The repayments on many loans and car finance are too high to be manageable so people get deeper into debt trying to repay them.
When you applied, a lender should have checked a loan would be affordable for you – often they did not check properly and you should never have been given this loan.
This article describes how to complain, with a template to use.
Many people have won complaints using this. If you win, you get the interest refunded in cash. When you still owe a balance, the interest is removed so you only repay what you borrowed.
These complaints do not hurt your credit record if you carry on making the loan repayments while the complaint goes through.
Contents
A quick overview
What types of loans?
- any personal loans, including high-cost lenders, bank loans, and credit union loans;
- you can complain if you are still paying the loans, it has already been repaid, it has defaulted, or you have a payment arrangement/DMP;
- a consolidation loan may have been cheaper than the credit cards it cleared – but it may still have been unaffordable!
- you can also complain about car finance. But if you are still paying car finance, be careful – read Car finance affordability – what you get if you win a complaint
- the complaints here do not apply to mortgages or business loans.
What is “unaffordable”?
The regulator says “affordable” means:
you can make the repayments without hardship or having to borrow elsewhere.
For large loans, a lender should have made adequate checks at the start. The larger your loan, the worse your credit score and the more other debt you had, the closer a lender should look.
If your loan was fine at the beginning and only caused problems later when you lost your job or your mortgage repayments went up, you are unlikely to win an affordability complaint as this could not have been predicted at the start.
How does this work?
You first make a complaint to the lender saying the loan was unaffordable and ask for a refund of the interest.
There is a template here you can adapt to say what happened to you. Send it by email.
The lender has up to 8 weeks to reply. Lenders reject many good complaints, so you can send a rejection to the Financial Ombudsman.
Complain to the lender
Send your complaint by email
It’s easiest if all communications are by email – free, instant and you have a copy with a date stamp to show the ombudsman.
If your loan has been sold to a debt collector, send your complaint to the original lender not the debt collector.
Find the right email address to use
BANK EMAIL ADDRESSES see this list : email complaint addresses for banks.
CAR FINANCE LENDERS see this list: email address for car finance lenders
PAYDAY LOANS see this other article as there is a better template to use for smaller loans where you borrowed a lot
OTHER LENDERS Here are the email addresses for most large non-bank lenders. There are a lot of smaller lenders, including many Credit Unions. If your lender is not listed, ask in the comment below for an email address.
Abound (used to be Fintern) complaints@getabound.com
Admiral loansquality@admiralgroup.co.uk
Anico complaints@anicofinancialservices.com
Avant Credit emailcomplaints@avantcredit.co.uk
Bamboo Loans complaints@bambooloans.com
Better Borrow enquiries@chetwood.co
Castle Community Bank complaints@castlecommunitybank.co.uk
Creation customercare@creation.co.uk
Everyday Loans – for loans after 31 March 2021, see Evlo and use the template in this article. It is no longer possible to make complaints about their loans before that date
Evlo (rebrand of Everyday Loans) complaints@evlo.co.uk
Fair Finance complaints@fairfinance.org.uk
Finio Loans (rebrand of Likely Loans) complaints@oakbrookfinance.com
Fluro (used to be Lending Works) cx@fluro.co.uk
Koyo loans info@koyoloans.com
Lendable complaint@lendable.co.uk
Lending Stream debbie.gandy@gaincredit.com
Lifestyle Loans info@lifestyleloans.co.uk
Likely Loans – see Finio
LiveLend support@livelend.co
Loans by Mal (Monthly Advance Loans) Complaints@loansbymal.co.uk
Loans 2 Go read Loans2Go – how to complain
MBNA mbnaonlinecomplaints@mbna.co.uk
Moneyline headoffice@moneyline-uk.com
My Community Bank complaints@mycommunitybank.co.uk
Novuna (used to be called Hitachi) ComplaintsTeam@NovunaPersonalFinance.co.uk
Plata complaints@plata.com
Plend complaints@plend.co.uk
Progressive Money complaints@progressivemoney.co.uk
Quick Loans customerscare@quickloans.co.uk
Ratesetter complaints@ratesetter.com
Reevo complaints@reevomoney.com
Salary Finance (Neyber) complaints@salaryfinance.com (for loans, not “salary advance”)
Savvy info@savvy.co.uk
Shawbrook Customercare.team@shawbrook.co.uk
Snap Finance customer@snapfinance.co.uk
Stream (used to be called Wagestream. For loans , not “salary advance”) complaints@stream.co
Tandem pl@tandem.co.uk
TM Advances info@tmadvances.co.uk
Updraft complaints@updraft.com
Vanquis customer.relations@vanquisbank.co.uk
Wagestream see Stream
Zopa complaints@zopa.com
118 118 Money complaints@118118money.com
Use this template
Email the lender to begin your complaint. Put AFFORDABILITY COMPLAINT as the subject of your email.
Template for you to adapt:
I have moved since the loan started. My current home address is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please do not send any letters to other addresses there may be on my file. [only include this if you have moved!]
Please confirm the date this loan started, the amount, the interest rate and the monthly repayments. [don’t include this if you already know the information]
I am asking for a refund of the interest and any charges I paid, plus statutory interest, and to delete any negative information from my credit record. [the refunds for car finance can be a lot more complicated than this, see but this is all you need to put in your complaint]
I also want the CCJ that I have for this debt set aside. [delete this sentence if you don’t have a CCJ!]
I attach copies of my bank statements and credit report from the time I applied for this loan/these loans. [delete if you don’t yet have them yet, but they help your case if you do. Even if they show gambling, that supports your argument the loan was unaffordable.]
I didn’t know that the lender was supposed to check that I could repay the loan without having to borrow more. I only found out in [2025] when I saw a newspaper article in the Sun/an advert on Facebook for refunds/a friend said they had made a complaint/posts about them on Instagram/TikTok, whatever. So I am complaining within 3 years of having found out that I have cause to complain. [only put this paragraph if some of your loans are more than 6 years old. It explains why you haven’t complained before. It’s only an example so change it so it really covers what happened to you!]
Add extra information if you want – see below for some ideas – you don’t have to do this.
Do you need a payment arrangement now?
If you want an affordable payment arrangement now, add a sentence to the complaint saying this. These complaints may take months to sort out – a payment arrangement can get your finances into a safe place:
- a payment arrangement shows on your credit record, but if you win the complaint all negative marks will be deleted
- talk to a debt adviser such as National Debtline if you want to know more about payment arrangements
- but don’t risk a payment arrangement for car finance or a logbook loan – one would put your car at risk.
Other details you can add
The template above is fine, you don’t have to add a lot more details.
But you can add extra points if they apply in your case, for example
- my bank statements and credit record (attached) show that I was unable to afford the loan repayments.
- this was a large loan, you knew I had poor credit and may have been in a difficult position so you should have tried to verify my income and expenses. If you had done this, you would have rejected my application.
- during a telephone call, your agent suggested some figures should be lower to get my application accepted.
- (if the lender was your bank) – you should have seen from my bank account that I was in financial difficulty, I was using my overdraft a lot, I was only making minimum payments to my credit card from you.
And some points about top-ups or second loans:
- a credit check would have shown that my finances had got worse since the first loan
- I had said the first loan was to consolidate debt, but you should have seen that this hadn’t happened.
While you are waiting for a reply
Try to get copies of your bank statements from 3 months before a loan to three months afterwards. You can get statements from closed bank accounts, normally going back 6 years.
Also get a statutory credit report now and download it. You can get one from TransUnion. Do this as soon as possible as sometimes the details change, so you want a full one saved to show the Ombudsman later if necessary.
Do not wait until the Ombudsman asks you for credit records or bank statements – you want them ready to hand. They really help your case as they prove your financial situation when you took the loan out.
You should get a response from the lender within 8 weeks. If you don’t, phone them up and ask when you will get it – a couple of days is worth waiting for but many responses are rejections, so don’t wait weeks for one, go to the Ombudsman straight away.
Go to the Ombudsman if you don’t get a good offer
Don’t be put off by a rejection! Sometimes lenders send long, complicated replies designed to make you look as though you should give up:
- if they say the loan was over 6 years ago, see below for “time limits”. The Ombudsman may go back further than 6 years.
- they may say you were going to use it to consolidate more expensive debts – that doesn’t mean this loan was affordable, just not as unaffordable as the other debts;
- if the lender said it was your fault because your loan application wasn’t accurate – the lender should have made checks to verify it.
I suggest you rely on your instinct – if the loan caused you problems, send it to be looked at by the Ombudsman.
If you aren’t sure, ask in the Comments below this article. You only have 6 months to send the complaint to FOS, so it’s best to do this as soon as possible.
It isn’t usually worth trying to negotiate with these lenders, you are just wasting your time.
Send to Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
This is easy with the online form here: Send a complaint to the Ombudsman. It asks you for all the details they need.
The main part of your complaint can be a version of what you sent the lender in your complaint. Add any more details you want, including pointing out mistakes in the lender’s reply. Also attach:
- the reply from the lender
- Trans Union statutory credit record
- bank statements starting 3 months before first loan
- do not worry if you don’t have A copy of your credit or finance agreement – lots of people don’t. The lender will supply a copy if FOS asks for it. Don’t delay sending a complaint to FOS while you try to get this from the lender.
Bank statements
Don’t delay sending a case to the Ombudsman while waiting for this information.
If you don’t have the bank statements from the time of the loan application, get them now. And then send them to the Ombudsman, don’t wait to be asked.
You can get these going back at least 6 years even from closed accounts. And you can often go back a lot further with an account that you are still using. Ask your bank if you need statements from further back than you can get in the app.
“Is there a time limit?”
You can’t complain about a loan that started before April 2007.
Lenders will often reject a complaint if the loan started more than 6 years ago.
But if your loan was still being repaid within the last 6 years, the Ombudsman may well decide they can look at it. So if your loan started in 2018 and finished in 2022, send this to the Ombudsman if the lender says it’s too old, because it isn’t.
The ombudsman may also look at older loans if you had a continuous stream of borrowing which carried on into the last 6 years. So if you had 2 loans, the first from 2014-17, when it was refinanced into a loan from 2017-2021, the Ombudsman may decide they can look at the earlier loan as well. And if you had two overlapping loans, eg from 2014-2019 and 2017-2022, the Ombudsman may look at both.
But if your loans from this lender ended more than 6 years ago, then it is very unlikely you will win a case at the Ombudsman.
Need some help?
Don’t use a claims management company. They are expensive, often incompetent and use a similar template to the one in this article.
Instead, ask a question in the comments below.
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Refunds from cards and catalogues
M says
Hi all
Has anyone in here had a successful affordability complaint against Lendable or Vanquis!? I am in the process of complaints for both.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Lots of wins against both!
Here is a recent one against Lendable that they upheld – they reject many complaints and they have to go to the Ombudsman https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/comment-page-53/#comment-546457
Here is a recent win against Vanquis at the Ombudsman – https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/comment-page-53/#comment-546364
M says
Thank you Sara! Very useful indeed! Do you happen to have any links to successful Monzo complaints as well please?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Here is one that Monzo rejected but which was won at the Ombudsman https://debtcamel.co.uk/get-refund-overdraft/comment-page-18/#comment-545528
Tom says
I used Sara’s template for an affordability complaint against Salary Finance. I’ve just had a final response and they have found in my favour! Reducing the amount owed by nearly £3000! Thank you Sara.
Jessica says
Hi Sara,
I have a large loan of £25,000, which I used as a last resort to consolidate multiple debts. I applied in 2023 and the loan was for 96 months and the interest rate given is 16.9%. I’ve since realised that I probably should have applied for a debt management plan to consolidate, as I have since applied for 2 more loans to try and get out of debt. Do you think that with still six more years to go I would be able to apply for an affordability refund? I would be paying back nearly £44,000, which seems insane now I have learn’t of the various options that were available.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This large loan left you short each month so you ending up borrowing more?
This is common with consolidation loans. It may have been cheaper than the debts you cleared, but the lower monthly payment may still have been unaffordable…
I suggest you complain. And also complain about the 2 later loans as well.
Jessica says
Ok, I am worried as my salary increased quite significantly in December. Would they use this against me?
I’ve since cut up my credit cards and I am trying to gazelle focus on overpaying, but it is still going to take me years to pay everything back. The interest is killing me on the HSBC loan. The repayments for each loan are as follows:
£460 – HSBC – 16.9% – left to pay £32,619 – 71 payments left. Loan was for £25,000
£258 – Creation – 7.4% – left to pay £12,919 – 49 payments left. Loan was for £13,000
£247 – Zopa – 8.9% – left to pay £13,811 – 55 payments left. Loan was for £12,000
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Affordability is a check that is carried out on your situation at the time the loan started. Your recent loan increase is irrelevant.
If any of your loans were after December, they may be harder to win a complaint about.
Jessica says
The Zopa one I applied for in April this year.
Thanks
Jessica says
Hi Sara,
I was hoping you could help me. HSBC have come back with the below:
Our records show your application for a £25,000.00 loan over 96 months was referred to our underwriters for additional checks. When they contacted you to discuss your application, you accepted the 16.9% APR and confirmed the purpose of the loan was to pay off and close your external credit cards. Your salary was verified by the credit turnover on your account. On completion of their assessment your application was approved and completed.
Your monthly contractual repayments are being maintained, and I’ve been unable to evidence any request for help in managing your finances.
Having completed an extensive review, I’m unable to agree we’ve acted irresponsibly. We’ve followed our processes correctly, set expectations and made you aware of our terms and conditions. Although I sympathise with your situation, I’ve been unable to find any evidence of a bank error. I regret that I’m, therefore, unable to uphold your complaint or consider your request for a refund of fees and interest with 8% statutory interest.
I’m sorry for any disappointment this may cause you. I do hope that I’ve now addressed your concerns accordingly and I’d like to thank you, once again, for taking the time to contact us.
Do you think it is still worth me submitting this complaint to the financial ombudsman?
Thanks,
Jess
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what date was the HSBC loan?
if you are struggling with all these repayments, a debt management plan with Stepchange may be a sensible idea
Jessica says
The year was 2023. To be fair, I am not struggling at the moment as I have had a significant wage increase last December. I was just hoping to get some interest refunded as quite frankly it was one of the worst financial decisions I ever made.
I just don’t know if it is worth going to the Ombudsman or not.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The fact you are now in a much better position is irrelevant for an affordability complaint that looks at your position when you took the loan.
I think you know this caused you a lot of problems so yes, it’s worth sending to FOS. Use the link to the ombudsman’s online form in the article above
J says
Finally after 2 months of my investigator reviewing my complaint they have got back to me stating she has made a decision. However, she thinks it would be beneficial to discuss things over the phone, have you ever heard of this happening before?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
is this from the lender or the Ombudsman?
J says
It’s from the FOS Investigator, have you heard of this happening before?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A few investigators like to do this i think. If you were prefer not to talk on the phone, just say you would rather do this by email
Louise says
Can I please have an email address for the following companies:
– lendable
– rate setter
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They are now both in the list in the article above
S says
I used this exact approach with Bamboo and managed to get a really positive outcome. At first they rejected my complaint, but after challenging it further they offered to remove all the interest from my loan – which saved me thousands. If you’re struggling, don’t give up. Definitely use the affordability template! Put as much detail in the complaint as possible. Can’t thank Debt Camel enough for all the information and advice! Thanks once again :)
Ash says
Thank you Debt camel for the fantastic complaint template! I managed to get around £1200 back from Novuna, which will be a massive help to me, I wouldn’t have known where to start before coming across your instagram so thank you
Kaylee says
Hey, Do you have an email address for Specialist Motor Finance company please?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
complaints@smfmotor.com
Jess says
Hey do you have an email for Monzo for their loans and Plane Saver Credit Union? Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Monzo address – see the list of bank emails linke£ to from the article above
Plane saver – simonjumna@planesaver.co.uk
Dave Smith says
Halifax finally gave in after my wife won our complaint against them with the FOS. They said they wouldn’t pay until the new court ruling on FOS decisions and how they were come to. However, today the FOS said Halifax have contacted them and said they won’t contest it any further and will pay my wife £3300 overdraft fees going back to 2018 plus 8% interest.
I assume the court has now ruled and it hasn’t gone in the banks favour? Either way, a great win for my wife. Thanks for all your help! To date we have managed to claim back (including this Halifax) over £14,000! And the biggest is yet to come! (If we win) I’ll keep you posted. 👍
Sara (Debt Camel) says
excellent. I haven’t seen that the judgments have been published yet.
Zoe says
Hi Sara,
So far I have complained to Bamboo after lending me £2000 when I was on a low income and had lots of other credit cards, another loan and an overdraft to which it’s been declined. I forwarded it to the FOS and they have sided with bamboo stating that they feel based on what I told them my earnings were and what credit checks they carried out they did not lend irresponsibly. So I have declined the decision and sent further evidence like I tried to reach out to them before and had no response. Sections of my SAR showing all the other credit I had was at the max limit even if it was only for a few hundred pounds. I’m waiting to hear back. Could the decision potentially be changed?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what checks did they say Bamboo had done and do you agree with the figures?
what did you say the loan was for?
Zoe says
I honestly cannot remember what I said the loan was for it would of either been consolidate other debts or other. I cannot see it on any email.
The figures are not correct but they said based on what I’ve said it’s affordable.
From the evidence I have seen, Bamboo carried out appropriate checks before making their lending decision. They obtained a credit report to assess your financial commitments and overall credit history. This report did not show any current arrears, unsatisfied defaults, County Court Judgements (CCJs), or recent cash advances. It indicated that you had opened two new lines of credit within the six months prior to your application – a mail order account and a credit card – both with relatively low credit limits. Your total unsecured borrowing was around £3,198, which was modest compared to your declared annual income.
The £3,000 loan you referred to was not recorded on the credit file Bamboo accessed. If both loans were taken out in close succession, it is likely this information had not yet been updated by the credit reference agency at the time of Bamboo’s checks. Therefore, it would not have been reasonable to expect Bamboo to have been aware of this additional borrowing when assessing your application.
I had 23 late payments with bamboo. Reached out to them before and had no response. And also I had at least 5/6 open accounts for other lending
£400 and repaying £731.85
It’s the only loan I’ve had from them.
I am constantly borrowing/using a family members card to pay these sorts of debt and it seems to make things harder for me when complaining as they bring up about payments being made on time. They also state that the information they see on my credit file will be different to what I see so how can I infact see what they’ve based their lending decision on?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
was your declared annual income correct, as Bamboo should have tried to verify this?
What is your curent financial situation like? Do you still owe Bamboo money? What other debts do you have?
Zoe says
I don’t believe it was correct and my outgoings was not correct either.
I have paid off the bamboo loan now.
I still have a 118 money loan left to pay approx £900 left (borrowed £3000 and paying back nearly £5000) – I’ve emailed them twice they have both times not upheld the complaint so I’ve forwarded it to FOS and heard nothing after 2 weeks. So I tried again and it’s a week tomorrow and still not heard anything.
I have 2 x capital one cards £450 and £200
1 x aqua £1,250
1 x Zopa £200
1 x Zable £850
1 x very account £2000
1 x £200 NatWest overdraft
1 x quick quid loan borrowed £400 yet to pay £700 back
( all of these are maxed might I add)
So far the FOS have sided with all 3 lenders I have forwarded them NatWest, bamboo and quick quid.
I’ve used the templates I’ve changed what I’ve felt I’ve needed to. Each time they say based on the information I gave it was affordable. They do not care the fact of gambling transactions or other debt. I just feel so stuck now I read fantastic success stories and even an ounce of luck for one of them would have been fantastic for me.
Thank you for all you are doing!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you looked at your debt options, a debt management plan to get new interest stopped or a debt releief order to get you a clean start?
Zoe says
Also I complained to quid market and FOS have also sided with them stating things like based on what I told them I had enough spare expenditure. I wasn’t fully truthful when applying for this as I knew I would get declined so my own fault but in the moment I just wanted/needed the money.
However, I’d like to take this opportunity to explain that the amount of information that is available for you to see on your credit report from a Credit Reference Agency (CRA) isn’t the same as the information a lender like Quid Market will be able to review, if it carries out a credit check.
This is a section from the investigator response:
“I say this because under the relevant rules and guidance for short-term high-cost credit providers, there isn’t a requirement for a lender to carry out a credit check before agreeing to lend. Therefore, there also aren’t any specific requirements about the type or amount of information a lender should request from a CRA for a credit check.”
I have complained to many others and am fearful that I will get the same sort of responses. Based on the information I told them that it was “affordable”
Do I have much chance even if the information I provided was not fully truthful?
Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how large was the loan from QM? was it the only loan from them?
Adam Savage says
Had a rejection from the Ombudsman recently.
They said that because I had another debt ending then the finance was affordable. But the lender had no visibility of this so I dont see why its considered? Also the lender failed to provide any numbers to how they calculated my outgoings and the investigator used assumptions to calculate outgoings so its based on really soft ground. I’ve complained about the way my complaint was handled but dont expect much back. Is the FOS actually fit for purpose? It seems they try to be too fair and end up missing the point completely
Sara (Debt Camel) says
To win a complaint at the Ombudsman 2 things have to happen. The lender has to have made inadequate checks. AND the credit has to actually be unaffordable.
When was this other debt ending?
Do you disagree with the investigators numbers, perhaps they have missed a large expense?
Adam says
The Ombudsman agreed that the checks were inadequate and because the lender did not provide any figures to back up their decision making, the Ombudsman relied solely on my banks statements. The other debt – car subscription ending the month after application – but this wasn’t part of the lender’s knowledge. I dont think its fair to exclude this, its like having a cash windfall yet lenders dont factor that in. I dont even have the car anymore, gave it back via VT after a year.
There’s a whole load of outgoings assumed by the lender – national averages for owning a car, food for a family of four for example – but none of this detail is provided so how can I ever counter it? It seems the lender is actually insulated from complaints if they do not provide any info at all because of the ambiguity of the Ombudsman assessment and the words in it.
The investigator for the Ombudsman also looked at a three month period prior to the application and saw I had two payments of ~200 to council tax in that period. So divided that ~400 by three and ended up lowering my actual outgoings(!). This applied to other bills like electricity.
In the meantime, the default remains on my credit file and i have £5k to pay off and dont even have the car anymore!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
who is the lender? how large was the loan?
so you are saying the car finance payments only ended the next month because you were in finacial difficulty and returned the car?
Adam says
It was car finance so over 20k including interest. Lender was Startline
Sorry, didn’t explain very well. I had a car subscription which was ending in the near future so applied for car finance. Was given notice that it was ending. Got the finance for a new car then after a year had returned it as I couldn’t keep up payments.
Ombudsman said it was reasonable that it was affordable based on their calcs but not my statements yet statements were the only evidence they had
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so this was a lease?
Did the car salesman not ask what was happening to your current car?
Adam says
it was a subscription service from Cazoo – pay a monthly fee to use the car. Tax/insurance all included, just add fuel. It was a 3yr subscription and didn’t show on credit reports.
Finance for new vehicle was all done online and approved same day which is why I don’t feel the FOS is not using the same data that the lender used but they just ignored me on that.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So as i said, the Ombudsman looks for two things to uphold an affordability complaint:
– The lender has to have made inadequate checks.
AND
the credit has to actually be unaffordable.
That second check means looking at your full situation, not just what the lender did. I am not sure you can reasonably complain about this IF the car was actually affordable when the subscription ended the next month. If there had been a significant period of unaffordability, that would be different
Adam says
Understood, yet feel a bit defeated in it because its a lot of hypotheticals established from looking at actuals so makes little sense to me. Why not ask when my mobile contract is up and say well lets not include that because its a few months away? You know what I mean?
There’s not been any ask from the FOS about affordability before the 3 months leading up to finance application so I guess there’s something of an argument there. Effectively the Ombudsman said its a straight swap from subscription to finance but its not really – there’s additional taxes, insurance which should have been included. The Ombudsman said the finance was affordable but the lender assessed finance + motoring costs. Its all so wishy washy about what constitutes affordability, I can show I had <£100 a month left over but hypothetically my bills are something else according to the FOS ergo its affordable. Madness.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
well go back and argue about the insurance and taxes. Also supply your bank statements and show your other expenses
Adam says
I did do exactly that, I asked for the info and said there was more to consider but it wasn’t considered. Only the finance amount.
Apologies for having a bit of a whinge on here, needed to vent about it! As always, appreciate the feedback Sara
anne says
Apologies if this is on the incorrect thread.
I have several debts which I have been paying for many years through the debt collector, Lowell.
At the time that they started hounding me, i was intimidated by all the letters, threats of people coming to my door, court etc.
I have since found out, through your website, that there were lots of things that I could have done (hindsight is a wonderful thing!).
I went on to my Lowell account and I have noticed that they do not have any “documents” relating to any of the outstanding debts.
Is this something I can challenge them on?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can ask them to produce the CCA agreement for each of the debts. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/ask-cca-agreement-for-debt/ – that has a link to National Debtline page with a template letter to use. Use that exact template, don’t just send an email asking for the CCA
Although Lowell may not have the CCA at the moment sometimes they can get it from the lender when you ask. After 2 or 3 months it’s pretty unlikely this will ever turn up so you can then stop paying
karol says
Hi Sara,
I wanted to get your opinion on something. I took out a loan with MoneyBoat and signed a fixed-sum agreement which clearly set out six repayments of £266.68 (with the final one at £266.60), totalling £1,600 on an £800 loan. The schedule was:
28 Aug 2025 – £266.68
26 Sep 2025 – £266.68
28 Oct 2025 – £266.68
28 Nov 2025 – £266.68
24 Dec 2025 – £266.68
28 Jan 2026 – £266.60
But instead, they took £284.40 for the first repayment and then adjusted the later ones. To me, that feels like they didn’t uphold the contract I signed.
On top of that, their communication was very poor — they ignored my emails and only gave vague answers over the phone. Because of this, I’ve had to raise a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service.
What do you think I can realistically expect from MoneyBoat and from the Ombudsman in this case? My view is that MoneyBoat haven’t honoured the agreement, and their handling of the situation has been unprofessional.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I assume they reduced the later payments? Did them taking an extra 18 at the beginning cause you difficulty?
was this the only loan from them?
karol says
Yes, they reduced the second payment to £248.96, but I still feel that’s beside the point. The agreement I signed clearly listed six fixed payments of £266.68 (with the last one at £266.60). MoneyBoat have since admitted it was a “glitch” in their system, and they agreed it should never have happened, so technically the second payment is the one that’s “correct” according to the contract.
That’s why I’ve been asking them to cancel the final repayment in January as a goodwill gesture. My feeling is that if I had underpaid by £18, they would definitely have chased me and queried it, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the same standard from them when they broke the terms.
This is my only loan with them, and I’ve raised the complaint with FOS now. Just trying to get your view if pushing for the January payment to be cancelled is fair and realistic in these circumstances.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am not sure that is realistic unless you can show that them taking the higher amount in the first month caused you significant difficulty.
You may have more luck arguing the loan was unafffordable.
karol says
The loan contract I signed clearly stated the repayment amounts, but they changed these without letting me know — which to me feels like a breach of contract. I take your point though that it may not be seen as realistic unless I can show that the higher first payment caused me significant difficulty.
I’ll also think about whether affordability is another angle worth raising, as you suggest.
Kate says
Hello! Can aanyone advise what happens if you are currently paying a loan off?
I got a 10k one in December 2024 and absolutely cannot afford it at all
How does this work with such a large term left? Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
With a large balance still owing, if you win the case the interest is removed.
So if you borrowed 10k and 7k interest was added, then you have made 9 monthy payments of £233, that adds up to £2,100.
Win the complaint and your balance is reduced to 10000-2100=£7,900
You can them arrange to pay less per month to clear that. No more interest will be added
Sara (Debt Camel) says
BUT what other debts do you have? any other loans or cards?
Aidan says
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Debt Camel for the advice and support I found on the site.
I raised an affordability complaint to Transave Credit Union about an unsecured personal loan. After investigating, they agreed that their affordability and creditworthiness checks hadn’t met the required standard.
As a result, they:
• Refunded all the interest I had paid (£151.66)
• Reduced the balance accordingly
• Corrected the adverse reporting with the credit reference agencies
This was exactly the outcome I was hoping for. The guidance on this page really gave me the confidence to go ahead and challenge the lending — thank you!
stacey howley says
I wrote to close brothers with the draft mail provided and they just came back and said final decision . Not willing to investigate over 6 years is this right? Can I go back to them and argue ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
this is car finance? when did it start and finish?
K Powell says
Hey. I have complained to Shawbrook Bank about a loan. They were VERY quick getting back to me but rejected my complaint. I have sent to the Ombudsman, should I have responded to Shawbrook?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, the Ombudsman will tell them
Niamh says
Hi Sarah,
I’ve just had an email back after declining a £250 ‘good will fee’ from Abound, they have asked how much I would want to settle the complaint, what would your next action be, I have £2400 left on my loan and will have paid £2800 in interest by the end of the contract. Thanks for any help
Niamh
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s interesting…
How long ago did you take the loan out? how much for? how difficult was your situation at that point?
Bc says
So I’ve been informed today that the investigator said Zopa did nothing wrong in providing the loans below.
ive managed to clear some other debts but also have one case against capital one still waiting for ombudsman review.
5 July 2020 £2,100 31.3% 18 months£143.71
14 January 2021. £4,000 24% 24 months £206.90
21 January 2022 £7,000 25.1% 24 months £222.78
The 2020 loans paid off by the 2021 loan and still have the 2022 to be paid.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you think the Zopa decision is fair?
Bc says
No I didn’t agree with what he said regarding it not being upheld, he said they’d completed the checks but I have said they didn’t ask for further information on bank statements and it was approved via clearscore who are always behind on their credit score, if they had bank statements they would have seen additional debt payments and gambling transactions and using the overdraft, I did send the statements to FOS but he’s not mentioned that he even looked at them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
then I think you should go back and say for the 3rd loan in 3 years, each increasing, you think Zopa should have made better checks on your income and expenses, as their loans did not seem to be helping… and then they would have seen the other debts payments and gambling on your bank statements
Ask the investigator to review their decision and if they don’t change their mind you would like this to go to an Ombudsman
Kelley says
I have had similar with Zopa. The investigator initially upheld my complaint on the first of 2 loans, but then changed the decision to not uphold either of them. He said they verified my monthly income via Equifax, but they over-estimated it by £1,000 per month (I provided wage slips to demonstrate this). And they also weren’t aware of an £18,000 loan as it didn’t show on the credit report that they obtained. So they said I had a disposable income of around £400 after the new loan payment, but the info I have provided shows that it was actually a negative figure. I argued that they didn’t carry out adequate checks, as my wage slip and/or bank statements would have shows my true wage and the repayment for the loan that they weren’t aware of. It’s now in the queue for an ombudsman, but I’m aware that they may say that adequate checks were carried out, just as the investigator did.
Kate says
Hi Sara,
I’ve had the below from the FOS regarding a complaint I raised about unaffordable loans from NatWest:
“I note that, in your letter of complaint to NatWest, you refer to loan 8, taken out in October 2017, as a consolidation loan, and state that your circumstances had worsened by the time of that loan.
I therefore think that, in taking out a loan to consolidate your other lending, you were seeking to manage, and improve, your overall credit situation. So, I think you were also aware, or should have been aware, that you had problems with your existing NatWest lending at that time (in October 2017). So, it also follows that your complaint was made outside the three-year limb of the time limit rules.
You also said that you brought your complaint as soon as you were aware that you could. I’m sorry that you weren’t aware sooner and for the impact the lending has had on you, but under our guidelines, a lack of knowledge of the ability to bring a complaint for irresponsible lending doesn’t meet the requirements of exceptional circumstances.”
It reads like they are saying it’s my fault for getting a consolidation loan, even though my debt was increasing and NatWest shouldn’t have agreed to lend me more money.
Is it worth pushing back on this? Any advice would be welcome.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you reply (if this is accurate) saying that
The 2017 Natwest loan was taken out to consolidate other debts which had been getting worse. This seemed a sensible move to me at the time. I was, as you say, seeking to manage and improve my overall situation. But I don’t understand why you feel it should have caused me make a complaint about the existing NatWest loans – at that point my problems felt as though they were mainly other borrowing and that this was all my fault for having borrowed too much. I felt I was doing a responsible thing by trying to reduce the interest overall I was paying. Please review your decision and if you don’t change your mind, I would like this to go to an ombudsman as this feels unreasonable
Kate says
Thanks, Sara.
Yes, this is accurate – the reason I got a consolidation loan was to cut the overall debt and interest I was paying, which I thought was the most responsible thing to do at the time. I will reply to the FOS investigator accordingly. Thanks very much.
Liam says
I was given a loan of around £6000 by lendable in 2021/2022 at which time I was in persistent overdraft debt and had around 3/4 defaults on my account. I paid it off ok during the time but I’m going through to work on clearing my current credit card debt and realise I shouldn’t have been given that loan because it probably made it harder for me to get out of my poor financial situation. Can I make a complaint to them?
I also had a marbles credit card around the same sort of time which I maxed out and paid high interest each month can I also put a complaint in about that? They did increase my limit from around £2000/£3000 to around £6000 until I balance transferred to a no interest credit card recently.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can make complaints about both of those if you feel they made your situation worse
AQ says
Hello, needed some help please. I’ve had 11 loans from creditspring in the last 4 years which I believe trade as Inclusive Finance as money always came under this name. I want to register irresponsible lending complaint but can’t find exact dates and amounts. How can I get that information from them so that I will make sure I have bank statements ready for those months to be sent with complaint. Also do you have an email address for them please.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The loans should show on a credit report. But you don’t need the details for a complaint, with that many loans supplying bank statements for 3 months before and 3 months after each loan will cover most months, so just get all your bank statements for the last 4 years.
BUT i thought you can only get 2 loans a year from them?
AQ says
just double checked had 10 payments coming in from them since July 2021. You are right it was 2 a year but couple of times a gap was shorter than 6 months as I cleared it off quicker and accessed second tranche early.
is there any email address to send complaint to please
Sara (Debt Camel) says
complaints@creditspring.co
Laura says
Hi, Firstly thank you for making this known! I had no idea what an affordability complaint was until I came across you on Instagram. I have submitted a claim with Bank of Scotland – we are coming up to 8 weeks since my original complaint and they emailed me yesterday requesting the below information :
To help us investigate your complaint thoroughly, we need some additional information from you which I’ve listed below:
Your permission to view bank statements if these are held within Lloyds Banking Group.
Your account of events from the time the lending was provided. This will help us understand why you’re raising the complaint now. For example, has there been a change in your circumstances, such as employment, health, or financial vulnerability.
I did provide a good number of bank statements within my original complaint but happy to grant access for those however I am not sure what information to provide for the second part? My original loan started in 2016.
Any advice you can give on how to respond to this would be greatly appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How many loans did you have and were each of them started? Dis one refinance the previous one or did you have more than one at a time? Is the last one still being paid?
Laura says
Hi Sara,
I started the loan in 2016 and increased the amount 3 times in order to pay off my credit card which I also hold with bank of scotland. Each time the amount I increased went automatically to my credit card to clear the balance. This gave me one repayment rather than 2 but just got me in to more and more debt. My original loan amount in 2016 was £7500, this was increased to £10815 in 2023 and then increased to £14511 in 2024. My original monthly payment was £151 and this is now £228 which I am still paying and still have remaining amount of £12348.58.
Laura
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Has your credit card limit also been increased?
Laura says
I would have to check back as I have had 2 credit cards with bank of scotland – one paid off via a loan and then closed and one still open that I also used a loan to clear the balance of.
Hayley says
I used Sara’s template to support my affordability complaint and ended up with over £770 refunded back to me! I would never have known where to even start without all of Sara’s support and guidance! ♥️
Bluebird says
Thanks again Sara
Following your advice I’ve had a significant result and redress from a credit union of over £2200. My total payment has been reduced by £110 a month which is a life changing amount for me. All together now, following your advice I’ve had over 6k redress over the years due to irresponsible lending between payday loans and other loans. I’m saddened to see irresponsible is still ongoing today despite all the changes to legislation. Thanks again.
Oreo says
Hi, my husband took out 2 separate loans and a credit card. 1st loan to pay off overdraft and then another to pay off credit card debt. Unfortunately majority of his overdraft came from gambling 😵💫 The loan company clearly didn’t do any detailed investigation if either of these loans were affordable for him as they are the same company he has the two loans with and they granted it instantly. His credit score wasn’t good and having a loan out already surely both the loan company and credit card one they should have looked into this. Do you think a complaint could be valid for him? Or will they knock it back due to this being a gambling addiction?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
who is the lender that gave him 4 loans?
Oreo says
He’s only had 2 loans both from from lendable
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry I misunderstood what you wrote. He should complain to lendable and send the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman if lendable reject it as many gambling related cases have to go to the Ombudsman.
Also look at a complaint about the credit card, and if he was in the overdraft continuously for well over a year complain about that too
Oreo says
Thanks Sara, can I just check why they have to go to the ombudsman with it being gambling?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well they don’t have to, but to a lender unaware of your gambling at the time,the credit may have looked fine, so lenders are more likey to reject a complaint
Oreo says
Thanks Sara, I will use the template and let you know what they say.
RJ says
Hi Sara — thanks for the incredible resource, you’re an absolute god-send!
I’m considering your template and would love your advice.
Brief background: Long-time credit card user. I pay more than the minimum but often re-spend, so I hover near the limit. I’ve cleared balances before, my score is fair, and I’ve always paid on time.
Last year, I used a 0% balance transfer to clear some debts. After clearing a Barclaycard, I called to close it, but the account stayed open and I inevitably spent money on it again. Is it worth contacting Barclaycard to confirm my closure request is on record, and to challenge the account remaining open? Had to use another 0% balance transfer as with the first one I decreased my limit to avoid overspending.
Also, in Feb 2024 I took a £7,300, 3-year Zopa loan at 27.51% APR (about £3,000 interest total). As a freelancer/student recently diagnosed with ADHD, my financial history makes a lot of sense now, I’m budgeting better and want to reduce or remove interest. Do you think a request for interest reduction using your template is feasible, and how should I approach it?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
well you can try a complaint, to Barclaycard, I have no idea if that will will work. You could first ask for a recording of all phone calls with then in the relevant period last year see https://forms-int.barclays.co.uk/forms/gdpr?execution=e1s1
Zopa, if you think the loan was unaffordable, make an affordability complaint. Asking to get interest reduced doesn’t tend to work in the Uk
Debbie says
Looking for a bit of advice really. When I was on maternity leave just over 10 years ago I consolidated a few credit cards to make life more affordable and used tesco bank. Total was around 10k. I then continued to consolidate every 6-12 months or so with tesco for the next few years then moved over to m&s, sainsburys, mbna, NatWest, various others, again same pattern of consolidate, take on more debt, consolidate more. So my original 10k loan has now crept up to an absolute eye watering sum. This is my fault, I over spent but it has been vastly enabled by companies ignoring the pattern. Do they bear any partial responsibility here? Is it worth me writing to the various loan companies I’ve used over the years to complain that they’ve enabled me to reach this point?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how large are your current debts? are you buying or renting?
Debbie says
Approx 50.
I own my own home.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can make complaints about irresponsible lending.
Kerry says
Hi Sara sorry to bother you I can’t find the email for aqua or new day ltd if they are the same thing?! Could you please let me know the correct email for them thank you so much xxx
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have a different page for credit card and catalogue complaints here https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/. That has a link to page with ban and credit card email addresses.
Newday is the legal name of the lender and Aqua is just one of their brand names. if you have several Newday cards, make a single complaint about all of them
Peter says
Looking for some advice or reassurance about my case with the Financial Ombudsman.
I complained to Zopa Bank about a £6,000 loan from January 2024, saying it was unaffordable. The investigator upheld my complaint — they found I was already in deficit before the loan and that Zopa hadn’t done proportionate checks.
Zopa disagreed, so it went to an ombudsman. I’ve now had a provisional decision saying they don’t plan to uphold the complaint. The ombudsman says it was reasonable for Zopa to rely on my wife’s income (as it went into our joint account), even though the loan was only in my name.
I’ve responded with new evidence — my wife’s statements showing around £800 a month in her own credit card repayments, plus details of two children, a recent £10,000 Updraft loan, and proof of handset finance being used to raise cash to cover debts.
Has anyone had a provisional decision changed after submitting extra evidence? Just wondering how often ombudsmen revise their view once they see a fuller picture.
Thanks in advance — this process has been quite stressful and I’m hoping there’s still a chance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I hope your wife has complained about that Updraft loan!
Statistics don’t really matter here, your arguments seem good to me
Peter says
Thanks. The £10,000 Updraft loan was mine for clarity. I’m really disappointed that the ombudsman reversed the investigator’s outcome. His provisional decision states that there was £2200 disposable income in our joint account every month and so
Zopa would have expected to loan me the £6000. This was one month after the £10000 Updraft loan.
My worry is whether provisional decisions can get overturned with new evidence. The ombudsman did not know I had two children and didn’t take into account my wife’s debts which I’ve now provided statements for with her permission.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the ombudsman will consider any representations you can make. At this point nothing is final.
Have you complained about the updraft loan?
Peter says
Yes I have. That was upheld by an investigator too. Rejected by updraft and now in an ombudsman queue. Worried that this will be 2/2 that get overturned in favour of the loan companies by the FOS after initially being upheld.
I feel like I’ve made some strong representations to the ombudsman for the Zopa loan.
Denise says
Hi,
I’ve tried to claim with bamboo in 2024 as my payment were too high.
I’ve since used your template letter , they have rejected as said already agreed to a complaint for irresponsible lending?
I still feel that if proper due diligence checks I should have never recieved the loan. What are your thoughts?
Thank you x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you can’t make the same complaint twice, sorry you should have sent the first one to the Ombudsman
Ahmed says
Hi I have a small loan which i took out with Zopa. £2300 and I am repaying over 3 years and I am paying them back £3273.50 27.5% at the time it was urgent for me to repay family members. But now as I am in an overdraft this is becoming incredibly difficult to repay the £90 per month. During the time when I took the loan out my finances were and are still all over the place. Which template could I use for this please? And also could I Potentially be offered any refund for my argument?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Use the template in the article above.
I cant tell from what you have said if it was unaffordable at the start, you may have had an urgent need for it but it could still be unaffordable.
Ahmed says
Hi Sarah thanks for your reply.
Yes it was unaffordable as i was in an overdraft and struggling with being denied by other loan lenders but Zopa allowed it.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
then make a complaint
Louise Woolrich says
Hi, does this negatively affect your credit score/getting a mortgage in the next year or 2?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/affordability-complaint-credit-record-faqs/
C says
I used Saras template with an overdraft that I’d been living in for the past 15 years with Lloyds. Emailed on June 19th had a few messages to say they’ve received it and still looking into it then on September 18th I had a phonecall from the complaints department saying they’re upholding my complaint, just part of it which was the last 6 years of interest ect plus an 8% something plus removing all negative markers from account so hopefully my credit score will improve. All in all I got a refund of £2280.60! And it even got paid in that afternoon. Thank you so much it’s life changing for me, overdraft paid and some excess to put behind me. Thanks
Victoria says
Can I log a complaint to my car finance company Oodle. Ive had the car 5 years and only have 2 payments remaining until the term ends. My issue is that before & during when I applied for the finance, my credit score was bad, I had a frequent use of payday loans consistently from up until last year 2024 & lots of other various credit accounts. Is it worth me complaining due to the poor affordability checks & me getting stuck in more payday loan cycles to be able to afford to pay the finance every month or if I only have 2 payments left will they not entertain the complaint?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is a good time to make a complaint about car finance. Making all the payments does not prove it was affordable if you were having to borrow elsewhere in the early years of the finance.
Also look at complaints about the payday loans and other debts!
Jadie says
Hi Sara, FOS have come back to me and rejected my complaint for tsb loan affordability on the basis that by looking at my bank statements I had around 260 a month spare income after paying my loan and all other essentials, however I was always completely in my overdraft at this time also which was 3000 OD with tsb also, so I feel like that shows that money wasn’t great for me. Do you think I should continue with the complaint or is it not worth taking it any further and except FOS decision?
Thankyou
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you should get a couple of statements from 2 and 3 months after th loan was taken and work through them, showing that you did not have enough spare money to pay the loan
James Walters says
Hi, I’m struggling to get refunds from Tesco Bank, Barclays, Monzo (Taken to FOS), 118 Money, Plata (who I have now taken to FOS).
I have been given one refund of interest from Lendable I had £1,000 loan for 12 months, they are refunding me the interest in full with 8% that works out £109.04 which is a great result from them! I wrote a simple complaint letter to all companies and Lendable are the only one to upheld my complaint – “I am making a complaint to you about irresponsible lending. You should never have given me this unaffordable loan. I am asking for a refund of the interest and any charges I paid, plus statutory interest, and to delete any negative information from my credit record.
All the other companies are basically saying that it is my responsibility, however Lendables response was – “I have reviewed your credit report which was obtained prior to offering you the loan. I can see that you had 17 active accounts, your total outstanding debt balance was approximately £118,817.00, you were utilising around 90% of your available credit and we verified your income to be £2,630.00. Whilst I can see from my review that our standard affordability checks were met, it is my view that there was information available to us at the time of your application that could have warranted us requesting further information about your financial circumstances at the time the loan was granted. As a result, I have decided to uphold your complaint.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
good!
I hope you have sent all the others to the ombudsman.
James Walters says
Thank you Sarah, I’ve so far had the time to do Plata and Monzo to the Ombudsman.
I’m hoping that I’ve done enough in my complaint, I’m just concerned that only Lendable has given me a refund, but I’m guessing this is common it’s apparent to me that if you don’t go to the Ombudsman then you won’t be heard by the actual loan company.
My debt situation has always been the same, the other credit was all around the same time as the Lendable loan, the companies just won’t budge, what are some key things to say? Better borrow has just issues there final response and has not upheld my complaint, as I paid of the loan with borrowed money from family, how that makes the loan affordable I have no idea!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you have to accept that many bad credit lenders reject most complaints and they have to go to the Ombudsman. See this as being lucky with the lendable one, not unlucky with the rest.
James Walters says
Ok thank you Sarah, I’m so glad I have signed up to StepChange and breathing space, I’m really hoping that I have done enough for the Ombudsman as I must be within my rights here or Lendable would of just said no too!
Thank you so much, James
Nadine says
Hi Sara
I made an affordability complaint to Zopa for 2 loans – both £5k taken out not long apart. They have upheld the loan taken out later and refunded interest to the account reducing the balance.
Should I take the win or go to challenge the decision about the first loan?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if you think the earlier loan was unaffordable, send that to the ombudsman
Kat S says
Success from Zopa! Just got my response through on an affordability complaint – I have 3 loans with them 😟 an £8k, £7k and £12k – they’ve agreed the latter 2 should not have been given to me and have taken them off my credit file! Whilst I haven’t got any refunds owed as I haven’t paid more that the original balances they’ve removed the interest and charges and now I only have to pay back the capital at my own pace interest free!! It’s saved me around £9000 in interest and I’m working with them on a plan that I can afford, I never knew this was possible so thank you!!! Sara’s templates were so helpful and advice very informative and jargon free. I can now more comfortably focus on paying down my credit card debts