loans… Say you last loan was £700 borrowed, the rest was interest Wonga added. When the loan was wiped out this equivalent to a refund of £700 for interest on your previous loans. If you paid thousands in interest, you could still get some back by a complaint! But what you get back will be less because you have already had the first £700 back already.
Tim says
Thanks Sara so you dont think it will bring up old bad memories and they are likely to either say yes or no right? I think I paid alot of interest and late payment fees whilst stuck in the loan spiral.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It may well bring back memories… But the past is a different country, as they say, and your life has moved on. Many people are astonished how much they actually borrowed, you knew you were in a mess at the time but not the full scale of the problem. This may make you feel you were foolish … but it should also make you feel very cross that the payday lenders milked you for every penny they could get, without stopping and considering if giving you those loans was in your best interest.
yes or no – well they may also make an offer of a refund on some loans. It’s up to you how good you feel an offer is, come back here and ask if your not sure?
KAREN says
Hi Sara has there been any decisions made in regards to 6 + year loans with wonga. I had put my claim in October 2016 and still waiting.
Is there any light through the tunnel so to speak.
Thank you Karen
Sara (Debt Camel) says
not yet – as soon as there is movement I will report it!
Mark says
is it the wonga customer care team or the complaints team I send my form too , also does anybody know roughly how long until they heard back after sending wonga the template , thanks very much
Richard says
Complaints team and it pretty much took them the 8 weeks to send me a final response. I had mine this week after complaining in early Jan.
I’d try not to think about the time, what is important is whether you get what you are entitled to back, even if that involves going on to the ombudsman stage.
Mark says
Thanks for the reply Richard , did they get back to you with an offer? Yea that’s true I’m just glad things are in motion , im in no rush ????
Shaaron Robbins says
I have had an offer from Wonga today for loans in 2012 and 2013. They say they won’t look at loans made in 2011, do I accept their offer. They have offered all the interest plus 8% for 2012 and 2013. Would it be a good idea to send them bank statements for 2011 and ask them to review again ?
Rose says
Thanks to all for your help and advice, I was offered £2200 by Wonga but decided to wait it out with FOS. Today they came back with £3400(ish!) because of my complaint. I could not and would not have done it had it not been for this website, so thank you a million times over!!
Emma says
Were any of the loans over 6 years?
Rose says
No Emma they were all from 2012-2013 so I just caught them in time!
Katie says
Have been offered a refund on 2nd march I sent my acceptance form and bank details the same day I called yesterday to make sure they had everything which they said they did. Will I receive a 14 day email or not does everyone receive these? How long does it normally take for refund to go in bank
Thanks :)
Nikolas122 says
Hello Katie
Have you had your refund yet? If so how long did it take? We are on day 4 now
Andy says
How long did it take you to recieved your refund? I have seen that most people recieved in a couple of days. I’m nownon the fourth working day
Dave says
Well wonga have until 1am tomorrow to respond to me. Over the last 8 years I’ve had some 80 to 100 loans off them, each time having to loan more and more to cover what I was paying them and I’m talking paying back over £1000 a month. I took other loans to make the payments and got in such a mess I had to get 10k off the sale of my mum’s house to pay off all the trouble these loans got me into. I’ll let you know how it go’s.
Darren says
I had about 30 or so loans from Wonga and PayDayUK from 2010-2012. I used the template on this site to write to both. PayDayUK came back at 8wks with an offer – they had obviously done a very thorough investigation, and whilst the offer was not a full refund I felt it was fair and I accepted.
Wonga responded at 8wks, but told me I had no case. This was despite me borrowing over £1000 every month, I would get paid, repay them around £1400, then have to borrow the full amount offered again just to get through the month. This cycle went on for well over a year.
I lodged a complaint with FOS. This dragged out for a few months as there was some personal issue with my original adjudicator. It got re-assigned to another adjudicator, and a week or so later I had an initial decision. They agreed that all of the loans were unaffordable (although they asked me to confirm I only wanted them to look at loans less than 6yrs old – about half of them, which I agreed – otherwise I’m sure this could have taken years!!).
At the end of Jan the assessment was sent to Wonga. They missed the adjudicators first deadline, and they were given another 2wks to respond. Well today (around 1wk later) my adjudicator has let me know that Wonga fully agree with the FOS decision, and have offered to repay just over £5000!!! I’ve accepted and am beyond delighted.
I can’t thank this website enough, an awesome source of information – thank you.
Verity says
Great result!
Wonga had until 12th Feb to respond to the adjudicator’s decision for me. The adjudicator agreed that my loans were unaffordable. Since then I have not heard anything at all from FOS, did they contact you in writing to let you know ththat they had given Wonga more time?
Darren says
Hi Verity – yes they contacted me via the secure email channel to let me know they had not heard from Wonga, and they had given them another extension to reply. Then yesterday, which was 1wk into the 2wk extension, they contacted me again by secure email to say an offer had been recieved by Wonga.
But feel free to call your adjudicator – I always found them incredibly helpful on the 2/3 occasions I spoke to them.
I sent the forms back to my adjudicator yesterday, and before the end of the day I got a reply saying my acceptance and bank details had been sent to Wonga, and they usually give them 30 days to pay. Now the wait begins :)
Good luck!!
Darren says
And to update – I got an email direct from Wonga this morning saying they’d received my acceptance and bank details, and that payment would be within 14 working days. They also included a complete breakdown of the refund.
Nikolas122 says
Hello…
We are a couple of days behind you; have you received payment yet?
Thank you
Darren says
Hi – yes, and it was much quicker than expected.
So Wonga emailed as I said on Weds 7th.
On Friday 9th the full payment was in my account.
They then emailed on Monday 13th to inform me they had asked all credit agencies to remove these loans from my records.
I was not expecting anything that quick, so YMMV. I would recommend calling Wonga customer services just to “check they have everything they need”. I’m sure from reading others experiences it maybe flags your account and they process it quicker.
Good luck!!
anon37 says
How are people getting on with 6year+ cases? my original complaint was turned down in july 2017 so sent to FOS in sept 17 but it is still with the juristiction team and not even assigned to an adjudicator yet and i’m getting impatient.
Kelly says
Mine is around the same time scale and still with jurisdiction team and no adjudicator in sight. I hope they make a decision soon
Mr W says
Literally exactly the same situation and timing. It’s frustrating, and it’s be nice to have an estimate on timescale… But no joy. Just have too keep waiting, it’s gonna be at least another 6 months plus at this rate… Just have to try forget about it for now and be surprised when it eventually come through
Elizabeth says
Submitted mine to Wonga Oct 2016 for loans 2011 to 2013 (5 years old!), had Adjudicators decision in Feb 2017, upheld, Wonga disagreed, went to an Ombudsman after that, decision again upheld October 2017 by an Ombudsman, explained decision to me & letter on its way, then for some very bizarre reason, it got pulled back to Compliance team & still waiting…
I did complain to FOS re whats going on & the shoddiness of it & they apologized with £150 compensation, but for some very odd reason im still waiting when it was meant to be signed off by Legal Team in January 2018!! I wouldnt mind but my loans weren’t even 6 years old when i first put my complaint into Wonga 2016. Frustrating to say the least ????
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is a most odd story, I don’t recall anyone else having an issue like this. I suggest you complain again. On the plus side, it will mean another 6 months at least of the 8% interest being added.
Elizabeth says
Thank you Sara. I think its very bizarre too, especially as i see some have been decided upon since after mine in October 2016 (apart from those over 6 years it seems). I thought if you initially complained to the company within the 6 year period then it is what it is, but more specifically, as i had been given a final decision by an Ombudsman (she was finishing on Mat leave that day) and was posting the letter! I then had to complain 4 weeks later & a manager rang me to apologize & offer compo cheque 4.1.18. He said compliance team had to look at it & it was awaiting being signed off by legal team potentially end of January! …im still waiting!! I’ll send them another complaint today ????
Verity says
I asked FOS to disreqard any over 6 years (as they advised it would prolong the process).
I raised my first complaint with Wonga in April 2017 and have had confirmation that FOS have upheld my complaint and asked Wonga to refund all fees and interest on 38 of my loans between 2011-2014 I still haven’t received payment, as FOS are waiting for Wonga to respond
lee says
same here……mine still awaiting an adjudicator from July 2017
Akel says
I’ve mad enough a claim to myjar wonga and sunny.
I’m unaware at the moment how many loans uve had with wonga but with sunny I’m owed about 800 back and with myjar about 1200
I still have open loans with these companies however uve got myself into more debt with credit cards etc and gambling. I used to gamble a lot and I used a lot of the money to help feed that habit and pay bills for the other pay day loans. Etc
I’m worrying at the moment incase I get nothing paid back and they don’t clear my debt with them. I can’t make repayments at all. This worry is having such an effect on my life is horrible. Any advice would be appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You need to cancel the CPAs to all three lenders with your bank – then they can’t take the money you can’t afford. As you have credit card debt as well, I suggest you contact StepChannge and ask about a DMP. See https://www.stepchange.org/
Lisa says
Thought I would look into complaining to cash genie for loans taken out in 2010 and there website says they are in liquidation but are taking responsibility for irresponsible lending. I’ve sent an email but it is worth investigating if you had loans with them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes, at some point they may run out of money, but at the moment people are getting some payouts. This page https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/ is better for general questions not about Wonga refunds, more people will see your comments on there.
Anon37 says
I was sucessful and got a full refund last year from the liquidators.
Sarah says
Hi, I am sure this has been asked before but I am struggling to find it.
I have received a response (8 weeks +1 day) from Wonga. We borrowed every month from them between 2011 and 2012, with increasing amounts. They wrote off an existing loan in 2015 as they stated it had been lent irresponsibly!!
They have not upheld any of the loans at this stage whatsoever!! :-(
I have replied to the email stating that they admitted lending wrongly in 2015 and asked how they can then deny it now. Sadly I don’t have the email about it!!
I will send to ombudsman but I wondered if anyone else had had this.
Also, do the FOS uphold any cases over 6 years?
Thanks so much! This site is genuinely changing our life!
Sarah
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh yes, it’s common. What should happen here is that the write off in 2015 is the “first part” of your refund. If the write off was large and the previous loans were small, you may not get much if anything more. but lots of people have has sizeable refunds after a previous write off so yes, send it to the Ombudsman.
At the moment Wonga and the FOS are arguing over a couple of test cases. I am afraid your case will sit on hold until that is settled. But don’t delay in sending the case in.
Kez says
After settling with Wonga through FOS I am pleasantly surprised to have received my refund just 6 days after their confirmation email. Thought they would drag it out! A nice amount that’s being put towards our dream holiday and the feeling of being payday loan free is incredible… I have a few more going through FOS at present including Lending Stream of which I’m not expecting any co-operation. Adjudicator has found in my favour for 28 out of 37 loans which amounts to over £4000 without 8% from 2012 – 2016. I am under no illusion they will not respond to my adjudicator and I’m prepared for it to go all the way.
Thank you Sara, after starting my journey in September last year I am now seeing lots of light at the end of the tunnel! Keep going everyone! It’s so worth it!!
Laura Scarbrow says
I have final heard back from Wonga on the final day of the 8 week period. they have went on to say that my complaint will not be fully considered by them or FOS because my loans span more than 6 years >2012.
However, they have made me an offer of £1569.99 for the 7 loans i had with them every month since March 2012 (given my complaint went in Jan 2018). So for 7 loans they will refund me the interest amount plus 8% interest but they have also added a clause were they take 20% tax from this and 8% interest which i did not understand, leaving me with a total of £1278.97.
Given that this is a high amount to some people but i know i have taken out previous numerous consecutive loans with them 12 months prior since 03/12
My last loan with them was never repaid and it was for £2000, we have written this off, mostly interest anyway.
I had taken out over 17-20 other payday loans to cover the interest on varies loans over a 2 year period but it all stemmed from Wonga in the beginning and now my credit report is in a mess even though ive tried hard for the past 5 years to get it cleared up.
What should i do? Contest the other prior loans previous to 6 years? Because i know this was alot, or just accept the offer for 7 loans in 2012?
Please advise
Antony says
I made a huge mistake by accepting their offer of £1800 back in 2016. I must’ve paid over £6000 in interest, and was in exactly the same predicament, lending from Bob to pay john.
I would say take it to the ombudsman, your more likely to get a better offer , the only thing is that it takes a lot of time. I was in the middle of buying a house when the offer came in from them, which subsequently fell through so was in dire need of the money. If you can wait, I’d say sit it out!
Laura Scarbrow says
Thanks for the advice.
It seems a reasonable offer at the time but does not consider my ealier loans of 6 years plus (12+). This is where it all declined for me. Im in a good olace right now but fast approaching 40 and want to be abe to buy a mortgage and have tried hard ober past 5yrs to achieve this but them payday loans i borrowed 5 years ago have truly ruined my chance, so ive turned to this site for advice and guidance which has helped to no end
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Has Wonga agreed to remove problems from your credit record? That’s important to you and they will usually do this.
They will deduct tax not on the refund but on the 8% added as that is treated by the taxman as savings income. But you can claim up to £200 per tax year back, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/
It’s a hard call whether to go to the Ombudsman to try to get the over 6 year loans included. If getting a mortgage in the next year is more important than getting the extra money back, it may be sensible to settle now. But the payday loans 5 years ago will be dropping off your record soon anyway, and more money is always useful when buying a house!
Laura Scarbrow says
Yes they have offered to remove the debts from my credit file which im happy with. So i might just take the offer now amd fight the other payday loans through the FOS.
Laura Scarbrow says
Has anyone had any response to 6 years plus??? With wonga or anyone for that matter? How successful were you? Because alot of loan companies such as payday uk, payday express, lending stream have been harsh with me?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send the cases straight to the Ombudsman and settle in for a long wait.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can accept the Wonga offer to clear up your credit record and take the othe cases to the Ombudsman if you want, you don’t have to make the same decision for all of them.
Annie says
Hi, I have recently accepted a refund from Wonga for 2012-2013. My question is can I now go back and ask them to look further into 2014 to present or have a forfeited this by already accepting the offer?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Unless there was something wrong with their offer – did it mislead you about the number of loans, you right to go to the Ombudsman? – then I am afraid you have probably accepted an offer in settlement of your whole claim, so you can’t reopen it.
Andy says
Hi
I just had my loan details sent through from Wonga. I noticed they only went back 6 years and I was sure I had older ones. I phoned and questioned this, Wonga said they only had to supply 6 years as outlined by fsa. My problem is my bank can only supply 6 years of statements. My question is should I make a SAR request to Wonga to see if I can get my details from over 6 years.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well you could send them a SAR – that would cost £10 and take 40 days. Or you could wait until after May 25th when it will be free. I suggest waiting. Wonga won’t offer to refund the earlier loans so this will be going to the Ombudsman anyway and will take a very long time, so there’s no rush.
Andy says
Thank you what is significance of 25th may is that when ruling is coming out about 6 year cut off?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, it’s something totally different! Google GDPR – I will be writing a new article about it this week!
Emma says
Hi Sara,
So Quickquid replied to the adjudicator today saying they don’t agree with the assessment so they are doing a second assessment looking into the points raised.
Is this normal and do you think they’re just dragging their heels so to speak?
Adjudicator said she’s doing the second assessment this week. Are they’re decisions ever turned around that you know?
Thank you.
Andy says
Took nearly 10 weeks but Wonga finally came back today offering me just under £4000 for loans from 2012-2014. I wasn’t expecting much after receiving an email last week from QuickQuid rejecting my claim (going to forward this to the ombudsman). Wonga seem to have randomly selected the loans they are refunding me so I’m sure if I forwarded this to the ombudsman I could probably get a little more. However, as I’m shortly moving house and the money will come in handy I’ve accepted their offer. It’s all thanks to coming across this website that I’ve recieved a refund so thank you! I’ve not been in the payday loan trap for some years now but getting something back from these sharks is a very good feeling!
David Cunliffe says
anyone had a refund from sunny how quick are they?
anon37 says
Any update on the >6 year cases as i am waiting for the “jurisdiction team” @ the fos and have been for a year. So frustrating.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it must be getting to the point where there is a final decision on the test cases soon!
Anon37 says
I really hope as all other payday companies pay up eventually bar wonga. I dont even know what the jurisdiction team even do at the fos but my other claims were not delayed so long.
Tony says
Hi I emailed my complaint through to Wonga on Saturday. I borrowed on a monthly basis from them between 2011-2014, all while I was a full time student. Worked out that I have paid just over £3000 in interest and fees.
Will they respond acknowledging my email ? Or is this not usual? Should I just be expecting to wait until the end of the 8 week period?
Mark says
They will write back in a week or so saying they will look into your complaint and then you have to wait 8 weeks for them to reply with an offer
Rebecca says
Sorry to jump on your post, Tony.
Mark: do they usually offer after 8 weeks or do you then have to go to the ombudsmen?
Scott says
Hi Sara,
Thank you so much to this website; I had never even assumed I could claim a refund. I finally heard back today from Wonga, who stuck within the time frames allowed. They did tend to disregard anything over 6 years old, and did only take into account two loans when refunding; however rather than a long drawn out process, I decided to accept their response & refund of £500, as some of the loans were of course my own negligence.
But thank you so much for all the advice, and the community advice here; especially with the complaints template, which I used and edited to suit my needs. I’m gonna have a try with the other companies which I took alternative loans out from too and see if I have any success with them!
Jcraeford says
I’m worries, I have been sent my statement of loans by Wonga but they have refused as the loans are more than 6 years old. I have bipolar disorder and was in a lot of debt when they gave me the loans totalling over £4,500.
Is it worth appealing despite the 6 yrs rule?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes it is. Your complaint will be slow, but it’s not much work to put in and then it just sits there, yiu don’t have to do anything. There is obviously no guarantee yiu will win in the end, but the Ombudsman is at the moment saying it thinks the older cases should be considered, so there should be is a good chance you will.
mathew says
Sara, I’ve received my ‘Final Response’ from PDExpress. The letter states that the first 9 loans they feel should have had more questions asked to issue them to me but would need to see bank statements to see this properly – and then supplied the 4 months they required. Then in a table have said they are willing to pay back £1850 for 4 of the more recent loans.
So I called them yesterday and asked if i could accept that payment for those loans and then send my statements for the rest to be evaluated and they said to do that and they will pay the money within 10 working days and give me a reponse too on my other loans. Which i’ve done last night!
However i’m now concerned that maybe they’ve lied and ive formally agreed to all of it by signing the letter? But their letter does clearly state they think they were in the wrong for the first 9 but needed to double check?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No they haven’t lied. They (and their sister company Payday UK) are the only lender at the moment allowing cases to be split in this way – paying on some and still looking at others, but we haven’t seen anyone having any problems after they have agreed to split the case.
mathew says
Thank you Sara, thats really put my mind at rest! Great news then! What do you feel by them saying they should have asked more questions on the 9 loans that they are requesting statements for? Does it sound like they are accepting responsibility?
Deb says
A massive thank you to this website, Sara and everyone who has commented on here. I used the templates provided , today is 8 weeks since I sent my first email to Wonga and they have come back today and upheld my complaint and offered me just over £2600 which I’ve decided to accept . ( there were some loans over 6 years old but these were smaller so decided not to go to FOS).
I was pleasantly surprised as QQ had rejected my complaint which I am escalating to FOS.
Thanks again everyone , I would say go for it . I didn’t have to supply any evidence just the list of loans that Wonga supplied me anyway .
Paul says
Hi everyone
Quick question, I’ve rejected Wongas settlement offer of £1176 – complaint is now with the ombudsman
I have £1200 outstanding to be paid to wonga. Am I right in saying the ombudsman will not look at the loans where wonga have upheld Only those they haven’t? So essentially whatever happens I’m guaranteed £1176?
Worst case Scenario, FOS agree with wonga, does that mean wonga will be told to refund the £1176 as per their final written response?
Spoke to wonga today and it sounds like they treat the balance and the complaint separately so although I owe them £1200 They will refund me £1176 and then expect me to either pay off the balance or set up an payment plan?
Shannon says
The FOS will look at all loans. I had a complaint with wage day advance where the said first loan was unaffordable and the rest were affordable. Took it to FOS and they said first loan was affordable and the rest were not. So wouldn’t say the FOS would just agree with wonga on those loans and not look at them again.
Jodee says
Unfortunately not, the FOS will look at all of the loans, best case scenario you end up with a larger refund, worst case scenario you don’t get anything. With my Wonga refund they took the amount I still owed out of the refund before it was sent to me.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“Am I right in saying the ombudsman will not look at the loans where wonga have upheld Only those they haven’t?” no.
“So essentially whatever happens I’m guaranteed £1176?” not guaranteed but in practice we haven’t seen a situation where someone who is made an offer like that gets less from going to the Ombudsman.
“although I owe them £1200” is that what you borrowed? or the balance including the interest they have added? because usually the Ombudsman will decide that the last defaulted loan should be included in the refund so the balance is reduced to what you borrowed, no interest, less anything you have paid to it so far.
Kara says
The FOS seem to give inconsistent information about this. I spoke with them the other day about my Payday UK complaint whereby I was offered a refund on some but not all loans. The FOS, on this occasion, said they wouldn’t review the loans upheld by Payday UK as the lender has already offered to refund them.
William Cowe says
I have to admit to being exceptionally cheesed off, sent the bog standard complaint email (Stage 1) to Wonga on 21.02.2018 for both my wife and I. My interest and charges amounted to approx £5000 going back from 2010 to early 2014 (almost continuous roll overs on a monthly bases , as was my wife’s which amounted to £4000 ). One week prior to the two month (8 week|) period being up, I sent off a stage 2 letter, where I outlined my income and expenditure at the time. This week my wife was offered refunds of £2700 for loans only within the 6 year period, she has accepted the offer, whereas I have been knocked back. Wonga make mention of the details I enclosed in the stage 2 letter regarding my income, but have rejected my claim on the following grounds
1. That they asked questions regarding my income/expenditure at the time of original application – NOT TRUE
2. They carried out credit checks- HIGHLY IMPROBABLE as I had numerous other debts, defaults and CCJs
3. They also make reference to a loan which I have no record of and does not feature in the list sent out.
I don’t know whether I have made the situation worse by sending off a stage 2 letter just prior to the 8 week mark and wonder whether to still take this to the ombudsman
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You haven’t made anything worse by adding details to your complaint before the 8 week mark.
I suggest you send the case to the Ombudsman and make the points 1-3 clear.
William Cowe says
Thanks Sara
Il keep you posted as to how it goes. Ombudsman complaint pack as been prepared today for dispatch tomorrow
Bill
MATT says
Another update
Wonga have offered me £300 for a couple of random loans. I paid over £5k interest so that one has gone to the FOS too.
Looks like these lenders just refuse to take complaints seriously, do they gamble on the fact the FOS will reject complaints I wonder, or maybe I will be too intimidated to take to the FOS?
Mathew Clements says
So strange… I had my response from Wonga last night and they offered £1300 was only expecting £1500 so accepted… Think they are just picking and choosing to be honest
MATT says
Yeah they pray on the desperate so that would make sense.
So random Mathew, depends what side of the bed they got out of it appears.
Mark says
I got an email back on the 8th week offering me £120 but I am definitely owed more, I have sent it to the ombudsman how long does it usually take and what’s other people’s experiences, thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You will normally be contacted in a week or so and asked for a copy of your credit record and bank statements if you haven’t already sent them. The FOS is also asking Wonga for a copy of its case file at this point. Then when you and Wonga have provided everything it sits waiting to be picked up by an adjudicator. This is typically in the 8-14 week region, depending partly on how fast the lender supplied the details. Then the adjudicator may ask some questions or may just write a provisional decision and email it to you and the lender, either of you can then raise more points or provide more information, it’s common for the adjudicator to revise their opinion, if they do you get another chance to comment. It normally takes from 2-4 weeks to get the final decision from the adjudicator.
Mark says
Ok thanks very much Sara, I really appreciate it
Alice says
I’m on month 4 of waiting after sending to ombudsman, they have said they’re currently fighting Wonga for all loans older than 6 years and they’re unable to say how long that will take. I’m not desperate for the money and considering they owe me 3x what they offered it’ll be worth the wait
S says
Hi,
I am not sure if this has been mentioned by anyone in all the various comments, however I thought it might be useful to post. I raised a claim to FOS in October last year against Wonga and it has still not progressed. According to FOS Wonga and a number of other lenders are now legally challenging FOS over the 6 year time limit, my loans were from 2010/11 and I complained last year, so only just outside of 6 years and genuinely didn’t realise I had grounds for a claim until I came across this site!
Anyway this has been dragging on and it is now with the FOS legal team. Not sure if anyone else is in the same boat, however very frustrating and I genuinely hope FOS win this one for all the borrowers who genuinely did not realise they had basis for a claim.
Trudie Griffin says
Hi
I’ve had an e-mail from my adjudicator to say they have emailed wonga and told them they have to refund me on 57 loans and that they have until the 8th of May to respond. I haven’t had a figure of how much the refund will be yet just wondering how much longer it’s likely to be ? What happens now once wonga responds thanks very much
James says
Hi Sara, I recently accepted an offer from Wonga on 10 Loans, I have since found out that there was in fact 37 in total, can I now send this to the fos or have I had it now accepted on the 10? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How recently was this? Was the offer from Wonga misleading, suggesting you didn’t have that many loans?
James says
Hi, it was about 4 months ago and they said they could only find 10 loans. Just printed my bank statements and found all the others. Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Right! As you were given misleading information then I think you should first go back to Wonga and ask them to look again and then take the complaint to the Ombudsman if they refuse.
nic07 says
Hi all, just wanted to let you know that Wonga upheld my complaint and offered me a refund in the region of £1,800. I sent the acceptance form back on Mon 23rd April and apparently I’ll be refunded within 14 working days. I’m on working day 10 and haven’t received anything yet. Will keep you posted. Thank you so much for this site by the way, it’s been such a relief!
Kells says
Have you now received your money?
Helen says
Hi not yet I just sent the form back yesterday but understand the way I read it was 14 working days from when they receive the correctly filled out form and whatever evidence they need good luck your nearly there I hope
nic07 says
Not yet! Monday is their last day, so I’ll let you all know if Wonga stick to their word
Kells says
Did you have any luck? I’m still chasing and sent my form in the same day as you.
jan says
I sent my acceptance on 30th april. 14th working day today and still nothing received so doesn’t look like they stick to paying within this time!
Kells says
I’ve been told mine was processed Wednesday and takes 3-5 working days to reach my account, so hopefully Monday.
Dan says
Any of you guys had your money ? How long over the 14 working days was it?
Paul says
Hi I am on day 14 . Can you tell me how long over this you waited ??. I have promised other people I’d pay things off for a now debt free life
nic07 says
I had to wait until day 15 until mine was processed in the end. If you call them, they will let you know what the status of the refund is
Paul says
Thanks for the info .. I’ll be on the phone first thing. One thing I have noticed from the complaints team is their phone number is inactive .. Only get through to customer service .. Do you get confirmation email that the money has been transferred ??
Paul says
Just phoned Wonga as i am on day 15 only to be told that they have processed my payment yet it could take within 5-8 working days to reach my account
Steve89 says
Hi Sara,
Thanks for all your help. Wonga have paid me out and ongoing with lending stream. But do I have a case with NatWest? They emailed me in October offering me an overdraft which I obviously accepted because I’m an idiot. It was maxed out within two weeks so always goes back to being -£4,500. But why would you offer a person with multiple missed payments on credit cards, loads of missed direct debits, a gambling addiction and a history of pay day loans that amount of cash. Have spent more than £600 on interest since and this lending sounds just as bad as a payday. What do you think?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Were NatWest already your bank when they offered you this overdraft?
Steve89 says
Yes they were. They have been my bank since university days. My wages go in there every month so they have seen that. But so did all the payday loans, missed payments ridiculous amount of betting transactions etc
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In that case I think this is well worth an affordability complaint. This is closest to a complaint about a credit card rather than a loan, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/, but of course there are no set repayments with a n you verdraft, so you are arguing that the whole amount was clearly unreasonably high given what they knew about your finances – list all the problems.
Also if they had recently declined you for a loan or credit card but offered the overdraft mention that.
You want to ask for a refund of the overdraft charges and any interest paid.
Expect this sort of complaint to go to the Ombudsman.
vickie9 says
Has there been any news on anything over 6 years yet?
Micheal Boulton says
Just recieved my call and letter from them ombudsmen saying wonga owe me
£630 from chain 1 of loans
£1620 from chain 2
And 8% interest plus £500 compensation..
This case started back in feb
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Thanks for sharing. I assume chain 1 and chain 2 were periods of borrowing with a big gap in between? Could you say what the compensation was awarded for?
Eric says
Hello
I’ve had my first response to my complaints from Wonga, who have stated that they had taken my information in my application in good faith and that they undertook credit checks that determined I was fine to lend to. They also said I never told them I was having financial difficulty and if I had they would of been aware of my circumstance and put in the correct plan.
Even though I’ve borrowed from them 10 times roughly £3000 in the last two years and on some occasions borrowing on the same day as paying back. If they checked my credit file correctly they would of seen over 100 loans borrowing roughly £30,000 in the last two years which is about 80% of what my salary has been. I told them about my financial difficulty in my original complaint yet I was still able to pay off my loan and take out another one on the same day even though I told them I had money problems.
Should I send back another email or straight to FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Unless they have made a factual error, there isn’t any point in trying to get them to change their mind. So send it to the ombudsman and tell Wonga by email that you have done this.
Sam says
Can anyone say how long it takes once you pass all the details to the FOS? I filled out the online form in March, received the letter and sent them my credit report but haven’t heard anything since. How long will it take? Wonga offered me £900~ including the 8% interest for 19 loans out of 40 which is why i’m keen to hear back from the FOS.
Cheers
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It normally takes 8-14 weeks for a case to be picked up by an adjudicator.
Sam says
Hi Sara,
Appreciate all the help you have provided – I know this isn’t to do with Wonga, but in 2012 i had a £300 loan from Toothfairy Finance (the crooks) and paid over £1000 back due to their scare tactics and extortionate fees. I was young at the time and very silly i know but is there anyone that will be able to help me get this money back, or are they long gone?
Helen says
Hi good news on 13th march I stumbled across this site and after much thought decided to send an email to wonga using a template, never expected much response but after 5 got an acknowledgement few weeks later another email apologising for the delay then exactly 8 weeks 2 days later an offer of 6600 pound many thanks to this website !!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Great news!
Jim Clark says
Hi Sara, i would just like to say after reading a few of the comments on here about the time scale for the adjudicator to pick up the case against wonga being between 8 to 14 weeks, Our case has been with the financial ombudsman since late october 2017 and it is now May 2018 and it has still not been picked up by the adjudicatorafyer 7 months, when i phoned they simply said they are snowed under and will get to it eventually, is this normal ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s unusual – unless you have loans over 6 years old?
Ian says
Hi sara i emailed a firm on my wonga loans who sent my bank statements and credit report to the fob this was jan 10th i phone the firm every month they just say not heard anything its 16 weeks now i didnt tell wonga about this back in jan is this normal thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have deleted the name of the claims firm you are using.
Most claims companies aren’t much good with payday loan refunds – but I haven’t heard of the one you are using. Claims are just so much simpler to do yourself without having a middleman in the way. But where you are there isn’t much you can do except carry on phoning them up :(
Mark says
I have sent my case to the ombudsman and wonga have emailed me back saying my case is closed because I didn’t email them back, am I suppose to email them and tell them I have sent it to the ombudsman or what happens now? Thanks
nicola handley says
I never emailed then back to say was sending it to ombudsmen.as long as its in the 6 month period
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You don’t have to tell the lender but there is no reason not to, so reply to Wonga saying you have sent your complaint to the FOS.
Mark says
Ok thanks a lot guys , I’ve emailed them now