UPDATES:
Do not use the templates on this page for the following lenders, instead see the specific page:
- Amigo has set up a Scheme of Arrangement. The deadline for making a claim has now passed, see Amigo’s Scheme for details.
- Buddy Loans went into administration in September 2021, see Buddy Loans goes into administration.
- George Banco & Trust Two set up Scheme of Arrangement, the deadline to make a claim to this has passed, see Everyday Loan Scheme for details
- TFS Loans went into administration in February 2022, see TFS Loans goes into administration.
Guarantor loans are very expensive. Often the lender didn’t check properly that you will be able to manage the loan repayments without having to borrow more.
If proper checks would have shown that you couldn’t afford the repayments, complain! There is a template letter in this article to help you.
You can get an existing loan reduced so you only repay the amount you borrowed, or get a refund if your loans have been repaid. If your complaint is rejected you can send the case to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS) who is upholding a lot (90%!) of guarantor loan complaints.
If you are the guarantor not the borrower, read Complaining if you are a guarantor which has a different template letter to use.
Contents
What is an affordability complaint?
A loan is not affordable if paying it left you so short of money you had to top up the loan, or borrow more from another lender or get behind with bills.
Does this sound like you? Then make an affordability complaint.
Just making the payments doesn’t prove the loan was affordable! You may have been repaying with difficulty, taking out other loans, because you didn’t want your guarantor to be affected.
You can complain if you are still paying the loan or if you have repaid it all.
If you win your complaint:
- interest is removed from a loan you still owe, so you only repay what you borrowed;
- your guarantor is released from the loan; and
- you can arrange to pay the remaining balance at a reduced rate.
When your loans have been settled, you get a refund of the interest you paid.
What should the lender have checked?
Guarantor lenders should have checked the loan was affordable for you before giving you the money.
The lender should have made sure you were likely to be able to make the repayments for the whole length of the loan.
Guarantor loans are large financial commitments. So I would expect a lender to have asked for evidence of your income, to have checked your credit record, and to have verified your expenses.
Some things a lender may have got wrong:
- It doesn’t matter if your guarantor is well off, the loan has to be affordable for you!
- You may have given said your expenditure was lower than it was, because you were guessing or desperate. The lender should have checked your figures.
- If you were self-employed or had wages that varied, the lender should have looked at how your income went up and down.
- The lender should have checked your credit record to see all your debts. If you had recently taken more loans or missed payments/defaulted, the lender should have been careful as your position was getting worse.
- When you top up a loan, the lender should check the new larger loan is affordable. If the current loan was causing you problems or your finances had got worse you shouldn’t have been given a larger loan.
If you feel there was something else unfair about your case, add that into your complaint as well!
What would a “fair solution” be?
If the lender or the Ombudsman decides the loan wasn’t affordable, this is what happens:
- The loan has been repaid, then any interest you paid should be refunded to you.
- The loan is still outstanding, then interest should be removed from the balance that is owing, so you only repay what you borrowed. Your guarantor should be released from the loan. The lender should accept an affordable monthly payment from you to repay the rest.
- Any payments made by the guarantor are refunded to the guarantor, not to you.
Will a complaint affect your guarantor?
Complaining won’t affect your guarantor if you carry on making the payments. The guarantor shouldn’t be told you have complained unless your complaint is being upheld.
If you stop paying the loan when you make a complaint, the lender may decide to get your guarantor to pay it. If you don’t want this to happen, you have to somehow carry on making the payments even though it’s hard.
If you can’t afford to carry on paying and you don’t want to hurt your guarantor talk to a debt adviser about your options in this difficult situation.
Making an affordability complaint won’t make things worse, and it may help in a few months time, but it isn’t an immediate escape from your problem.
Think about whether your guarantor also had a good reason to complain – see Complaining if you are a guarantor for details. If they win a complaint, they will be removed as a guarantor, which would take a lot of pressure off you.
How to complain to the lender
A template complaint to use
Don’t use this for Amigo of Buddy – see the update at the top of the page.
For all other guarantor lenders, including ones that have stopped lending, send your complaint by email – here is a list of lender’s email addresses.
Use SAR AND COMPLAINT BY BORROWER as the email title.
Here is a template. Change it to describe what happened to you and delete what doesn’t apply.
Only put this in if it applies to you: I took a top up of [£2,500] in [March 2018]
Add a reference number for the loan or give some other details such as your date of birth and your address when you took the loan out.
Please send me a copy of all the personal information that you have about me, including but not limited to all credit record checks, a copy of my loan application(s) and recordings of all phone calls from me. You have 30 days to reply to this Subject Access Request (SAR).
I am making an affordability complaint. This loan was/These loans were unaffordable for me and you would have realised this if you had checked properly before giving me the loan(s).
Delete or change any of the following so they are right for you:
[You would have seen from my credit record that I had recently missed payments/had defaults/was in a DMP/IVA.]
[I was on a low income/My only income was my pension/benefits.]
[You did not ask me for proof of my income or expenses and you did not ask about my expenses in detail.]
[I get ESA/PIP/DLA but you did not ask me if I had any extra expenses because of this.]
[I had a gambling problem which you could have seen from my bank statements.]
If you topped up the original loan: When I topped up the loan you should have seen from my credit record that my financial situation had got worse. [delete if not relevant: You ignored the fact that I had made several payments late to you.]
If you still owe money:[I am asking you to remove the interest from the balance so I only have to repay what I borrowed, release my guarantor and allow me to make lower monthly payments.]
If the loan has been repaid change that to [refund me the interest that I have paid plus 8% statutory interest.]
If you don’t want your guarantor to be told: [I want to carry on making the normal monthly payments because I do not want my guarantor to be affected. Please note I do not want my guarantor to be informed about my complaint unless my complaint is upheld.]
You have 8 weeks to respond to my complaint before I send it to the Financial Ombudsman.
If you would like some help with this, then go to your local Citizens Advice.
Definitely send bank statements!
It’s good if you can attach bank statements to your complaint. Send three months of statements before each loan or top-up and two months afterwards. So if you had a loan in August 2017, send statements for May-September 2017.
These statements will show how unaffordable your loans were. Don’t worry if there is gambling showing on the statements – that helps your case!
Don’t delay starting a complaint if you are trying to get your bank statements – just add them later. But now is a good time to get the statements as they can help your case.
Also get a copy of your credit record if this will show defaults, that your debts were increasing, that you had a large overdraft etc. Download this and keep it.
What to do with your personal information (SAR)
Copies of personal information (SARs) are often sent out by post, so if you have moved, make sure the lender has your new address. You should get the information within 30 days. It is often sent on a CD with a password.
This information is not the lender’s response to your complaint. Most lenders will send that separate from the SAR, usually a few weeks later.
You don’t need to do anything with the SAR, just keep it safe. You have asked for it now so that you have the details in case the lender rejects your complaint or makes a poor offer so your complaint has to go to the Ombudsman.
Taking a complaint to the Ombudsman
If the lender rejects your complaint, go to the Ombudsman
Don’t delay in sending a case to FOS – it has to go within 6 months. And while you have an “open” complaint at FOS, the lender cannot take you to court.
Lenders seem to reject many complaints and hope you give up! So don’t be surprised if a lender says No, the loan was affordable or We based our decision to lend on your application which was inaccurate.
If the lender says No, or you haven’t had a reply 8 weeks after sending your complaint, send your case to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS) the best way to do this is by using the FOS online form.
This is free to do and easy – you don’t have to quote laws or regulations. You can just send FOS the complaint you sent the lender. And if they have replied and said something that’s wrong, mention that as well.
You don’t need to go into details – a short FOS complaint is fine. If you want to add more details, read How Subject Access Request information can help an affordability complaint. But you don’t have to do this.
If only some loans are refunded, is this fair?
Sometimes a lender will say that just a few loans are unaffordable and remove the interest. Which is good, but should it be better?
If the rejected loans caused you difficulties and led to you needing a top-up, send your complaint to FOS and say you think the earlier loans too should be refunded.
Are you likely to win your Ombudsman complaint?
The Financial Ombudsman is agreeing with the customer on 90% of cases!
It is much simpler to win a case at FOS than a court case. If a lender has already started a court case against you, Citizens Advice can help you get the court case “stayed” (that’s legal jargon for put on hold) while you take an affordability complaint to the Ombudsman.
Complicated cases & help with guarantor loan complaints
If you want help with these complaints, Citizens Advice can help. Every Citizens Advice has access to the national Specialist Debt Advice Service if this isn’t something an adviser has come across before.
Leave a comment below this article to discuss what to do or talk to Citizens Advice if:
- your guarantor has made a lot of payments.
- you have been bankrupt, in an IVA or a DRO – read guarantor loans & insolvency .
- you have a CCJ from the guarantor lender – read guarantor loans & CCJs.
- if your debt has been sold to a debt collector.
Do not use a Claims Firm or a solicitor that is acting as a claims firm. There are two good reasons why you should avoid them:
- they will probably do a very poor job. They are not experts. They won’t put time into looking at your personal case.
- if you win a case but still owe a balance, this is usually just reduced. But the claims firm may expect you to pay their high percentage fee immediately even though you have not received any cash refund and still have the rest of the loan to pay.
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Card limit too high? Ask for a refund
Complaints about bank & other large loans
Brandon C says
Guarantor asked the FOS to deal with complaint as amigo sent a letter to say that they were not due any refund because they saved on interest on the loan been with the FOS for 8 weeks now anyone know how long it is til these are picked up to be looked into !?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“amigo sent a letter to say that they were not due any refund because they saved on interest on the loan”
I have no idea what that means. If you have the exact wording, I may be able to guess.
Brandon C says
They sent a letter to my guarantor stating they dealt with my complaint and because I hadn’t paid back all the interest on the loan that the guarantor wasn’t due her refund of the payments she had made they contacted amigo about this and they said they found the response was fair I had paid £296.44 x 25 payments and she had paid 13 x £296.44 loan amount was £7500 I had borrowed but my complaint was upheld and rest of the loan wiped out no offer of refunding them
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, so nothing new there – she just needs to wait for her case to be picked up.
K says
Sara, what do you think I should do in my position…?
Amigo have confirmed they sent the figures for redress to adjudicator assigned to my case last thursday.
They’ve given me rough idea of what it is between 3 & 4k that il get back but i need adjudicator to send to me for me to confirm for adjudicator to then message them to say i confirm for them to update my account & action it.
Problem is, when i call the fos they cant see it because amigo have sent it direct to my adjudicator
But my adjudicator seems to be on very reduced hours & very busy as he hasnt emailed me with the numbers.
He emailed me last weds to say that amigo had agreed with his decision & i replied asking a question about next payment which he hasnt replied to that either.
Amigo have said if no reply by next week, when payment is due, they would still seek payment as normal then recalculate but under the circumstances i also dont want to seem like im pestering the fos
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I strongly suggest you cancel the DD – making the next payment is pointless and will delay the calculations even more.
I think you need to email the adjudicator again with URGENT in the subject line. And call FOS if you don’t get a reply by tomorrow.
K says
The direct debit is cancelled I’m more concerned they try to take from my dad who is my guarentor. I’ll drop him a message today (the adjudicator) & see if i get anywhere
Sara (Debt Camel) says
tell your dad to cancel his DD as well.
K says
Adjudicator has just rang me, hes calling amigo now to confirm i agree, i have to call them in half an hour to give my bank details for agreed settlement of £4,507 coming back to me. I’ll keep updated how long they take & when it hits my bank. Thanks so much for your help sara
AG says
Any joy K? I rang amigo first thing Monday when they opened to provide my bank details and the money is now in my account!!! Thank you so much for everything Sara you are a wonderful asset to us all!
K says
Hi AG ive just spoken to amigo & they’ve got my bank details. Said someone will call me this afternoon to give me the full breakdown of figures & confirm my acc details & then payment should be made in 3-5 working days. So glad you’re finally sorted too!
Karl says
So the other day marked 12 weeks since the start of my complaint, on the day of 8 weeks they said they were still looking into my complaint, I also sent my complaint to the ombudsman after there response, upto now nothing from either not even to acknowledge my compliant, where do I go from here? Does amigos have another timeline they have to follow? Should I send my complaint to the ombudsman again?
I’ve reposted due to not finding my original post and not sure if was replied too, sorry to spam
Johnny says
The ombudsman takes months hang in there
Stacey says
Hi sara can you help with a response to this
They are trying to make me complete a form but i am still not in the know with what i am entitled to with covid and already was not in a position to pay
Hello Stacey,
We need you to fill out this form we have advised you several times to complete. The main thing we need to know on this form is income and that we can see your outgoings are exceeding it.
Once this form is completed we can prevent collection from x, Help with your credit file and we can then look to give you specialist support whilst you get accurate information.
Without this form we will have to continue looking to x.
I cannot stress enough how important it is that you complete this form today.
Charley-Anne @ Amigo Loans
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you asked for Coronavirus break?
Have you have applied for UC but aren’t sure what you will be able to get?
stacey says
Hi,
Yes I have asked for that and I also have an affordability complaint in with them , no response to that so sent to FOS as been 3 months almost now. They keep asking me to complete this but I am not sure as what I am entitled to as of yet so don’t want to complete til I fully know. As well as my household income being effected now as well altogether as partner not working now also and wont get any money till June (subcontractor)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, so you can tell Amigo your partner is not getting any money until June so you have to cover all the household bills.
How has your own income been affected – are you applying for UC, seen your self-employment income fall or what?
Beth says
Hi, just after some advise, I spoke to FOS on Monday of this week to ascertain where my claim was in the process. They said they were going to request the case file from Amigo then once this had been received then they would assign an adjudicator. Any idea how long this normally takes in terms of timescale please? Thanks in advance for your help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There really aren’t any clear timescales at the moment. Amigo used to refuse all claims, then they accepted most of them, now they are back to refusing most. During this time FOS has worked through the backlog from first half of last year but a new backlog must be building up this year. Several high cost lenders have gone bust, so the FOS workers on those teams will be switched into other teams. And everyone has had to switch to working from home.
So what happened to a complaint put in last September say doesn’t give you any useful indication about what will happen to new cases. Sorry. There is no “new normal” yet and won’t be for several months.
Beth says
Ok Sara, thanks for your help.
Claire says
I started my complaint last July!
I’m at the stage where the FOS has said I was mis-sold my two amigo loans in 2016 and they should pay back the interest with the 8%.
I’m just waiting for amigos to agree or disagree.
I feel I’m near the end of this massive financial mistake.
Amigos where ment to get back to FOS at the beginning of last week but not heard anything as yet!
Honestly this company should not be allowed to trade
I would go to the papers if I thought anyone would listen!! It’s a joke!
H says
Hi Sara , I’ve got a loan with buddy loans they are being very pushy not very thoughtful when I told them my household bills have gone up and actually I’ve got myself into more debt now but can afford to pay most, shall I ask for a 3 month payment break and then make an affordability complaint ? I used the loan for debt consolidation stupidly and am nearly in the same situation as I was before
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have your finances been affected by coronavirus?
Holly says
Yes they have my household bills have gone up due to loss of income in our household
Thanks Sara
Jay says
Hi. Just an update for everyone waiting for Amigo and FOS. I sent my complaint to FOS at 8 weeks. I hit 12 weeks today with no response, but I have just had an email from FOS saying they have picked up my complaint. Maybe they’re getting a bit quicker at picking them up ? Also I applied to Amigo three weeks ago for a payment break due to Covid and still haven’t had any response despite my payment being due on 14 April. They haven’t contacted me or my guarantor either. Not sure what’s going on.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
did they take your 14 April payment?
Jay says
No. I cancelled the DD and they didn’t even contact me to say the payment was missed. It’s showing as in arrears on the website but no contact from them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest contacting them again and asking for assurance that you are being given a three month break.
And telling your guarantor to cancel their DD too for this period – better safe than sorry…
Kelly says
Hi, I applied for the 3 month break last week, I have had no email text or call to confirm but when I logged on to my statement there was confirmation on the top of there that I had been given breathing space, said my acc will show in arrears but they won’t contact me until the breathing space is up.
VH says
Deadline for Amigo to respond to my investigator at FOS today. Wonder if they will.
Been a long time since October 2019 I submitted complaint.
I keep you posted.
Maria says
Hi Sara and all
Just an update amigo emailed that they have given me a 3 month breathing space but have not updated me on my affordability complaint which is 13 weeks now. I have sent them this email but not sure what else to do I have sent my complaint to the ombudsman:-
“Further to my complaint raised 12 weeks tomorrow l should be grateful for an update. I for my data on several occasions to be sent to me via email in PDF format as l cannot use the CD or the version in Winzip format however this has not been supplied therefore l would also like to add this to my complaint. I do appreciate that these are frightening times with the pandemic and you will have more requests than normal and staff may be working from home however please can l have a response as my financial situation is causing me great anxiety and distress and adding to my depression”
Sara (Debt Camel) says
good that you have got a 3 month break. I don’t think there is anything more you can do to move the complaint along faster.
Sophie says
Hi Sara
I was wondering if you could help me please I put my complaint into amigo on the 7 April regarding a affordability complaint.
They have no sent me a text message with a link – to fill out do I need to fill this out?
Ask did I know I couldn’t afford the loan?
We’re my figures correct?
A do I need to fill this I ?
B it’s 5 years ago ( I can’t really remember )
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The questions are designed to make you feel guilty, not acknowledging that Amigo should have checked the loan was affordable whatever was on your application.
Have you sent them your bank statements?
If you have, the simplest and best reply is to say that you have already sent them your bank statements which show your full position.
If not, it’s a good idea to get & forward those statements now. You can simply ignore their questions reply saying “I don’t remember much about my application but I remember the difficulties I had repaying the loan.”
Sophie says
Thank you so much for a fast reply
So I shouldn’t reply it was text message with a link to reply to within 10days. Just yes and no questions.
Should I email them direct with my case ref – and bank statements it’ll take me a couple of days to get. Is it 3 years worth of bank statements how do I go about it?
Sorry for so many questions just struggling
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you can ignore them. You don’t need 3 years of statements, just 3 months before the application and three months after it. Yes email them when you get them.
Ben says
Hi Sara, due to being self-employed (only since Oct’) my income has fallen off a cliff since coronavirus. I have a Loan with Amigo and prior to Covid-19 I had made all payments. I contacted Amigo at the end of March to say that I could not afford the next payment(31/3) due to no income and they agreed to “breathing space until the 17th April”
I tried to contact (call) them on this date to say that I still had no income and could not pay, I was directed to log on to my account to fill out an online form requesting a 3-month break as per regulator guidance. I was told it could take up to 14 days form them to get back to me. I have applied for UC but this will just cover living expenses. Today, I got a default notice in the post stating “that if the notice expires and arrears still remain due on 8th May then full balance will be outstanding”. I tried to call to speak to them as per the letter but can’t get hold of anyone.
Do I just wait until they get back to me about the payment break?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So it’s within the 14 days.
You obviously can’t pay it, so I suggest you cancel your DD to amigo and warn your guarantor what you have done. Amigo SHOULD give you the payment break and SHOULD NOT ask your guarantor to pay. I don’t think you will have a problem with this, but better safe than sorry.
Can I ask how affordable the loan was before the collapse of your income? If it wasn’t causing you any difficulty fine, but if you think the repayments were always too high for you to manage, read the artcile above because sometimes Amigo made inadequate checks and the Ombudsman is upholding a lot of these affordability complaints.
Ben says
They were always too tbh, I took it out when in a desperate situation and had nowhere else to go.
It terms of the default notice, are they allowed to send without even a notice of Arrears. I have an email chain telling me that I should cancel my DD and they will not take try and take anything until 17th April. The missed payment date was 31st March. I was told if I was still having problems then I should contact them. I just feel like that a default should be issued when there is a breakdown in the relationship, with this email chain, it’s clear that is not the case.
Many thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What matters is that
a) Amigo now give you the 3 month payment break because you are affected by Coronavirus. As part of this you can say that the Default norice should not have been sent, but don’t get too hung up on this, what matters is the payment break is agreed.
and
b) you send Amigo an affordability complaint now. These can take many months to go through so starting it off when you are in this payment break will take some of the pressure off you.
Maria says
Hi Sara
Below is the reply l have now received from Amigo:-
“Thank you for your email and we apologise and appreciate your continued patience in this regard.
Following the further extension we requested we are still to investigate your complaint. Unfortunately, some complaints are more complex and may take longer than expected to issue a response, as such we still need to look into this for you. I understand this is frustrating and apologise for any undue stress this may have caused. If you are dissatisfied with our progress you have the right to refer your complaint.
However, we endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible and we shall be in touch with you when we have an update for you”
i have not had a reply from the ombudsman yet just the automated acknowledgement 4 weeks ago. Is there an email l can send the above to.
Matthew says
I received the same email a few weeks ago, the deadline for their four week extension is today. Not hopeful I will get a response so I will just be forwarding mine to fos tomorrow I imagine.
Marie I says
My 4 week extension deadline was today and I phoned them to be told they haven’t allocated it to a complaint handler yet. I did complain to FOS after the initial 8 weeks though but haven’t had a response yet other than the initial automated response. Amigo were not concerned in the slightest that I have contacted FOS and to be honest they were rude and abrupt on the phone to me.
Johnny Young says
I got same email looks like there just saying the same to everyone
K says
Great news sara, rang amigo weds lunchtime after adjudicator called them to say i accepted their offer, gave them my bank details. By tea time my online account showed as settled & closed & redress of £4,500 is in my account this morning.
Im finally free of amigo. Thanks so much for all your help from start to finish
S says
That is amazing! Well done! Im on week 12 now with Amgio. Sent to FOS 4 weeks ago and waiting for them to contact me.
How long did your complaint take to get this stage?
I had an initial amigo loan of over £2600 then was allowed 4x top ups up too £7500+ within the space of 3 years. Im hoping i get a win like yourself
I have had redress back from all other lenders just amigo have taken the most time
Amanda says
Hi K so happy for you! Would you mind if I asked how long this has all taken for you?
I’m sending my complaint to FOS today as it was 8 weeks yesterday and I received the generic ‘due to C19 there are delays’
I’m just trying to get an idea how long people are generally waiting for the point you’ve reached.
So happy for you. A
St1991 says
Great news
How many weeks has it taken to get to this stage?
K says
I originally sent complaint dec 7th they didnt uphold on week 12 & then adjudicator upheld on week 15/16 & finally sorted now
Johnny Young says
Did you complain yourself or on behalf of a company??
K says
Just myself using the template letter from this page.
Johnny Young says
Good stuff, glad your sorted, I’m on week 16 now, keep giving me same reply, starting too annoy me lol, as I’ve had 3 separate complaints all dealt with and settled in my favor from other company’s in same timescale.
Sue says
Hi recently had a refund after FOS found in my favour against Amigo for irresponsible lending. Question I have is my father was guarantor and made payments on my behalf for the last eight months of the loan. If Amigo have accepted irresponsible lending can he put a complaint in and if so what would he be able to claim? Thanks for all your help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes he can ask for a refund of all the payments he made on the grounds that the loan was unaffordable for you, it should never have been given so he should never have been the guarantor. More about complaints by guarantors here https://debtcamel.co.uk/amigo-complaints-by-guarantor/ with a template letter for him to use.
BUT Amigo will then go back to you and say you owe the 8 payments…
Sometimes this can be worth doing.
– your dad may need the money back now and you may be happy to make low affordable payments to Amigo
– a small point is that your dad would get paid back the payments plus 8% statutory interest. You would only have to repay the payments amounts.
– if the rest of your finances are a disaster and you are looking at a debt relief order or bankruptcy, then it won’t make a difference as your new Amigo debt could go into that.
But it may be simpler for you to just repay your dad?
Shell says
Hi im on week 12 ive just had an email to say could be another 4 weeks i got in touch with the fos but heard nothing
Holly says
Buddy loans have been horrendous they’ve contacted my guarantor even though I have been corresponding with them I’ve asked for a payment break but they aren’t responding to that but putting £12 late payment charges on whilst still contacting my guarantor even though they aren’t corresponding with me properly
Claire says
I started my complaint in July last year. FOS have just agreed I was mis-sold so just waiting to hear back from amigos! Which there are never quick about, it’s a different story if you owe them money tho
S says
Hi Claire, I paid off my loan in 2015 and complained last August. As soon as I had the rejection from Amigo, I referred to the FOS. Only last Thursday I got an email from the FOS to say that they have written to a Amigo and they have until 12th May to respond.
Don’t be disheartened because you still owe them money, they’re just that slow!
Sam says
Hi the FOS have contacted me today directly to let me know what they are looking in to my complaint against amigo
Im on week 13 with amigo.
Do you know how long roughly it will now take the FOS to get an outcome?
Fellowman says
Can i ask how come you managed to get Fos dealing with it by week 13.
I’m on week 26 since putting my complaint in and nothing.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you still owe a balance? How difficult is it making the payments?
Fellowman says
Hi sara.
I still have a balance and i am managing payments just. But with current situation of covid its a knife edge.
I understand people getting priority over others, but feel it’s not necessarily fair, as we are all struggling on way or another.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Vulnerability is a key concern for FOS and they will correctly prioritise some complaints because of this.
Sam S says
As a guideline.. I paid off my loan in 2015 and complained last August. As soon as I had the rejection from Amigo, I referred to the FOS. Only last Thursday I got an email from the FOS to say that they have written to a Amigo to uphold my complaint and they have until 12th May to respond.
Susan says
I guarantored in initial loan for my daughter, then she had several top ups. Using your template i complained this morning to amigo. I have had a reply saying they will log the complaint. They have asked for bank statements covering one month before the loan and two months after. Should i supply them with thus, and do they likely mean for the initial loan my daughter had and the following top up loans?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
hi Susan,
I am assuming that you are complaining as guarantor.
Have you made any payments to any of the loans? If you haven’t, then you are only complaining about the last top-up really, the previous loans are irrelevant for you. so then you only need to send your bank statements around the time of the last top up.
It’s a very good idea to send these bank statements as they show how unaffordable loan repayments would be for you.
If you are helping your daughter complain as the borrower, she needs to send her bank statements around the time of the first loan and each top-up.
Susan says
Hi, yes, i have made several payments once my daughter failed to make payment and got into arrears. She has made her own complaint. For a while, my daughter sent me payments to cover part of the loans, but is now unable to do so. I am still revering from a nervous breakdown and very wary of taking on amigo as they really scare me. I have vancelled my direct debit of £350 per month due on 1st of month but all other payments i made were on time
Sara (Debt Camel) says
sorry, I wasn’t clear. If you have only made payments to the CURRENT loan, then that is the only one you need to provide statements for. If you made payments to the previous loans, then you should supply statements from the application time for those loans.
Amigo can be scary, but stick with this. After all, having to pay £350 a month is also scary! While you have a complaint in Amigo should not start court action and, despite threatening letters, they haven’t so far.
Has Coronavirus affected you or your daughter’s finances?
Susan says
Yes, my husband now has no work, im working from home, and my son, who normallycontributes to house bills has lost his job as a chef due to the restaurant having to close. My daughter still works but can never make ends meet. Her husband is a self employed painter so can no longer enter peoples houses
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Difficult times :(
But this means both you and your daughter can put in requests to Amigo for a 3 month payment break. See the bit at the top of the Amigo home page https://www.amigoloans.co.uk/. This is in addition to your affordability complaints but Amigo has to give people affected by Coronovirus payment breaks and they cannot ask the gusto pay these, so it should give you bothe a breathing space while your complaints start to go through.
Susan says
I will do.Thanks for your help
Carole says
Hi I’ve recently put an affordability claim into amigo in March and sent them 2 years worth of statements for the last 6 loans in total with top ups I had. How long does this process take and does gambling on your account effect your claim?.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Amigo are very slow at handling complaints at the moment. They are unlikely to reply to you within the 8 weeks they are supposed to.
That is a LOT of loans. It is probably a very good complaint. Gambling showing on your statements should make it easier to win because if Amigo had asked for statements and seen that, they would not have lent you the money.
But Amigo are rejecting many good complaints so I suggest you send yours to FOS at the 8 week point.
How are your finances at the moment?
Carole says
Thanks Sara.
Could you please help work out the interest I possibly could get if win this complaint as so confusing for me-
1- £2,500 loan taken. May 2018 over 2 years
2.£4,000 loan taken Aug 18, paid off old one £2,750.15 and received £1,924.85- over 4 years
3. £6,000 loan taken Sep 18, paid off old one £3,941.31 and received £2,580.57 – over 5 years
4. £7,250 loan taken Oct 18, paid old one £5,952.24 and received £1,297.77 – over 5 years
5. £8,250 loan taken Jan 2019, paid old one of £7,363.14 and received £886.86 – over 5 years
6. £9,250 loan taken Aug 19, paid old one £8,233.23 and received £1,116.72 – over 5 years.
As you will see I topped up quickly after getting first one, 3 months in a row I topped up. I was gambling to try get money to pay everything as had 18 payday loans at same time. I have sent 2 years with of statements which show all the payday lenders etc.
I work monthly just to pay them all. I currently pay £365 to amigo and looking at statements £340 has been going just to interest. My current total I owe them is over 10k.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you say how much you paid to each debt in monthly payments eg “6 payments of £117 a month”. This may have been nothing for loans 2,3 and 4!
Carole says
I have managed to work it out I think as a rough.
1. 3 X £139 – it says £110 interest a month
2. 1 X £171 – £110 it says interest a month
3. 1 X £237 – £237 it says interest a month
4. 4 X £286 -£243 it days interest a month
5. 7 X £326 – £286 it says internet a month
6. 6 X £ 365 – £333 it says interest a month
The balance seems super high each time. When I topped up and paid old loans off each time was that with no interest? Just the balance of the money they gave me?
Thanks for your help Sara.
Is it a possibility Amigo could uphold a complaint or do all go to financial ombudsman?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, some of those numbers for the early loans look odd.
Take loan 2
“£4,000 loan taken Aug 18, paid off old one £2,750.15 and received £1,924.85- over 4 years”
but 2750+1924 = £4674 – whuch doesnt make sense if the loan was for £4000.
Amigo’s statements are VERY confusing… but it’s not worth spending a lot of time try to work this lot out now as it makes no difference to your situation. When you eventually win the case, at that point it will be worth looking in detail if what Amigo offers you doesn’t sound right.
You are going to have paid little interest on the first few loans as you didn’t make many payments to them but settled them quickly. My guess is that if all the loans are upheld you would be left owing Amigo a balance of around £4000 but that could be out by a few hundred in either direction.
What is the rest of your finacial situation like? do you have a lot of other debts or arrears on bills? Are you affected by Coronavirus? Do you still have a gambling problem?
Carole says
Thank you Sara. There statements are so confusing. Oh so I’ll still owe Amigo a balance after this? Will u have to pay interest on that when or if I win my unaffordable complaint ? I still have around 14 payday lenders. I have been furloughed so I had to say I need to pay everyone a lot less per month now. I still have a lot to pay out per month and yes I gamble to see if I can win but because of not having much pay in this circumstance I don’t gamble at all just now. Before I had any of these loans I gambled moderately but then found myself doing more to pay them off.
I guess I just wanted this over with fast so I could say bye to Amigo but unfortunately doesn’t look like I will.
I also have Uk credit, bamboo and George Banco who I have done the same with. I was informed yesterday my complaint for Uk credit had been upheld and I was paid £3,300 back which paid off the loan thankfully. Still awaiting the other 2. I took them all out at the same time of year 2018.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes I think you will owe Amigo some money. But after you have won a complaint, they can’t add any interest and have to let you repay it an affordable rate.
1 4 payday lenders is a lot – have you sent them all affordability complaints too?
As you have been furloughed, you can ask Amigo, Bamboo and George Banco all for 3 month payment breaks – they can’t refuse these AND they can’t ask your guarantor to pay. That will make things easier as you wait for the affordability complaints to go through.
Also ask all your payday lenders for a one month break.
Jen says
Just to give an idea of time frames. I complained to Amigo 2nd Jan 2020. I sent to FOS after 8 weeks with no final response. I got a final response after 12 weeks from Amigo rejecting my complaint.
Has been with FOS for 8 weeks and have just asked Amigo for case file this week. Hoping now it may only be another month
There is quite a delay, so hold on in there. Sadly, it is not a quick process, but the right decisions seem to be getting made at FOS.
Thanks Sara for the site, without which I would never have complained.
Carole says
Thanks Jen
Gosh it does take a while. Is this the case for all cases, are their any cases been upheld and getting dealt with straight away? Or are amigo just sending all rejects.
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There isn’t really a “normal” at the moment.
Everyone working from home makes things a bit trickier, but FOS is now up and running and several payday lenders and Brighthouse have gone bust since the start of the year, which means FOS will have more people to work on other cases. Also it seems as though Provident is now falling in line with FOS decisions, so that should free up more FOS resource for other firms.
if you look back through the comments, people are winning FOS Amigo cases now. There is no blockage. But of course all the coronavirus problems may be resulting in more complaints going through as people may not have realised before that they could make an affordability complaint.
And of course at some point Amigo may decide it has to fall in line with FOS decisions if it wants to stay in business…
So this is an incredibly fluid situation!
What matters for you is that you cannot pin your hopes on a fast resolution, but just keep focusing on the fact that with 6 loans AND gambling, you have a strong case. If i9t takes some time, well you are no worse off that if you hadn’t complained.
Carole says
Also can I ask if you have any information regarding George Banco and bamboos complaints and how they deal with them or time frames if they adhere to them?
Thanks for your help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
George Banco – expect them to reject & send case to Ombudsman at 8 weeks if they haven’t replied.
Bamboo – if they reject or don’t reply within 8 weeks, phone up and argue how strong your case is eg all your other debts, gambling on your bank statements and say case goes to the Ombudsman if they don’t change their mind. Some people have got a good result by doing this.
Jen says
Sorry Carole, my comment wasn’t meant to be added on to yours. I was meant to start a new post just to let people know my time frame for expectations. Hope yours goes well.
Carole says
No problem Jen, it was nice to get some information from another person. Good that we can all discuss or circumstances. Good luck with your! Be nice to have an Amigo free life and never look back!
Gemma says
Wow Jen you were lucky to get a final response (even though it was rejected) I sent my complaint to them on 27th December 19 now 17 weeks down the line and no final outcome as yet!
Carole says
Thanks Sara for all your information it has been really helpful. I have managed to get a payment holiday for one month at time for bamboo and George B, however still bombard me with emails saying late payment and I see I have defaults for one on my credit file. Yes I have filled in some complaints for payday lenders, however 3 have gone bust already so that won’t go anywhere now. With George banco’s complaint I offered them bank statements and they declined this and said didn’t need any information from me. Is this normal?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Go back and ask for 2 more months when the month ends. They have to say yes. Also ask them to remove the default on your credit record.
Send GB bank statements anyway!
Gemma says
Hi Carole my George Banco complaint was upheld at 8 weeks and I sent my statements with my complaint so they could see the gambling problem which helped! My amigo is 17 weeks tomorrow and still no outcome! But fos picked mine up last week
Carole says
Thanks Sara for all your help. If wasn’t for this site I wouldn’t of realised I could complain to these company’s. In all honesty it’s really bad that company’s are lending to people with so much other creditors at the time and they shouldn’t be allowed to lend to people who get themselves in more financial difficulty. Why do they keep making this mistake as I can clearly see by all the comments that their is a lot of it going on.
Hi Gemma
Thank you so much for info GB have had mine only 6 weeks but don’t require bank statements they said and bamboo have had it 6 weeks also and said no statements required. However I did send bamboo statements because they are quite threatening in their reply’s to me. I had to ask both companies do they require them and they said we will ask for any documents if we require them. They don’t make things easy at all. 2 years I been paying both these loans and I am only about 500 of what I borrowed from them. It’s so bad. Very stressful dealing with them too and they are not always the nicest to you on the phone and threat what could happen if don’t pay just now.
Gemma says
Good luck Carole hope you get a good outcome! Keep is updated
Stay safe x
Carole says
Thanks Gemma, same to you. Will update soon as I hear anything.
Thanks again Sara for your help!
Carole says
Hi Sara,
Can I please ask what this means “ I have added the below email to Senatus”
When asking if bamboo required statements in their reply their is an email that was between colleagues in the trail stating the above?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It sounds like the name for some internal bamboo system.
Cazza says
I have had complaints upheld against Lending Stream, Quick Quid, Wonga, and Payday UK, I made a complaint against onstride which I dragging out due to administrators, however, I am considering making a complaint against Satsuma and Amigo.
I had an initial Amigo loan of £3500 (with a multitude of payday loans in play for both me and my guarantor), they then topped up my loans after a few months to £8500.
I have only had two loans but the repayment is considerable and I simply can’t afford it and neither can my guarantor (who is my partner)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then I suggest you complain using the template letter in the article above and at the same time your guarantor puts in a separate complaint – see https://debtcamel.co.uk/amigo-complaints-by-guarantor/ for a template letter for complaints by guarantor. A guarantee with payday loans should never have been accepted by Amigo!
If the repayments are unaffordable without you getting behind with bills, you should consider stopping paying – cancelling your direct debt and your partner doing the same.
You and your partner could talk to National Debtline if you are not sure about whether to cancel the DDs. It will affect your credit record (which is probably poor anyway) but not your partners as the debt won’t show on his record.
Amigo should not start court action while you have complaints in with them or with the Ombudsman. You will get cross letters but so far no one has had this problems they have complained and then stopped paying.
Carole says
Hi Gemma,
Can I ask did you just have one loan with GB and it was upheld?
charlene says
I sent my Amigo case to FOS November 2019. Still no decision until now.
Julie says
Hi,
I had a complaint with with Buddy in October, they refused this in December so I sent to FO.
I received an email on Fri 24th to say that the FO were now looking into this..
Does anyone know how long it takes to get a response from the FO once the case has started being Investigated?
Thank you
Julie says
Just to add.. At the time I took the buddy loan out there was about £1000 + of gambling transactions In the 2/3 months before I applied for the loan which they would have seen had they asked for bank statements.. Their final response said they did full and proper checks.. Are bank statements supposed to be used in giving a loan of 5000? Will the gambling transactions help my case with the FO? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think bank statements should be used for any guarantor loan. Gambling transactions suggest that the loan would not have been given if the lender had looked at your bank statements.
Julie says
Thank you for reply. Hopefully they find in my favour.
On the credit file that buddy sent to me it had this part on it.. Do you know what it means?
It says score Gauge: 400
Reasons : Number of default accounts
Arrears status on accounts
High credit limit utilisation on accounts
Time since arrears status on accounts
Thanks for any help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s their assessment of your credit record. It’s not very helpful as it’s so vague.
Ann says
Hi
I am at week 14 with my Amigo complaint and not heard anything from them since week 8 when I got the standard reply saying it would be another four weeks.
I have tried emailing them and asked for an update but received no reply.
I do understand the current circumstances make things more difficult but I am now at the stage where I am ready to give up with this, they will not uphold it from what I am reading and the time it takes is too stressful. My guarantor is in the vulnerable category for Coronavirus and I do not want to put them in a stressful position at this time.
I think it is disgraceful that Amigo can get away with breaking financial regulations but I cannot see the point in continuing with this.
This site has been very helpful and I thank you for the time you put on to help people like myself.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you sent this to the Finacial Ombudsman? If not, do this now!
This is easy to do. There is no point in giving up – the Ombudsman is upholding 90% of complaints!
If you give up now you have to keep paying to protect your guarantor. So you may as well send the complaint to the ombudsman and just carry on paying. This is no more stressful than giving up and carrying on paying.
Ann says
Hi
Yes I sent it to them at the 12 week stage when I did not hear back from Amigo bit I have not had any response at all.
I did not send any bank statements or the SAR disc to them though.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s ok, just sit back then, things are taking a bit longer as everyone at FOS is now working from home, but cases are being picked up.
When an adjudicator is assigned they will be in touch if they want more information.
Can you just put this in a mental box which you don’t have to look at every day but can go back to when you are contacted?
K says
Definately dont give up its worth the waiting in the end
Jack says
Hello, im at week 13 with amigo. Been with FOS since week 8.
Fos emailed me on Friday to acknowledge my complaint and that they are now going to look in too my complaint. Any idea of a rough time scale how long it would now take with FOS?
Thanks
K says
Just want to thank you sara for all your help & to give some people some positivity & something to aim for. After stumbling across this site & the template i complained to amigo at the beginning of december. As of last friday, ive had my complaint resolved on all 3 loans, redress of £4,500 paid into my account & loan of £7,500 paid in full & now closed.
I no longer have to worry about struggling to pay £296 a month to them & ive managed to pay all other debt off with the redress figure & still had a bit left over to treat me & the kids
Brandon C says
That’s great to hear K wish you and the family all the best ,
Just a quick question how long did you wait after you sent to FOS ?
Thanks
Stay safe
Jack says
Amazing! Enjoy it! Im on week 13, hoping for the same
Ann says
Great news, did Amigo uphold it or did you take it further?
I am ready to give up with mine but this gives me some hope
K says
I took it to fos on week 8, amigo refused to uphold week 12 & fos upheld all 3 loans on week 15. Its taken about 4 more weeks to get sorted after that but now im debt free & its totally worth the wait. I had a £7,500 loan, still owed £7,900, never missed a payment in over 3 years & still had over 2 years to pay but it was crippling me every month being a single parent working with 2 kids, now im free of them i feel like a huge weight & stress has been lifted. Keep fighting
H says
Congratulations xx
K says
I sent to fos week 8 & rang them week 10 to ask if it could be prioritised. Amigo refused to uphold on week 12, fos upheld on week 15. They gave amigo 3 weeks to respond, they didnt so fos emailed them to say ombudsman would review case & within about 10 days, they had agreed to uphold, sent redress figure, got my bank details last weds lunchtime & money was in my acc friday morning
Its definately worth the wait & worth the fight
Amy says
Afternoon Sara , I’ve had an email today from my adjudicator from the Fos, he has messaged Amigo and they have till the 11th May to send him all the information of my loans etc he has written to them to ask about my loans over 6 years old and if they can give permission for him to look at but do you know if this means my adjudicator is only looking at the older loans or will he be looking into all of them , I’m a little confused ? Thank you :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if Amigo say he can look at the older loans, he will look at them all.
Amy says
Thank you for that , I just wanted to check it was the ones older than 6 years as well as the the ones within the last 6 years , I have about 9 in total, I just didn’t want to bother them as I know how busy they are , thanks again .
H says
Hi all, I don’t have any proof my household bills have gone up due to mother in law not working due to COVID apart from bank statements which show nothing , buddy aren’t showing a willingness to give me a payment break is there anything I can do ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have Buddy asked for proof?
do you have an affordability complaint in with them? If so, has it been sent to the Ombudsman yest?
H says
I have said what I have to send which are payments in and out to and from , I have just put in an affordability claim in as well, they are being equally as difficult with my guarantor she has lost her job unfortunately due to COVID and she has told them multiple times
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Your guarantor needs to cancel her DD to Buddy as she cannot afford to pay it. They should not take this payment from her if she has told them she has lost her job because of COVID, but better safe than sorry as they can be very difficult.
I suggest you email them saying that https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/personal-loans-coronavirus-temporary-guidance-firms says
“It is intended to provide help to those who might be having temporary difficulty in making their personal loan payments due to a loss of or reduction in their income (or income of other members of their household) or to those who expect to experience such difficulties.”
And that your household income has dropped because your mother in law has lost her job (or her self-employed income has stopped, or whatever is accurate in her case). If she has applied for universal credit or has an email from her employer or anything that will help to show this, attach that to your email.
So you need a payment break as you are now having to pay more of the bills she used be helping with.
H says
That is a great help thank you so much
Stacey says
Good afternoon Stacey,
Thank you for submitting your Covid-19 questionnaire application. We have been taking care to review your account in detail to ensure that we make the best decision regarding your account.
As a guarantor loan provider we need to work within the best interests of not only yourself but also your guarantor. We wouldn’t want to put an account at risk unnecessarily by allowing it to fall behind where this was not required. We need our customers to continue to pay as much as they can whilst we take care to ensure that they are not left short for other more important bills.
We’ve reviewed your application and unfortunately will not be in a position to accept the 2 month hold. It is important to remember that if we placed the hold on your account today, this would not expire until 27/06/2020.
We didn’t feel that this was necessary because of the following:
– You have not made any payments on this loan since March 2019, this would not have been due to Covid-19
– You have been emailing in to advise you were already struggling and working with Stepchange, therefore you would still be struggling after the hold
There are other ways that we can help you, I have asked a member of our collections team to reach out to you shortly to see how we can help.
——————————————
Can u help me with a reply for this? They still ignored my affordability complaint and i advised them that i dont want to offer something i cant afford as well as this i dont know what i can as my household has been impacted so dont want to make an offer to something i cant afford either now or in 2 months i already told them i am unable to pay. Ignoring my affordability wmails
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is this Amigo or George Banco?
they haven’t replied to your affordability complaint? Is it at FOS?
Stacey says
Yes just put it over to fos last week and this is amigo . George banco were helpful and put account on hold
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok. I hope your guarantor has cancelled their DD to amigo.
I suggest you go back to Amigo and quote what the FCA says in https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/personal-loans-coronavirus-temporary-guidance-firms
“Where a 3 month payment deferral is not considered appropriate, firms should without unreasonable delay, offer other ways to provide temporary relief to the customer in accordance with treating the customer fairly. This could include reduced payments or a rescheduled term. This could also include a payment deferral of fewer than 3 months if, for example, the expected loss of income is for a shorter period, or accepting a sum below the normal payment due if, for example, the loss of income is partial.”
Add that Amigo know you have been struggling for a while and now your position has got worse because of Cornavirus – give details about how it has got worse.
Say you think they are being very unhelpful in requiring you to complete an Income & Expenditure sheet when the main problem now is that you have no idea how much income will be coming in over the next two months which is why you have asked for a payment break.
Say if they want to be helpful they should reply to your affordability complaint which is overdue.
Sam says
Amigo – with there top ups. For example k did multiple top ups from starting at £2500 – £7500 after two years. How does the interest work when the previous balance is cleared with a top up? And i paid the loan off in full to close the loan eventually.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You work out the interest paid on each loan separately. So loan 1 you borrowed X and paid a total of Y in monthly payments and settled it with Z from the top-up – overall you paid Y+Z-X in interest.
Karl says
Hi
Has anyone actually had a response from amigo for the last few weeks? I’m currently at week 15! Sent to foc at week 8 not picked up as of yet!
Johnny Young says
No I’m at week 17 not holding my breath for a reply any time soon, there stalling
Audrey says
Hi we put complaint in with amigo 2 weeks ago .they said need to wait 8 weeks for reply. Now getting threatening letters .As been trying to come to arrangement with them for this months payment to them .they never phone if I phone I’m on hold for about 45 mins. I’m sending emails to them no reply. Any advice would be appreciated thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you missed 1 or more payments?
Have your household finances been affected by coronavirus?
What is your guarantor’s financial position?
Audrey says
Hi only last month due to been on sick with bad back. I informed amigo. As only on half pay. Wife was actually sent home from work last nite. As she was taccycardy and showing signs of virus. My guarantor and I are in contact since this started with them last month. He is behind me 100%.
When wife had small stroke Dec 18 she was off five months and I never missed a payment even though they knew.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You said before that your guarantor has cancelled their email. Does your guarantor also have a reason to put in a complaint saying that they could not have afforded the loan repayments? This would be separate from your complaint. You said before you didn’t know much about your guarantor’s finances, but you could suggest they read this page and see if it applies to them If they aren’t sure they could talk to their local Citizens Advice of phone national Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
So you were already in arrears by a month before coronavirus. I suggest you go back to Amigo and quote what the FCA says in https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/personal-loans-coronavirus-temporary-guidance-firms
“Where a 3 month payment deferral is not considered appropriate, firms should without unreasonable delay, offer other ways to provide temporary relief to the customer in accordance with treating the customer fairly. This could include reduced payments or a rescheduled term. This could also include a payment deferral of fewer than 3 months if, for example, the expected loss of income is for a shorter period, or accepting a sum below the normal payment due if, for example, the loss of income is partial.”
Add that Amigo know you have been struggling for a while, after your wife’s stroke and then your bad back and now your position has got worse because of Coronavirus as your wife was send home from work yesterday with what may be Coronavirus symptoms.
Ask them how they are proposing to provide temporary help to you during this Coronavirus period.
Carole says
Morning Sara,
My Uk credit complaint has been upheld and I accepted the redress although I think I’ve made a mistake as it doesn’t look like they have given me 8%. Can you check these figures please? Are they suppose to give you 8%? –
Original amount borrowed: £3500
Payments you have made: £3334.59
Remaining principal outstanding: £165.41
Current loan balance: £2890.88
Redress amount due: £2725.47
Also can I ask if you’ve been offered redress for some loans, if I accept that does that mean you can’t send to the ombudsman board for the other loans? Just preparing myself for possibly lending stream as they are not good at replying. They said will take 16 weeks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
did you just have 1 loan from UK Credit?
For lending stream you can’t just accept an offer for some loans and send the rest to the Ombudsman. I suggest you send the LS complaint to FOS at 8 weeks.
Carole says
Yes just one loan with Uk credit, although they bombarded me with offering top ups. They actually still are this morning by email offering tip up after upholding my case. I had that one loan from May 2018. Should they of given 8%?
LS are a nightmare not replying and said FOS is aware they are allowed 16 weeks now to do complaint. I’m on week 8 today.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
no, if you haven’t paid more than you borrowed there should not be any 8% added as you haven’t actually paid any interest.
Carole says
Great thanks for clarifying that Sara.
Should I give pending stream the 16 seen as they said it’s been approved by FOS and someone else? 8 weeks they are now with only an acknowledgement of complaint, no other communication with many attempts. All emails bounce back although it says reply to this email.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think if you look their email says they have “informed” FOS and the FCA. That isn’t really the same as having FOS and the FCA approve it!
It’s up to you. Personally I don’t see why you should give a lender more time that makes it deliberately hard to send a complaint by email or to communicate with them. Would they look at your case more urgently if you had Cornavirus problems? Almost certainly not…
carole says
Yes that is what i thought but i didn’t want to be unreasonable. I will send off to FOS today.
Thank you
Danielle says
Hi I put an affordability complaint into Amigo a couple of weeks ago and received a text today looking for more information. My first loan I took I topped up 4 times that was paid off they are asking for more information about 2 top ups also I have a current loan with them which they are looking for more information it’s just 3 yes or no questions. Does this need to be answered? Also if its not answered do I need to tell them or just ignore it? Will it affect my claim outcome? … I assume they are supposed to be “trick questions” asking if at the time I knew I couldn’t afford it being one. I don’t see it as a right or wrong answer, just a bit stuck what to do thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They are questions designed to make you feel guilty, as you say, for many people it wasn’t a right or wrong answer.
You don’t have to answer these. Have you sent Amigo bank statements? If you have, you can simply reply that you have sent them your bank statements which show your complete position.
Sending statements is a very good idea. It shows you aren’t trying to hide anything, you have given them the evidence.
Danielle says
I have answered the 3 questions this afternoon so I will await a response, I have not sent bank statements yet I no longer have the bank account my first loan was took on I have contacted the bank and they are sending this out just incase I need them. I answered that I knew I could not afford the loans and the income I gave them at the time was correct and that my expenditure was not correct that I gave them in the comments I told them I was in financial dire straights and needed the money but they should have been awear the debt I was in. Hope to hear back soon I only put the complaint in 2 weeks ago and heard back already I know it will take time hopefully not too long. I was just wondering what others had done in response to this thanks.
Thomas says
Hi Sara,
I’ve been told the adjudicator should be following up in the next few days with a response on my 3 Amigo loans. Fingers crossed its a refund as i went from 9k>10k>12.5k
As it stands today if i settle my amigo loan its £12k left to pay off. I’ve calculated the interest refund at around £8.5k if upheld. As my Guarantor paid around 1/2 of these and then i paid him back, would 4k to go him and 4k used to pay off the rest of the loan? or all £8.5k used to pay off the loan?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you give some details about how much has been paid to each loan separately?
Loan 1 – you borrowed 9k. How much did you pay in monthly payments? How much did your guarantor pay in monthly payments?
Loan 2 – you borrowed 10k, how much did you receive in cash? How much did you pay in monthly payments? How much did your guarantor pay in monthly payments?
Loan 3 – you borrowed 12.5k, how much did you receive in cash? How have you paid so far in monthly payments? How much has your guarantor paid so far in monthly payments?
Thomas says
Thanks Sara, just double checked everything and he actually hasn’t paid exactly half however as below
Loan 1 – 4 x £355.94 paid by me. Settlement from new loan £9157.19 – Payout £842.81
Loan 2 – 17 x £395.95 2 paid by guarantor and 15 paid by me. Settlement from new loan £9576.21. Payout £2923.79
Loan 3 – 8 x £495.95 4 paid by guarantor and 4 by me. £12,047 showing if paid off today
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh that’s a lot less than half :)
He has paid c. £2770 and you have paid c, £9325.
You have paid £1578 in interest on the first loans and £6292 on the second one..
If your guarantor isn’t paid anything, then these amounts will be used to reduce the balance on the last loan to £670.
This may be what Amigo does, they seem to have become erratic with these.
They used to pay all amounts the guarantor paid to the guarantor unless the guarantor says to pay it to you, so he would get £2770 + 8% interest and your balance would be £3440.
Would your guarantor be happy for the money to go to you? As you have repaid him already…
Thomas says
That is so helpful! Thank you so much. I guess it felt like the delayed payments weren’t made by me!
He would pay on the 15th of the month and id pay him back on the 20th so it was only a few days behind – although a cash injection would help as i’ve just lost my job :(
I’ll let you know the outcome!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When you say “he would pay on the 15th”, do you mean he just made the payment to Amigo that you should have made? Did Amigo ever ask him to make these payments to them?
Thomas says
Yes sorry, my due dade to make the payment was on the 15th, then they would seek payment from him only going forward.
This was a time of gambling so my option was to keep gambling till i won the money back.. But the payment was deffered to him to pay and i would pay him back privtely
S says
Hi
Is there a timescale with Amigo claims? I had a loan which I topped up and finished paying in 2011, I did complain to amigo in 2018 and again last year but they rejected it saying they have no record of me having a loan. I have bank statements proving dates. It is with FOS, has been with them since mid 2019 but never heard back from them
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you asked FOS what is happening?
Tonia says
Hi Sara, my eight weeks with amigo was up yesterday they have emailed saying its going to take longer they will contact me in 4 weeks , shall I send it to the fos or wait .
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s your choice, but some people have been waiting 15 weeks and Amigo isn’t making many good offers, so you may decide you would rather get in the FOS queue now.
Gemma says
I’m now over 17 weeks with amigo and received an email saying they can’t give me any timeframe to when il get a final response!!
L says
Hi Sara
My mum only sent her complaint 4weeks ago to amigo but I just want to make sure she’s organised for sending on to FOS at the 8 week mark. What does she need to send the FOS and where does she find the email to send it to?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hi L,
See the “If the lender rejects your complaint, go to the Ombudsman” section in the article above. There is a link there to the FOS online firm, that’s better than sending an email.
frogman says
Just wanted to share this info if it could of help to anyone with Amigo loans with regards to coronavirus payment break. I got an email today from them giving me a breathing space till 29/07/2020. My account is two months overdue and both myself and guarantor have complained. Guarantor in late January and mine in Mid Feb. No update on both and guarantor went to FOS at 8 weeks. Hopefully, we get the complaints resolved within the 3 months
Amanda says
Good luck and I’m about the same timeframe as you so it will be interesting how the process differs for us both.
Audrey says
I have sent numerous emails to them asking bout payment break .only a month behind. Not getting any replies. Only threatening letters.guarantor has complained to this been go in on a month now. Very stressful. Due to wife not 100%on health frustrates me
Scott says
Mines been with the FOS since October And have still not been appointed an a adjudicator even though tfs loans say they have sent all information to the FOS anybody had any news regarding Tfs???
Andrea says
They rejected my complaint within two days as it was past the 6 year mark ( by 2 weeks).
I’ve now completely finished paying the loans back.
Sent mine straight to FOS which is now 8 weeks on Sunday. TFS are useless
carole says
Sara,
can i please ask a question regarding escalation to Ombudsmen. I use resolver account and it says they send the file to Ombudsmen when i escalated it – is this fine to do or should i fill in proper online form for FO.?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Resolver should be fine.
Michelle says
I have only been given a 2 month payment break from Amigo even though I asked for 3 months, they said this is because my partner who is self employed will be getting money from the government in June so they said my circumstances will be better then! Can they do that?
I also put an affordability complaint in in January still not had a response from them or the fos.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If your situation isn’t back to normal in June you can ask for another month.
Michelle says
Ok thank you
Bel says
Hi Sara,
I submitted an affordability complaint to Bamboo loans. After 8 weeks they issued a final response not upholding my claim. I challenged them and they came back saying they still do not uphold my complaint but as a goodwill gesture they will remove my gaurentor and reduce the remaining interest by 50%. I have advised them I still do not agree and have sent to the FOS as of last week. I’m a bit worried as I have not made a SAR is it too late to request this from Bamboo?
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, you can ask for this at any point.
Bel says
Thank you Sara
McLaydy says
Hi Sara,
Do you know what happens if Amigo Loans don’t comply with the Ombudsman’s request to send the case file over please?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They will send it eventually. How long has your case been with FOS? If FOS are treating your case as a priority you could send them the SAR details Amigo has sent you and FOS a can start from those.
McLaydy says
Hi Sara,
Many thanks for that it has only been a month but they have highly prioritised it. I have sent them everything I have over via email ( all correspondence, statements for all loan accounts bank statements and lots and lots of medical information).
Just wondered what the next step would be? I offered to send them the SAR info but was told as they are working from home they wouldn’t have access to their mail.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you just email the files on the disk rather than post the disk?
carole says
Can i please ask what a SAR is and how do i request this for preparing to go to FOS about Amigo and Bamboo?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry, it stands for Subject Access Request. If you used the template complaint here, they ask for a copy of all your personal information – that is known as a SAR.
carole says
Thanks Sara. I used your template on all mine and i have not received that for all loans i complained about. Should i request this now from them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes, but don’t delay sending cases to the Ombudsman waiting for this to arrive.
Nick says
Good Afternoon,
I took out a loan from TFS Loans in Dec 2015 of £7,500 (60 month term @44.9%) and have made a complaint on the loan being provided being unaffordable due to numerous borrowing of payday loans and a gambling habit I had at the time.
In addition my guarantor (Mum) only earned through a part time job with a monthly income of £675 but was accepted.
I have received all SARS info to include phone call recording offers to to up my loan and documents but no call recordings from the original set up.
Wondered if you think I stand a chance with my complaint as I have uncovered the following:
1. They only requested my payslip for the last month and no bank statements requested by me or guarantor
2. Disposable income left was calculated at £175 per month but other factors were missing from the income and expenditure.
3. Credit Bureau information highlighted defaults and top ups of payday loans over the previous years highlighting my need for them.
4. They would not have seen my gambling addiction
5. My guarantor would not have been able to cover the loan if payments were missed
In addition during the term of my loan (now repayed) TFS made numerous attempts for me to top up my loan by email and phone despite me falling behind on payments during the term with offers of PTP’s.
Would be great for your thoughts
Kind Regards
N
Greg says
Hi, I put my complaint to Amigo on 11th February 2020 and have not received my SAR or a final response, they have not asked for an extension either, I put my case to FOS 3 weeks ago and haven’t heard anything yet. My issue is that I am self employed and will not receive anything for at least another month which leaves me in a vulnerable situation the longer it goes on, can I get FOS to speed up my case?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have you asked Amigo for a payment break because of COVID?
Greg says
I paid it off in January and then was advised that I can claim back as it was irresponsible lending and then covid happened
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I doubt FOS will give this priority because of covid. Have you applied for Universal credit, council tax support and asked all other lenders for payment breaks?
Johnny Young says
Good luck with amigo folks, complaint submitted 4th Jan, it’s now 30th April still no response, I have them every chance to reply but ombudsman now had my complaint, I’ve made 4 complain ts against company’s and won 3,amigo stalling big time, I just hope its not another wonga.
Gemma says
My complaint with them since 27th December 19 Johnny no outcome either! Fos asked amigo for my case file 2 weeks ago don’t know weather they replied to them or not!….
carole says
Hi Sara,
I got a response from LS today and my goodness they are so unprofessional in the wording. They have not upheld 30 loans in a row from 2018/19 and worked out i could afford them – according to them. I sent in 2 years worth of bank statements with 4 guarantor loans and 15 payday lenders and also gambling on it and they said i could afford this and have worked out certain amounts each month left over. Figures they clearly have pulled from a hat. They are a terrible company that are just declining for the sake of it obviously. Sent to FOS this morn.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
good move to send that to FOS. Can you post about payday lenders over on the main payday refund page please: https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/. There you are more likely to get replies from other people dealing with Lending Stream.
Johnny Young says
I got a refund from them last week, first 4 loans they said were affordable but they paid me back all my interest for the rest of them, they were brilliant, my bank account had about 5 years of constant gambling and borrowing
Candi says
Complaint raised initially 29/10, was told at 8 weeks they needed 4 more weeks, submitted to FOS at 8 weeks, literally heard nothing back from them and kept chasing, chasing and the 16th week came and they didn’t uphold. Prioritised at FOS sometime in February, adjudicator ruled in my favour end of March, Amigo asked for more time than the 14 days (due to elapse 13th April) and still haven’t responded. Complaint has now joined the queue for an Ombudsman to make the final ruling; knew this was going to happen. They haven’t complied with timescales the whole way through so I’m not surprised. Will keep you posted
Sara (Debt Camel) says
several people have had Amigo pop up and agree to pay out on the adjudicator’s decision while waiting for the Ombudsman – I hope this happens to you.
Steve says
Hi there.
Not posted on here before I am just wondering what I need to do with the 2 questions I have had back from amigo re 2 loans I had from them. One was paid off by a new top up.
Do I respond to them as I feel I provided them load already. I don’t know.
Cheers.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are these questions asking about whether you knew the loan was unaffordable when you too it out?
Steve says
Sorry yeah my apologies. They are. The examples are below.
For the top up loan the questions were.
Were you aware at the time you applied for the loan that you wouldn’t be able to afford to repay it?
Why do you believe your loan was unaffordable?
The expenditure stated at the time we paid out this loan was £2,393.14, was this correct?
For the original loan they have asked.
Were you aware at the time you applied for the loan that you wouldn’t be able to afford to repay it?
Why do you believe your loan was unaffordable?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have sent them your bank statements, I suggest you reply ignoring the questions (they are designed to make you feel guilty) but saying that you have sent them your bank statements which show your full position at the time of the two applications.
Steve says
Your a star. You are dead right though I do feel bad for making the claims and feel that they are trying to trap me into something that may make me feel I have done something wrong. When I know it was just not right for me.
I will keep you updated on my progress I have been waiting 5 weeks now so let’s see.
Craig says
Hi Sara, I just want to make everyone aware about the payment holiday from Amigo, I have been off work since march due to covid-19 and I asked Amigo for a 3 month payment break they said I could only have 1 month so when the FCA put their legislation out I then asked Amigo for another 2 months they agreed to it but are still charging me interest which they said would stop when the account falls into arrears which it did when I missed April’s payment. But they are still charging me interest saying the account is not in arrears because for the 1st months holiday they moved my payment back a month and are now saying my account won’t fall in to arrears till May’s payment is due. I said to them if that’s the case I don’t owe them April’s money they said I have to pay it so I said surely the account is in arrears if I owe it.but as it stands they are refusing to freeze the interest till I miss May’s payment which isn’t till the 28th so yet another full months interest to be paid meaning out of 3 months payment break I will be paying 2 months full interest.
Carole says
I am exactly the same with Amigo. I had a look at my account yesterday and I’m on my 3rd month payment break which ends this month and right now it says arrears and £1,200 arrears. They are still adding interest all the time when in this payment break. I’ll never get that paid off.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have an affordability complaint in, the extra interest being added really doesn’t matter that much as it will all be removed if you win your case. And 90% of cases are being won at the Ombudsman.
carole says
I never thought of that, thank you. Its just scary to look at it and think omg how will i repay that once this is over as they will hound me for it.
Carole says
Hi Sara, I just had a telephone call from Bamboo from a manager who wanted to apologise for all the emails back and forth and still not receiving my summary statements at week 7. He said he had a look at my loans, however wouldn’t be making a decision but that he can see 1st and 2nd loans looks like was affordable due to checks on credit file however 3rd loan shows I had arrangements to pay on the 3rd top up so that was possible irresponsible of them. I said my bank statements show 1&2 were not affordable too. He said because affordability checks were done on those 2 and they came back fine then they wouldn’t consider my bank statements for them as supporting evidence because affordability checks suggested fine. He also asked what I was looking for and I said interest on all 3 loans. He said he was keeping an eye on my account and wants to see final decision before sent to me but that was his thoughts. Is he correct on saying not going to include my bank statements on 1&2 as showed affordable?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know how much interest you paid on loans 1 & 2?
Carole says
He said to me on the phone it was about 300 on 1st and maybe 600 interest on the 2nd.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
and do you think those figures are correct? Where are you with the current loan, how large was it and how much have you paid to it so far?
Carole says
It doesn’t seem to add, up I don’t think. I have been waiting for a breakdown of how many payments I’ve made and also how much of it went to interest on each payment. He said they don’t do that they just send a statement of how many payments are expected per loan. He said I’ve paid total interest £493 on 1st loan which was £2500 and £931 on 2nd loan which was top up to £3,200
1. £2,500.00, 5th September 2018
2. £700.00, 22nd February 2019
3. £1,000.00 9th September 2019
I currently owe them £8,900 it says on my account.
I am currently making payments of £161 month since my last top up September 19
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you sort out from your bank statements how much you paid to each of the loans?
the second loan was a top up to £3200 and you got £700 in cash?
the third loan – you got £1000? this was a top up to how much?
SamF says
Hi Sara
I put in my complaint with the FOS on the 28th of March and understand due to what’s going on right now it may take a while to get around to my case.
When I put my complaint in with FOS I wasn’t able to attach my emails or bank statements but put in that I could send them via email.
I received an email just after it was sent saying they would be in contact after 3 weeks but I still haven’t heard anything. I only have the emails with amigo going back and forth since I put in my complaint with them in January also. Should I contact the ombudsman or wait it out?
I’ve been given breathing space just now from amigo but they didn’t email me stating how long for, I only noticed they done this when I logged into my account.
I don’t really know what to do at the moment.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you reply to the FOS email saying you now have your bank statements, where should you send them.
You asked for a breathing space due to coronavirus?
SamF says
Ok I’ll get that done now.
Yeah due to Coronavirus. It says ..
“ You have been given extended breathing space due to being affected by covid-19. Your statement will still show payments falling due but we are not expecting you to resolve them whilst the breathing space is in place. Once your breathing space has expired we will be in touch so we can discuss what options we have available for you.“
Sara (Debt Camel) says
unhelpful not to say how long! My guess is it’s probably 3 months, if it turns out to be less and you are still affected, then ask for extra months then.
John says
Hello, I put a complaint in with amigo loans yesterday. No checks were carried out like above, months worth of thousands of pounds of gambling and in a £2000 overdraft. They also topped up the loan as well. I’ve paid off about £10,000 already and still have another 3 years. Will they have to take the interest off my previous loan as well? At what time scale do I submit a request with FOS? Many thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It depends if one or both loans are decided to have been unaffordable.
If both loans are decided to be unaffordable, then the current loan will have the interest removed so overall you only repay what you borrowed, and the interest you paid on the first loan will be used to pay any remaining balance on the current loan.
If only the current loan is decided to be unaffordable, the interest on it will be removed but there will be no refund for the interest you paid on the first loan.
At the moment Amigo are rejecting many very good complaints and are being very slow at responding. This isn’t because of Coronavirus, they were very slow even before March!
Have your own finances been affected by Coronavirus?
What was your guarantor’s financial position when the loan was topped up – could they really have afforded to pay the loan every month and still be able to pay all their own bills and debts?
John says
Ok thank you for the information. My current finances hasn’t been effected by coronavirus yet but this loan has and it is seen through all my bank statements. My guarantor was in the same position as me if not in a worse one at the time the loan and top up was taken out. When would be a reasonable time to contact FOS?
Many thanks again
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Get your guarantor to also put in an affordability complaint then, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/amigo-complaints-by-guarantor/. If they win theirs first, then they will be removed as guarantor and you can then make an affordable payment arrangement while yours goes through.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can’t go to FOS until Amigo have had the case for 8 weeks. Amigo are not responding in that time at the moment – people were waiting 15 weeks even before Coronavirus, so Amigo can’t use that as an excuse!
Debs says
Hi Sarah,
I had put in a complaint with Amigo earlier this year it has paid the 8 weeks deadline and I have made a complaint with the FOS as well.
This morning I received a letter from Intruim (debt collector) saying my loan has been returned to Amigo. Anyone else experienced this ? and does it mean anything?
Andrew says
Thanks for the reply Sarah.
I have emailed them with the complaint and provided all the bank’s statements I had at the time and advised them the closed account ones would follow. The ones for the closed account were painstakingly slow as TSB could only request 1 period per day so I had to call daily and as you can imagine the phone lines at the moment aren’t the quickest however, i do now have them and I have sent them over.
My current situation is still not any better, earning more money than i did but multiple defaults which are all due to become statue barred by the end of the year.
I have been affected by coronavirus currently on furlough at 80% of my salary and i took your advise and applied for the payment break but haven’t heard back from them and that was over 2 weeks ago!
My guarantor is no longer working due to health reasons and most definitely would not be able to pay in the event I can’t so I will explore that option although i used your template and dod ask them in my complaint to release my guarantor.
I have just today received an email from them asking me to fill in a questionnaire for each of the loans taking out. Some of the questions are:-
1. At the time of applying for the loan were you aware you couldn’t afford it?
2. Was the expenditure you provided correct?
3. Why do I believe the loan was unaffordable?
Should i answer these?
Thanks
Andy
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you reply saying you have sent them your bank statements which show your position at the time of the loan applications. ie ignore their specific questions.
And add that you are waiting for a response to your request for a payment break which is urgent.
Tom says
Hi, I put my complaint in and they have now responded with the questionnaire, asking me to confirm what my income and expenditure was at the time. Now I wasn’t entirely truthful on that, I didn’t say any expenditure I should’ve had because I wasn’t paying my other debts off. And I also didn’t tell them I was planning on moving into my own rented flat a few days later. How bad will this look on me? They still didn’t check my credit files as they would’ve seen I had many defaults
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They should have seen from your credit record what all your debt repayments were and taken that into account. When you get the copy of your personal information you can see if they did this.
I can’t tell what your position would have looked like if they had done that. It may have been that the loan was clearly unaffordable even without you moving.
Tom says
Thanks for your response, what should I put in response to the questionnaire they’ve provided? Should I say I put the wrong figures in or should I say they were correct? Will I end up shooting my self in the foot?
I also hadn’t held down a full time job for more than 8 weeks when I got the loan, could this help my case?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you sent them your bank statements?
Not having had a job for more than 8 weeks should have been a warning sign!
Tom says
No I don’t have any bank statements to give them unfortunately. And I cannot go searching for them. Are you able to advise me how to answer the questionnaire please without shooting myself in the foot?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can’t you get the bank statements online? I suggest you reply that you are trying to get your bank statements which will show them the full picture.
Tom says
No I will not be able to find them. Bank statements are a no. But I would really appreciate it if you could advise me on how to reply to the questionnaire directly. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can ignore it, you don’t have to reply, they still have to look into your complaint.
Or reply saying what happened.
You should not say those figures were correct if you don’t think they were!
But if you don’t have your bank statement do you know what the correct figures were if this was a few years ago? If you aren’t sure, you could reply saying you don’t remember.
Audrey says
Hi complaint been with amigo now for nearly 4 weeks. Nothing yet just the usual if you want to discuss loan to email them when you do they never reply. Nothing is happening when should I contact the fos?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can’t go to FOS until Amigo have had it for 8 weeks.
I think at this point given your income problems, and your wife’s previous stroke and current Coronavirus health problem, you should email Amigo (again!) and say you are upset at not receiving replies from them, that you think your case should be given priority because of you and your wife are both vulnerable because of reduced income.
Gareth says
I wish to make a claim, but I have changed bank since getting the loan and have no recorded bank statements of such. What should I do?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How long ago was the loan taken out?
Gareth says
It was taken out in December 2011
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well you can make the complaint, and contact your old bank and try to get old statements but that is pretty old. Do you have any other evidence about the loan? In the complaint you ask for a copy of all your personal information, so that may help.
Gareth says
I’ll await to see what evidence they send me back.
Thanks Sarah.
Johnny Young says
I read somewhere if it’s more than 6 years since loan was taken you can’t claim, is this true?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
no it’s not. the lender may reject the complaint but FOS will consider it.
But the older the loan is, the less evidence you may have about your situation. Bank statements really help!