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
Meld says
Hi Sara, I was really looking for some advice please, I had a loan with TFS LOANS back in 2011. £1,000 over 36 months at £62 a month. They didn’t ask for bank statements, and my sars show credit card statements, and telecoms information, wage slips etc. I struggled to pay it back as my outgoings were a lot more than I stated on the application. My bank statements would have shown this. FOS agreed with my that they could have done more checks, and I was a bit of risk because of what credit score was etc, but he cant uphold my complaint and he has nothing to back that up as I can’t get bank statements from 2011. I’m really gutted. What do you think of this ?
Many thanks,
Meld
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It can be hard to win a one loan case when the loan wasn’t large if there is very little evidence about your finances at the time.
joe says
It was time barred anyway. The only reason the FOS can look at Amigo’s old loans, is because of the ongoing issues with the FCA, Amigo have given the FOS permission to look at their time barred cases! So unless the lender gives their permission for the FOS to look at an out of time complaint, they can’t! Joe
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No decision would have been given if FOS had thought the case was time-barred.
This has nothing to do with the lender giving FOS permission.
FOS published the key decisions about looking at affordability complaints about over 6 years old in 2018, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/fos-time-limits-payday-loan-refunds/. Those were both about payday lenders but the same reasoning applies to all forms of credit. This applies to doorstep loans, guarantor loans, car finance, catalogue and credit card debt etc. It is now unusual for loans over 6 years to not be considered.
Meld says
It wasn’t time barred. TFS LOANS said they would not look into the loan from 2011 however fos said they could. If I didn’t know I had reason to complain, then I couldn’t have complained within the time frame.
Meld says
Ok thanks. Just very frustrating considering my outgoings were high, they didn’t ask for a breakdown of my Monthly expenditure or ask for bank statements. Therefore how could they prove I could afford the loan when they didn’t know what was going out my bank account each month. Makes no sense to me. They saw wage slips, and a credit file, but I I don’t think this is enough evidence to proof I would be able to pay back the loan. Do you think it’s a worth a try to check with bank for statements dating back that long?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh definitely worth trying! You don’t actually want copies of the statements, a list of your transactions would be fine. Be persistent, ask to speak to a manager etc etc
Dan says
Hi Sara,
Hope you are well.
This site has been an amazing find and has led me to pursue a refund on the grounds of unaffordability. I checked my banks statements (and have supplied these in my complaint) which show clearly how much debt as I was in at the time of the loan being issued, due to the low income and amounts of payday loan payments being made, so I’m fairly confident of winning this one (fingers crossed).
My loan was £2000 over 36 months issued June 2016, payments made £97.58 x 36 and settled June 2019 for a total of £3512.88 repaid to UK Credit.
My question is, can you calculate the 8% interest that would be owed on top of the £1512.88 refund should this be upheld?
Sorry if it’s as simple as doing 8% of 1512.88, I couldn’t tell from the other calculations you’ve made.
All the best,
D
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s 8% per year from the time of the individual payments that are being refunded. So not simple… I suggest not wasting time counting 8% chickens before they are hatched… the good news is the 8% part goes in up if UKCredit say his but the Ombudsman eventually upholds the complaint.
Charlene says
Hi Sara,
I initially complaint to Amigo on 2018 but they did not uphold my complaint.
You said about the cases they are upholding, so I sent an email to Amigo for the affordability complaint. But they told me that they have looked into my case and they won’t consider looking at it again.
I submitted my complaint to FOS 11/2019 and Amigo just managed to respond to them earlier this month. It has been over a year. Do you think I still have a chance for a refund on the interest I paid?
I borrowed £5k then managed to get a consolidation loan to pay it after 15 months.
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Normally you cannot make the same complaint twice.
If FOS say this, explain that your complaint was rejected in 2018 but Amigo dud not say you had to go to FOS within 6 months. (Amigo have now changed the way they handle complaints to say this, but back in 2018 they didn’t.)
On that basis FOS should look at your previous complaint.
JR says
Hi, my complaint isn’t with Amigo but there previous company FLM quick, I took several
Loans out with them and kept changing my payment date which caused the interest to go up. They are part of the same company. Can I lodge a complaint against Amigo as my last payments went to them to close my account and not FlM quick? They are both part of the Richmond Group. My guarantor made a few payments as I couldn’t afford it but she was paid back. Can this be lodged as a complaint?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can complain to Amigo about a FLM loan.
JR says
Thank you Sarah for replying. I did try a couple of years ago and they basically said it wasn’t them and nothing they could do!
Also for a £500 loan because I had to keep juggling payment dates and ended up paying nearly £1500 back.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you find the previous rejection email?
JR says
A message from Amigo Loans
Inbox
H
Holly Ford
to me
May 12, 2017Details
Hi Jodie,
Thanks for your reply.
It looks like the only email we have received from you in the last few months was the one I replied to this week.
Unfortunately, I’ve just learnt that FLM has now been wound up and we no longer have access to their records so I am very sorry, but I’m not going to be able to send you a statement of your old account.
Once again, my sincere apologies for not being able to fulfill your request.
Kind regards,
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so that was a reply to your request for a copy of your loans. Did you also make a complaint?
Louise says
Hi, i am looking for a little bit of advice. My friend was controlled finacially by her ex partner and agreed to be a guarantor for an Amigo Loan. She complaind to Amigo last year and they did not upheld her complaint. He mental health / anxiety took a huge nose dive and basically burried her head in the sand. She has since had CBT and feels much better. Obviously she is outside the 6 months period to refer to the ombudsman. Is there anything she can do? She recieved a letter to say that payment hasn’t been made on the account by her ex partner and this has triggered her anxiety again. I am really concerned for her.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what date did she complain to Amigo last year? Has she checked her rejection email from them, did it say she had 6 months to go to FOS?
If it didn’t she can still send complaint now, no problems.
If it did, she should still send her complaint to FOS together with evidence of her mental health problems and any evidence relating to financial abuse by her ex and ask them to consider her complaint even though it is late.
What is the rest of her financial situation like at the moment?
Louise says
The letter did mention the 6 months. She is going to send to them anyway. We dont have much evidence, as at the time of the breakdown she just wanted him out of her life. It wasn’t until she opened up to me we realised the extent. Her financial situation is steady. But she wouldnt afford the £300 repayments if he defaulted
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK so send the complaint to FOS and explain the reasons why it is late.
If she is asked to pay Amigo, she can just say she can’t aff0rd the £300 and offer a lower amount that she can afford.
Bev says
Hi Sara,
I made a complaint against Amigo Loans which was not upheld. I then sent if to FOS and the complaint was not upheld by the adjudicator, I then asked it to be looked by the ombudsman who last week did not agree with my complaint.
I then received an email from the adjudicator saying that Amigo had been in touch and on another review of my complaint they have agreed to refund the interest on both loans which I really pleased about and I have accepted the offer. The adjudicator said he has let them know and they should be in contact within the next 4 weeks. I just want to check if you know of any other cases like this? could this be a mistake?
Many thanks
Bev
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I haven’t heard of a case like this.
All you can do is wait and see what happens.
Bev says
Hi Sara, so I have an update. The FOS emailed me yesterday to say that Amigo have retracted their offer on the grounds that the offer was made after the ombudsman had reached their final decision not to uphold. However on further questioning of my adjudicator it transpires that Amigo sent the offer to the adjudicator before I received the final outcome from the ombudsman. I have raised a complaint with FOS, however do I also need to go back to Amigo. Any advise on this would be greatly appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t think I have anything useful to suggest.
Bev says
Are Amigo within their rights to make an offer and then withdraw it?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t know.
Andrew says
Hi Sara. Just wanted to say a massive thank you . Just received a payout from Amigo for over £12000. This clears my £10000 balance and leaves me with over £ 2000.
Stumbled across this site in January and after getting in touch with the ombudsman at the end of March I have finally got the outcome I dreamt of.
Just nice again many many thanks Sara- you should be made a Dame!
Kyle the tent guy says
Hey guys, anyone know the number to call to get the redress from amigo? The financial ombudsman just emailed to say although I turned down their offer of £375 for the second loan, whilst it will take a while to sort out the first loan they said they asked amigo to honour it and that I should accept that one and it will be some money until they can reach a decision on the second one. This helps me out so much. Just wondering what number I call.
C says
Hi Sara
Would you be able to work out my refund based on these figures please?
Borrowed £5000
Made 22 payments of £195.35
Topped up to £7250
Received £3100.21 cash
Made 29 payments of £283.26 so far.
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hi C, which lenders is this? Have they agreed to refund you?
On those numbers I make the interest you have paid:
-loan 1 £3440
-loan 2 £1360
C says
Hi Sara
It’s Guarantor My Loan. They rejected my complaint but the adjudicator at FOS has ruled in my favour today. Thanks
Chris Dixon says
Hi Sara me and my guarantor have just received a questionnaire to fill in about my missed payments and whether I paid my guarantor back they are asking for any evidence of this like bank statements but I won’t have any as I paid her back with cash over time as it was easier and more affordable for me will this be a problem
Thank you chris
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are you and your guarantor good terms?
Would your guarantor be happy to get the refund and give you back the money you have repaid?
Chris dixon says
Yes we are on very good terms it’s my mum and she would give me the money back but I have already filled my part in saying I have paid her back
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Bother. For anyone else reading this it is MUCH simpler if you are on good terms if you both fill in the wretched forms saying that you haven’t paid anything back, so all the refund goes to the guarantor.
This is easier as they can’t ask for evidence!
But all you can do is say you paid in her cash so there are no transfers on your bank statements.
Chris says
Update on case. Complainted logged in August. Send to FOS in Oct ( still yet to get in touch). Amigo have sent through a questionaire. Over 8 years there are approx 7 or 8 payments made by guarantors. They were reimbursed at the time. I’ve marked this on questionaire as have the guarantors however amigo are asking for evidence. Is this usual? Also as questionaire mentions redress is it looking likely they are accepting my complaint?
Many Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh dear. Are you on good terms with your guarantor?
Chris says
Yes both guarantors I’m on good terms with. Both also sent questionaire and both confirmed I did reimburse the money.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, then I really don’t understand why Amigo are asking for evidnce, except to try to delay the process.
So you can either provide the evidence or you can object to what they are doing and say your gaurantors have confirmed that you reimbursed the money so why do you need to provide evidence?
Is your complaint over 8 weeks and currently with the Ombudsman?
Chris says
Complaint is 3 months old. I’ve raised with ombudsman at the 8 week mark when amigo hadnt responded. However ombudsman is yet to respond.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK< I think you should email the ombudsman and explain what Amigo is doing and how they are asking for evidence that you haven't got which seems unfair.
Chris says
Ok thank Sara I will do. Hopefully it wont delay things to much. The email from amigo says they are progressing an outcome and I should hear in 14 days…I shanti hold my breath as I imagine there is a long way to go still
Ruth says
Received the Amigo questionnaire last night, those who have completed it already, have you had any response please? Have people sent bank statements in also? ThNkyou
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are you and your guarantor on good terms? Will your guarantor repay you any money yoh have already paid them back?
If the answer is Yes and Yes, the simple approach is for YOU BOTH to say that that you haven’t repaid anything. Easy. No bank statements relevant. No delays.
But you have to trust your guarantor and you must both say the same.
Jack says
Hi Ruth
Done mine 10 days ago still haven’t heard nothing back what so ever try and call and they say they can’t give a time scale and me and my guarantor are best mates so there is no complication.
Good luck
Simon says
For anybody who had a complaint and had guarantor redress placed back onto your balance…..You may want to send to FOS….If you already have a complaint about it with them….Remind them of the impact it has had on you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Anyone who was left worse off after winning an affordability complaint should certainly be sending a complaint to FOS.
M says
Hi Sara,
I received my questionnaire last night, I answered it all and said I paid my guarantor back on all the payments they made, however I didn’t send any statements as that account is now closed.
They have also confirmed on their questionnaire that I have paid them back, but again no statements for the same reason. Will that be a problem?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t know. it shouldn’t be. But this seems to be a very complicated procedure Amigo has set up and who knows how effective they will be at administering it?
M says
So I’ve just had my guarantor phone me and he said his questionnaire was different to mine. I got asked to confirm all the payments made by my guarantor and if I had reimbursed them to which I said yes.
My guarantor just had one question and statement it was. “You made payments of £1832 towards agreement number #######. If the complaint is upheld would you want to be considered in the redress award?” There was a yes and no option, my guarantor hit no. That was it, no other questions.
Sara and others, has anyone else had a questionnaire like this?
Rebecca says
My guarantor had his questionnaire sent to his email, but then when he clicked on link it took him to amigo login page but couldn’t log on as apparently no account (him being guarantor)? But when I logged on I filled out 2 questions on mine.
How does my guarantor fill out his questionnaire if he can’t log on?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
he needs to ask Amigo. I think this “double questionnaire plus evidence” approach much be an admin nightmare for them.
Megan says
Hi guys, can I ask what the questionnaire is that amigo are sending out? I don’t think I’ve had one? Is it after the accept a redress or? I have 4 days Til the deadline that the investigator has given them for a response so I’m praying I hear back from them accepting. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Also.. if they did accept how long after does it take for the money to go into your bank? Thanks x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the questionnaire is only relevant if your guarantor has made some payments – has yours?
Megan says
Oh I see! No they haven’t x
Sam says
Hey
ive just this evening had a reply to my Amigo affordability complaint, which has been upheld! so thanks, glad i found this site your info has been well helpful :)
it says i can accept via their website but there isnt any options anywhere to accept? i can view my offer letter and such but thats it. just wondered if anyone else has had the same?
should i just call them when they are open?
Jack says
Hi
When did you make your complaint also did you also have a pause due to any guarantor payments or not?
Regards
Jack
Debbie says
I made my complaint on 7th Sept and had my redress offer on 3rd November. Guarantor has made a few payments which I had paid back. They called my guarantor on the same day as my redress offer to see if he wanted the offer he said no and I accepted the redress the same day. They said 10 working days for payment from when you accept. It did initially take 12 working days but customer service was really good in keeping me informed. It was the redress department that wasn’t as organised. But now all settled 😊
Jack says
Do you have a number for these? Done my questionnaire 12 days ago now can’t get a response
Debbie says
01202 835170 – This was the department that dealt with complaints / accepting figures etc. Found them very helpful. You can’t actually contact the redress department direct though.
Jack says
Ah I have that number they will be sick of me calling I keep pestering them everyday. One person tells me something and another tells me another.
Thank you
Jack OC says
I’ve just filled out the questionnaire sent from amigo, I’m guessing we are at fingers in the air stage where we wait hopefully it won’t take too long. I mean my guarantor got the email and I didn’t but it seems like if you log into your account and paste payments-questionnaire on the end you get it just encase somebody is missing it.
Harry says
Hi Sara,
Great work that you do here!
I have a query please on a guarantor loan. I submitted the complains email to them and a SAR. However, they have replied as per the below. I took the loan out in Jan 2012 and Repaid in full by January 2015. Is the below correct or am I being fobbed off do you think?
Dear Harry,
Thank you for your email. I have tried to locate information which we may still have on file. From this review I believe that due to the time which has elapsed the data may have been removed for data protection.
You can submit a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you feel this information should be on record. Their helpline number is 0303 123 1113.
Kind regards,
Natalie Truman
Any advice would be great, thanks as always.
Harry
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Complaining to the ICO is a truly bizarre suggestion. Someone else has also received that response, see above.
Do you have information about this loan? emails? bank statements?
JR says
I have emails, and have asked my bank for statements
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then I suggest you send the complaint straight to the ombudsman. Don’t waste a minute in talking to the ICO who will be baffled that Amigo told you to talk to them.
JR says
Thank you for your help Sarah! I will do that this evening.
Harry Wilkinson says
Hi Sara – Yeah I thought that sounded bizarre.
I was thinking of going back and saying here I’ll show you the details and sending . I have all of the credit agreements etc and it appears on my credit file. As it started in 2012 am I right in saying I can request bank statements from my bank (Lloyd’s) from that time say a month before and after the loan is taken out?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It can sometimes be tricky to get statements. Do this right away, don’t delay.
And don’t bother to argue with Amigo. you will just be wasting your time – send it to the Ombudsman.
JR says
Sarah,
That was the exact response I had and from the same person and yet when I had a response last week saying it wasn’t them it was from a different person!
JR says
Hi Sarah,
I’ve had a reply from Amiga saying that they don’t have my record on file and to complain to the ICO (information Commission office) what does that mean. Thank you in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When was your loan from then?
JR says
I had loans from 2011 – finished paying end of 2014
Shane says
I received an email this morning from Amigo asking to fill out a questionnaire, it stated it sent one to my guarantor, which they didn’t receive.
The email does not state in any way that they have upheld the complain, in fact it says they are still investigating, then why are they asking about redress figures?
Also, it asked if I had paid back the guarantor for payments I made, I did but I did not upload bank statements as my old banks are closed, will this matter if they declare the same?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
why are they asking about redress figures?
Either that have upheld aome or all of your loans OR they are trying to do some admin work now in case they decide to uphold some loans. Sorry, I don’t know which.
Are you and your guarantor on good terms? Will your guarantor pay you back if they are given a refund for money you have already paid them?
IF you are very sure the answers are YES and YES, then the simple thing is for you & your guarantor to say you haven’t paid them back and the refund for those loans should go to the guarantor. This way Amigo can’t delay things asking for evidence of payments… So your gaurantor gets paid more, you are left owing more, but your guarantor will give you the money. Everyone happy.
This only goes wrong if you don’t trust your guarantor to do the right things and pay you back.
Ann says
Hi Sarah I have had the Ombudsman email saying he is checking my complaint and will get back to me when amigo has sent him the information he needs. I am still on reduced pay because of covid and asked amigo if they can take reduced payments but they have refused.and now have sent a email to say they are going to go to my guarantor but she can not afford to pay I am worried what is the best thing to do.if you have any advice I would be very grateful.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
HAs your guarantor’s financial position got worse? or could she never really afford the repayments?
Ann says
The guarantor is my daughter and had just started a cash weekly job when She became my guarantor she has no job now and has put in a affordability complaint but amigo is saying they are not aware of this she never could afford it they did not check anything just asked her questions on the phone.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok so she could never afford the payments then. It is good that she has oput in a complaint about this. I suggest she should cancel the DD to Amigo and repeat that she can’t afford any payments now and if they had checked properly she couldn’t afford them either when the loan is taken out .
Tom says
Hey there everyone.
I recently was appointed my adjudicator after about a year of waiting (which I know is fairly common) and today sent off the relevant bank statements covering the 4 years when I had loans with Amigo.
I have a few questions for anyone who can answer.
1) Roughly how long does it take for the adjudicator to go over the information and come back with their decision?
2) The adjudicator asked for my income and expenditure during these times, so will the bank statements be sufficient, or would they need anything further? My statements show the payments from my guarantor transferring me the amounts from Amigo, as well as my income from work, various gambling transactions, and payments to utilities and other loans i had.
3) When I first received the email from my adjudicator they mentioned that Amigo hadn’t yet responded to their request of balances regarding my account, so will they have to wait for Amigo to send these over, or will it work in my favour if they don’t respond to the deadline set by FOS?
Thank you for all the support I’ve received from this website, and thank you in advance for anyone who can answer the above.
Siobhan says
The adjudicator came back to me with their decision within a few days, this was mid October, they gave Amigo until 1st Nov to respond. Amigo is yet to respond. My complaint has been going on since April 2019.
I only provided bank statements as evidence.
Sara says
I made a claim against amigo 4 weeks ago, i only had 1 x load of 5k in 2012 and they have sent the Sar after week 2 and a letter offering me over 6k on week 4. I accepted and was paid out within 2 days !! I was elated, especially when, with only one loan and never missed a payment thought that it would be an instant rejection!thanks to sara as I would have just left it
Jo says
I just wanted to write and say thankyou. I used your template and sent my affordability complaint to Amigo in October. I had my 1st loan in 2018 then a further 2 top up loans and owed just under £10k without interest. They replied yesterday upholding my complaint and have repaid all interest charged (£7k) and stopped any further interest leaving me now with just £2k to pay and they have also released my guarantor from any liability. I will be debt free from March 2021 and can’t thank this site enough.
Lindsay says
Hi there
After the FO chasing up with Amigo re my settlement my dad received this email this morning…
I am writing to inform you that, following this review, we have made the decision to remove your liability as guarantor.
As a result, all contact will be stopped and you will not be expected to make any payments towards the loan. Your payment details have been removed and any other details will be securely stored, for our records only. We will also remove any searches from your credit file regarding this loan.
I would also like to offer for the payments you have made towards the account to be refunded to you, plus 8% simple interest. This comes to a total of £5,258.82. Please see a breakdown of this below:
Payments to be refunded to you: £3,254.91
8% statutory interest awarded: £2,003.91
20% tax already deducted from 8%: £500.97
Total refund due: £5,258.82
Please bear in mind that, if you choose to accept the refund, the payments would be posted back onto Lindsay’s account and their balance would increase accordingly.
We’re unsure what to do next as my loans have long been settled and we’re worried that, if my dad accepts the money, I will then be due more money to Amigo??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK so I looked at your situation before. At that point you weren’t sure if Amigo were going to be able to contact your dad.
The numbers sound the same now, except you now know how much 8% interest your dad is being offered, but that shouldn’t affect your refund.
Did you pay your dad back?
Are you on good terms, ie if he gets a refund would he give you some of it?
Lindsay says
Hi Sara,
Yeah, my dad and I are on great terms and the money is going to be split between us. What I was worried about was the email I received made it sound like I would be due them money if they paid out to my dad? I know I’m probably just not understanding properly but my dad is afraid to accept the repayments in case they then chase me for money.
Lindsay says
This was the email that I received
Following your recent complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service, we wanted to get back in contact with you today. We apologise for the delay.
The Financial Ombudsman Service have confirmed that you have accepted Amigo’s offer of redress.
Your guarantor, Richard, has made payments towards the account. We have now removed your guarantor’s liability for the loan and have contacted them to ask whether they would like a refund of the payments they made towards the loan agreements. If your guarantor accepts the refund the loan balance will be updated accordingly, and you will be liable for this amount. If your guarantor does not respond within 14 days, we will assume that they do not wish to accept our refund offer and their payments will remain credited to the account.
We will send you a separate letter detailing the breakdown of the redress amount and confirm any outstanding balance or refund amount no later than five working days after 15th December.
Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.
I really appreciate all your help!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So I get this sounds worrying. But if you look at what Amigo said before (https://debtcamel.co.uk/how-to-complain-guarantor-loan/comment-page-57/#comment-386602) the basic numbers hasn;t changed – they are still proposing to refund your dad 3,254.91 for the payments he made. plus 8% interest but that can be ignored.
I don’t think Amigo have changed what they will do from what the Ombudsman said before. If your guarantor takes the refund of 3254, that amount is taken off your refund, whuich drops to 1919.
If your guarantor will give you the money back, it’s better for it to go to your guarantor as they will get a lot more 8% interest than you would.
So the simple thing is for you both to say on your questionnaires is that you haven’t paid him back and you do want the refund to go to him. Then he can settle with you later. This also avoids Amigo asking you for proof that you paid him – which some other people are finding hard to produce,.
Lindsay says
That’s great Sara, we haven’t had any questionnaires but my dad is going to call this morning to see what the next steps are. Will keep you posted… thanks again!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if you are asked to fill the questionnaires, then the simplest thing is to say you didn’t repay him and you want the refund to go to him. You both have to say the same! People who say they have repaid the guarantor are being asked to produce proof of this, saying you didn’t repay avoids this delay/hassle.
For other people – Of course this approach only works if you are on very good terms with the guarantor and you are happy to settle up between the two of you.
N says
THANKS TO THIS PAGE FOR HELPING ME HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO DO THIS!
Hi im looking for some advice please. i have done affordability complaints with uk credit and bamboo, uk credit have upheld the complaint and setted but bamboo have just sent me their final response stating that i was presented to them as a 30yr old self employed individual with a no ccjs and very good credit. But that is not true as i had finance out in my name, another loan with uk credit, credit cards that i was behind on, catalogues that i was missing payments on and payday loans aswell as gambling all my money away. I sent them 10 bank statements with the payday loans one month before and 3 months after. They have said that in addition to my credit i had no active advance in my name ie payday loans in the prior 12months thats wrong i did as show on statements, they have also said i had not missed any payments and they do not need to ask for bank statements in the loan application. they also considered the debt i had was not excessive because 70% of it was hire purchase.
They are willing to accept the complaint on my top which was at the time my debt had increased as i started to take out payday loans i was already taking out payday loans 6months prior to my first loan in jan. My top was 3,601.55 on top of the original loan in jan of 3000.00.
They are willing to settle this an close my account but not refund my interest from either loan. can i still send this to Financial ombudsman to argue my case?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok so how large were the payments to the first loan? And can you check if you made 4 or 5 of them?
Then the next loan was £3601 and you got £750 in cash form it, the rest went to settle loan 1, correct?
How many monthy payments have you made to this? Are they all £175?
N says
So my payments to the first loan were £185.19 and I made 5 payments.
Yes the top up was £3601.55 and the rest went to loan 1.
I have made 2 monthly payments at the start of £176
& 28 monthly payments of £175.38
Sara (Debt Camel) says
on those figures I make the interest you have paid as roughly
loan 1 776.95
loan 2 1660.4
As they are only upholding the second loan the balance should be cleared and you should get a cash refund of c £1660. Plus some 8% interest.
Either they have got the calculation wrong or they are deducting some other amount (Amigo takes off money for “unpaid interest” in this situation – which I also think is very wrong) or your numbers are wrong.
But as they aren’t upholding the first loan I suggest sending it to the Ombudsman.
N says
So the interest i get back should be £1660. Do i tell them i do not accept the offer of final resolution then? Okay thank you very much sara your help has been amazing.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes for the top up loan.
If you would be happy with £1660, you could try telling Bamboo that you have paid more than £5200 to the top up loan so that is more than the £3601 you borrowed so you should get a refund of the extra. Say if they don’t agree to pay you that you will be sending the whole complaint to the ombudsman who may uphold the first loan as well.
N says
Hi Sara
Just an update on my complaints with bamboo so I did what you said an told them it would go to fos if they did not repay the interest on loan 2. Someone looked into both loans again I sent over all the proof again. They have just come back to me and said their decision for the 1st loan is correct but they are willing to still uphold loan 2 pay off the £1500 still outstanding on it an offer me a payment of £500 as I have over pages £251 anyway.
Loan 1 £3000
Top up loan 2 £779.75
Interest due on first loan £1444.49
Total to repay £5224.24
They have took the interest off the second loan they say an put me back in the position before interest added to second loan.
My question is can I accept their offer of second loan an still send loan 1 to fos or do I have to reject an send to fos for both.
Thanks you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can ask them if you can accept the offer and still complain about the “unpaid interest” deduction and the first loan to the Ombudsman. Say you are aware FOS has a number of these unpaid interest complaints already from Amigo cases.
Megan says
Could anyone help. Have any of you had Amigo agree to the investigator at FOS? Or does it always get passed over to the ombudsman? Thanks xx
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Amigo accepts most adjudicator decisions, but they can take a while to do this.
Darren says
Hi Sara
Thank you for all your doing here – it is truly appreciated.
I sent Amigo a complaint and was just wondering if you could kindly help me work out any redress (if upheld) I could receive.
I took out a £4,000 loan at £195.16 a month in January 2017. I made 6 payments before being offered a top up.
I was then approved for a £9,000 top up loan (with interest of £12,343.20). I received £5,000 cash when I took the top up. I have made 40 payments of £355.72 since July 2017. The current balance outstanding is around £5,000.
Thank you in advance and stay safe!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those numbers you have paid the following interest so far:
loan 1 1170
loan 2 5200
So if they are both upheld you would get the balance wiped and a refund of £6370. Plus a few hundred pounds in 8% interest.
Darren says
Thank you very much for this, Sara.
Will keep you posted!
Anne says
Hi Sara,
Thanks for all your help with this page. My guarantor and I both got a questionnaire sent by email even though no payments have ever been made by my guarantor on my loan or top ups. We both replied saying this too via email and on the questionnaire.
Hopefully this means they are dealing with my complaint soon. Could you help me work out any redress I may be offered if all loan/ top ups are upheld please?
initial loan of £2200 on Feb 2014.
Payments made- 8 x £136.00
I took a top up to £2250 on October 2014 so I received £546.51.
Payments made- 21 x £139.09
Then I took another top up on August 2016 to £1500 and received £1260.
Payments made- 4 x £73.18
I then topped up again to £3750 on 6th January 2017 and received £2322.
Payments made to date 45 x £148.22
Balance is £1994.41
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
on those numbers you have paid the following interest so far on each loan:
loan 1 592
loan 2 909
loan 3 220
loan 4 2910
So if they are all upheld the balance will be cleared and you will get a refund of £4631 plus a small amount of 8% interest.
If anu of the earlier loans are not upheld, look out for Amigo trying to deduct a line for “unpaid interest”. Come back here if you see that!
Anne says
Thank you for this.
yes I will do.
Karl says
Good Morning,
Me and my Guarantor filled in our questionnaire 3 weeks ago, Sara have you heard of anyone who has actually had a response since filling these in? we both settled it with the same answers as yes i paid him back he didnt want the refund
Best regards
K
Sara (Debt Camel) says
no I haven’t…
Lisa b says
Karl Have you heard anything else yet from amigo
Thanks
L says
Hi Sara,
Thanks again for the information which resulted in my bamboo and trust two loans being upheld just wondering if you can look into some redress figures if my amigo loans are upheld.
1) Total loan of £1500 with 6 payments of £73.18 made
2) Total loan of £3500, settlement of loan 1 was £1368.81. Cash payout of £2131.19
1 payment of £170.76 made so far
No guarantor payments
Many thanks
Liam
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When was the last loan made? You have only paid 1 payment?
L says
2nd loan was taken on 4/2/2020 but only one payment made so far due to covid breathing space.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You have paid £307 in interest on loan 1.
If loan 2 is upheld, the balance will be reduced to what you borrowed less what you have paid – so £3330. Your guarantor will be released and you can then make a more affordable payment arrangement to repay this balance.
If both loans are upheld, the interest from loan 1 will be used to reduce the balance on loan 2 to £3023.
amy says
Hi there,
I took out a Loan in 2018 of £1500 – 12 Monthly payments of £154.59. I was on a zero hour contract, no proof of income and in a £2000 overdraft
I then took out a top up loan of £1500 in 2019 for 24 monthly payments of £93.72 with again – no proof of income or expenses asked for.
Do you think I have a chance of claiing tihs back? I have never had my guranator make a payment but have had to change my payment date and taken out 2 further loans from other lenders.
If successful, what will I be due?
Thank you ever so much for this page
amy says
Sorry I should add that I have £720/01 left to pay!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am assuming the first loan was just for a year so you repaid it in full? That the second loan was a new loan, and not a top-up?
If the loans have caused you difficulty and to have to borrow more, then I think it’s worth making an affordability complaint. If Amigo rejects it, send it to the Ombudsman to consider, as at the moment the Ombudsman seems to be upholding a very large number of guarantor loan claims.
On those numbers, you have paid £348 in interest on the first loand and £732 so far on the second.
If they are both upheld, the balance on the current loan would be wiped and you would get a cashe refund of just over £1000.
Amy says
Thank you so much for your response.
It was actually a top up loan – initially of £1059 and then a settlement of the old loan of £440 equaling £1500 opening balance when the new loan took hit.
I have sent an email and included my statements which show I was getting paid hardly anything on a zero hour contract and was in an overdraft of £2000 that I often went further into.
Hoping I get something out of it as no one should have lent to me at that Point in my life!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok so that changes the numbers so that you have piad the following interest:
loan 1 789
loan 2 732
so if both are upheld you would get the balance cleared and £1521 in cash.
Glen says
Hello,
Do you know if the 8% simple interest per year is for the whole amount borrowed including interest (I borrowed £3500) or just for the interest I paid on top of the £3500 I originally borrowed?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Just for the interest being refunded.
Wazza b says
I have been asked to provide bank statements for the months preceding the loan and months after the loan was agreed upon. Is it a necessity and a requirement to provide the statements?
Why now? Surely that would have been something the lender should have looked into prior to agreeing to the loan?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how long ago was this loan?
Dave says
Has anybody heard back from Amigo or the Ombudsman about the ‘unpaid interest’ situation?
My case has been with the Ombudsman since July and I just get a generic response off Amigo every time that they are liasing with the Ombudsman regarding ‘unpaid interest’ claims and to bare with them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Not so far. Although several people have had Amigo change their mind and offer a full refund on all loans.
In these highly contested areas, FOS normally looks at several sample cases and produces a draft opinion that will be discussed with the lender so the lender has the opportunity to make all the points they want. This isn’t a fast process, but the idea is a final decision can then be applied simply to other similar cases.
L says
Hey, my complaint has just had 3 and 4 out of 4 loans upheld by adjudicator, amigo are a week late with their response up to now, I’m guessing this is the norm for them? Also with them now taking unpaid interest do you have any clue at what I could receive if they agree with adjudicator, figures are
Loan 1-£1000-made 5 payments of £48.79 then top up
Loan 2-£2000 received £1088 made 7 payments of £97.58
Loan 3-£2750 received £827 made 6 payments of £108.69
Loan 4 £3500 received £734 it was over 60 months payments of around £138 and it’s almost paid I currently owe around £300.
Thankyou, hoping to hear from them soon.
Johnny says
Hiya, I yesterday eventually sent my complaints to Amigo, Bamboo and George Banco about their irresponsible lending and affordability checks. As much as my salary was a national average I had an extremely poor credit record. Over 10 payday loans, unpaid loans, overdrafts and credit cards. Not a sympathy vote but went through a divorce and gambling addiction. Yes my own fault but this clearly shows on my bank statements if the companies involved had checked at the time. They agreed my guarantor loans. Took out Amigo in June 2018 £5000, then George Banco July 2018 for £2500, Top up Amigo with £2500 in July 2018, Bamboo Loan £2000 in Sep 2018. Further top up Amigo £2000 in Dec 2018 and one last top up Amigo in June 2019 for £830.
I have paid off the George Banco loan which was for 24 months but the Bamboo is for 60 months paying back £4680 for a £2000 loan and i’m paying £444.86 to Amigo. No payments made by my guarantor by my father who isn’t a guarantor helped with a few of the payments. I many want the guarantor released from the loan and to cut the interest so I can afford to pay all the money back to them that I borrowed. Should I push it with Ombudsman if the companies reject my claims even with a Gambling Addiction that is highlighted on my statements?
Again thanks for helping people out on this site. This year especially when we are all finding money and life in general tuff! Take care and stay safe all!
J
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you sent your bank statements to the 3 lenders? Definitely do this, they prove the loans were not affordable.
FOS is not judgmental about gambling, so if the lenders reject your complaints, ask FOS to look at them for you.
Johnny says
Thank you for you quick response. I’ve sent statements to both Bamboo and George Banco for 2 months prior to the loan being accepted but not to Amigo yet as there where 4 top ups with Amigo so don’t know which months they would want until they would request. I got replies from them all to say that they are going to be investigating my complaint. Thank you again on behalf of everyone your helping on this site. Spent years of making bad choices and just trying now to make all the right ones!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you send all between March 18 and Sept 19 to Amigo.
Johnny says
Thanks I’ll do that. Do they normally send all the personal info that I have requested as per SAR? I just don’t want my guarantors involved. They haven’t had to make any payments but in the past they have received all the late payment/default e mails threatening to take payment from them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Your guarantors should not be contacted unless it is decided the loans were unaffordable and they had made payments or they are being released from the guarantee.
George says
Hi Sara.
Great news, Amigo have come back to me and upheld the second loan but not the first. I put this in less than 3 weeks ago – Monday would have been 3 weeks so they’re doing these super quick at the moment.
Figures below –
Total Interest – £4,166.31
8% Interest – £163.22
20% Tax Deduction – £40.81
Unpaid Interest from non-upheld loan – £2266.55
Total Redress – £2062.98
I am thrilled but obviously not so thrilled with the unpaid interest being deducted. Do you know what that even is? It is worth challenging this with the FOS?
Thanks in advance, I’m thrilled to have got this far.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The “unpaid interest” is because Amigo has decided if you shouldn’t have been given the second loan then you should have continued to pay interest on the first loan.
this appears to fly in the face of logic, as of course you are still repaying the amount of the second loan, you just aren’t being charged interest on it. So why shouldn’t you be able to use some of that loan 2 money to clear the first loan?
This was a new argument Amigo invented in about August. It is not an argument FOS has ever suggested is valid. There are now quite a few cases queued up at the Ombudsman waiting for the first decision on this, when that comes through it should be applied to all the other waiting decisions.
Your second loan was pretty soon after the first loan, wasn’t it? Was this top up partly taken because the first loan was unaffordable? If it was, then probably the first loan should be refunded too…
Several people who have sent their unpaid interest complaints to the Ombudsman have had Amigo then change its mind and agree to refund the earlier loan too.
George says
Thanks Sara, I’ve sent it to the Ombudsman!
Just received the payment this evening so they’re going super, super quickly!
I will report back what they say, hoping Amigo intercept and offer to uphold the first loan. I’m assuming they do this to avoid having to pay FOS any money!!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did you tell Amigo you were sending the complaint to FOS? Did you agree to accept the settlement?
George says
I did indeed – I asked them to email me whilst on the phone so I had it in writing. This is what he sent to me…
“Hi George,
As discussed over the phone:
You can accept the offer presented to you by Amigo Loans attached to that email and it won’t affect your ability to escalate this matter to Financial Ombudsman Service’
I assume that’s all okay?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
that’s perfect.
Good luck with FOS.
Stacey says
They did this with me and i rejected the decision and now they up held all
George says
Hi Stacey,
How long was it between them refusing, you rejecting the decision and then upholding all?
Thanks in advance,
Stacey says
Hi george . I put my original complaint in in January. Ombudsman after 8 weeks. They sent their final response start of August , i rejected this and it was end October by the time they came back with accepting all and going to refund all interest. However in an argument with them because their calculations seem out after looking into it. So be careful. I am still waiting for refund also. I sent through the Ombudsman i only accept ALL interest on all loans on 13th november . So its been 15 working days yday they said 10 so i havent been lucky with their time frames. Some people seem to be though. Maybes they realised their calcs are wrong. Some people seem to not wait long at all
louise says
hi sara i have had my loan uphelp by fos which george banco have agreed it says i should be able to make an affordable repayment to them but they have contacted my guarantor for payment even though i am also on breathing space until the 18th also
Sara says
I only had one loan with amigo for 5 k… never missed a payment and sent them a claim 4 weeks ago they sent me sar on week 1 and I been paid back all interest 6k and accepted and was in my account next day ..
DM says
Just wondering how long after the 14days following online survey where Guarantor has made a payment that people are getting responses (complaint has been in since 26th Aug originally)? My GT did not complete the survey as he had no login details but sent an email instead saying that he had been reimbursed (partial payment of £67 in 2013) and nothing was due to him which Amigo responded with acknowledgment receipt.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No one has reported any movement after sending back these wretched surveys!
Ruth says
Heard nothing yet, just keep getting told it will be weeks not months….
Audrey Mackay says
Hi enquiring for a friend. He was a guarantor for an ex girlfriend. She has stopped paying for some time now. They have gone to him for payment. Which he is doing. She earns more than him. He is struggling. Has no heating on or electric in house. Borrowing off people to make ends meet. Think he paying £300 + per month. Can he claim anything. He knows where she lives etc.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Tell him to read this other page which is for guarantors https://debtcamel.co.uk/amigo-complaints-by-guarantor/ and think about sending in a conmplaint that the repayments were unaffordable for him.
That is a complaint that it was unaffordable at the time the loan was taken. Were they living together at that point?
He also must say that the repayments are unaffordable now and that he needs a lower payment arrangement. he has to be able to pay all his bills, including heating without borrowing off friends!
Audrey Mackay says
Thank you. Yes they were living together.at the time.
Forgot to say I don’t think it was amigo. But will find out who it was with
Christopher Orourke says
Hi there,
A bit of topic but I have a gurantor loan at the minute. I’m looking to pay the loan off. Will it affect my credit score if my gurantor pays the loan of or should I do it
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It won’t make a difference.
KY says
Hi Sara
I had loans 2-6 upheld with amigo in august & sent loan 1 to the FOS they have called me today to say the are telling Amigo to upheld loan 1 – will this mean if they agree I get my unpaid interest paid that they deducted from loan 2-6
Also do you know the time frames on amigo agreeing & paying out for this?
Thank you for all your help I’m absolutely delighted that’s over £19k in interest paid back to me from loans 1-6 over a 10 year period it’s absolutely life changing for me.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Great! As all the loans are being refunded, there won’t be an unpaid interest deduction.
Ky says
They’ve already taken it out of loan 2-6 which was upheld & paid out – so will they pay me that with loan one or I’m working this out wrong & I’ll just get the payments made to loan 1 plus 8% interest?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
then they now have to refund you the interest you paid on loan one PLUS the deduction for unpaid interest PLUS the increase in the 8% interest
Nelly says
Hi Sara, I made an affordability complaint to Amigo which was rejected. I have now sent the complaint to FOS. If successful can you please tell me how much i should get back from Amigo. The first loan of £3k to be paid over 48months was taken out on 26/05/2015, I then took out another loan of £10k to be paid over 36months on 18/01/2018. The second loan cleared the remaining balance owed on the first loan of £1594.99. Thank you ahead for your help. Nelly
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you say how much you have paid to each loan eg 14 payments of £278?
Also how much did you get in cash when you took the top up?
Nelly says
Hi Sara, Thank you for replying. I made 32 payments of £128.33pm on the first loan.
Sorry I am not sure what you mean by what did I get in cash when I took out the 2nd loan?
So far on the second loan I have made 34 payments of £487.89. I have two payments remaining before the loan is paid in full. Thank you for your help. Nelly
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You said “The second loan cleared the remaining balance owed on the first loan of £1594.99.”
That siggests to me that you were only given £8405 in cash when you took the second loan – can you confirm that is right?
Nelly says
Hi, Yes that’s correct
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those numbers you have paid the folloing interest so far:
loan 1 2691
loan 2 6558
If they are both refunded, the balance on the last loan is wiped and you will receive £9249 in cash plus a few hundred in 8% interest.
Look out for Amigo not refunding the first loan, only the second and deducting an amount of “unpaid intererst” from the refund from the second loan because of this. Tthis is a weord and, I think, unfair deduction Amigo started making a few months ago. The Ombudsman is looking at a lot of thse cases at the moment. Several people have had Amigo change their mind and refund all the loans when they send the complaint to the Ombudsman.
Nelly says
Hi Sara, Thank you for your help previously. I have also made a claim against another payday lender called Myjar. They have emailed today requesting I send them:
Bank statements (at the time/s you took out your loan/s with us showing the below data)
Bank name and logo Account holder’s name Account number and sort code
Pay slips (at the time/s you took out your loan/s with us)
Any additional information relating to your financial circumstances (at the time/s you took out your loan/s with us)
We are asking you for this information to support the claims you have made to us in your complaint. This information will assist in our investigations and allow us to ensure you get the fairest outcome once our investigation is concluded. We are happy to discuss this request with you further, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Do I have to provide the above information? Thanks for your help.
Nelly
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Bank statements – may help your case so i do suggest sending them, I am not sure if Myjar actually read them though. You will need them if the case goes to the ombudsman so get them all sorted now, just in case!
Payslips – not needed, the pay will be on your bank statements.
They have to consider your complaint even if you don’t send anything more.
PS further questions about Myjar are best asked on the payday loan page https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/
Stacey says
Accepted on the 13th and still waiting for payment rang every day and just got “will chase up cant get through to redress team” 15 working days now and be shut for the weekend now . Never ending messing around from amigo
Staci says
Hi sara
Sorry to bother you as i know you do this 10000 time a day
Can you work out refund as they have said All are unaffordable and all interest paid back
loan 1 – 36 months £195.16 = £7025.76 includes all interest
borrowed £4000
cash payout £4000
number of payments made = 14
size of payments = £195.16 x 14 = £2732.24
loan settlement = £3136.36
Loan 2 top up. Of first 60 months @ 266.79 = £16007.40 includes all interest
Borrowed 6750.00
Cash payout = £3613.00
Number of payments = 9
Size of payments = £266.79 x 9 = £2401.11
Loan settlement – £6698.26
Loan 3 top up- 60 months @ £395.25 = £23715.00 includes all interest
Borrowed £10000
Cash payout = £3301.74
Number of payments = 20#
Size of payments =£395.25 x 20
Total paid to date – £7905.00
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those numbers you have paid the following interest on the first two loans
loan 1 1,869
loan 2 2,350
On the current loan you have paid £7505 so that is £2,095 short of what you borrowed.
The interest on the first two loans will be used to clear that £2095 shortfall, so the balance will be cleared and you will get a refund of about £2,124. Plus a very small amount of 8% interest.
Emma says
I took £4000 loan in dec 2017 I have paid 28 payments of £171 last one in April due to Covid deferred payments, my balance is still £2692.96 could you tell he how much I would get back if I claimed
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You have paid £4788 to it so far, that is £788 more than you borrowed.
If your loan is decided to be “unaffordable” then the balance would be wiped and you would get a cash refund of that £788.
Because of Covid problems the loan may be unaffordable now, but to win an affordability complaint it needs to have been unaffordable at the time you took the loan out. So think if making the payments cause you difficulty from early on. Did you have to borrow more elsewhere, put more on a credit card, get a larger overdraft? Or have you got behind with bills?
Wes says
I won a complaint against amigo back in septemberish time. All paid out.
I checked my clear score yesterday to find that they had added 3 loans, and removed them in the November report.
Seems to have affected my credit score.
Has anyone any idea why they did/do this and if anyone has had the same issue?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
sounds like an error – it will only have a temporary effect on your credit score.
Wes says
In regards to amigo, I had 3 loans, they agreed that 2 were irresponsible so paid out. They rejected the complaint of
Loan 1. Even though I’ve excepted and received the money back for the loans
They agreed. Could I possibly send loan 1 to the FOS? Or is that a no go now?
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did they deduct an amount for “unpaid interest”?
Wes says
Yes around £1400 from the first loan.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then Amigo will probably agree to you taking a complaint about that to the Ombudsman. Say you didn’t know what it was for and now that you know they are saying the first loan was not repaid as the second loan has been refunded say you don’t think that’s fair as you have had to repay the money you borrowed for the second loan so it’s unfair that you couldn’t use that to settle the first loan.
wes says
would that have to be something i bring up with amigo first or because amigo sent out there final response letter, go straight to the FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you phone Amigo and say you want to complain about the unpaid interest deduction which you now fell is unfair – ask if you can take this to FOS.
Wes says
Rang amigo and they basically said they understand my point but the only way I can dispute it is to take it to the ombudsman.
They said I would have had to pay that amount had I not took out the second loan.
Thankfully I seen this now, as only got a couple weeks left until the 6 months is up.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They said I would have had to pay that amount had I not took out the second loan.
yes but that isn’t the point/ you did take the second loan and used part of it to settle the first loan.
The second loan isn’t being wiped so you didn’t have to repay it, it was money you did have to repay, just not with the added interest. So why can’t you use it to clear the first loan. This is a very perverse argument from Amigo – definitely go to FOS
LEE says
So I’ve contacted FOS as Amigo wouldn’t share my business file as they said I accepted the final offer. I told FOS that I outlined to amigo at the time that I was not happy about the unpaid interest and so FOS have requested my file again. This process is painful! Who knows whether Amigo have now shared it, I shared the email I sent to Amigo with FOS and when the offer was made at the time.
FOS have asked me not to contact them again and they’ll be in touch so I continue to wait :( I just want shot of them now
Cris says
Hi Sara
I originally took out a loan with Amigo in 2015 of £4000, after 3 months i had a top to £7000, then another to £9000 eventually this kept happening until the final loan/top ups were to £14750, i then luckly got a cheaper loan through a family member and paid it off £14950 (sept 19), i have worked out through my bank statements that I paid a total of 14350 in payments to Amigo and the amount of £14950 to close the account, a total of almost £30k
I could not afford to pay the interest each month to them as very little of it was only paying off my loan, it has now gone past the 8 week deadline (original complaint put in early sept)
My guarantor never made a payment and this has been confirmed with them, how much do you think (if successful) will be refunded?
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry I need to know the detailed figures for each loan…
For each loan I need to know how much you borrowed, How much you received in cash if this was a top up, the total of monthly payments you made to the loan (eg 4 lots of £372). You have already given the final settlement you made to the last loan.
Cris says
Hi well i have looked on bank statements and:
June 2015 borrowed £4k
6 x payments of £171.10
Top up dec 15 to £6k recd £1500
5 x 245.96 payment
1 x 278.04 (moved payment date)
May 2016 top up £9k recd £1025.66
3 x 296.44
13 x 395.25
Top up to £14750 recd £ 5037.04
582.99 x 3
Paid off sept 19 £14909.15
Sorry given myself a headache trying to work out top ups (got a couple of dates wrong in initial email)
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
on those numbers (some of them look a bit odd,) I make the interest you paid as follows:
loan 1 1526
loan 2 3478
loan 3 6736
loan 4 1905
so that is a total refund of £13,645 plus about £1300 in 8% interest,.
Cris says
Thanks you Sara, i couldnt find my statements from Amigo and guarantor had shredded them so could only go by memory and my bank statements, also Amigo have just recently (within the 2 months) added the loans to my creditfile and then closed them? any idea why they would do this ?
Thanks for all you help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They seem to be having a few problems with credit reporting. You would have to ask them for the specific reason.
Tom says
If it helps, I rang Amigo the other day and asked for a statement for each of my loans which they emailed to me within about 10 mins.
I closed my account in 2018, with the first loan being in 2015…so like yourself, memory was a little fuzzy, and bank statements were a nightmare to go over.
Have now sent everything including Amigo statements to the adjudicator looking at my case. Fingers crossed.
Cris says
Thanks Tom will give them a call
Many thanks
Amy says
Hello,
I submitted an affordability complaint last week. My recent credit report is now showing my Amigo Loan – when it never has before…is this because I made a complaint?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
quite a few people are reporting problems with loans appearing and then disappearing from credit records.
Chris says
My credit file was also changed last week with all amigo loans added then closed. This seems to be dragging out now. Does anyone have a number amigo actually answear as this complsint process seems to be dragging out. Has anyone had a response to the guarantor for questionaire being completed?
Thanks
Chris
Jack says
Still nothing back from my questionnaire, I have a feeling these are all going to be done at the same time. Submitted mine on the 30th of November. Just got to sit around a wait I suppose.
Jamie says
Jack, did you receive the vague email regarding the questionnaire which does not clearly state if the complaint is upheld or not? I have completed the questionnaire but can’t quite figure out if the email means my complaint is upheld or it is still undecided on their side?
Thanks,
Jamie
Jack says
Yeah, got the same vague email but in all honesty, it would be a bit weird if they sent out an email after 9 weeks of waiting for them to say it has not been upheld. This is just a best guess though seems like alot of trouble to go through to decline the complaint.
I think we are just going to have to sit tight until they sort it out. As much as we would all love a little Christmas bonus.
Kind Regards
Jack
Jamie says
Yes thats true. I thought it was a rather weird and carefully constructed emails. Although I also think it tips the odds in our favour slightly. I don’t see any logical reason to enquire about redress only to not uphold the complaint.
Yes thats true, best to be patient, they will have to respond eventually. Best of luck to you!
Kind Regards
Jamie
Em says
Hi I was wondering if you could help. I took out a loan with amigo back in 2015 it has been since upheld my friend who was guarantor paid the loan off in 3days and I paid him back. Amigo have got in touch with him saying he could accept the offer or decline it back but because I paid him back I expected him to decline the offer well he hasnt. I’ve explained to him that the money isnt his as I paid him it all back. I’ve spoken to amigo and there saying theres nothing they can do as it’s a civil matter now. Is this true. My friend is point blank refusing to pay it to me. Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When was he asked about this? Recently?
Em says
Yes they emailed him the offer last week. I rang amigo stating I had paid him back and also sent them bank statements of the payments made to him by myself but they still say it’s a civil matter and are going to pay out the redress to him.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In that case I have NO idea why they are asking you both to fill in the questinnaire. Did they ask you produce proof of the payments you made to him? Do you have bank statements that show this?
I suggest you send your case to the Ombudsman now (if you haven’t already).
Em says
I think what’s happened is I had an amigo loan and my dad was the guarantor and I had a few top ups then I had another loan with amigo an my friend was guarantor this time so when I put in an affordability complaint I only done it with the loans I had with my dad never mentioned the one I had with my friend in fact I forgot about it cuz it was so long ago and only had it 3 days. Everytime I rang or phoned amigo we only ever spoke about the loans with my dad my friend was never mentioned. Even when they sent me over my offer they didnt mention my friend so i just assumed my dad was getting this redress offer from what we paid we couldnt remember how much my dad actually paid towards the loan so I just accepted there offer. Until they sent me the breakdown of figures and to my surprise my friends name was there. When I rang amigo about it and sent them over proof of all the payments I sent my friend paying back the loan they said theres nothing they can do as it’s now a civil matter. If I email the ombudsman about it do you think he can help. Because as I say my friend is refusing to pay me it even tho I paid him the loan back in full. Sorry it’s long
Sara (Debt Camel) says
right, send the case to the Ombudsman. What do you have to lose?
Em says
Yes I’ve sent it to my case handler. Hoping he gets in touch soon.
Joanna says
Hello,
I’m the guarantor on the Amigo loan.
I win complain against them, and accepted the offer, to get everything I paid to them back. That was September 14th , its nearly 3 month they did nothing, not replaying to my emails any more! First they did said it may take up to 35 work days to get money back, it been 3 months, NOTHING :(
I just don’t know what to do any more, please give me advice.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Had you sent the complaint to the Ombudsman?
Joanna says
Not yet. Should I ask Ombudsman to have a look at all complain redress, or just complain about not paying me money back.
What I should ask, expect of Ombiudamas? How long usually it takes to sort thing out?
Thanking very much!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK, if the complaint had already been with FOS for months you could probably get them to pick it up right away and tell Amigo to pay up. But as it isn’t, it won’t be fast if you start a FOS complaint now.
I suggest you try emailing the FCA (Amigo’s regulator) instead and telling them about the delays. The FCA won’t look at your complaint but if you copy the email to Amigo, this may well make them take a look and see what the problem is.
The FCA will not look at your individual situation but your email will be passed to the Amigo supervision team at the FCA.
Email to FCA at consumer.queries@fca.org.uk and copy this to nick.beal@amigoloans.net and complaints@amigoloans.co.uk
—————————————————————-
Subject: Amigo (708284) upheld my complaint in September but still haven’t paid me
Give your Amigo reference number and your name and address.
Summarise very briefly your complaint – that you were the guarantor for an Amigo loan, you complained and Amigo upheld your complaint and said they would refund all the payments you have made. Give the dates. attach the offer email from Amigo.
Say you see that https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/firm-handling-complaints-during-coronavirus says that firms should pay agreed complaints promptly, but this is clearly not happening. Say that no-one at Amigo will talk to you or explain what the delay, is or reply to your emails any more.
Say you haven’t started a FOS complaint yet as you thought your complaint had been resolved, but you will be sending a FOS complaint next week if you have not been paid as you have no faith in Amigo ever refunding you the money they agreed to.
—————————————————-
There is no need to write a lot. Just say what has happened in your own words.
Gez says
Hey Sara
i got my amigo complaint upheld with a total refund offered at 9.8k – accepted on the 30th and got paid on the 4th
just wanted to say thanks, never would have considered it if i hadnt stumbled onto here. feel like ive had a financial reset now! was able to use it to pay everything off
Chris says
Hi Gez,
How is the final offer communicated? Email or through the post.
Thanks
Chris
Chris says
I am hoping someone can help me work this out. I took out an Amigo Loan of 3000 pounds over 60 months. This was paid back 108.40 each month this started in February 2011.
Thanks for any help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then you repaid about £6500 so that was £3500 interest. If you win the affordability complaint that should be refunded plus at a rough guess about £1500 in 8 % interested added on.
Chris says
Thanks Sarah some work you do here.
Think I posted this again today sorry I never got a notification
Feel free to delete the other one