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
honey says
Hi ,
I send my affordability complaint to Amigo last july 14 , 2020 today i received their final response to my complaint
they sent me a redress offer but i felt like the amount they offer is not right can someone help me and check the calculation.
so here are the details of my loan.
1 loan of £5000 in Sept 29 ,2017
2 top up £ 9500 in may 3 2018 received £4766.30 as previous balance was paid off
3 top up of £15,000 in June 12 ,2019 received £ 6477.88 as previous balance was paid off
loan 1 at (243.95 x 36) paid 8months
loan 2 at ( 463.50x 36) paid 11 months
loan 3 at (592.87 x 60) paid 8 months
here is the redress
Total Interest
£11,211.83
8% Simple Interest (After Tax Deduction) = 0
20% Basic Rate Tax Deduction on 8% Simple Interest= 0
Fees and/or Charges =0
Total Redress Payable
£11,211.83
Current Loan Balance
£16,740.45
BALANCE LESS REDRESS.
£5,528.62
would i accept this or escalate my complaint to FOS and if i escalate to fos how long will it take for them
to respond ?i was also thinking to accept so i might be paying less monthly if i arrange repayment for the balance as i’m struggling my monthly payment.
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am assuming they are refunding all three loans and that the guarantor didn’t pay anything.
On those figures, I make the interest you paid as follows:
loan 1 £1,678
loan 2 £4,116
loan 3 you have only paid 4736 so far, so still another £10,264 to pay until you have repaid the £15,000 you borrowed.
But the interest form loans 1 & 2 should be used to reduce that balance to £4,470.
So that is about £1,100 less than Amigo says your balance should be. The “no 8% interest” is right the way Amigo calculate it.
Have a look again at your numbers. If you have recently made a £592 payment that may not be taken into account yet, but that still doesn’t account for the discrepancy.
I suggest you ask Amigo to break down the “total interest” calculation by loan.
Steven says
Hi Sara, some good news today. Amigo have informed the ombudsman that they are going to remove the interest from my loan and any payments I have made took off the original loan amount. It leaves me with about £6000 to pay back instead of over £20000. This is exactly what I wanted and it is such a relief after 8 months of waiting. I’d like to thank you so much for your advice, both to myself and everyone else who contacts you. You are a legend and there is probably a photo of you on a dart board somewhere in amigos offices. Thank you again so much I needed this news so badly
Sara (Debt Camel) says
lol, great result for you. Now you can pay it off at a more affordable rate.
Jacs says
Hi Steven,
I’m in the same situation as yourself (still owe money after interest has been removed). I’ve also been waiting while (since January) so it is good to know they are dealing with these cases! 😄
Just wondering have they also released your guarantor? And have they given you the option to repay what you still owe in smaller monthly installments than what you were paying before?
Did you have to chase them up quite a lot?
Carla says
I have just rang amigo as my complaint has been with complaint handler for four weeks they have now told me that the complaints handler is waiting for redress team does anyone no what this means pls ?
I don’t understand who they are as I was told 4weeks ago it was with complaints handler
Sent to FOS in May.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ok, nothing more you can do. Who knows what is happening with your complaint at Amigo sometimes they just seem to say something to get you off the phone.
mike says
Hi they said the same to me and that was over 2 months ago then was told it was passed on to the team that works with the financial ombudsman. Just a new tactic.
Frogman says
Amigo please pay up.
Day 9 of the 20days after accepting redress figures and nothing yet, online statement hasn’t changed either. I am unusually nervous as this is a 5yr divorce with Amigo.
Good luck to people who are still waiting for an outcome.
Mike says
I’m on day 9 too. Others in the chat have been waiting about 10 days after accepting the redress for statement balance to change. Hopefully this follows through in our cases too!
James says
Day 9 as well, well not sure if you count the day you accepted?
Is it always 6pm it would go to a minus figure or can it happen later?
Anth says
Hi Sarah I received my final response from amigo saying they are not upholding my complaint, in the response it says my earnings where higher than what they where and it says they’ve checked it with a third party(they must be lying as I know 100% my earnings where not that high) I sent it to the ombudsman 4 weeks ago does anyone know how long it is usually with the ombudsman as I haven’t heard anything from them just the initial acknowledgment of my complaint
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so Amigo have just rejected your complaint? Contact FOS and get this rejection added to your case record. Until now FOS won’t have been doing anything.
Anth says
I sent it to fos when they rejected it and told them they had rejected it but haven’t heard anything from them yet
Stu says
Hi all, I wondered how long people have been waiting for a SAR from Amigo? I asked for one when I submitted my complaint mid-June but still haven’t received it.
They have this week rejected my complaint saying that the loan was affordable but no mention of when I will get the SAR. I have challenged this with them and they just say it will be sent as soon as possible (despite being way over the usual deadline for this) .
I have sent my complaint to Ombudsman in the meantime as naturally disagree with the outcome but having the SAR will hopefully be useful for my case.
Any SAR-related tips or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Kyle says
I asked for mine On the 11th August, still nothing. My original complaint was raised on 4th January, still waiting for a final response. I’m going to give them a call tomorrow to ask how long it usually takes to receive this information. It’s nuts ay?
Frogman says
Keep checking with them to make sure it gets sent to you, my guarantor got hers 3 months after she complained, they said they forgot to register the request. I didn’t even get mine at all, I didn’t bother chasing because my complaint was upheld but nothing has come through till date. They should be able to provide you with a progress on DSAR request.
Simon says
It wont make much difference having your SAR. They will either uphold your complaint or the FOS wil ask to see your business file. You can report Amigo to the ICO for failing to comply with your request. All the SAR will have in it is information regarding the loans you have taken out etc. I wouldnt go worrying about it. Good luck
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In general I agree, but for a few people the SAR can be very useful eg if phone recordings are helpful or they may show that Amigo’s constructed income & expenditure was a long way from accurate.
Also if you have the SAR and FOS is giving your case priority, FOS may sometimes start work using the SAR while Amigo still haven’t sent over their case file.
Jay says
I was waiting 7 weeks for my SAR. I left a trustpilot review about it and got it the next day!
Stu says
Thank you all for your help, it’s much appreciated. I think I will report to the ICO as it’s outside the 30 days and looks like it’s happening to a number of people, so might make a difference (although I realise it also might not) – but worth a try! I will let you know how I get on. Thanks.
Laura says
I took my complaint to the FOS and they emailed me 2 weeks ago to say that they were looking in to my complaint. I’m currently on a payment break “breathing space” with Amigo which is due to end 1st September. They have emailed me to say that if I want to extend it by another further month I can do so but they will start adding interest again. If I take the extension and the FOS uphold my complaint would they refund this interest too?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if they uphold your complaint ALL interest and fees will be removed.
Danielle says
Hi Sarah,
I’ve just received a response from Amigo after 8 weeks to say that they haven’t been able to respond to my complaint and if they aren’t able to get a response to me sooner they will update me again in 1 months time. Do I now just refer my complaint straight to FOS,
or do I allow Amigo extra time to look into my complaint? Any help is much appreciated, thanks.
Angela says
Hi, i was in the same situation and referred to FOS at the 8 week mark. As far as I know there’s a long waiting list at FOS. My complaint was then dealt with by Amigo before I had any update from FOS. Think the advice is to send it so it goes into the queue.
Danielle says
Hi Angela,
I decided to give them until the end of this week. I received a final response from Amigo yesterday evening, this is below (taken other parts of the email out as it was long).
Having looked at your observations and carefully considered the information available on our systems, we have concluded that Amigo cannot be completely confident that the loan agreements were affordable for you.
Accordingly, Amigo is prepared to offer you redress in respect of the loan agreements shown in the appendix. The redress provided will consist of:
The removal of all interest charges under the loan agreements;
A refund of any payments you may have made in excess of the capital amount of the loan agreements, along with 8% simple interest; and
The removal of any adverse information from your credit file in respect of the loan agreements.
Total redress I will receive is £3,583.58. Plus my guarantor has been released and the Amigo debt now cleared.
*Special thanks to Sara as without this website I would never have put in the complaint and would have continued to pay the very high repayments. I will very soon be debt free, so thank you again.
Angela says
Brilliant! :)
Julie thame says
Sorry to ask again just been refused a refund for a guarantor loan do I need to contact amigo loans with what I don’t agree with or the fos which I have not heard from Also do I need to inform the fos that I have been refused a refund ty
I finished paying the loan in 2018
Sara (Debt Camel) says
it’s not normally worth going back to Amigo – unless you think their decision is so wrong they have been looking at someone else’s case, don’t bother. Tell FOS you have had a rejection and send them a copy of it.
V says
Sent my interest/fees complaint that was deducted for non upheld loan to FOS. Will keep you posted. I’m intrigued why FOS or FCA are allowing this? Why has the regulators not stepped in? What happens when people finish paying their top up loans? Are they then hit with a bill for unpaid interest🤔 does not make any sense at all!!
Rich says
Hi,
Took out a £9000 loan over 60 months 2 years ago.
Been paying £355 for 24 months and my balance is £8072. Shocking when you think after 2 years of paying it woth interest I’ve paid of £930.
finally had my redress upheld. I am awaiting my offer to accept.
Please clear this up for me as I may be a little simple.
Loan was for £9000
Balance £8072
Paid £355 for 24 months (approx £280 interest a month)
Been told the below,
Payments You Made
Accordingly, Amigo is prepared to offer you redress in respect of loan agreement 43395261. The redress provided will consist of:
The removal of all interest charges under the upheld loan agreement;A refund of any payments you may have made in excess of the capital amount of the loan agreement, along with 8% simple interest; andThe removal of any adverse information from your credit file in respect of the loan agreement.
Will I receive any money or just have any interest taken off my remaining balance???
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“A refund of any payments you may have made in excess of the capital amount of the loan agreement”
The payments you have made are 24 * £355 = £8520
The capital amount of the loan agreement was £9000
So you haven’t so far paid more than 9000 – you won’t get a cash refund.
But your balance should be reduced to 9000 – 8552 = £448.
Your guarantor should also be released.
You can now arrange to pay the £448 in affordable monthly payments.
Matt says
Hi Sara,
First time on here and i find myself in exactly the same position as Rich above – 8000k borrowed, 7k paid back over 2 years, outstanding balance of 7k – so of the 7k i have paid back, 6k of it is interest!!!
Please please please tell me how I go about doing what i need to do to be in the same position as the guy above!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Read the article above and consider if you can make an affordability complaint.
Sabia says
Hi Sara thanks for all the advice on here, I got my final response from Amigo and upheld both loans. So balance owing is £900 which is what I worked it out to be. This has been a absolute life saver. Now Amigo and Trusttwo sorted I will be £600 better off. Timeline for me was complaint submitted on 26th May and final response on 14th August. Just waiting on balance to be adjusted on my account.
K Clacrk says
Does anyone know how long it usually takes Amigo to pay out any refunds. Are they like some of the other loan companies that leave it to the very last minute to process the payments back to you?
Angela says
I received redress figures on 12th August, accepted on the same day and money was paid into my account 18th August so was quick. Wasn’t expecting it till 9th September.
Frogman says
I received and accepted my figures on the 10th of August, still nothing from Amigo. I wonder how they do it.
And by the way, in that time, I have received the breathing space about to expire email, despite being due a refund. They are simply a joke.
Angela says
Yes they dont seem to be working through complaints in any sort of order. Some people dealt with quickly and others waiting an unacceptable length of time. What’s the breathing space email?
Hope you get paid out soon.
Frogman says
Thanks. The breathing space relates to COVID 19 impacting my ability to make repayments. It’s an automated message from them.
James says
It’s crazy the way they are working it. I accepted on the 7th and their was people after me who have accept and been paid.
Touch wood it is not long for us both
Kim says
Hi, so after telling amigo I didn’t accept their offer, due to unpaid interest and taking it to the ombudsman ive just logged onto amigo and they’ve got my balance lower as if I’ve accepted. Not sure if I should phone them or not and see whats happened.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is ok, Amigo seem to be proceeding on the basis that you have accepted their offer but you have taken the complaint to FOS.
I assume your guarantor has been released?
Kimberley Winstanley says
Yes they have. I’m still on my payment freeze until September but once that’s up I will be expected to resume normal payments im presuming. I won’t be able to make full payments as I’m still furlough and even when I return it will be on reduced hours
Sara (Debt Camel) says
your payment freeze started in April?
Kimberley Winstanley says
Yes I haven’t paid since 1st March should resume on 1st October but according to the person I spoke to today no more interest should be added now
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So as your guarantor has been released, when the payment break ends, just tell Amigo you need to make lower, affordable payments. If you are on reduced hours that could be as low as £1 a month.
If you have other debts, talk to StepChange about a debt management plan. This Amigo balance is now just a normal loan and can go into a DMP.
karl says
So quite a quick turnaround, I accepted my redress on Saturday but they then requested some additional paperwork from me which I submitted Monday, guess its just a waiting game now then but hopefully they will be quick about it. Thanks for your reply by the way.
Angela says
Hope you get a nice wee deposit in your account soon :)
Emma says
Hi has anyone got the complaints direct number please?
Angela says
Hi, the number is 01202 835170.
Chris says
Hi All,
My complaint has all gone through and my account went to a negative status today.
When can I expect the cash refund to hit my bank?
James says
Hi Andy,
Are you sure it not last night it went to negative, it usually happens after 6 at night which would mean you would be paid tonight?
Sarah says
Hi. Mine changed last nights around 10pm I think but I haven’t been paid today. Think it may take a few days to be paid from when it changes?
James says
It should go in after 6 tonight, my friends went in bang on 6.
NeverAgain!! says
I made my complaint 15th June. Email to say withheld 28th July. Account went to negative half eight last night and money in account bang on six tonight. Don’t know what I’ll do with my time now, my life has totally involved checking emails every five minutes. Only stumbled on this site by accident. Didn’t even know you could put in such a complaint. Thank you so much Sara. Good luck everyone. Here’s to a successful outcome for all and the money doesn’t run out.
Chris says
Hi Andy,
No idea when it went to negative i checked today around 11am so assume it was either earlier on today or the night before.
When do the payments usually hit is it after 6pm?
Sarah says
Just to let you all know that after changing to a minus figure last night. Payment has just hit my account
Chris says
Hi Sarah,
Mine did too.
Finally rid of them and most of my debts. Today’s a good day. :)
James says
Congrats guys, mines has still not went to minus. 2 weeks tomorrow hopefully soon.
Kerry says
Hi Sara I’ve finally received my SAR which come through email. When I spoke to amigo they pointed out that when I had my first loan they did a credit check and said I had a decent credit history. Well that’s wrong cause looking through the SAR I had quite a few Defaults and missed payments, so that lies. Also checking through the phone conversations they only sent the ones from the 19th February 2018 when I had my £5000 top up. There no phone conversations from the other 2 loans I had. Fisrt one 1st of December 2017 and the 29th of December 2017. Any ideas why they didn’t send the phone conversation from first and second loan
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, you can phone them up and ask for them.
Becky Jarman says
Morning everyone,
Still waiting for redress figures. Does anyone have an idea of how far behind they are on these? I should have had them by the 18th at the latest.
An says
I’m the guarantor and I accepted on 25th June. I’m still waiting for my payment. The borrowers complaint was upheld for all loans and has not received their figures yet. We have both sent numerous emails and when they do reply they just say its being dealt with
Becky Jarman says
There seems to be no rhyme or reason to how they are sorting through them. I just don’t understand why they are giving dates when they know they have absolutely no intention of sticking to them. This redress will be a complete lifeline for us, I wish they would have even an ounce of decency and sort what they’ve got wrong.
Samantha says
Mine should have also been 18th at the latest and when I rang they said they are running behind and are hoping to get them all update by the end of today………I won’t hold my breath though!
Stephen says
I was told (throughout 8 different phone calls) different dates each time, (originally due to pay out on the 15th June, and the last one was told 28th August) I continued to ring them up weekly and complain about the undue delay and finally this week managed to get my refund last night. I recommend you keep calling them out on the delayed times as it doesn’t take them that long to give out the money in the first place so a refund when they already have the figures should be almost instant.
Angela says
Hi Becky
I dont think they’re processing redress in any particular order. I got my figures and payment earlier than expected. Pot luck I think. Hope you get sorted soon.
Jackson says
So what happens when the guarantor paid off the loan in full (2yrs ago) and obtained a cheaper loan for the borrower? Which had been fully repaid.
I am writing to you to confirm that following an investigation into Mr D loan agreement with us, Amigo has decided to release you from your liability. This means we will no longer expect you to make any payments. Amigo will also contact credit reference agencies to ask that any traces of the loan agreement is removed from your credit file. Details of the loan agreement are shown in the appendix at the end of this letter.
Amigo is entitled to collect the capital on any loan that has been made, irrespective of whether that loan was affordable or not.
Amigo would also like to offer you a refund of the payments you have made towards the loan agreement, along with 8% simple interest.
You should be aware that if you accept the offer, we will add the capital element of your refund, totalling £10,128.23, back to the outstanding balance for the borrower to pay. This will increase their outstanding balance. In making your decision whether to accept our offer, you may wish to consider the potential impact on the borrower. You are able to accept the offer of a refund and use any proceeds to help the borrower repay the capital. However, that is a decision for you. If you do wish to assist the borrower, then accepting the redress offer and using the proceeds to prepay the capital may be the optimal path both of you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you complained and you are the guarantor?
did the borrower also complain? dod the borrower make any payments to you?
it looks obviously as though you have been sent a standard template reply by someone that hasn’t noticed the loan has been cleared.
do you know how much you paid in total to Amigo, any monthly payments plus the settlement amount?
Jackson says
Hi Sara,
Yes made a complaint and that what they came back with. A full refund totalling £10k which I’d been insane not to accept. Free money as they say but reading between the lines they will pursue the borrower for the outstanding capital. I took out a loan for the borrower and the interest rate was ridiculous. The loan has since been paid in full. The borrower made about 12 months worth of payments towards the loan and never defaulted before I said enough paying that amount of interest.
So what I’m asking is, if I took the money would the borrower have a case to tell them to do one as the loan has been repaid in full so in effect there isn’t any outstanding debt. If Amigo got their fingers burnt and FOS smacked their bottom then surely that’s not the borrowers problem?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think if you take the money the borrower could make a complaint that it is unfair of their loan to be reopened. I have not seen a case like this go through the Ombudsman but it is worth a try.
You haven’t said what your relationship with the borrower is. It is possible (but I am guessing) that the Ombudsman might feel that the borrower has more of a real complaint if you don’t live together.
At the same time they could also complain that the loan was unaffordable for them and that interest should be removed. So even if they lost the “unfair to reopen” argument, they would have less to pay back.
Jackson says
Hi Sara,
It’s my sister, and I’ve told her not to pay a penny to Amigo if they reopen the account. I will help her use the it’s already been paid off argument as it’s not her fault that Amigo got their fingers burnt and she has already paid the loan I got for her in full. As I said if Amigo want to refund me that’s not her problem as far as I’m concerned.
Didn’t FOS realise that when making their decision It would put the original borrower back into the position they were in in the first place? All this will do is make matters worse when they thought their financial position was getting better ffs
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If your sister complains to Amigo that she couldn’t afford the loan and wins thus complaint, interest will be removed, so she will owe Amigo less than you are getting. Depending on whether she had a previous loan from them and how much had paid to the last one, thus could mean she owes them a LOT less than the refund you are getting.
It seems hard to blame FOS for this. She hadn’t complained to them and they knew nothing about her case.
Kyle says
Just got off the phone with Amigo, it’s utter shambles, I called up to ask for an update and the dude said he would send an email to them directly for an update, then I left it a while and called back and got through to the same dude, he forgot about me, and I asked again for an update, and he said he would send an email and I said yeah you done that last time, and he couldn’t find it. Left it a while, called again, someone els said they would send an email. Left it a while again and i called and got the same woman and she said she couldn’t find the first email she “sent” 🤔🙄 uhuh “sent”. It’s like they are just there to fob people off or something. I called up today to chase up my SAR request and she said it wasn’t on there but she would put in the request but can’t give specific time. Still waiting since January 4th for a final response, and been waiting since March from FO even on priority to give anyone my time frame atm.
Megan says
Should I carry on paying amigo whilst waiting for them to confirm if they’re going to uphold my loan? Or will I cancel the direct debit? I really can’t afford to be paying it if I’m honest which is why I’m complaining etc. Will it hurry the process or not?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you stop paying they will go after your guarantor. Do you mind that? If your guarantor has also complained that the loan was unaffordable for them then you could both cancel your direct debits at the same time?
Carly says
Hi Sara
Is there anyone who has had a response from the FOS yet regarding the unpaid interest? I received my redress but still think I should get the unpaid interest back. I’ve sent this to FOS but I expect I will be waiting a long time for a response on it. Just wondering if anyone has been successful yet with this aspect?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
not so far as I know.
V says
When do you send your complaint to FOS? I had my redress in July but only sent it off to them this week. I’m a bit shocked they have not said or done anything about it yet. What would have happened if people had paid off their top up loans? Would Amigo have went after them and said oh you have unpaid interest and are still due us x amount because you topped up 🤷🏼♀️
DC says
Hi there ,
So amigo never responded to my adjucator at FOS so they have said they will make the decision on 12th August still haven’t heard anything from FOS so contacted amigo and they have told me that the readdress team are sorting out the calculations does this mean they have accepted the decision from the FOS ?
Guarantor complaint rejected in February for repayment of money towards loan that the borrower had upheld made 12 payments of £296.44 borrower paid 25 payments of £296.44 for £7500 borrowed
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
it’s hard to disentangle this. I can’t tell what Amigo are doing.
Lisa says
Hello,
Hoping for some advice here. I originally started my complaint with Amigo back in January 2020. They told me 8 weeks, this passed and was told another 4. Now nearly 30 weeks down the line I’ve had little to no contact other than delay emails.
Ombudsman picked this up finally on 3rd June and emailed to say Amigo had 8 weeks. Again this surpassed and I proceeded with FOS. FOS, due to back log stated it could be 4 months before a case handler picks this up.
Today I received a response from the complaints team that they are “awaiting calculations from FOS”
Has anyone else had this? What does it mean?
I’ve had no other emails from Amigo or contact from FOS after the email of upto 4 months for a case handler to pick it up.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Lisa
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you need to ask FOS what this means.
Lisa says
Hi Sara
Thanks for coming back to me.
I’ve further spoken with Amigo and the woman on the phone explained that likely the comment passed on email was to do with my complaint likely sitting with their ‘redress team in house’ and not the FOS as I’ve had no communication from them.
If it’s with the redress team at Amigo, does this mean it’s being upheld and they’re calculating figures?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I hope so, but it’s hard to take anything Amigo say seriously, you need it in writing.
Nikola says
Hi Sarah i have recievied my complaint amigo us uphelding 3 loa s could you kindly calculate what i be looking at in my refund. They want to rwfund £2900 to my gurantor which is the amount she have paid i have paid the following:
First loan of £2500 for 24 months £154.54 however they are not upholding this loan which ia fine by me than the bottom threw are tops ups:
Loan amount: £5000 for 36 months £243.95 per month
Loan amount: £6500 for 36 months £317.13 per month
Loan amount: £7250 for 36 months £353.72 per month
they will rwfund my guaranto as on last loan my gurantor paid 2900 so they will rwfund her and i will liable for this so not sure what does this mean? The loan is all paid off now.
In my email they stating this about my redress:
Accordingly, Amigo is prepared to offer you redress in respect of loan agreements 2, 3 and 4. The redress provided will consist of:
The removal of all interest charges under the upheld loan agreements;
A refund of any payments you may have made in excess of the capital amount of the loan agreements, along with 8% simple interest; and
The removal of any adverse information from your credit file in respect of the loan agreements.
Please if you could help me understand this.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
For me to look at numbers I need to know
– how many payments you actually made to each loan
– how much you received in cash for each top up.
One thing to look out for when you get the numbers – there may be a deduction for “unpaid interest” because they did not uphold the first loan. Amigo are making some sort of convoluted argument that as they upheld the next top up loan the first loan was never properly settled so they are trying to sting people for the interest – it’s just wrong. If you get this come back here.
Dharmesh says
Hi Sara
I’m.in this position
What should I do
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What position? You have an Amigo loan you you can’t afford and want to know how to get a refund? Or Amigo has offered a refund and you would like some Idea of how much it will be? Or Amigo have taken “unpaid interest “ off your refund?
Richard says
Hi just wondering if anyone’s been in the same position as me.
Currently on top up no 5 from a few years ago. Complaint been with amigo 8 weeks and just got the generic extra 4 weeks needed email.
I have an agreement with them from about a year ago to pay less than original amount/month. ((Was paying £395 but they agreed £230 (I had set up a dmp so I think that’s why they agreed) – by the way they’ve never asked guarantor for money during this agreement although the account does go into arrears and it’s recorded as such on credit file)) Anyway about 2 weeks ago the daily interest wasn’t being added to my account so called them up to see if it’s because of complaint. It turns out their ‘new’ policy is that if the account falls into arrears by 7xnormal payment. ie £2765 (7×395) they stop adding interest, apparently indefinitely so “there’s light at the end of the tunnel” according to the call handler (very generous of them) I’ve already paid back 12k so was a couple months from the interest cap anyway. Think it saved me £500 odd. So if people have fairly fresh loans and don’t mind the default it’s an option to save quite a lot in interest.
My account has now changed from ‘you can’t borrow money while in arrears’ to ‘you can’t borrow money from amigo’. Is this the change people are seeing when their complaint has been picked up?
Thanks if anyone knows :)
Chris says
Interesting to see the proposal made by Mr Benamor this evening. He intends on raising a judicial review against the FOS. If you read his twitter feed and the vulture like investors, Amigo have done no wrong. How deluded can you be?
Bec says
Evening all,
My complaint from amigo was rejected.. it was passed to FOS on the 9th July. Does anybody know how long I may be waiting for a response from them?
Thank you
LEE says
I escalated my complaint to FOS in May and received an email Two weeks ago to say I’ll have up to a four month wait this month so that gives you an idea :)
Chris says
Unfortunately it could be up to 4 months or more to be allocated. Has it been put on their system yet? You will get an email with reference and name of business you are complaining about if it has.
Bec says
I spoke to someone on the phone last week and they said they have my complaint. Although I haven’t had an email or anything.
Chris says
If your circumstances are not very good, email the FOS and explain this to them and they may put it as a priority.
Sadly you need to keep chasing sometimes to get it moving.
Good luck
Bonnie says
Hi does anyone know if this means the fos are dealing with my complaint now i sent it in may. Not heard from them for a while then I got an email saying they had looked through my info i sent but couldnt open the actual signed complaint form. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are you saying FOS couldn’t open your signed complaint form? Or that you couldn’t open it?
Bonnie says
Fos couldnt open the file I had to send another one in a different format. Wasnt sure was this them finally getting to it x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well first they have to be able to read your complaint! Then they will ask Amigo for the case file.
KY says
Hi Sarah
My complaint has been upheld & my guarantor has been offered £909 Due to payments she has made for me should she accept? And then I get my offer or decline and it comes back to me? I’m waiting for my redress but don’t want her to reject this amount and we lose it off total paid out? I think I’ve paid £14000 off a £10k loan with £12000 still outstanding due to missed payments & payment date changes. Loan was taken in 2017
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It shouldn’t make a difference. If you were going to pay her back from the refund, you may as well say Yes.
If you have paid c 14000 to a 10 k loan the balance should be cleared and you should get a cash refund of about 4k. (I am assuming you didn’t have previous loans.)
if you are still making payments, it’s best to stop these now.
Becky says
Hi, I was hoping you may be able to shed a little light on my situation.
My complaint was upheld by amigo on all 7 loans (1 initial + 7 top ups) I was sent a final response email on August 17th.
My guarantor (mum) has not receives any correspondence however they state they have been in touch, several phone calls later they havnt which doesn’t at all surprise me.
In the email it suggests that I will receive
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;
and
The removal of any adverse information from your credit file in respect of the loan agreements.
It also states that my guartor will receive a refund of all monies paid.
They have not included any figures in my email and I am at a loss as to what I would be liable for should she accept her offer.
She paid the remainder off £8278 and a further £3985 12 months previous towards the final loan.
Becky says
Sorry the initial comment was to long…
What is confusing me is how they will work out what I am liable for as over the phone they said it would be liable for the capital that she has paid towards it but not any interest. I had also made payments towards this figure including intererest.
Here are the loan amounts top ups monthly figures ect.
08 Mar 2016, £500.00, 12 months , £51.53pm
29 Jul 2016, £2,750.00, 36months, £134.17pm
09 Nov 2016, £5,000.00, 60months, £197.62 pm
30 Dec 2016, £6,500.00, 60 months £256.91pm
04 Jan 2017, £7,250.00, 60months , £286.56pm
18 Apr 2017, £7,750.00, 60months, £306.32pm
11 Jul 2017, £8,500.00, 60months, £335.96pm
They also confirmed the total interst paid was £7780.57
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you say how much you paid to each loan eg 4 lots of £156?
And how much you mum paid – was that just go the last loan?
Also for each of the top ups, how much you received in cash?
Have you repaid your mum? What is the rest of your financial position like?
becky says
1 loan £500, payout £500 @ £51.53 ×4
2 loan £2750, payout £2384.47 @£134.17 × 3 (mum paid 1)
3 loan £5000, payout £2197.40 @ £197.62 x1
4 loan £6500, payout £1409.76 (no amount and no payments for some reason on their statements)
5 loan £7250, payout £713.35, @£286.56x 3
6 loan £7750, payout £520.74, @£306.32 x 2
7 loan £8500, payout £627.78, @335.96 x16
On loan 7 mum paid 12 payments (£4031.52)
And then paid the loan off.
I havnt repaid my mum but she doesn’t want me to end up in financial difficulty and we have both agreed that however we settle this it has to be the best for us both. I have credit cards that need paying off and I intend to do this with part of the refund.
Basically we have no figures at all and we just want to know who’s entitled to what. If we are going to get more by her accepting a refund and paying off what I’m eligible for from that its an option.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so loan 4 – is it possible you took loan 5 before you had made a payment? If not, can you look at your bank statements to see what you paid?
Assuming you didn’t make a payment loan 4 (but I suspect you did, so please do check), then let’s look at what would happen if all the payments had been made by you, so you get some feel for the numbers.
In this case the the interest paid on each loan would be:
loan 1 £70
loan 2 £455 *
loan 3 £288
loan 4 £37
loan 5 £592
loan 6 £5,483
loan 7 £3,798 *
which is a total of £10,723
You mum only made payments to the loans 2 & 7 – correct? I put an asterisk beside them. All the other results must be correct for you.
Your mum has paid £12397 to Amigo (the payment to loan 2, the monthly payments & settlement to loan 7). She should be offered a refund of these plus 8%.
If she accepts this, what should happen is £12397 is taken off your account AND the interest on the loans should be taken off your account. This would then leave you owing 12397-10723 = £1673. If your mum gave you all the money, then you can clear the Amigo balance and be back with the 10723 refund.
Which looks like no gain whether she takes the money or not.
EXCEPT that your mum will also get 8% interest on top which will come to more than you would get (for technical reasons). This won’t be a huge amount as the loan was only paid off recently, but it will be a few hundred.
BUT I said that is what should happen. Some of the figures i have seen for guarantor refunds and the residual state of the borrower seem odd. I can’t guarantee that Amigo will do the calculations the way i have said. I don’t think this changes my point that you will be slightly better off if she takes the refund but I can’t be 100% sure.
One situation where the guarantor should definitely take the refund:
– where the rest of your financial situation is so bad you are thinking of going bankrupt or for a DRO. Here it’s better for her to get and keep the money and your remaining large debt to Amigo will be wiped out. But it doesn’t sound as though that is the case for you.
I suppose a possible one is where you have made your claim through a claims company. You will need to look at the claims company paperwork to see how their fees work out if the refund goes to the guarantor not to you. I can’t help with this.
becky says
I did this off my own back through resolver so no company involved. If they refund my mum her payments and then I am liable for the £1673 is that correct?
Would I also get a cash payout of the interest paid on the account? This is so confusing indont know why they’re sending some peoples responses wirh figures, some without. They habnt even sent my mums email and i got mine last Monday stating that they had already contacted her.
Thankyou for your help hopefully they will be in touch soon to offer some clarity
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes, that’s what I make it.
Would I also get a cash payout of the interest paid on the account?
No – all the interest you paid on the earlier loans has gone to clearing the “hole” in the account that the payment to your mother made.
So my advice is for her to accept what is offered and then settle up with you. BUT I had forgotten that she hasn’t actually had an offer.
If she wants to accept she needs to get in touch with Amigo tomorrow and ask where her offer is?
I can’t guess if it will go faster if she just sits tight and you later say “she isn’t accepting it” as at that point amigo may realise she hasn’t been sent it and then send it wich would delay things more.
Becky says
She will contact them tommorow, she actually works in a complaints department for another company so knows how they should be operating. Ill see if I can get some figures from them but I seems like we may get more if she accepts than if she declines.
Thankyou for you help.
You’ve been more helpful than the 10 different employees I’ve spoken to at the company of whom I’m complaing to!
KY says
I had a loan 2010-2016 also with a different guarentor I did include this on original complaint but date was two years out they’ve not even mentioned this one so I’ve started a new complaint re this one or should I call them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have put in a new Complaint, ring them up and say you have done this as they did not mention your first loan In their response to your current complaint.
James S says
Hi, I have just had a complaint upheld by Amigo and said I will receive the redress in 15 working days. Has anyone had to wait the full 3 weeks or was it sooner.
James says
I am still waiting I accepted 2 weeks yesterday. A lot of people have been paid out quicker though.
Audrey says
My hubby got his within a couple days of accepting. He went on to his account and it was closed
Angela says
I received my figures in 8 working days from the date of the letter upholding my complaint.
James says
Has anyone waited the full 20 days to be paid? I see people getting there’s after about a week, I am now over 2 weeks.
Tel says
I had complaint upheld July 30th yet still no figures for guarentor of myself…. 25 days and waiting.
James says
I got my figure on the day i accepted but still waiting to be paid. 12th working day now.
Jo says
Hi Sara
Thanks to you my 4 loans have been accepted as unaffordable. Can you help me with what I should receive?
Loan 1 22/09/14 £4675 paid £184.78 x9
Loan 2 39/97/15 top up £5000 payout £564.42 then paid £197.62 x 10
Loan 3 01/06/16 top up £7000 payout £2292.55 then paid £276.67 x13
Loan 4 31/08/2017 top up back to £7000 but over 48 months instead of 60 payout £721.64 now paid £299.43 x 21 AND £1922.15 in card payments. Plus my guarantor paid £673.72 on her card.
Remaining balance is £4346.74 at present.
Guarantor has been released and offered her money which she accepted, I know that will be added to my balance.
Thanks for all your helo
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what was the cash payout for the last top up?
Jo says
Original loan £4675 paid £184.78 x9
1st top up loan £5000 received £564.42 paid £197.62 x10
2nd top up £7000 received £2292.55 paid £276.67 x13
3rd top up £7000 received £721.64 paid £299.43 x 21 AND £1922.15 in card payments. Plus my guarantor paid £673.72 on her card.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So ignoring the payment your guarantor made, on the payments you have made you have paid the following interest:
loan 1 £1,417
loan 2 £1,678
loan 3 £2,867
loan 4 £1,201
That’s the loan balance cleared and a total of £7,163 refund to you.
Arlene says
Hi I have a complaint with amigo and they have just sent my DSAR 10 weeks after complaint was received what happens after they send DSAR
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Nothing much. You still need a response from Amigo.
The DSAR can provide useful information for you at a later point when your case is being looked at at the Ombudsman if Amigo reject it.
Have you sent it to FOS already?
Arlene says
Not as yet I wasn’t sure how long after they send the dsar do u wait for Redress
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t think getting the DSAR means your response is about to arrive. I think sending the DSAR and sending your response are two unlinked processes going on in different departments.
Arlene says
Ok as when I called they said that it hadn’t been picked up yet
Lee says
Hi any help appreciated I had my first loan in April 2013 of £3000 I paid 7 x £146.37
I was then offered a top up in November 2013 Which I took, they then proceeded To close the first loan and open a whole new loan (£4250) not sure if that’s standard or not. I paid this loan off Monthly by using payday loans Or help from family Most months to cover the costs Total paid 32 payments of £167.98.
In July 2016 due to ill health I had to ask a family member to lend me the money to pay the debt off in full in 32 months I had only paid £800 off the debt everything else (over £5000) was interest.
I have read you can only apply for a refund if the loan was in the last 6 years but does that mean 6 years from the date I took the loan out or from when I paid it off? Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can get refunds for loans over 6 years. Send your complaint in now and send it to the Ombudsman if the lender rejects your complaint.
Lee says
Hi Sara that’s great thank you I have put a complaint through yesterday online. Can I ask how I work out how much I might be able to claim back please? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know how much you recived in cash from the top up? And how much was paid to settle the top up?
Had you missed payments to the last loan? or moved the payments dates?
Lee says
We received around £1400 for the top up loan and final payment was £3381 in July 2016. We changed the payment date a few times I think we only missed one payment date but paid the following day.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those figures you have paid the following in interest on each loan:
loan 1 £851
loan 2 £4,475
total £5,326
PS please do NOT leave duplicate comments!
Lee says
Thanks for the info can I then add 8% to that figure or is the 8% worked out a different way?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
it is 8% per year so you will get nearly £2000 more in 8% interest at a very rough guess.
Angela says
I had my complaint upheld for 6 loans dating back to 2013.
Lee says
Thanks Angela, Was this a recent complaint? Thanks lee
Angela says
Hi Lee, yes I submitted complaint on 31st March this year, complaint upheld and I received payout on 18th August so about 4.5 months from start to finish.
KY says
Sarah
Could you help with my figures if my complaint is Upheld
Loan taken out April 2010 £3300 received monthly payments £151.19
Top up 20/4/2011 Received £3500 monthly payments £126.47 finished paying loan 13/2/2016
If this is upheld what would I be due to receive?
Jo says
Hello
Buddy loans have agreed with FOS to uphold my complaint.
Does anyone no how long Buddy Loans take to send me the figure that is due back to me.
Thank you
pol says
Hi jo, did yours go to ombudsman for final decision?
Jo says
Hi Pol
No Buddy Loans agreed with FOS first time.
Thanks
Jo
KY says
Hi Sarah
Could you please advise my mum has had a number of Payday loans with H&T pawnbrokers 13 over 14 months I believe & she definitely couldn’t afford them she is going to try & put an affordability claim in however I tried to do this on resolver & the company wasn’t found have you had anybody who has been successful with this company? She also has a large loan with Tesco bank & a credit card with Barclays that was extended time & time again could she do the same with these?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is a page for guarantor loan complaints. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/tag/refunds/ for relevant pages for complaints about payday loans, large loans and credit cards.
Chris says
I recently done the same and they rejected it. I have sent it to the FOS. Just send in a complaint about affordability and send bank statements with it. They went to the last week of the 8 as I suspected they would. Their response was laughable.
Anna says
Hi can you advise me please I have taken out a loan and top up from Amigo, £10,000 loan I have paid £395.95 x 29 totalling £11,462.25 they are stating that the balance on my account is £8,085.08, I’ve sent a hardship letter requested SAR, I have asked for a settlement figure which they will not give me.as my MIL has kindly said she will give me £5,000 to settle, I offered this to Amigo the Directors have declined the £5,000 stating I would be better off ??? How ? as I’m unemployed and have been for 9 Months I’m robbing Peter to Paul every month , I’m suffer from depression and this I making me ill …. I have contacted the Financial Ombudsman after my rejection from Amigo, sent several email correspondence to the CEO , managers, complaints department no one is listening or responding. The just seem to want me to continue to pay the monthly amount so they can get the interest whilst a very small amount is paid off my loan.
What do I do now. ????
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is you MiL your guarantor? If not, who is your guarantor and what is their financial position like?
Have you looked at making an affordability complaint? The article above describes these complaints – when to make one and how they work with a template.
Obviously things came off the rails when you lost your job, but was the top up really affordable before then, back at the point you took it out – could you make all the repayments and still pay all your other bills and debts and living expenses?
And was the original loan affordable? For many people the difficulty of paying the first loan meant they got into deeper financial problems and then they took the top-up out. In that case, the original loan wasn’t affordable either.
The reason for asking this is if you can win an affordability complaint, your current loan will be closed and you will get a refund as you have already paid more than you borrowed. And the default on your credit record will be removed. So a massively better option for you than taking 5k from your MiL.
Bec says
Sarah, if FOS favours my complaint, do you know how much I would be looking at receiving?
1st loan was for £4,000 taken out 12-01-2017
Repaid 4x £177.86
Was given a top up on the 25-05-2017 (settled 1st loan 3,960.06) was then paid out 2,039.94.
so far, I’ve Paid 35 x £237.15
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I make the interest you have paid so far:
loan 1 £669
loan 2 £2,295
So if both are upheld then the balance would be cleared and you should get a refund of £2,964. Plus probably £100 or so in 8% interest.
Bec says
Thank you so much Sara. That’s helpful.
Siobhan says
I’m starting to get really disheartened. I originally complained in April 2019. Obviously Amigo rejected my complaint. I sent this over to FOS straight away. I didn’t hear anything until June if this year, sent bank statements to FOS as requested and now playing the waiting game again.
Had an email from Amigo a week again stating they need extra time to look at my complaint. It’s just the one loan. How is it taking so long, everyone else seems to be getting their decision far quicker. 16 months is ridiculous
Maria says
Hi Sara
I had 4 loans with bamboo loans and sent an affordability complaint. They upheld one loan and offered £451.73 which I should not have accepted is it to late to send my complaint to the FO the final response is dated 26 February
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You are still just in the 6 month period to go to FOS. But Bamboo May say you accepted their offer so can’t now reopen the complaint. If you want to try you need to do this now, but keep your hopes low as it may not work.
Maria says
Hi again Sara would it be better if I sent a new affordability complaint to Bamboo?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, that would 100% likely to be rejected as you have already complained and they have replied.
Simon says
I had mine recently rejected and then sent a strongly worded email and then the complaints manager contacted me saying they check after a complaint is looked into and he decided they could have done more. His name was Andy Lloyd and he was actually a very helpful contact.
Franki says
Hi Sara thanks again for all your help previously I’ve successfully obtained refunds from Amigo UK Credit and Bamboo. I’ve got two queries I wonder if you can help me with pls. First is TrustTwo I’ve never submitted bank statements but my income and expenditure wasn’t completely corrected that I submitted as I needed the loan and they also fed me the answers so to speak on the call to finalise my income and expenditure. For example when they were going through my credit file the girl was saying your going to bring that up to date with this loan aren’t you. Is it worth submitting to ombudsman as trust two rejected my complaint. Second one is TFS Loans they came back to say they gave me the loan on the basis it would clear my debts and had I have used the loan exactly how I said I would then it would have made the loan affordable so they rejected my complaint. Thanks again for all your help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If TT had seen your bank statements before loan 1 and before loan 2, would they have given you the loans?
Franki says
No they wouldn’t have and my credit filed showed defaults and missed payments etc with Trust two same as TFS. Was just worried about inaccuracies in income and expenditure submitted to TT and with TFS no using the loan to pay off something as I said in my application
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So the basis of your complaints is that they should have checked your income & expenditure properly and if they had they would not have given you either loan.? Then I suggest you send the cases to FOS.
Franki says
Thanks Sara I will indeed you are amazing for all the help you’ve given me and everyone else
Nt says
Hi Sara
Quick question please. You responded to me in early August 2020 as I asked about my redress and you gave me the calculations. Thankyou for that.
What I wanted to know was if my first 2 loans are upheld but the last 2 were not woukd they take off unpaid interest? I currently have a balance outstanding at 8940 for a 10000 loan, this was not upheld and the one previous to this for 7500 not upheld but first 2 for 4000 and 5000 respectively were upheld. I’m still waiting on my figures.
Thanks for your help in advance. I’m just curious.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Unpaid interest shouldn’t be relevant in this situation.
Did you say you would accept their offer if they included loan 3?
Nt says
Hi, i sent it to FOS last week for loan 3 as it was best option. But I’m still waiting on figures for redress on loan 1 and 2 which apparently are due this week.
Good to know inpaid interest would not apply in this scenario.
Thankyou
Mand says
Just to give hope I submitted my claim on 17 July received offer if redress last Friday lunchtime and accepted via the link in the afternoon and have received payment today (I was very shocked), good luck to all waiting
James says
I accepted 3 weeks ago nearly and still waiting, congrats but this is becoming annoying haha
Frogman says
Hopefully they pay you soon, it was the 7th you accepted wasn’t it? Is the 20days working days or normal day? Not that Amigo keep to promises though, just asking. I am yet to be paid either so take some consolation that you are not alone :) I am tire of refreshing the app.
James says
I just found out why logged on and the offer had not been accepted, when I called 3 weeks ago it must not have been processed.
😢😢
Frogman says
Can you log on and check?
James says
Yes you log on to see when balance goes negative and it popped up thay I have a redress offer to accept so I am nearly 3 weeks behind now.
Gained another 20 in interest though.
Stacey says
Hi, if I have historically made payments from my partners card (not my guarantor) will a refund be paid to me in my account or to the cards I’ve paid from?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
To you.
Stacey says
Thank you, they’re delayed in my SAR request and my complaint answer so I’ve said if you need another 4 weeks to investigate I need another 4 weeks before I make my next payment 😂
DLMB2017 says
Hi guys,
I’ve been reading and commenting on this board since December last year! I submitted my claim in January and hadn’t heard anything. Numerous emails and calls chasing up got me no further. The FOS picked up in June saying 4 months to wait, then out of the blue today an investigator from the FOS called to say Amigo had been in touch and in principle have agreed to refund all interest and charges on all (3) of my loans! No mention of 8% interest yet, and I’ve had no figures through, but a very positive step. The FOS are aware of Amigo’s new interest calculation method and are looking into it. She said in my case, which is a very small number now, it shouldn’t apply as they are likely upholding all loans.
I will keep people posted once a calculation is presented to me. Thanks to Sara for all of the advice in getting me this far….one final push and this nightmare could be over forever :-)
michael says
Hi DLMB I’m the same as you. Had my complaint in since the beginning of march and not heard anything from amigo. Sent to FOS beginning of June and was told they were wateing for my case file. Got an email today saying amigo are willing to pay back all intrest paid on all 7 loans. FoS told me I should have a email from amigo today or tomorrow to get a brake down of there offer.
Kyle says
I sent my complaint in January 4th, got put on priority by the FO, they have had my case for a while, I’ve emailed them 3 times and 3 times they say Amigo has not yet sent over the case files to them so they will chase it up, it’s mental, they keep ignoring her. Congratulations on your ones, I’m hoping they hurry up and send over the documents because it’s getting beyond a joke now. Also still waiting for my SAR for weeks :/ I feel like my case is being forgotten lol
Simon says
Exactly same thing happened to me and I had to send email explaining that waiting ages for business file was unacceptable. Supervisor referred to higher level in FOS and miraculously the file arrived 3 days later! Dont be afraid of expressing how the process is making you feel and the impact it is having on you.
Kyle says
What did you say in your email? Plus did you ask for it to be referred to higher level in the FO?
Simon says
I simply explained that the messing about from Amigo had gone beyond a joke and that my circumstances were not particularly good. A supervisor emailed me back and that’s when things progressed. It doesnt hurt to call them and explain your case.
Kyle says
I emailed them and explained it’s going in too long that amigo have ignored her three times. This is what I received back.
I appreciate how frustrating this is but I have raised this internally – we are trying to fast track this information given your circumstances.
Kind regards
So I shall wait and see I guess. Hopefully that kicks amigo into handing over the documents.
Victor says
Hi Sara,
I need really need some advice. I sent an affordability complaint to bamboo loans regarding my initial loan and my top up loan. They have responded on Friday and given me 7 days to accept their alternative option. Today is the 2nd day of that offer and I was wondering if I should take the issue forward with FO or not? They have offered to take £495 off of my £2103 loan as a gesture of “good will” as they feel that I could afford the loan comfortably. I wish I could include their response to make this clearer but do let me know what needs clarification and I will do my best.
Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you think you could comfortably afford the first loan? Or the top up?
Do you know the numbers for the loans :
for the first loan what did you borrow? What the total you paid to this?
for the top up loan, what did you borrow? what did you receive in cash? how much have you paid to it so far?
Jordan Lea says
Hi Sarah and chat.
I hope you don’t mind, and delete if required, but working for a gambling addiction NPO and am very interested in understand the relationship between guarantor and payday loans and gambling.
We have come across countless people that have had amigo loans and many more, so would be extremely grateful if anybody would like to share their amigo stories with us.
I would also like to point out, if anybody is still being affected by gambling addiction, then I am here to help in any way I can.
I myself took out an amigo loan to gamble and had debts upon debts. So I can completely related and empathise with anybody that has struggled.
Thank you kindly, and take care
Jordan
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have written before on how payday loans and gambling are a toxic combination: https://debtcamel.co.uk/gambling-payday-loan-refunds/.
I agree that guarantor loans also are. If you don’t mind the sweeping generalisation, people with a gambling addiction tend to be over-optimistic, either that they will win big and clear everything owed or that they are going to kick the habit next week. And their guarantors may have no idea gambling is an issue – people tend to suspect if their son or co-worker has a big drug or alcohol problem, but gambling is the secret addiction. So the guarantors may be deceived and indeed the borrowers my be deceiving themselves, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/guarantor-loans-extra-protection/.
I hope that in future lenders, including guarantor lenders, make proper checks that would detect gambling, eg through Open Banking. Cutting off/reducing the supply of funds for gambling will mean less wrecked lives.
PS have you looked at whether you yourself would have a case for an affordability complaint against Amigo?
Jordan Lea says
Hi Sarah, currently 24 weeks in waiting for a response (yawn) thanks too this website hopefully some good will come from it.
In a very large portion of cases guarantors become affected others, and are deceived and manipulated into taking these loans out. Gambling related harm affects much more than just one person in each case. Estimates currently say that 10 people are affected by each person with some level of gambling addiction and affected others need just as much help and support. There is an all party parliamentary group campaigning for affordability checks within gambling which will go some way in protecting those most vulnerable, and the people around them. Lets hope that goes through.
Thank you for all the work you’ve done Sarah.
Jordan Lea says
just as an estimate, out of the complaints you have seen, how many have some sort of gambling relation?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t know. This isn’t “debt advice” here, I don’t keep records let alone statistics. And often someone may not mention gambling in a comment if they are asking about how much redress they could get, or what the timescales for a response are or something else which has nothing to do with gambling as an issue.
Barry says
Good Evening
I initially took out a £3000 loan in 2006 when Amigo was known as FLM. In June 2008 when the name was rebranded to Amigo I was offered a £5000 loan over 48 months which included the repayment in full of the existing FLM loan and repayments of £197.89 per month. I continued to pay the amounts monthly but my circumstances changed and missed a number of payments which my guarantor had to pay. The account was eventually passed to a debt collection agency and my guarantor paid the outstanding amount in full, I reimbursed her accordingly in June 2017. Unfortunately, my guarantor passed away last year so if a claim for miss selling is successful who gets the redress payment?
Regards
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can’t win a claim for the 2006 loan as the Ombudsman only had jurisdiction from April 2007.
The later loan, do you have any evidence about what you paid and what your guarantor paid? Also about your circumstances when you took the top up loan so you can show it was unaffordable? Sometimes with very old cases it can be hard to show what happened.
Amigo are likely to reject it because the loan was more than 6 years ago. If they do, send it to the Ombudsman who typically decides they can look at older cases if you have only recently found out you can complain.
If you win the complaint, I have only seen one case involving a deceased guarantor, so based on that Amigo is likely to offer the refund to the guarantor’s executors to accept or decline. If you can show the executors you repaid the money, I would expect them to decline because if they don’t you would have a potential court case against them.
If the executors can’t be found or don’t reply, my guess is the refund goes to you.
George says
Hi Sarah,
A quick question in regards to amigo. I’m expecting my refund from amigo but with the new loans I taken out against the loan, would I receive the refund for them ?
For instance the original loan amount was 4500 from which I took out a new loan of 6000 and then 7000 and then 9000. So when the new loan is taken out, the 6000 pays off the 4500 and I receive the difference. Would I receive that 4500 as a refund as it is essentially a payment made by myself against the loan ?
They have offered to refund all of the loans. Just waiting for the amount
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, so the starting point is that you only get back the interest you have paid on a loan. And if you still owe a balance on the last loan, interest is removed so you only have to repay what you borrowed.
I can help you look at the likely refund amount if you know the numbers. For each loan I need to know:
– the amount borrowed
– if it was a top up, the amount your received in cash
– the monthly payments you actually made eg 7 payments of £178
I assume your guarantor didn’t make any payments?
George says
Hi Sarah,
I can’t find the email exactly stating all the figures I had.
Roughly it’s around :
£4500 initially taken out -£4500 receives
£6000 top up of roughly £1400 received
£7000 top up of roughly £900 received
£9000 top up of roughly £1500 received
I made around 25 payments of £355 off the 9k loan and then 2 payments of £160 towards 9k loan
1 payments off £255 towards 6k loan
3 payments of £266 towards 7k loan
6 payments of £171 towards the 4k loan
Guarantor didn’t make any payments
Thank you!
George
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those figures I make the interest you have paid as follows:
loan 1 £1,126
loan 2 £355
loan 3 £766
loan 4 £195
so that would be a total refund of £2,442
George says
Thank you for that and then would I get an 8% redress on top of that ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the way Amigo does the calculations it would probably be less than £100 in 8% interest.
Gary says
Hi,
Just had my complaint sort. They offered me redress with I’m going to take. They said sign it to my account and fill out the form when I sign in there is no link.
Has someone else had this problem?
Harriet says
Yes, same for me. I had to phone up to accept
yaz says
Hey when you sign in to your account you will see a small yellow box at top of page which you need to click on. I just did it
Michell says
Hello
I had with amigo
Original loan 4/6/14
Payout 5500
22 @ 235.26. 5175. 72.
Top up 1. 29/6/16
Settlement 4327.89
Payout 3172.11.
6 @ 296.44 1778.64
Top up 2. 1/3/17
Settlement 7805.64
Payout 2194.36
5963 paid by me.
They have defended original loan
Upheld top up 1 and 2
What can I expect to happen?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So assuming your guarantor didn’t make any payments, I make the interest you have paid as follows:
loan 1 £3,998 * not being refunded
loan 2 £2,082
loan 3 not yet repaid the 10k borrowed, still a balance of £4,037 to go.
So the refund from loan 2 will reduce the balance owed to £1955. Your guarantor should have been released so you can make a lower more affordable payment arrangement to repay this.
But you may want to take the complaint to the Ombudsman to try to get the first loan included. If it was, the balance would be cleared and you would get a cash refund of £2043.
As your guarantor should have been released, you can anyway make a lower payment arrangement whil an ombudsman case goes through.
And look out when you get the figures for a line saying “unpaid interest”. They may try to sting you for a deduction for that – Amigo’s logic here is weird and not in line with anything the ombudsman normally says so I am hoping that FOS complaints that is unfair will be upheld.
Mitchell says
Sorry just checked statement again,
My guarantor made 8 payments at 395 for the second top up.
I made.
18 @ 395
7. @. 52
4. @. 110
1. @. 526
Hope that makes sense
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so overall you have paid £8440 to the last loans and your guarantor has paid £3184? Are you sure? they are complately different figures to what you said before.
Will your guarantor accept the offered refund?
Michell says
Yeah the last figures are correct, My guarantor will be accepting the offer of refund
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Revised figures, assuming your guarantor takes the paymnt offered:
I make the interest you have paid as follows:
loan 1 £3,998 * not being refunded
loan 2 £2,082
loan 3 not yet repaid the 10k borrowed, still a balance of £1,560 to go.
So the refund from loan 2 should clear the balance and you should get a reund of £522.
But you may want to take the complaint to the Ombudsman to try to get the first loan included. If it was, the balance would be cleared and you would get a cash refund of £4.502.
And as i said, look out for a line saying “unpaid interest”.
Luke says
Hi Sara,
I know your really busy but, i wondered if you or someone could work out my redress please, i have had success from Amigo on two of my three loan complaints. I owe £2592.64 on the current (Third loan) in the email they sent me.
I topped up loan two from £4500 to £7000 which i have made 50 payments to out of 60 months.
Can you help me calculate the total redress please?
1 GL3319082
11 Dec 2009
£3,300.00
36 months
£151.19 per month
Upheld
2 25361722
05 Jun 2015
£4,500.00
48 months
£192.49 monthly
Not upheld
3 29581366
05 May 2016
£7,000.00
60 months
£276.67 monthly
Upheld
Thanks
Luke :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how many payments did you make to loan 2?
do you agree that loan was affordable, or was it the difficulty caused by this loan that meant you needed the top up?
Luke says
I believe I made all ten payments and absolutely that’s the reason that I topped and kept topping up the loans!
Thanks
Luke says
I’m not sure if i am working this out correctly – if anyone has any ideas then let me know but i work my redress out at 50 payments of my current loan interest to be £6833.50 (Not including then ten left) and the first loan they upheld the interest was £2142.82 plus 8% – I think thats right but if anyone has any other numbers let me know as its confusing me a fair bit.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“i work my redress out at 50 payments of my current loan interest to be £6833.50 (Not including then ten left) and the first loan they upheld the interest was £2142.82 ”
yes that sounds right. The 8% gets complicated though.
Do you know what cash you received for the last top up? If you know that, i can say how much extra you would get by sending your complaint to the Ombudsman and trying to get the second loan refunded too.
Also look out to see if they deduct “unpaid interest” from your refund – they shouldn’t!
Luke says
05 May 2016
Opening Balance
£7,000.00
£7,000.00
05 May 2016
Payout
£2,946.58
£7,000.00
05 May 2016
Settlement of old agreement
£4,053.42
£7,000.00
Does this make sense Sara?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That makes the interest paid on loan 2 £1474.
Luke says
Thanks Sara
Would that make my total redress payment be for loans 1 and 3 £8976.32 plus 8% interest?
Can you work for me and see what it should be total
Thanks :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes, unless they deduct an amount for “unpaid interest”, which they shouldn’t.
Harriet says
Anyone had a problem when giving Monzo account details for refund? We have rang multiple times and been told just to wait. Spoke to someone different today and turns out the refund was paid on 5th of August but we never got it? Definitely right account details. Thanks
Darren Downie says
Yes! I gave Monzo account details for redress refund and 5 mins later they called me back to say they couldn’t find the account details and I had to give another bank account.
Lou says
Hi Sara,
I have a question about the 8% interest. Is this worked out by dividing the amount of redress by 100 and then times it by 8? Or is the 8% added for each year since the money has been paid off?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think with your complicated situation you just need to wait for the figures.
Lou says
Thanks, I just meant in general, but I’ve seen a post above now that says the 8% is added for each year since loan was paid off. This would obviously be for the loans that were paid off six years ago, so that’s good. Still need to go through ombudsman, but that will add about 6k to redress.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think your situation is much more complicated than that.
Lou says
If all loans from six years ago are upheld, it should be pretty straight forward. The latest chunk have been upheld, so it’s just referring the older ones on and by looking at the credit report from back then, and my bank statements, I can’t see how it won’t be upheld. Prior to topping up two loans, I went into default on three account in the six months before, both times.
Anyway, will have to wait and see.
Doesn’t make sense Amigo want so many cases to go to the ombudsman, because I looked it up and they have to pay over £500 for each complaint investigated. Oh well, their loss.
Can’t wait for these years of stress to be over.
Shem says
Hi all
Some hope for anybody with a complaint with UK Credit,! I had heard that they are rejecting every case almost generically, however today at 7 weeks they have confirmed they are upholding my complaint in full. I have to say they have dealt with my complaint professionally and courteously and have were always pleasant and understanding when asked for updates, even if this had been a less favourable result I could not take that away from them.
Of course I can only comment for my own case but hope this gives others some Info / hope for non Amigo related. Good luck all.
Sara, a thousand thanks as ever, I’ll donate to my local CAB again as soon as money hits the bank (8-10 days apparently)
Shem
Shem
Craig says
Hi,
I have had 4 top ups with Amigo and have a current loan with them.
They have not upheld my 4 top up complaints but have upheld my current loan complaint, they have told me that l can accept there redress for my current loan and go to the FOS to complain about the 4 top ups they have not upheld.
Is this correct as don’t trust them as don’t want to accept the redress then not be able to complain to the FOS about the other 4.
Appreciate any help
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So you had the original loan and 4 top ups? They are only upholding the last loan of the 5? Have they given you figures for the refund yet?
Craig says
Yes they have given me a figure and will remove the guarantor off and all interest.
It’s still leaves a balance on the loan.
Can l still complain to the FOS for the other 4 not upheld ?? If l accept the redress for my current one ?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have they included a line for “unpaid interest”?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry I didn’t make myself clear. Other people who had a top up loan upheld but the previous loan wasn’t, had a deduction applied for “unpaid interest” for the previous lonas… which had been settled… which seems entirely wrong and not like anything the Ombudsman says.
So could you have a look at the numbers you have been given, and see if there is a line which says “unpaid interest”?
Craig says
Yes that’s being removed 👍
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You mean there was a line and they have agreed to remove it????
Craig says
All interest will be removed from my current loan
Keith says
Hi Sara. I read your article back in Oct 2019 when I first started my affordability complaint with Tfs Loans. After 2 months Tfs loans declined to uphold my complaint at which point I took it further to the financial ombudsman.
The case handler was assigned to my complaint and on 23rd July 2020 my complaing was upheld. The company was given 2 weeks to respond to the recommendations. I chased this up with the case handler and he doesn’t know what the company is going to do after over a month.
I’m lost as to what to do. I’ve won my case but feel getting no where.
I took out the initial loan of £7500. And have paid back £13k plus. So I am due quite a lot of money back.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You haven’t quite won the case yet – TFS can reject the adjudicator’s decision and drag it out to the Ombudsman level. I suggest you email louisa.sutton@tfsloans.co.uk and ask why TFS have not responded to the adjudicator decision after a month. Attach a copy of the adjudicator decision.
sarah says
Hi
Did you have any joy with TFS as I am in the same position as you. I’m waiting for a response back as the investigator from FOS has gone in my favour.