Have you had big overdraft problems for a long period?
You can make an affordability complaint and ask for a refund of overdraft charges if:
- your overdraft limit was set too high at the start or increased to a level you are unable to clear; or
- your overdraft usage showed you were in long-term financial distress. For example, being in the overdraft all the time, or using an unauthorised overdraft a lot
- your overdraft was originally a student account with no charges, but now interest is being added and you are in the account all or almost all of every month.
This article shows how to make an affordability complaint to your bank, with a free template letter to use. If the bank doesn’t make a you a good offer, it is free to take your case to the Ombudsman.
These complaints do not hurt your credit record. And
Contents
Overdraft affordability complaints
Overdrafts are supposed to be for short-term borrowing
Overdrafts are intended to be used for short-term problems, not as long-term borrowing. A bank should review a customer’s repayment record and overdraft limit and if there are signs of financial difficulty, offer help.
One sign of financial difficulty is hardcore borrowing for a long period. The Lending Code defined hardcore borrowings as “the position where a customer’s current account overdraft remains persistently overdrawn for more than a month without returning to credit during that period”.
Some Ombudsman decisions
All cases are very individual. But these examples give you an indication of what the Ombudsman thinks is important.
In this NatWest decision, the Ombudsman decided:
NatWest did have an obligation to monitor Miss K’s use of her overdraft facility.
Any fair and reasonable monitoring of Miss K’s overdraft facility would have resulted in NatWest being aware Miss K was in financial difficulty … by October 2014 at the absolute latest. So NatWest ought to have exercised forbearance from this point onwards.
In this Santander case, the bank didn’t notice hardcore borrowing:
By this point, Miss C was hardcore borrowing. In other, words she hadn’t seen or maintained a credit balance for an extended period of time. Santander’s own literature suggests that overdrafts are for unforeseen emergency borrowing not prolonged day-to-day expenditure. So I think that Miss C’s overdraft usage should have prompted Santander to have realised that Miss C wasn’t using her overdraft as intended and shouldn’t have continued offering it on the same terms.
Decide which reasons apply to your overdraft complaint
In the overdraft all, or almost all, of the month for a long while
This is the most common reason for winning a complaint
Overdrafts are meant to be used when you have a short term problem. Using the overdraft a lot for a few months is fine. Or for a few days at the end of a month before you are paid.
Banks should review your overdraft annually. This is in most overdraft terms and conditions. And even if it isn’t, the Ombudsman says this is good industry practice.
So at one of these reviews, your bank should have seen if you were in difficulty with the overdraft. For example if you are in the overdraft for all (or almost all) of the month for a prolonged period. Or if you were often exceeding your arranged overdraft limit.
I would say over 18 months or 2 years is prolonged borrowing, not short term.
The bank set your limit too high
This may have been from the start when you were first given an overdraft. Or the initial low limit may have been fine, then the bank increased it to a level which it was impossible for you to repay.
If the bank saw signs of financial difficulty, it should not have increased your credit limit, even if you asked for it. And it should have considered offering your help instead (the regulator’s word is forbearance), for example by stopping charges.
But what is too high?
This depends on your income and expenses. An overdraft of £2,000 for someone whose income is £1,800 a month is a lot – but if you earn £5,000 a month, then a £2,000 overdraft may be reasonable.
Other points that help a complaint
You won’t win an affordability complaint by saying the charges were too high.
Instead, you say the bank should have known they were unaffordable for you because of all the financial problems it could see on your statements and your credit record.
Here is a checklist, do any apply to you?
- often having direct debits or standing orders not being paid;
- a lot of gambling showing on your statements;
- significantly increasing other debts with the same bank (you may also be able to complain about those loans or credit card);
- being recently rejected for a loan or a credit card by the bank;
- significantly increasing debts with other lenders showing on your credit record;
- a worsening credit record – maxed out credit cards, new missed payments, payment arrangements, defaults etc;
- using payday loans;
- mortgage arrears;
- a reduction in the income going into your account.
Free student overdrafts
You can only win a complaint about these after the bank has started charging you interest
Making your complaint
What you need at the start
You don’t need to know the dates your limit was increased before complaining, my template asks for them.
You don’t need to send statements to the bank with your complaint – the bank already has them!
You can’t go back and see exactly what your credit score was in say 2021 when the bank increased your limit. But your current credit record shows what was happening back six years, so download your credit report now and keep it. The sooner you get the report, the further back it goes. I suggest you get your free TransUnion statutory credit report.
Send a complaint by email
I don’t recommend phoning to start off a complaint. It’s too complicated and you will be talking to someone that doesn’t specialise in these complaints.
I think email is the simplest way to make these complaints. Here is my list of bank email addresses for complaints.
An alternative is to send a long message in the app. But if this means using a chat facility, it’s not usually a good idea, as you are again talking to someone who doesn’t understand what you are saying and tries to tell you what help is available with your overdraft – when all you want is to have your complaint considered.
A template you can adapt
In the template below, I’ve invented some examples and dates so you can see how a complaint email could read. The bits in italics should be changed or deleted to tell your story. Delete dates if you don’t know them. If a sentence doesn’t sound relevant, delete it.
I am making an affordability complaint about the overdraft on my current account number 98765432.
Your identity details (these are needed if you complain by email, not if you use secure message):
My name is xxxxx xxxxxxxx. My date of birth is dd/mm/yy. The email address I use/used for this account was myaddress@whatever.com.
Your home address (if you know the bank has your current address, ignore this):
My current address is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please do not send any letters to older addresses you may have on your records.
If your overdraft was originally a student overdraft with no interest include this, otherwise delete it:
My account started as a student overdraft and no fees were charged. I am complaining about the period after, when you started to charge fees.
START BY SAYING they should have noticed your financial difficulty
Overdrafts are meant for short-term borrowing but you could see I was unable to clear the balance in a sustainable way. I was using the account for long term borrowing as I could not get out of this. The fees and charges you were adding were making my position worse.
I am complaining that [every year since [20xx] OR for many years] you have failed to notice my difficulty during the annual reviews of my overdraft. You should have offered forbearance eg by stopping interest and charges being added.
By 2017 I had been in my overdraft constantly for many months, not getting back into the black even when I was paid. This “hardcore borrowing” is a clear sign of financial difficulty. My income was only £1,850 a month – after I had paid bills, there was no way I could hope to clear an overdraft of £3500 in a reasonable length of time.
OR
By 2021, although my salary took my account briefly into credit, within a few days, I was back in the overdraft.
include any other points that show you were in difficulty
You should have seen that I was in financial difficulty because you rejected my loan application in 2021.
You should have noticed that the income going into my account decreased from 2020.
From 2020-22 there was a lot of gambling showing on my account.
In 2022 and 2023 there were a lot of rejected direct debits on my account.
… or anything else!
Say if the initial limit was too high or it was increased too high
You should never have given me an account with such a large overdraft. When I applied, you should have checked my credit record and income and seen I had recently missed payments to a credit card and had taken several payday loans.
OR
You should not have increased my overdraft limit. When you increased the limit, you should have seen that my debts to other lenders on my credit record had increased a lot
OR (for accounts that had been student accounts)
You should have seen after [2020] when you started charging interest that the limit was too high to be repayable on my income.
In your reply to this complaint, please tell me when any limit increases were and how much the limit went up.
END BY asking for a refund of charges and interest:
I would like you to refund all the interest and charges that were added to my account from 2016 when you increased my overdraft limit.
OR
I would like you to refund all the interest and charges that were added to my account from 2021 when you should have realised that my finances had got worse to the point that I was no longer able to clear the overdraft.
Please remove any late payment and default markers from my credit records.
Points to note
Student overdrafts
You won’t win a complaint about a student overdraft saying you were a student and it was unaffordable at that point.
But when the bank has started charging interest, it should start doing reviews and check if you are in difficulty. So from then on, you can win affordability complaints.
You can complain if the account is still being used or if it is closed
These complaints can be made if:
- you are still using the account or you have stopped using it and are paying it off;
- the account has been closed;
- the bank defaulted it and sold it to a debt collector (here you still complain to the bank, not the debt collector). If the debt collector has gone to court and got a CCJ, add a sentence to the template saying you want the CCJ removed as part of the settlement of your complaint.
But if you have had an IVA or bankruptcy after these problems, or if you are still in a DRO, then you shouldn’t complain – ask in the comments below for details.
Old accounts
Banks may say FOS won’t look at an old complaint, but this isn’t right. FOS will often look at a complaint if it has been open in the last six years. How far back FOS will go seems rather random, but it should be possible to go back at least 6 years.
Open and recently closed accounts aren’t a problem – the bank will still have your statements.
If your complaint is about an account that was closed more than 6 years ago, it’s going to be very hard to win.
Packaged bank accounts
These affordability complaints are not about the fees on packaged bank accounts. MSE has a page about packaged bank account charge complaints.
Personal accounts, not business accounts
The complaints covered here relate to personal accounts. For business accounts, talk to Business Debtline about your options.
The Bank replies
They want to phone me!
People are often scared if they get this message. But it may be good news! You can just ignore it or say you would like a reply in writing.
If you decide to take the call, it helps to be prepared:
- have a pen and paper handy so you can write down anything
- if they say they are partially upholding the complaint, ask them the date they are refunding the fees from, and how much. And say you would like to see this in writing before you decide whether to accept it.
- if they ask you questions that sound complicated or worrying, ask them to put the questions in writing as you find the phone difficult
- when they say they are rejecting the complaint, ask for this in writing, as you will be going to the Ombudsman.
Rejection/poor offer – go to the Ombudsman , it’s free
Banks reject many good complaints, hoping you will give up. So don’t! You know if the overdraft has caused you a lot of problems.
You can’t go straight to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS), you have to wait for the bank to reply, or for them to have not replied within 8 weeks.
Here are some things banks may say to try to put you off:
- you could have declined the increase to your overdraft limit – FOS probably won’t think that is a good reason
- you never let the bank know you were in difficulty – FOS probably won’t think that is a good reason
- your salary was enough to return you to credit each month – this is misleading if bills meant you soon went into the overdraft;
- FOS will not look into things that happened more than 6 years ago – if your account was still open in the last 6 years FOS may well look at it.
And the bank may offer to refund fees for the last 15 months say, even though your problems have been large for many years. Think twice about accepting a low offer – you won’t put this offer at risk by going to the Ombudsman.
If you are offered a refund for the last 6 years but not any further back, have a think if this is a good enough offer. It is unpredictable whether the ombudsman will be prepared to go back further than 6 years.
If you aren’t sure, post in the comments below.
To send the case to FOS, complete this online form:
- you can use what you put in your complaint to the bank;
- if the bank rejected your complaint or made a low offer, say why you think this is unfair;
- use normal English, not legal terms.
You don’t need to send your bank statements – the bank will send those to FOS. And you don’t need the policy documents for your bank account, the lender will supply those to FOS if they are needed.
Do these complaints work?
Yes! From 2024, some banks are making more offers directly.
A Guardian article featured a case where someone used the template letter here. Barclays denied it had done anything but made an £8,000 “goodwill” payment to the customer.
And if your bank rejects your case, people are winning cases at the ombudsman. FOS is a friendly service although it isn’t speedy. It isn’t faster to use a solicitor or a claims firm,
The comments below this article are from other people who have made this sort of complaint. That is a good place to ask for help if you aren’t sure what to do.
Is your credit card limit too high?
Refunds from unaffordable loans
Unaffordable car finance – your options
Stuart E says
I complained about HSBC and the overdraft, but they said it was outside the six- and three-year rule. They told me they had requested the information from HSBC, but the bank couldn’t provide anything beyond six years.
I then made a full data request to HSBC, and ten minutes after the Ombudsman made their decision, I received an email containing every transaction going back to 2004. It shows that I was charged for my overdraft every month from 2004 to 2018.
Can this now be taken into account, given that the decision has already been made? And why did HSBC not disclose this information to the Ombudsman?
HSBC has told the Ombudsman they don’t have records, but have sent to me records going back to 2004.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you ask the Ombudsman this.
If they say they cannot reopen the case, you could send HSBC a complaint about their failure to provide the ombudsman with the date here, and ask for a refund of the interest you would have got if they had provided the data on time.
Ally says
I have just used this for my overdraft, which began as a student overdraft in 2011 and for the past 13 years I have never not been in the overdraft at the end of the month. As well as RBS approving a loan for £16,000 in April 2022 despite me being in the overdraft. I am embarrassed by my financial situation honestly but I am trying to get my finances in order so I can be hopefully in a position to buy a property for the first time next year.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have you also made a complaint about that large loan? Was it to consolidate other debt – it may still be unaffordable! But also look at compolaints against any of the loans and cards you consolidated with that loan.
Where is your deposit coming from next year?
Mosunmola says
I got a call from Santander bank today in response to my complaint on the charges of overdraft. He told me he is declining my complaint that my request if past six years. I requested from 2011.
He said he will sent a letter to me, do i wait for his letter or i can contact Ombudsman now. I am really struggling financially
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It is best to wait until you get the bank rejection.
Over 6 years overdraft cases seem to be going slowly at the moment at FOS. Apart from this overdraft, what other debts do you have? A large overdraft usage is often a symptom of a much wider debt problem?
Linsey says
Hello Sara,
I need your advice. I submitted my affordability complaint to TSB at the end of August. I got an email from them on 3rd October upholding my complaint, the email states
“I have therefore decided to remove your overdraft facility on 10 November and at the same time I’ll be arranging to refund your charges and interest applied to your account since August 2019. The refund totals £5210.96. This will be paid into your account ending ….
I will write to you again on 10 November to confirm this has been completed. As your account will go into credit, I will calculate 8% simple interest based on the charges and interest left once your overdraft has been cleared. This will be detailed in my letter I will be sending to you on 10 November.”
It’s now 11th November and my overdraft is still there and no refund has taken place, I called TSB yesterday and they said to wait until the end of the day, so now today it’s still not there I have called again and they say they can leave a message for my case handler to ask what is going on but they can’t give me an idea of when this will be resolved.
Should I take this to the FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, I suggest you phone them up today.
Linsey says
I have done this already and they said all they could do is leave a message to chase up my case handler but they can’t tell me a date of when this will be resolved.
Treetop says
I sent my affordability complaint to Halifax on 17 September, they acknowledged the complaint a week or so later via text message. Today (8 weeks later) i receive a text message saying they’re still looking into the complaint and its taking longer than it should to resolve it. They say i can go to the FOS but I don’t need to do this now as ill still have time after I’ve received their final response. They then go on to day i will hear from them by the 10th December.
I’ve just filled out the FOS form because i don’t trust that Halifax will get back to me with an answer…..Any advise? Should i have waited till the 10th December? Has anyone had anything similar?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Halifax has a major backlog with overdrafts. I think there is very little chance they will get back to you in the next month…
… unless you have also made a complaint to them about a credit card? Some overdraft complaints have moved faster and one person was told that was because they had also complained about their credit card. There is only a small backlog on credit card complaints and it seems this may have the side effect of pulling the overdraft complaint to nearer the top of the pile. (of course that may not be accurate)
Nic says
Nah, don’t wait for them. Crack on with FOS. I waited the 12 weeks to refer and wish I hadn’t. I complaint to Halifax back in May and I’m still waiting.
Georgina C says
Hello Sara
Wanted to leave you a comment following your fantastic template I submitted a complaint to Halifax in May 2025 in regards to an overdraft I had been in for what seems like forever.
I received acknowledgment of the complaint promptly from Halifax and then a few text messages saying it’s taking longer. After waiting over 12 weeks I decided to contact the FOS with the complaint. I received responses from them promptly and finally received my payment from Halifax today which has cleared my overdraft for the first time in almost 10 years! I am overjoyed and so grateful for your support and guidance.
I would have never known about this without coming across your page on social media and I honestly don’t think I would have ever got out of the cycle with the overdraft.
Bc says
Hello, well done on getting your complaint upheld, just wondering if you only complained about the overdraft as I submitted mine in middle June and they haven’t allocated it yet, but FOS are now going to ask for the file from Halifax so I’m hoping it speeds it up, did they settle over 6 years.
Kind Regards Bc
Nic says
Well done for getting it upheld. I also submitted my complaint in May. Still not heard anything back. Just that they’ve sent multiple chaser messages to the complaint manager. FOS can’t do anything until final response. Ugh.
Zoe says
Well done on getting the overdraft cleared , amazing news.
I complained to Halifax on June 22nd, sent to FOS 12 weeks later mid September and had no updates from either end. Other than that on the FOS portal it says it’s in stage 4 and with an investigator to look into.
Hoping to hear back soon, but have got very lucky and had a financial windfall with an online service I promote online and with that and a couple of bank switch offer incentives I’ve actually just managed to clear the overdraft ! So I’m feeling a lot less worried now.
Linsey says
Im so frustrated, I have contacted TSB via telephone and their chat feature multiple times today and they tell me all they can do it pass a message to my case handler asking for an update, they can’t tell me when or if this will be resolved.
What do I do?
I’m worried this is going to drag on and on and I’m not going to receive my refund.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you will. I just thing TSB systems are pretty hopeless
Linsey says
Okay. I will keep calling them to chase this up but all they can do is leave messages with the case handler. I did say to them if I don’t hear I’ll have to complain to FOS.
Do you think I just hold out and I will eventually get this? Not to refer to FOS at any point?
Of course, I’m worried if I did refer to FOS that would extend the time further and they may come to a different decision/amount to TSB. Hopefully they sort it quickly it’s just really shocking that it’s gone past the due date and seemingly has been forgotten and there’s nothing I can do about it but hope it eventually gets sorted..
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Nothing happens fast at FOS. Obviously if you haven’t got anywhere in a week you cans end it to FOS, but at the moment the most likely thing is TSB will sort this out tomorrow or the next day
Alisha says
Natwest have rejected the FO investigator decision to refund me all interest and charges dating back to 2020. I am livid.
But the investigator has said he will push back and let Natwest know its easier to just accept his decision, but if they reject it again it will go to an Ombudsman. I thought this was over.
Natwest do nothing to help and always charge me interest even when I am over my OD limit :(
GW says
Ahh I was just celebrating FOS deciding in my favour and now I see NW are pushing back! I made my initial complaint back in April, I genuinely can’t believe they’re dragging it out this long!
Do you mind me asking the grounds NW pushed back on?
Alisha says
Hi, they were mainly moaning about the fact the FO has asked all interest and fees are to be refunded from 2020 – now. They claim a complaint that old should not be withheld, so are asking for an ombudsman to have a look. They are so jarring
Kendra says
Hi Sara,
First of all thank you for all the helpful advice here! I used it to complain to Santander on the 30th July, but they rejected it.
My overdraft started as a student overdraft at £1000 in 2019 and was automatically increased incrementally. It is now at £2000. Their response states that their credit checks found no reason to not approve the increases, however they also admit that on closer inspection it’s clear that i “have been using it for more than short-term borrowing”. That feels slightly contradictory.
I have never had a salary that covers my whole overdraft and subsequently have been in it consistently for years. I also have ended up in my unarranged overdraft regularly due to direct debits etc. My total interest paid is around £850, so wouldn’t get me out of it, but would be a big help.
They say they sent me an email once a year on costs associated with overdrafts and I never contacted them. This is true, so I’m not sure if it’s worth taking to the FOS. The letter also states that I declined to speak to one of their financial advisors over the phone when they called with the outcome, but they never offered.
Since the complaint they have sent me a few more emails about my overdraft usage.I am also currently looking for work, so have no income.
Do you think I have a case to take to the FOS or should I contact Santander for help and hopefully they will offer to pause my fees until I have a way to start repaying?
Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you send this to the ombudsman now. You have 6 months from Santader’s reply to send it, but the ssoner you do, the sooner it may get resolved.
Samantha says
I wanted to share my success using the overdraft template for my £5000 TSB overdraft, after 7 weeks I have just received a refund of £8,673.40 meaning not only have I been able to pay off my overdraft and close the account but also my credit card and a few other small debts, I can now go into 2026 feeling a lot more positive about my financial situation. Thank you!
Warren says
I have finally had my case back from the investigator who ruled that all interest and charges should be refunded from Jan 2019 for my NatWest overdraft, however, NatWest have rejected their decision and now needs to go to the ombudsman, does anyone know the timeframe for this and what are the usual outcomes, do the ombudsman’s generally follow the same result and what happens if NatWest reject the ombudsman decision or is that out of their hands?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A decision from an Ombudsman is legally binding on a lender.
Alisha says
I am in the exact same boat. My FO investigator said they can’t give timeframes, so I guess it’s just a waiting game! Really hoping it isn’t too long though!
Flo says
I’ve just gone back to my bank statements to check how much interest I’ve been paying, and noticed that Santander have sent a couple of ‘letters’ (sitting in my inbox within my online banking app) asking if I need help with my overdraft. If they have sent me these would it disallow me from making a complaint?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No it won’t. You are complaining that for years they have been giving you an unmanageable overdraft. Sending a vague letter doesn’t remove their duty to check and take action
Pam says
Hi! So Lloyds agreed they shouldn’t give me such a high overdraft. I have 2300overdraft. They agreed saying they are refunding £600 charges and now they told me they closing my overdraft and I have to pay (2300£) in 30 days otherwise it will go into ‘ unarranged overdraft’ can they do this ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How far back are they refunding you the Charges?
What is the overdraft at at the moment?
Pamela says
Refunding charges since 2022-2026. Overdraft is currently maxed out at £2300
‘ We’re removing the overdraft facility from your account
We want to make sure we give you the right support. As we agree that our lending decision wasn’t suitable for you, we’re going to remove the overdraft facility from your account. To give you time to plan, I’ll do this in 30 days, on 12 December 2025. We won’t charge you any daily overdraft interest during this time.
If you repay the outstanding balance before it’s removed there’s no impact to you. Your account will stay open, and you’ll be able to continue using it without an overdraft facility. If you don’t have a way to repay your overdraft by this date, your account will go into an unarranged overdraft. It’s important you understand what this could mean;
• If you don’t have enough money in your account, payments you’ve set up on your account won’t be paid. Etc “
Sara (Debt Camel) says
£600 charges seems a very low amount for a 3 year refund. Unless your overdraft wasn’t much of a problem until very recently?
What was your financial situation like in 2019-21? A lot better than in 2022 so you used the overdraft less?
Do you have other debts that you have made complaints about?
Pamela says
Hi,
Yes! I have tons of debt ( 4 cards and approximately 5 loans)
I was in my £2300 overdraft EVERYDAY for nearly 2-3 years. I’m going to omnibusman with this but can they just decide to close my £2300 overdraft within 30 days ? How am I supposed to pay this?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you look at what you have been charged for the overdraft in the last few months? As 600 sounds way too low. A full refund of all charges (I am assuming that is what has been offered) for 3 years will typically nearly clear an overdraft…
You are being asked to clear 2300, they are refunding 600, so it’s “only” 1700. It the offer was much larger then the amount remaining would be much smaller.
Emma says
I am in a £2900 over draft have been now for over ten years
I tried to reduce it by £50 each month but it just wasn’t happening with cost of living
I get charged just under £3 a day for daily overdraft fees
I just can’t do it anymore
I put a complaint in to Halifax may 2025 and not heard anything
Do you think I stand a chance?
I wasn’t even working at the time and was on benefits but now I am working. They can see I pay all my outgoings but this is so hard to do. Any advice
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This sounds like a good over draft complaint to me. You haven’t heard anything as Halifax haven’t yet looked at your case, that doesn’t mean it is especially difficult or it will be rejected.
Do you have other debts as well?
Emma says
Yea I have 600 on a credit card
I did has a loan with Santander and a loan with Halifax in the past but I paid that off £100 every month. I also had catalogue debt which was over £1000 but I paid that off with a credit card
Do you think I should wait for Halifax then even though it’s been 6 months
Dan says
The Ombudsman investigator has come back to me regarding a NatWest overdraft claim with the following questions:
What prompted you to raise your concerns about irresponsible lending when you did?
What stopped you from raising these concerns sooner?
Why didn’t you think the lender had done anything wrong sooner?
Are there any exceptional circumstances that prevented you from bringing the complaint earlier? If so, what were they and how did it prevent you from complaining?
Any advice on best ways to answer? My honest answers are I have been living at the limit of my overdraft for 20 years and I’d like to take action to change that. I didn’t realise sooner that there was a process in place for this kind of irresponsible lending sooner. I didn’t think the lender had done anything wrong sooner because of my poor management of my personal finances. There weren’t any exceptional circumstances.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Were your other debts rising during this time? Any life events like redundancy, a partner on maternity leave, did you lose Wages during Covid?
Dan says
Yes other debts rising throughout. Payday loans, credit cards all maxed out. Most of it passed onto collection agencies. No significant life events, although through much of the time I was on a zero hour contract so wage was inconsistent.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then possible answers are along the following lines, make sure they are right for you but don’t write more than you have to, it’s better to answer really simply.
What prompted you to raise your concerns about irresponsible lending when you did?
I came across the Debt Camel website in month/year, after finding out about it on TikTok /Instagram/ a Guardian article/ from friend [whatever actually happened!]
What stopped you from raising these concerns sooner?
Before this point, I had regarded my financial problems as being down to my poor management of my personal finances when I was on an insecure zero-hours contract. I have had increasing debts including payday loans and maxed out credit cards over this period, many of which ended up with debt collectors.
Why didn’t you think the lender had done anything wrong sooner?
I thought I was responsible as I borrowed the money, and many of my other debts felt much more urgent and difficult so I think the overdraft felt like a help from my bank.
Are there any exceptional circumstances that prevented you from bringing the complaint earlier? If so, what were they and how did it prevent you from complaining?
I complained as soon as I found out from the Debt Camel website that a bank should have conducted annual reviews of my overdraft.