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
Shelby says
Hi Sara I need a bit of help I’m really confused I didn’t actually even release I have had 2 top ups during my loan on the beginning ,
4th July 2016 – first loan was for £4250
Paid 7 x £227
7th March 2017 – I topped up to £6500 but only had a payout of £567 ?
Since then I have paid 36 payments of £257 ,
I’m just really confused how I only had £567 payout when my loan only started it £4250 ! My head was so frazzled back then and desperate I didn’t even think
Thanks you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The way the top up loans work, they first of all pay off your previous loan. You had borrowed £4250 and only paid £1589, so £5933 was used to settle the loan.
Now that strikes me as a high settlement amount… I am surprised it was so much. It means you paid £3272 in interest on a loan that lasted less than a year.
If you get a refund on both loans, then this doesn’t matter as it just means you are getting more interest refunded. So I wouldn’t complicate your complaint at the moment with this. But it does look wrong.
On the second loan, you borrowed £6500 and have repaid £9252 so you have paid £2752 in interest.
On these figures (and you may have typed them in wrong or I may have, so treat this as a guess!) you would get a refund of c £6024, plus a few hundred in 8% interest and the last loan cleared.
Shelby says
Thank you
Yes I was thinking the same but I looked on the amigo statement and I only had the £500 figure paid out to me I took the loan in July 2016 and topped up 7th March so I only realised when I looked back that
£4250 loan from July to 7th March topped up to £6500 and had £590 odd pound payout ! I’ve double checked the figures and yes there right I thought I must have made mistake but not that’s the figure I find that very odd because every one else had a good amount of top up :/
Ben B says
Hi Sarah, I’m still in the queue for the Adjucator, I hope I will hear something soon. If you can could you estimate my refund if I am successful? Thanks
Loan 1 Amount £3000. Payments made 292.74
Loan 2 top up. Amount £4500 Settlement of Prior loan £2992.31 Payout £4507.69. Payments made £10,968.28
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Those figures don’t look right, Dan you check them?
Ben B says
I’ve double checked with my bank statements and Amigo’s website, they are correct. First loan was from 07/07/16 and top up was on 29/09/16. But the last payment I made was on the 31/12/19. I also delayed a few payments.
Thanks Sara
Kat says
Hi I just want to add to the comments …. my initial complaint was rejected by Amigo. I sent the details to the FOS in early March. The FOS haven’t allocated my case, and advised that they had a lot of guarantor complaints and it may take a while.
On Friday I received an email advising that my complaint had been looked at again and upheld!! They have put the redress against my remaining balance and this means I have a minimal payment left to clear.
To say I am over the moon is an understatement. That’s it. All my guarantor loan complaints have been upheld (bamboo, UK credit and amigo). I feel like I have my life back!
Sara I will never be able to thank you enough for this site.
David says
Hi sara can you tell me what my returns would be if my claim is upheld
i took out first loan in october 2017 of 4000 made payments of 198 pm till i topped up to 8000. 36month in january payments pm then was 391 fell behind few times but payments are now up to date
done nothing but struggle only earn 711 a month had to use tax credits at times to cover payments and had to borrow money from family to keep up to date so my guarantor didnt get warned as the guarantor is quite a violent dude so had no choice to keep up payments and struggle ever since hoepfully get rid of this amigo one be great once n for all
had one with uk credit they upheld my claim withing few week was super fast got 500 refund was really helpful thanks in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you say how many payment you made to the first loan?
When you topped up, how much did you get in cash?
Then how much have you paid Amigo since?
Horrible to feel that about your guarantor. Can I ask why you used him?
David says
Settlement of old agremwnt was 3.759.07
Payout 4.240.93 i have made 27 payments of 391 i think the balance i owe is 3200 close to that amount but i have got a 3 month breathing space till the 12/09/2020
David says
The garantor at the time was my only option had no one else to do it so basically bigest mistake i have ever made in my life was ever getting loans had bad gambling problem also at that time obviously dont gamble anymore changed my life alot in the last year single full time dad so its hard at times but i guess life is a rollercoaster as some might say
Sara (Debt Camel) says
well done for stopping gambling – let’s hope getting this Amigo loan sorted will make life easier and smoother.
David says
It will change my life alot to save 391 pound a month is alot to save specially when you havent got it when n if i do get it all back i owe it to my sister she has helped me through most of hard times best sister any one could have shes a gem
Davey Crockett says
**update**
Just about to hit the 19 week mark with Amigo, been at the FOS for 10 weeks but hadn’t been picked up yet.
Received an email this morning from Amigo to say they are upholding my complaint! It was for just one loan, so perhaps a simple one to get off the books.
I’m over the moon for myself and others who have had positive outcomes, but so sorry for others that have been waiting longer than we have. I have everything crossed for you to get a good result and soon.
I’ll call amigo to accept tomorrow and will keep you updated on the timescales for the next steps.
Thanks Sara for all your help. Payout from Amigo pending, I will potentially be debt free for the first time in 20 years. What a huge relief, and I couldn’t have done it without your help.
Andy B says
Today as in Sunday?
Congratulations! Must be serious if they’re working Sundays!
Davey Crockett says
Yes, I thought the same! I also saw someone comment earlier that amigo told them complaints staff weren’t working weekends, but they obviously are!
Mb018538 says
Well done Davey Crockett – great result!
It was me who posted. I phoned Saturday (yesterday) and was told they didn’t work weekends in the complaints handling department….that looks like the fob off lie that I thought it was. They obviously read from a set script to get rid of people chasing on the phone like myself – give false hope they are checking into it etc when really they will do nothing.
Staci says
Well done davey!
I am the same at 20 this week ive rang and emailed numerous times i could cry just want a result .
Getting hounded for payments constantly though but ignored for this . Im just going to leave it for now and let fos pick it up. I think i check my emails bout 400 times a day in hope but i keep getting fobbed off
Shaun says
I too today received an email from amiego after complaining 6 weeks ago they are eccepted my complaint paying rest of loan off and giving me a nice tidy refund. Ive accepted will phone them tomorrow on asking time lines
Martin says
This Monday received email from Amigo offer me redress for all 6 loans(top ups) containing.:
1. The removal of all interest charges under the loan agreements;
2. A refund of any payments you may have made in excess of the capital amount of the loan agreements, along with 8% simple interest;
3. andThe removal of any adverse information from your credit file in respect of the loan agreements.
4. In addition, we have now removed your guarantor’s liability for the loan agreements.
My complaint been raised on 1st January, so it took me 6 months to get response, but very happy 😊
Just emailing Ombudsman services asking for close the case as I accepted their offer.
Good luck everyone.
Kimberley says
I’m also at week 18 and getting more and more anxious. I’m on a payment freeze but I know I won’t be able to afford the payments once they start again. I’ve told them all about my mental health issues and what I go through in a daily basis but still can’t get an answer from them. I’m getting worse now so will just have to keep waiting and crossing everything I hear back soon
Mb018538 says
Sorry to hear that.
It’s ridiculous – they’ve had nearly 5 months to sort my complaint out, but they haven’t had time yet…..but they can still call me and send me letter s as soon as arrears are on my account. Funny that.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Amigo have told the FCA they will clear the backlog by the end of the month. I would hope this includes all your complaints!
Daniel says
Hi Sara,
thank you for your ongoing help to people like me in this situation. Do you mind me asking where you found that out from? I know there have been big problems with their sale/takeover today but didn’t see anything like that. Great news if true.
thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It was in an announcement two weeks ago and was repeated in this morning’s announcement (https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/AMGO/market-update/14568288):
“As announced on 27 May 2020, Amigo, in line with its commitment to managing complaints raised by customers in accordance with regulatory requirements, has agreed a Voluntary Requirement with the Financial Conduct Authority to work through and reach a decision, before the end of June 2020, on a backlog of complaints which have arisen principally in 2020.”
Claire says
I opened a case with Amigos back in November . In February I was told that my complaint hadn’t been upheld and I could pass the details on to the financial ombudsman if I wasn’t happy with the decision. This I did straight away but I was advised by the ombudsman that it could take a while to open my case. I just let it run not expecting to get anywhere especially given the current situation.
On Friday out of the blue I received an email from Amigo’s telling me they had re- looked into my case and they had decided that my complaint would now be upheld and I am entitled to £5,800.
My advice to you all don’t give up hope if you think you have a case.
Gemma says
I want to say a massive thank you to this site has helped me so much I put my complaint in 12 week ago and amigo upheld it on Wednesday and it has been settled when I looked on my account online tonight and a nice refund of 4460.00 should be in my bank soon honest everyone just wait and you will get your refunds it is the worst thing I ever did and I still had a year to go with monthly payments at 363.59 will never make a silly mistake like this again can finally get my finances back on track 🌈 thanks so much again sara your a star
Annemarie says
Hi Gemma
Can I ask if the 4460 is after the loan has been paid off?
Thanks
Annemarie
Gemma says
Yes it’s been paid out so should receive in next few days hopefully
Rebecca says
Can anybody help with my query, I complained last year for irresponsible lending but was turned down, I referred to FOS and still waiting for them to get back to me, I had an offer last Wednesday saying they are upholding my complaint, I accepted the offer but looking further is says they are refunding me £5400 but my loan was only 6000 to start with last year.
Surely this is a mistake?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are they giving you that in cash or just reducing your balance by that much?
Rebecca says
They put in the appendix they are giving that as a cash refund.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well that does sound too much, but some amigo accounting is VERY odd. See my comment here yesterday to someone: https://debtcamel.co.uk/how-to-complain-guarantor-loan/comment-page-33/#comment-368202
I suggest you wait and see what turns up. It may get corrected if it was an error. Don’t bank on getting that cash and end up disappointed.
Rebecca says
It says to call to confirm I’m happy, I’ve emailed but not called.
Shall I call them or wait it out?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I didn’t realise they were asking people to phone in – sounds like a waste of their time but perhaps there is an email backlog?
You could say you are happy with the refund as you weren’t expecting that much, or tell them you think they have got it wrong… up to you.
Skids says
Hey I had similar email, it’s poorly put together and makes for a terrible read.
Scroll right down to the bottom of the email and the breakdown of the refund is in there. Mine had no spaces at all and took me ages to decipher.
The first part had I was getting a cash refund of 5.5k but then when I went through it it cleared my loan and I was getting a cash refund of 1500.
It also said to ring to confirm. This is because they want your updated bank details. Once you have done this it will take 5 days to process and 3 days for the bank transfer. I rang last thurs morning so if I haven’t heard anything by tomorrow evening I will chase it up.
Rebecca says
Mine said total interest minus balance leaves £5400
Rebecca says
Hello
I had the same email on Saturday so called them this morning to give my bank details over the phone, no wait time. I have been told the amount will be paid by Friday, might be worth giving them a call to confirm figures. I made a payment last week which isn’t included in their figures so they’ve confirmed this will be added in.
chris says
I have put an affordability complaint in for my partner a few days ago against the email address on your list for amigo loans do they confirm they received your complaint fairly quick? I know this is early days and it looks like a lot of people are doing it. any advice would be great. thanks
bob says
Good to see quite a few getting claims accepted.
Hoping mine gets looked at soon. 17 weeks and waiting.
Already emailed FOS, so frustrating.
T says
Sara I have had conformation on my refund today. You worked it out near enough bang on.
The guy from amigo said the payment will be generated today and it will take up to 10 working days to go into my account. (Thought I’d add this so it helps anyone wondering how long it takes)
Good luck and and again thank you Sara for all of your help and support on this.
Emma says
T- can I ask- did you accept through FOS first and if so, how long between that and today’s email?
T says
Hi Emma, I give you a full break down of my case and hopefully it will help.
2/12/19 – sent my affordability claim to amigo.
Around end of jan I submitted to FOS. 8 week mark.
2/3/20 – amigo sent a rejection to my complaint. I forwarded all emails to the FOS regarding this.
15/5/20 – was assigned an investigator from FOS.
4/6/20 – FOS rang to say amigo had offered the good will gesture. He put that in an email and sent it to me, I accepted it straight away, that afternoon FOS confirmed they had sent the acceptance.
I then rang amigo on the same day and spoke to someone who passed my details on to someone who was handling my complaint. He emailed me to say he would be in touch With the figures the next day.
5/6/20 – I waited till 5pm no figures so I rang again, the lady then transferred me to the gentleman I had been emailing, he took my bank details and said he was still waiting for the figures but did confirm he had the acceptance from the FOS.
Today I had an email to give me the total refund figures and he confirmed that this would be put through today and should be in my bank within the next 10 working days.
I also have requested the certificate for HMRC because I am entitled to claim the 20% of the 8% that has been taxed.
I hope this helps.
Everyone please don’t give up, I know it’s easy to as I was close myself. X
T says
The money has gone into my account today.
Bec says
How long from getting figures did it take for money to arrive in your bank?
T says
Got the figures Monday morning but gave my bank details to them on Friday.
Vicki says
So i emailed for an update again this is the reply i got :_
Hi Vicki,
Thank you for your recent email.
We are still to investigate your complaint. We apologise for the delay, we are currently experiencing higher volume of work than usual. Due to the pandemic we are still working with limited staff and resources.
As advised in our previous emails, 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.
Kind regards,
Customer Relations Team
Amigo Loans
in all honestie im not even sure what i might get back but tbelow is the loans i had with them .. mine was al paid off 6 years ago.
27/07/2011 – £825.00
11/04/2012 – £3,300.00 – £926.80 of this settled the loan above – with a payout of £2373.20
01/07/2014 – £5000.00 – £2594.53 of this settled the loan above – with a payout of £2405.47
I think they are going to kick mine to the kerb!
If all is paid off what is my liklyness of getting anything back ?
When ive got through and added up all the interest listied it comes to £ 6686.40. not sure how they work it out but thats off all my statements of loans.
Thanks
Vicki
Sara (Debt Camel) says
HAs the last loan been repaid? if yes, at what date?
vicki says
Yes loan was repaid 1/06/16 £4105.97 by a family member/
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, well i can’t do the interest calculations unless you can say how much you paid to each of the three loans eg 11 lots of £127
But if you have added up the interest correctly then that will normally be right. The problems heres are
1) that if you and direct debtis bounced or payments were missed it can be hard to interpret Amigo’s statements so you may have made an aerror
2) you should also be refunded any other sorts of charges ag CHAPS fees, broker fees, late payments charges,
But if you assume the £6686 is right, then your would get at least £2200 extra in 8% interest.
Emma says
Hi Sara, can I get your opinion please? Amigo has said they’re prepared to offer redress in respect of 3 loan agreements – £3k, £10k and then a top-up loan. The redress provided will consist of the removal of all interest charges under the loan agreements and a refund of any payments you may have made in excess of the capital amount of the loan agreements, along with 8% simple interest.
The amount they have given as the 8% simple interest for all three loans (from 2013 up to present day) is £321.08. When I calculate 8% on top of each interest payment from the time paid to today for one of the loans alone it comes to £420. So the total 8% simple interest hasn’t been calculated properly. Is that correct? Are they hoping I won’t ask for the proper amount?
Details:
1- 21 Oct 2013 (12 months) – £3,000
2 – 19 October 2017 (36 months) – £10,000
3 – 13 July 2018 (24 months) – £9,500 (top up on £10k loan)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know what interest you paid on the first loan?
the last loan was very nearly repaid – correct? How much have they calculated the refund of interest at across all 3 loans? how much is the balance they are clearing?
Emma says
Hi Sara, I don’t know about the first loan as I don’t have the figures (I’d have to go back to my bank statements) but I did actually pay it off very early so I don’t think that interest would have come to much.
Amigo calculated the total interest I’ve paid as being £7892.95
The last loan has £2300 left to pay which Amigo said they will pay off with my refund (which totals about £8200). When I calculated the interest payments on the second £10k loan up it came to more than £321 but maybe I’m being picky or miscalculated somehow.
The offer to a refund £5865 is fantastic as I didn’t have to go to the FOS but I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything by accepting now.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so the last loan you have either missed a lot of payments on or it was for more than 24 months? what have you monthly payments been?
(these questions are relevant to the 8% issue!)
Emma says
For the last loan, I moved my payment date about 3 times (extended it by a few weeks) so that must be why it looks off – I haven’t missed any payments though. I’m due to finish paying it in September due to moving the payment date.
My monthly payments for each loan were:
Loan 1 – £309.17
Loan 2 – £487.89
Loan 3 – £587.25
Emma says
Hi Sara, I just spoke to someone at Amigo and he told me that the 8% interest is only for overpayments – so e.g. where I topped up my loan or I paid more than I needed to for a month. He said this is what the advice from the FOS has been. So, they don’t have to calculate 8% on every interest instalment. Does this sound right?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
He said this is what the advice from the FOS has been.
I don’t think FOS gives lenders advice on that sort of thing… I don’t know what an ombudsman’s decision would be.
Amigo calculates the 8% in an unusual way that no other lender does, including administrators closing down companies like Wonga. Strangely the Amigo calculation always comes to a lot less, who would have guessed?
So far as I know, no-one has ever pushed this through to an ombudsman decision. My guess is that people are in the end just glad to be out of Amigo’s clutches and want the whole nightmare behind them.
James says
Not a legal type but I thought the 8% was a statutory interest to account for inflation etc.
I was under the impression it is 8% of refund value as simple interest?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes but it is 8% per year… so the question is when does that start?
Emma says
Well I went through the figures again and I decided that the amount I may be refunded if I went to the FOS wasn’t worth the wait, so I’m accepting their offer.
It’s annoying as a matter of principle. I argued with the person over the phone about it but they were adamant that they only have to add 8% to over-payments.
AM says
Hi
I am feeling very nervous about this whole situation, whilst i am very happy to have received my offer and i have accepted and i am seeing lots of people now getting positive results, this is all fantastic news. But has anyone actually received their money yet?
Amigo are still contacting me about my next payment that is due next week, strange as my balance would be completely clear once my redress is applied.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
cancel your DD! if you make the next payment, Amigo have to go and change their refund calculation!
cher says
Hi Sara, I’m not sure if you missed my comment from Friday ,i have accepted the offer from amigo to settle as a goodwill gesture and the adjudicator will email this to amigo.
If you have a spare minute could you possibly help me work out what I could be looking at for a refund please?
Loan 1-July 2014 £5000 over 24 months ,11×£309.08 paid to amigo
Loan2-July 2015 £7000 over 60 months.
Settlement of prev loan £3386.63
Received in cash £3613.37.
57× £276.76 1 x payment of £2000 paid in October 2019 and card payment of £190 made start of Feb to clear full balance.
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The last loan, you carried on making monthly payment up until February? was this really 57 payments ?
cher says
Sorry it was 55 payments of £276.67
1 payment of £2000 in oct 2019
And the last payment was made on the 5th of Feb of £195
Thankyou
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok so then you have paid £1786 in interest on the first loan and £10,370 on the second loan. So a total refund of £12,156 plus about £1100 in 8% interest (but the 8% guess may be a way off)
cher says
Wow! Will make such a difference especially at the moment ,thankyou again.
Chloe says
Nearly 20 weeks Iv been waiting, getting fins off like the rest of you, can’t understand why mines taking so long when there’s nothing complicated about it! Hope I get an email today I check every hour!!
Iv only contacted them twice asking for an update in that time too!! So it’s not like Iv hounded them… Iv thought for ages that they are trying to drag it out so that can go into administration!
bran says
There seems to be no order to the way they respond, i am 19 weeks tomorrow and no update at all :(
Fellowman says
I feel your pain. I am now week 34. Its nice to see people getting good results. But really frustrating knowing yours is being ignored.
Lauren says
Hi guys.
Amigo made an offer to the FOS which I accepted. FOS emailed them my acceptance friday.
Does anyone know how long the wait is from here for amigo to contact me?
Also how do you work out the 8% interest?
I had a £2500 loan in june 2016
Made 30 payments @ £98.91
13 payments @ £61.40
And then I cleared the remaining £1991.82 when i won a case with someone else.
Thank you for your help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I assume this was your only loan.
When did you settle it?
Lauren says
I settled it on 19th february 2020
I did have a loan for £1250 which i made 3 payments of £77.10 on before paying that off completely. Then got out the £2500 one which is the main one i’m trying to work out.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok so you have paid 30*98=2940
plus 13*61=793
plus 1991
which comes to 5724,
so you paid £3224 in interest. There will be little 8% interest, perhaps £100.
Adele says
Hi,
I excepted mine with FOC 3 weeks ago today & still waiting on figures or email from amigo, I contacted FOC & she said usually up to 4 weeks but amigos very busy at the minute and it may take longer, she said if I haven’t heard anything in 4 weeks to contact her again.
Thanks
L says
I have just had my final response. It will be 17 weeks on Thursday, sent to the FO at 8 weeks. They rejected my complaint. I had 3 top ups after my original loan. They never asked for any bank statements to see proof of income. I had various defaults and missed/late payments on my credit file. I had pay day loans, and other payments to debt company’s etc. They would of seen all this. Other than the first email from FO to say they’d received my complaint I’ve had no further correspondence? How do I go about sending my final response? Or do I have to wait for it to be assigned? Feeling very deflated. Thankyou.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That seems unusual – there is an odd random element in some decisions :(
It’s good you have already sent your case to FOS. If the first correspondence from FOS has a reference number you can email back and say you want the attached rejection to be added to that case.
Jay says
Hi all. I’m in week 19 and have just had my complaint upheld by Amigo. Loan cleared and a £5k refund. I also had a UK Credit complaint upheld a few months ago. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to be free of these loans !! Hang in there everyone – it looks like they’re getting round to us all now. Thank you Sara for this site, it’s been an absolute lifesaver.
VH says
Still waiting to hear of my refund calculation.
Accepted Via FOS last Wednesday.
Called Amigo since Friday keep saying with another team. Some really helpful customer service and then today first time was not very helpful.
Was just told don’t know up to 10 working days. Couldn’t tel me if that included payout.
Feeling frustrated by all of this.
Anyone else in the same position
Jade says
I rang this morning and asked when funds will be paid. They said they dont have a time frame so seems they are telling people different things!
Abbie says
I was told today 10 working days to receive figures, then ring to give bank details then 5 working days to receive the money. Hope this helps, I accepted my decision Wednesday but they didn’t put the acknowledgement of acceptance on my account until Saturday.
VH says
Thank you Abbie
Have you received your calculation yet.
I accepted with FOS on Wednesday but they tel
Me they didn’t get it until Friday.
I’ve had email to say can’t tell me when but will be up to 10 working days to calculate refund and be in contact. Seems we all being told different things.
Abbie Parker says
Unfortunately not yet.
I am thinking if it’s anything like the rest of the complaint process it will either be on the 10th day or after.
My complaint first started on 11 November so I am very on edge until I get that money, feel it’s been a long time coming.
VH says
Abbie
Me too, been since October 10th.
So relieved last week when FOS upheld just waiting for the figures.
But in a queue for calculation.
Hope it will be in The 10 days they advised.
Was told today we are in middle of global pandemic. We very busy.
Had to reply as a nurse I’m fully aware
😷
Mark says
Advise please : so my complaint was upheld never went to FOS .
My gaurantor had made payments on the loan which they said they will either use in there calculations or refund.
What they are saying is that if they refund her and then there is still some of the priciple loan left outstanding and I dont pay then she is still liable(as gaurantor).. is this correct ? I thought if an affordability claim was upheld the gaurantor got released and it was me that was liable if there was any money still owed
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I thought if an affordability claim was upheld the guarantor got released and it was me that was liable if there was any money still owed
you are correct…
which lender is this?
do you know how much she and you have paid? It would be easier to think through things if you know the figures?
Mark says
UK credit
She has paid approx 5k
I have paid over 3k
Loan was for 6k
This loan has caused a massive rift in the family as when the loan defaulted they made my gaurantor make payments then eventually she had enough resulting in ccjs and charging orders . .
They have also said they will have to do affordability checks to see if she could afford to pay the loan or not before they refund her ??
I’m really confused as they have upheld my affordability claim surely they should release my gaurantor or am I missing something .
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, then go back to them and say that whether or not she could afford the repayments isn’t relevant, but that she should have her payments refunded plus 8% and she should have the charging order and CCJ set aside.
This will leave you owing them just under 3k, but you can then make a payment arrangement for that. Say that you and she will be putting in a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman if this doesn’t happen. It will be easier in this situation if you send FOS a joint complaint.
Mark says
Should they release my gaurantor?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think so – has your guarantor complained too?
Mark says
No not yet I’ll speak to uk credit and find out exactly what they are doing . I feel that they have only upheld the case so they can put there conditions on it . I think they no my gaurantor is obviously going to want the payments back she has made . UK credit no this will leave some money owing so will still hold my gaurantor responsible if I never maintained payments .. they irresponsibly lent me money they have admitted that and still they are trying to hold my gaurantor accountable.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you also talk to your guarantor. It’s going to be easier if you two are responding with the same voice.
Maria says
Hi all just spoke to Amigo very polite and helpful lady who said at 18 weeks my complaint had been assigned a complaints assistant but had no update yet but said all complaints had to be completed by end of June otherwise Amigo would get into trouble I said I had now been prescribed anti depressants as my anxiety and depression was worse. My question is will this effect my complaint
Sara (Debt Camel) says
will telling Amigo about your mental health affect your complaint? it should make them prioritise it, but where they are now you may not be able to tell if this is happening or not.
Annemarie says
Hi
I have mental health issues and this doesn’t seem to get it prioritised to be honest. I’ve not heard anything for weeks now. Only had the generic emails but I’m only on week 8 now.
Jo says
I’ve got depression and anxiety, I’m fine but I don’t think it helps my decision making like getting into debt! I also told them I had left an abusive relationship which resulted in a conviction and this had an impact financially and again decision making! I could provide proof if needed! Initially I got an email to say sorry to hear that and it doesn’t seem to of had any impact on my claim handling and no mention of it at all since first email lol
Jo says
Hi Sara, I did ask last night but it was wrong anyways cause maths isn’t my strong point so when you get a chance can you look at mine? I’m wk 13 and they are still looking into it I’ve emailed today as they’ve passed the extra month they wanted but I’ve read a lot of comments so it is what it is and il get dealt with in no particular order lol
11/6/14 loan of £4000
52 payments of £158.10
30/11/18 top up loan of £6000
£2000.03 payed off existing loan
£3999.97 payed to me
As of today
£237.15 x 18 payed
Still to pay on acc
£5310.1000
My case seems the same as everyone but they’ve had bank statements about 1 wk in! They’ve also been told about my mental health struggles and leaving an abusive relationship so can’t see why I won’t get it eventually even if it pays some balance off
Thanks
Jo
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so the interest paid on each loan looks like roughly (remember you may have typed in numbers wrong or I may have, this is just a guess)
loan 1 – £6216
loan 2- still £1734 to repay what you borrowed so no interest paid so far.
If both loans are decided to be unaffordable, the balance would be wirped and you would get a refund of c £4482 plus some extra 8% interest.
The settlement amount on the first loan looks unusually high – but if this loan is refunded that just means you will get a larger refund.
Jo says
I will check loan one? I’m not good with math, so no idea what you mean so will double check! Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I mean that if you put a loan of 4k over 5 years into Amigo’s website https://www.amigoloans.co.uk/ it comes up saying “Borrowing £4,000 over 60 months, repaying £158.10 per month, total repayable £9,486.00”
But if you paid 52 payments of 158, that is 8216, so how the settlement from the next loan be £2000? that means you have repaid more by an early settlement than if you had just repaid the loan, which can’t be right.
But this could be Amigos error not yours!
Jo says
Yes I’ve checked and it is correct, what does that mean? Have they dropped a double boo boo with mine? Although not settled they have stayed in contact and I’ve not msg them once for update as can’t see it has any affect, I have emailed today because like everyone it’s killing me but I’ve kept up paying it and they have passed the 1 month more before they get in touch again via email so 🤷🏼♀️ I didn’t get the second loan till over 4 yrs after 1st I’ve checked and all seems correct?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you get a refund on both loans it doesn’t matter, you will just get refunded more.
I suggest waiting and seeing what happens, because you aren’t going to speed up your decision by raising new querying about how they calculated the settlement amount!
Jodie Vick says
Omg after more paperwork reading! It seems I topped up to £5000 in November 2014 and have no recollection of it! That was £197.62 a month then I had the 4 yr gap! Before topping up again! What does this mean for my claim? Will I have to start it all again? They’ve not mentioned it at all! Can’t believe I’ve no memory of it 😦
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Just go back to them and say you have just seen that there was another loan in month/year and you want that taken into consideration.
Jo says
Ok so I’m totally confused now so without the first loan included for a rough idea
£5000
At £197.62 x 48 payments
Then top up loan of £6000
Paying £2000.03 to clear other loan
Leaving £3999.97
At £237.15 x 18 payments so far
Still owing £5310
Original loan was roughly £158.10 x 5 payments and I literally have no recollection 😦
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest waiting and seeing.
Jo says
Ok, can’t believe it! Still don’t remember it! Just shows what depression does to the brain! Making up my own story 😦
Thanks il do that now
Hopefully won’t start the process again
Jo says
Hi Sara, last time! I’ve been through everything and finally worked out what I’ve done! I haven’t complained about the original Loan of £4000 it’s the 2 top ups that are under investigation! Loan 1 was only 4 months so no idea what I was doing but I’m basing my figure on the last 2 if you could give me rough idea! I’ve taken the 3 month payment holiday this morning as I’ve nothing to lose! So this will be the figures as of today!
£5000 loan 19th November 2014
48x£197.62 paid
Top up loan of £6000 November 2018
£2000.03 to clear old loan
£3999.97 given to me
Have paid £237.15×18 so far
Still outstanding £5310.10
Thanks
Ben B says
Hi,
I double checked my figures. So if you could try to work out an refund amount I’d be grateful.
Loan 1 Amount £3000. Payments made 292.74
Loan 2 top up. Amount £4500 Settlement of Prior loan £2992.31 Payout £4507.69. Payments made £10,968.28
I’ve double checked with my bank statements and Amigo’s website, they are correct. First loan was from 07/07/16 and top up was on 29/09/16. But the last payment I made was on the 31/12/19. I also delayed a few payments. Thanks Sara
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“Loan 2 top up. Amount £4500 Settlement of Prior loan £2992.31 Payout £4507.69. Payments made £10,968.28”
this can’t be right. The settlement of the prior loan plus the payout should equal the total of the loan.
Ben B says
Hmm Odd, I double checked things. I think it might be that I didn’t mention my outstanding balance. Sorry
Loan 1 was for £3000, I made 2 payments of £146.37 each. Then Top up was for £4500, the settlement of prior loan was for £2992.31 and received payout of £4507.69. Payments were 36 x 296.44. With an outstanding balance of £7033.36 still to pay. (arrears of 5 x 296.44 with Covid Break)
Also last I heard from FOS was that they wouldn’t do anything until Amigo reached their decision, I did reply saying they declined but I think I will email/ring to confirm its in their queue.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The point is, if the second loan was for 4500, then that money is divided, some goes to you, some to settle the previous loan. But you say it was £2992 to settle the precious loans (which sounds plausible). In that case you should only have been paid 4500-2992 = 608…
At a guess, this would all make sense if the second loan was £7500 over 5 years … not 4500
Ben B says
Oh I see what you mean. Yes it was for 7500 over 5 years.
Sorry
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, well assuming the other figures are correct (!) then you have paid £285 interest on the first loan and £3156 so far on the second one.
Kelly says
Yesterday was 10 week for my compliant, today I received the news I’ve been waiting for my complaint has been upheld! I have to wait 14 days to give my guarantor chance to respond to their email then I will receive my figures!
Becqui says
Why is your guarantor being contacted?
Kelly says
Because they made a couple of payments they are being offered them back.
Becqui says
Ahh ok so this doesn’t apply to everyone xx
Amy says
Nearly 28 weeks later and oh my goodness I’m so happy :) thank you a thousand times Sara , my adjudicator just phoned me and Amigo have upheld my complaint , I feel like crying with joy , I can’t thank you enough for this site, I never thought I would have had them out of my life , you are amazing Sara x hang in there everyone :)
Gemma says
Amazing Amy so so pleased for you after that dreadfully long wait 😁 x
frogman says
Hi Sara, my guarantor’s Amigo complaint is now 19 weeks, sent to FOS at 8 weeks and no contact yet from either yet. I am expecting Amigo to get back to her soon. My own complaint as the borrower went in exactly 12 weeks ago, however this was missed by Amigo and was only lodge 4 weeks ago. They sent their standard message today saying they will try to get back within 8 weeks and I replied saying they should prioritise it as it would have been 12 weeks today . My question is will these two complaints be treated separately or as a whole based on the single account. First loan of £4000 was taken out in 2015, 1st top-up in 2016 back to £4500 and then another top up in 2017 to £8000. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
My question is will these two complaints be treated separately or as a whole based on the single account.
By Amigo? No idea.
By FOS? Separately unless you both tell FOS you would like them considered as a joint complaint.
Staci says
Just out of curiosity is anyones complaaint being responded direct to them if their case is still awaiting assigned by fos
Im 19 weeks now and nothing :(
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Amigo?
Yes, I think they are settling some cases which haven’t yet been picked up by an adjudicator.
Paul says
I’ve just had mine settled today. Mine had yet to be assigned by the FOS, so they’ve done this on their own initiative. Hang in there!
Claire H says
How long was you waiting Paul I’m at 19 weeks tomorrow
Paul says
I first contacted them on February 14, so not too bad!
L says
Oh wow congrats. Mine was put in 6th February and I’ve had no response and not been picked up by an adjudicator…
Are they doing these chronologically?
Sara says
Hi all!
So… I haven’t posted in a while, but I got some news that I hope will give a little hope to those who have been waiting a while.
I complained to Amigo loans on the 1st on January of this year.
I jumped through the hoops, waited until the dates they gave me, left a negative review on trustpilot etc…
I got to my 12 weeks and I think it actually went a week over that when I got a rejection email from them. Safe to say that this really put me down.
At my 12 week mark, I had already put in my FOS complaint.
Well… a couple of days ago I received an email from the FOS stating that they have spoken with Amigo and I should receive correspondence within 8 weeks.
THE MORNING AFTER… I got an email from Amigo wanting to apologise for their unfair and hasty decision in my original rejection and would like to uphold my complaint in full!
I am now debt free! The last four years of struggle have been evaporated, and I’m even due a little pay out which will help in these hard times we’re all facing!
Sarah, I cannot thank you enough. I know you hear it a lot, but without your website and advice, I would still be that struggling single mom who felt like a failure every time I needed to borrow money to pay the most basic of bills.
I hope you know how much your kindness is appreciated.
Good luck everyone!
C says
Hi guys
Just put in my email as of 9/6/2020, will they get back to me before the end of june or will that just be for the current backlog they have?
My loans is £5,250 so hoping I get a good result back, I also sent bank statements of both bank accounts I have will that help?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I doubt you will get a reply so soon. But the good news is that if all or most of the backlog goes, new complaints should be handled much faster by Amigo and by the Ombudsman.
Sending bank statements is a good move.
Chrisbt100 says
Hi Sara, firstly I want to say thank you as without this site I wouldn’t have even known about these types of complaints. After months of waiting I finally have my complaint from Amigo upheld on the 8/6/20!! I was amazed at the result just over £17,000 wow didn’t think I had payed that much to them (but figures all look right as my loans go back to the days of FLM loans as they were before being bought by Amigo).
I phoned to accept straight away and hopefully I will have the money in roughly 10 days. Has anyone received any payments as yet? If so how long did it really take? So if you have made a complaint please hang in there hopefully you will receive some good news like I did this month!
I had well and truly given up on this complaint as it was taking to long. Thank you again for your help Sara I’m a very happy person right now!
AM says
Hi
Good news
Had mine upheld by Amigo last week, no money yet.
Lots of good news coming through but still waiting to hear when refunds are actually paid out.
Hopefully not too long
Andy B says
Just a small thing, don’t think that they were “bought” by Amigo, FLM and Amigo are one and the same, both James Benemor’s intensely expensive loan organisations as part of the Richmond Group.
It was just a rebranding, and they upped the loan amounts from £5-10k when they moved premises, don’t let them fill you with crap about how they’re different organisations etc, they are for all intents and purposes the same company.
Kelly says
Could you possibly work out my potential refund please Sara?
March 15 borrowed £4000
7 payments of £195.16
OCT 15 topped up to £6000
Paid out £2451.59
52 payments of £237.15 and 1 payment of £59.29
£1742. 34 left owing.
Thank you!
Holly says
Hi guys ,
Got this from amigo this morning
Our guidelines allow us 8 weeks in which to respond to you. As we’re currently trying to help lots of customers, please don’t worry if you don’t receive a reply from us before the 8 weeks is up, we will keep you posted with the progress of your complaint and when you can expect to receive a reply from us.
Shall I send it straight to FOS now ? It has only been a few weeks or shall I wait the full 8?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you have to wait for the full 8 weeks.
Cass says
Morning Sara
Are you able to help with my calculation of my possible refund from Amigo please.
1st look taken our £3k – 03.04.2013 ( Payments made 9 x £146.37)
Top up to £5k on 12.12.13- Payout received £2373.02, settlement of existing £2626.98 ( Payments made 50 £197.62)
Top up to £5k on 05.02.18 – Payout received £2181.81, settlement of old loan £2818.19 ( so far made 26 x £197.62)
Balance on current statement – £4454.19
Many thanks
Cass
Amy says
Hiya Sara , I’ve been looking at my loans and trying to work our what I might receive back as I’m due to get an email from Amigo with my offer :)
First loan in 2008 for £1000 paid 2 months of £48.79 topped up to £3000 paid off previous loan and received £970.00
£3000 over 3 years paid 12 months at £146.37 then topped up to £5000 paid off previous loan and received £2403.68
£5000 over 5 years paid 18 months at £197.62 topped up to £5000 paid off previous loan and received £749.92
£5000 over 5 years paid 20 months at £197.62 topped up to £5000 paid off previous loan and received £807.49
£5000 over 5 years paid 16 months at £197.62 topped up to £5000 paid off previous loan and received £579.97
£5000 over 5 years paid 29 months of £197.62 topped up to £5260 paid off previous loan and received £1525.97
£5250 over 5 years paid for 7 months of £207.51 topped up to £6759 paid off previous loan received £1604.36
£6750 paid so far 40 months at £266.79 total paid so far £10,404.81 don’t finish till January 2022
Hate myself :)
Thank you Sara x
Gemma says
Wow Amy your be looking at around the 20k figure looking at those loans 😁
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those numbers (and as always you may have got something or I may have, this is just a guess)
1 1128
2 1349
3 2797
4 3133
5 2573
6 4438
7 1345
8 3890
adding up to £20, 653 … as Gemma said!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the interest on loan 1 looks surprisingly high.
Amy says
Thank you :) I’ve worked it out a little myself and I also phoned Amigo to get the figures as I thought the interest on one of them was insane but the figures there are right from the horses mouth 🤔. I’m confused with the 8% also , so if Amigo come back a figure like that I know I won’t be getting a dodgy number from them. It’s crazy to think how much this company has and still is taking from people , awful. Thanks again x
Amy says
It’s hard to believe 😁 I can’t believe what I got myself in too, desperate times :(
Fingers crossed we all get the good news xx
Thank you Gemma 😀 good luck on yours x
Gemma says
I’ve got 9 loans on mine plus numerous flm quick so il probably have to wait till next year for them to sort through my mess
Paul says
Sara!
I got a response from Amigo today! They’ve agreed that both of my loans were unaffordable and that they accept liability for not checking! They’ve agreed to refund ALL interest PLUS 8% (minus of course the balance outstanding), release my mother as guarantor and remove all credit information from my file! I could NOT have done this without the information and guidance you have provided so I wanted to say a massive thank you, and give other people hope that they too may receive their refunds for unaffordable loans.
It only took four months from beginning to end. I’m well chuffed. Thank you SO much!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if you still owe a balance you are likely to find the 8% is a lot smaller than you might expect… but it’s still a great result.
Paul says
The 8% was £270, and I’m considering that a bonus. Thank you again.
Gemma says
Yay finally good news for you Paul 😊
Nick MB says
Lot of people asking Sara for help on calculations. Might be worth having a try yourselves, and ease up on Sara a bit :)
Vicki D says
I am generally pretty good with sums… but I do not get the logic behind this calculation. This being said if Sara is happy to share the method I would 1) be more than happy to calculate my own & 2), muck in bit with helping others with their calculations… maybe even try to set up an excel calculator tool.
I am still awaiting my responses and am reading this site a few times every day to see how people are doing with their cases I would be more than happy to give something back as Sara is quite honestly changing so many peoples lives here !!! I hope that everyone that has this site to thank for being shot of Amigo take note of the part of the site where Sara specifies ” There is nothing on Debt Camel that brings in any income for me. There are no adverts or links that make me money. And, unlike many sites that promise ‘free debt advice’, I don’t make money by referring people to commercial sites who pay me fees.
I don’t accept donations. If you have been helped by something I have written and would like to say “thank you”, please make a donation to your local Citizens Advice instead.”
Make sure that donation is made in Sara’s name – and really do not forget your ThankYous for the help – no matter the outcome!!!
Honestly Sara – what you are doing here is absolutely amazing!!!
Jo says
I can’t even do my yr 8 child’s ‘home schooling work’ but I know bless her! I would if I could! I have no idea how to do it lol I’ve even looked online and can’t figure it out! She’s a legend
Paul says
Week 20 million still nothing called Amigo – we’re working on it – great to see all the success on here people – they apparently started working on my complaint 14 days ago about week 20 – is the long wait good or bad I ask myself ??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s no news. It’s not good or bad.
AM says
I was week 20 when I got a response.
I called in the morning to be told it had not been looked at yet and later that day received an email saying it had been upheld.
Hang in there
David says
My son was my guantrator. His income £62.70 weekly carers allowance. Just written to demand he is released as my guarantor.I sent his bank statements 3 months before the loan and 1 month after as proof Put in affordability complaint as I should never been given loan. This was January 2020.recieved CD etc and a email saying they don’t upheld my complaint. Was then forwarded to FOS. Here’s hoping I get a revised decision. My loans were oen initially and then a top up. I’m on benefits after being made medically retired after thoughts of suicide and bad depression. Loads of medication
Georgina says
Has anybody had issues accessing the DSAR when they receive it? I’ve had the user name and password sent to me to access it electronically but neither of them work and when calling Amigo the person I spoke to wasn’t able to resolve the issue and has had to pass it over to another team to help! Wondering if this is just another delaying tactic by Amigo
Whilst on I asked for an update on my complaint, were on week 10 and was told that a case handler is dealing with it and should be receiving a response to my complaint by the end of the week which he hopes I am happy with!!!! Not holding out much hope on that though.
I did ask why some complaints are taking longer than others to resolve and I was told that complaints that weren’t as complex, ie not many top ups etc were being done as they were easier to work through and resolve and didn’t take as much work to compile the DSAR requests.
It was also confirmed that 2 weeks before payment holds expire a text would be sent out offering a further one month hold
L says
We’re having the exact same problem too. My mum got hers sent through but can’t get the password to work. She’s on week 10 too. I just hope they’re in touch soon, She’s constantly checking her emails! I’m not sure if they would get in touch with me as her guarantor too if they give her an offer? I’m just keeping everything crossed for her and everyone else that amigo uphold and don’t start throwing out more rejections. X
Andrea says
Mine wasn’t done correctly and couldn’t even get to the password part. I kept emailing took about 2 weeks and they resent it too me.
Georgina says
Has your mum rung up to chase? I’ve only ring a couple of times but been told today it’s with an agent to look into and should hear by the end of the week, not sure I believe them though, I always speak to the same person though who says he’s my account manager.
Fingers crossed your mum gets sorted soon
L says
Thank you. I hope you get a refund soon too.
She hasn’t phoned yet, she thought it was something she’s doing wrong but I’m going to chase her up to phone them.
I hope they stick to what they’ve told you and contact you by the end of the week. Not much longer till the end of June now for them to get through the backlog. I just hope it’s a positive outcome as think everyone could really be doing with not having the massive monthly payments.
Dean says
I’m the same week 19 sent to FOS on week 8. Can you call even tho the FOS are still looking at my case?
Cheers
Claire says
I’m in week 50ish!!!! From the very start of my complaint adjudicator dicided I should be paid back interest ect at the beginning of April…still nothing. So it now on ombusman waiting list. I’m actually considering putting in a complaint about my complaint….if that’s even a thing.(can anyone advise on that)
I’m really starting to find this unexpectable now.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think at the moment FOS is expecting Amigo to deal with all the “old” cases… I doubt FOS will want to try to get an ombudsman decision through in the next 2 or 3 weeks as that may even delay a payout to you if yours is now settled by Amigo.
I would hope that FOS will give top priority in July to any old cases that aren’t settled by Amigo.
Chris H says
Hi,
I’ve just stumbled across this whilst looking at some help with some Amigo Loans I’ve had.
I’ve had 4 loans with them, totalling approximately £24,000.
I’m in the process of paying off the last one. I sent my complaint into them and heard back 8 weeks to the day that they were refusing my claim.
One of their main reasons for rejecting it was because they said they did credit checks before each loan was paid, and I had no new loans or credit cards 3 months prior to any of the loans offered.
However, I now have 3 credit cards, all of which were taken out separately before each loan too up. I also have another guarantor loan with a different company.
I have sent it to FOS, but does anyone have an idea what the outcome might be?
Thanks,
Chris.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If your borrowing was increasing, then I think Amigo should have stopped and thought that its previous loan may not have been affordable, so it should not give you a top up.
Amigo’s rejection often seem templated and not accurate to people’s cases :(
When did your complaint go to FOS?
Chris H says
Hi Sara,
Thank you for your response.
Yeah i agree, also my monthly disposable income was less on each loan application, and that was before the loan repayments were added on, which were obviously higher than each previous loan.
I got my rejection on Friday afternoon, so sent my complaint to the FOS first thing on Saturday morning after I’d thought about my response.
I agree with the template responses, whilst they correctly changed the figures for each loan, the rest of the email was not really applicable to me or my situation when applying for the loans.
Thanks,
Chris.
L says
Ahh chris I pretty much got the exact same response you did yesterday. Its also wrong as I have been through my credit file and bank statements. Good luck with it all! They work in a weird way!
Kellie says
I’m just wondering where I stand with amigo, they was sending me messages about “my guarantor” used a different name to my actual guarantor
When I,questioned why, they said an error and then changed the name over..
Is this legal?
They also said they don’t know how it happened
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It sounds like an error.
I don’t think it changes the fact that you borrowed the money and need to repay it.
But if the original documentation had the name of an incorrect guarantor on it, then it may be possible that your guarantor could ask to be removed, that isn’t clear.
What were the messages you were getting about?
Do you think this Amigo loan (and any previous ones you had?) were “affordable” – that means you can repay them each month and still be able to pay all your other debts and bills and living expenses?
If at the time you took the loan, you think Amigo should have realised it wasn’t affordable for you if they had looked in detail eg asked for your bank statements, then you can make an affordability complaint. See the article above for how to do that. If you win an affordability complaint, interest is removed from your debt and your guarantor is released.
Are you having current problems because of coronavirus?
Kellie says
Hi, they didn’t ask for any bank statements etc.
They said it was mixed with someone else’s details that’s how the error occured.
They didn’t ask for any statements off my guarantor either.
I received these messages as I was late on a payment and said Kyle as my guarantor but my guarantors name is a completely different name
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So I don’t think this error will affect your loan.
But if you are struggling to pay it, do read the article above these comments about affordability complaints and see if you think your loan was unaffordable. I
VH says
Sara
Recent news articles about potential buyer pulling out of 100million bid and board room troubles.
Is This anything to be concerned about for those waiting refunds from Amigo. I see they agree with FCA to reach a decision by end of June re all the complaints. Seems lots are getting positive news This last week, including myself, just wondering if refunds have started to be paid out.
Thank you
VH
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The failed sale and board room battles are just a symptom of the problems Amigo has. Lots of complaints, an FCA investigation, little lending because of coronavirus… but right now it has got a lot of money in the bank, so I don’t think there are problems for refunds at the moment. Hope I am right…
Kitty says
Hi Sara
I sent my complaint on the 25/03/2020- had the standard email back to say they have received it!
11 weeks now and I still haven’t received the SAR info I asked for- had one email from them to say they are sorry for the delay- but they are extremely busy at this time- had the questionnaires through too but ignored these as I can not remember what I put in the original applications? Plus I would have cross referenced with what information they should have sent me! I have emailed them now 38 times as I am struggling- as I am still on furlough and can not see myself going back to work until September at the earliest! they gave me a 3 month break after I filled in the form on their website- they never gave me confirmation of this I had to log in everyday to see if the payment date had changed etc! My wages are based off basic pay and commission- so only getting 80% of basic! My loan payments are £593 a month! I have extreme mental health issues- I can not talk on the phone as it’s causes me to have panic attacks- they know this- they know how much I’m struggling mentally but still keep ignoring me! I have sent this all to the Ombudsman as I think it’s disgusting that they can treat people like this! Is anyone else having problems with actually being able to get a reply from them?
Kitty says
Sorry I should have said- the 38
Emails are just to ask them to reduce my payments per month- I have not sent one email chasing affordability complaint or SAR info- and my guarantor has put a complaint in too as she can not afford these monthly repayments if I can’t pay!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It is poor that they aren’t giving people with mental health, but at the moment my guess is they are scrambling to clear the backlog of complaints rather than trying to prioritise them.
When does your payment break end?
Kitty says
Hi Sara I am now meant to pay at the end of this month-
My loan repayment is £593- my wages are going to be £604! Can’t say £11 is enough to live off with 4 children in my house- my husbands wages are not the same either- he is not earning as much either because he was furloughed and only now gone back he hasn’t/won’t hit his target to get any bonus/ so living off the bear minimum. My guarantor has a complaint in too- but shocker nothing back to her either! But guarantee as soon as that payment is one day late- they will be hounding me to the point of no return! I just don’t know what to do as I seriously can not take anymore!
Amy says
Morning , so my adjudicator said Monday Amigo will be upholding which is great , he also said I need to accept the offer within 14 day’s , that’s fine :) but I haven’t had the offer from Amigo yet ?? Does anyone know if I have to call Amigo or how long I have to wait for the offer to come through ? My adjudicator said I need to let him know ASAP but how can I when I don’t know what it is , just a little confused ? I don’t want to call up and be a pain ?? Thanks guys :)
andrew says
After receiving a decision in my favour from the foc and amigo given a deadline of Tuesday 2nd to respond. I ha e not heard from either side on what is happening now. I have emailed both sides twice and still not heard anything.
Audrey says
Hi I’m nearly on my 8th week of complaint. Heard nothing yet not even an update on how it’s going. Amigo are very good at sending threatening emails about payment which isn’t until 27th June. They only gave husband a month breathing space but had to pay £200 only 2 weeks ago. Can anyone help with what to do next thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
were your household finances affected by Coronavirus?
staci says
so i rang again once yesterday – cannot apparently give me any timescales i mentioned others have been told theres is being looked at or whatever and he basically called me a liar
pressuring me to make payments which i have explained once again i cannot
ignored me asking to be put through to complaints department said he cannot and will basically hear back when i hear back
so stressed
20 weeks in no answer!
Sophie says
I rang yesterday and in exactly the same position and time frame, like you they told me I could not be put through to complaints department and said they’d email with a update.. which I doubt I’ll receive.
Making me really stress out just want it all over with.
paul says
I rang again today – spoke a woman who was obviously stressed – She gave me the usual fob off excuses – Im on week 22 I think – The main think that has annoyed me is that up until they have brought this new process in they were going through the complaints chronologically – Now they seem to have assigned batches of say 50 to each agent – The easier complaint to sort out are being looked at 1st to get their numbers down to present to the FOS – Ive had 7 loans with Amigo – Ive been told you will get a response by end of month – I choose not to believe – I cant see much of a future for Amigo as going forward they will not be able to use loopholes to loan to people that would not be able to get a loan form say a hight street bank – They will be able to compete or even trade then as no will go to them as their interest is so high
Staci says
Yes i am fed up i hung up in the end i thought if you cant give me an answer why an i stressing myself into making payments i cant afford i have advised of what i can which is next to nothing and they arent interested . Chronological is obviously incorrect as well because im seeing on here alot of people long after me getting responses
Sad times
Andy B says
I think some people are right, the simple yes/no ones will be being dealt with pretty quickly, they’ve been tasked with dealing with a backlog so chronology will go out of the window.
I did ask a few days ago if complaints were being dealt with chronologically which elicited the response “they were” with the tone suggesting that’s half the reason they’re in this mess.
I guess the good news is that no news is good news:
a) If you’ve not heard yet and it’s been in a long time, it’s not been seen as an easy one to dismiss;
b) Every result posted on here must be logically, moving you further up the queue.
It’s just a waiting game, as unfortunate as that is, surely there’s hope!
Rebecca says
Hi
I used a claims management company (stupidly) I’m now worried that if my complaints are upheld I will get my loan cleared and not be able to pay them the fee. If all 6 of my loans are refunded dating back to 2012 there will be no issue but with my luck it wont work out that way…..any advise?
Some great news on her so I’m hopeful, my complaint was raised on 6th Match however Amigo only acknowledged on 20th May after I emailed for a progress update!
I know I can tell the claims company that I no longer require their assistance but does that cancel the complaint and mean I have to start a lover again?
Thank you for any advise in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well you may get all the loans refunded which will mean you are ok. Some of the better claims companies only charge you if you are actually refunded cash.
Rebecca johnston says
I really hope so all the good news stories of refunds are great to hear but it makes you anxious that your complaint wont be upheld. If I get all the loans refunded it would be amazing and for the first time in 8 years I will no longer have an amigo loan. I made 6 top ups in 12 months so I’m fairly confident these will be upheld as my credit kept increasing and defaulting, in fact the only time Amigo called to check my circumstances was the loan in 2012. I will update if I hear anything
Thank you
rebecca says
I’ve checked and your right Sara they will only take a fee on any cash refunded….relief!! Just a waiting game now
Audrey says
Hi Sara. I was off for a while due to high heart rate. Was actually sent home the other day from work as a nurse showing symptoms was stabbed had to isolate for 2 days until results. Husband has to come home also due to me been sent home.he to had to isolate til results. Fortunately I was neg. Still not 100%.but they don’t care bout that. They never took my wages in to account before but now they are I’m only 34.5 per week
George says
Hi, could you help me with an idea of how much I’ll get back if my complaint are upheld please?
1st loan was £3300, paid 16x £141.16
2nd loan was £4750 – £2721 to clear loan 1, received £2029. paid 27 x £202.39
3rd loan was £7000 – £3935 to clear loan 2, received £3039, paid 52 x £276.67 and have £3177 outstanding
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so the interest paid on each loan looks like roughly (remember you may have typed in numbers wrong or I may have, this is just a guess)
loan 1 1677
loan 2 4665
loan 3 7352
so if they are all refunded, the last loan should be wiped and you should get a refund of £13694 plus over a thousand pounds in 8% interest added on
George says
Wow that will be seriously life changing, not only will I no longer have to pay £276 per month I’ll be able to be debt free for the first time in my life, fingers crossed I get a positive outcome.
I rang for an update today but no news yet and the DSAR they sent me I can’t actually access the files, so frustrating. I’ve got a payment freeze until the 27th July so hopefully will be sorted by then
Michelle says
Hi Sara, After 20 weeks of hearing nothing about my complaint that I submitted to Amigo on the 11th January, I received an email from them this morning upholding 2 of my 3 loans. I am so happy I am debt free now and I am receiving more back than I thought I would, to be honest I’d have been quite happy with just not having to pay repayments of £300 a month!!
Thank you so much for your help and advice on this website.
Zippy says
Hi, I received an email on Monday 8th June upholding my complaint, giving me a settlement figure & that I had to ring to accept and confirm bank details, which I did that afternoon. They confirmed it could take upto 10 working days to be credited to my account. However when I log into my amigo account it still shows the loan as active with a balance owing? Anyone else have this? I submitted my complaint on March 13th.
rebecca johnson says
I submitted 6th March they must just allocate cases to people and work through as and when they get to them….great news though😀
Sam says
Same situation accepted on Monday and due a refund as well.
My amigo portal still showing my outstanding balance
AM says
Same here, I accepted last Thursday
rebecca johnson says
I submitted 6th March they must just allocate cases to people and work through as and when they get to them….great news though😀
Jimmy Pop says
Just an update really I’m on week 18 now with Amigo. Chased multiple times over the past few weeks and had no response.
Had a response today basically saying they can’t give me any timescales as to when my complaint will be looked into :-(
I did sent to FO at the 8 week point so hopefully they will pick it up eventually
Tom says
Anyone who has got this new style of “amigo deciding actually they want to refund you and uphold the loans” has all the money gone towards the loan or has some gone back to the guarantor?
I know they used to refund the guarantor and I’d much rather they did this as opposed to put it all towards the outstanding amount! Any feedback from people would be great.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
will you still owe money if it is all put against the loan or will you get a cash refund?
Tom says
I will owe about 2800 if they refund my guarantor his part, I won’t if they put it all towards my loan and they will pay around £800 to me I think
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, so you wouldn’t be able to pay back the guarantor from the payout you get? Some people have already repaid some of the money to their guarantor and the refund from amigo would let them repay the rest – a simple solution for them.
So what would you like to happen? That your guarantor is refunded and you repay Amigo the resulting balance? Could your guarantor put in a complaint and ask for that, or would you rather not talk to your guarantor?