Have you had problems with payday loans? You can get a refund of the interest you paid on “unaffordable” loans.
It’s easy to ask for a payday loan refund using the free template here. This works if your payday loans were repaid or you still owe money.
Contents
What are “unaffordable” loans?
The regulator says:
“the borrower should be able to make the required repayments without undue difficulty, whilst continuing to meet other debt repayment obligations and reasonable regular outgoings.”
That means a payday loan is only affordable if you repaid it on time and you could still manage to pay your other bills and debts.
A loan is not affordable just because you haven’t missed a payment – if paying a loan left you so broke you had to borrow again – from the same lender or a different one – it was unaffordable!
If the loan was small and it was the first loan or second loan from a lender, the lender may not have realised the loan was unaffordable for you. But it was irresponsible lending to just carry on giving you more loans. Payday loans are meant for short-term problems.
Many lenders ignore obvious signs of problems such as your loans increasing in size, or your credit record showing increasing debts.
How much compensation can you get?
A typical payday loan decision by the Ombudsman is that the lender should refund all the interest you paid after the third, fourth or fifth loan.
But if your first loan was large, or was rolled over several times, you can get a refund from just one loan.
Which lenders can you get refunds from?
Lenders include:
CashASAP, Drafty, Fast Loan Uk, Fernovo, Fund Ourselves, Kabayan, Lending Stream, LoanPig, Mr Lender, Moneyboat, My Finance Club, QuidMarket, Savvy, TickTock, The Money Platform, WageMe.
See this list for payday lenders for a longer list and their email addresses to use.
You can make claims to lenders who have recently stopped lending. It is probably too late to make claims to other lenders who gave up more than a few years ago.
For larger loans there are better template letters to use on other pages:
- 118 Money, Everyday Loans/Evlo, Likely Loans/Finio, Reevo, Bamboo, Updraft, Lendable, bank loans and other long-term loans.
- Loans2Go – the worst loans in Britain!
- doorstep lenders and guarantor lenders,
Do this before, before you send in a complaint
Doing these things now will make your life easier later.
If your finances are difficult, look into a Debt Management Plan (DMP) where you make one affordable payment a month to StepChange. This gets you into a safe financial position as these affordability complaints can take a long time. Winning a complaint then speeds up the DMP.
Get a copy of your TransUnion statutory credit report and keep it. After complaints are started, sometimes loans are deleted and you may want the full report if you have to go to the Ombudsman.
Unless you can afford to make this month’s payment without borrowing again, cancel the CPA or the Direct Debit to the lender at your bank. Otherwise the lender may take the money and you will be in a mess.
Start your complaint
It’s easy to make these complaints – you don’t need to calculate what refund you should get or quote laws.
Find the lender’s email address for complaints from this list. If your loan was sold to a debt collector, you complain to the original lender.
Put “AFFORDABILITY COMPLAINT” as the subject of your email:
I am making an affordability complaint about the loans you gave me. You should never have given me these loans. Paying you each month left me with too little money so I had to keep borrowing to get through the next month.
You should have realised from the number of times I borrowed and the rest of my credit record that my debt problems were getting worse. It was not responsible to continue to lend.
My credit reports would have shown all my other debts [include this if it applies: and problems including late payments/defaults /CCJs/debt management.]
I am asking you to refund the interest and any charges I paid, plus statutory interest, and to delete any negative information from my credit record.
I no longer have all the loan details. Please send me a list, showing for each loan when it was taken out, how much interest and charges you added, and what I repaid. This will enable me to assess any refund you offer me.
Some ways to improve this
Add any other points that help you describe what happened to you. Some examples:
- “I took out another loan with xxxx to pay you.”
- “Sometimes I borrowed to pay the rent and then had to top-up to get money for food.”
- “I had a gambling problem and your loans made this worse”.
Only one loan?
The template refers to multiple loans because that is what normally happens with payday lenders.
When you only had one loan and it was large (say £800 or more), read Refunds from large loans and use the template there.
If you only had one loan and it was small, this is going to be a difficult complaint to win. If you have borrowed twice from 5 leaders, that is much more difficult to win affordability complaints than having 4 or 5 loans from two lenders.
Sometimes a lender will offer you a small goodwill amount to give up eg £50 or £100 so if you only had one loan and it wasn’t large, that would be a bit of help.
Waiting for a reply from the lender
This email starts your affordability complaint.
The lender should reply to your complaint within 8 weeks. Don’t be surprised if you have to wait until the end of the 8 weeks to get response – this is common.
Some lenders ask you to send them a copy of your credit record, payslips or bank statements.
Credit record – the lender can check your credit record themselves if they want.
It is a good idea to send bank statements. But think twice about the cost of copying and postage if there are a lot. Some lenders seem to ignore them if you do send them. Don’t bother to send payslips.
This is a good point to get those bank statements even if you do not want to send them as they will help an Ombudsman claim a lot. You can get them going back at least 6 years, even if the account has been closed.
Lender rejects the complaint or makes a poor offer
If the lender says No or offers you a small amount, you may still have a very good case!
It is easy and free to send your case to the Financial Ombudsman, where many thousands of people have won their payday loan complaints.
Give up?
Some lenders try to make your case sound bad when it isn’t. Ignore any of the following comments, they do not mean you have a weak case:
- they relied on your loan applications – see Lender says I lied for more about this;
- some loans were paid early – this doesn’t prove the loans were affordable, just that you were trying to save interest;
- loan size didn’t go up every time – irrelevant, what matters is that you kept borrowing;
- you had a good enough credit score or they didn’t legally have to check your credit record – if you only had one or two small loans that is true. But if the loans were large or you kept borrowing, they should have looked closely;
- some loans are over 6 years old – the Ombudsman will look at these even if the lender says they won’t!
A good enough case to go to the Ombudsman?
If you don’t know what to do, ask in the comments below this article. Accepting an offer settles your whole complaint – you can’t change your mind later.
Some points to think about:
- if you are offered a refund on only a few loans, don’t accept it if you think you should have more refunded;
- an offer to write off your current balance may sound helpful … but it may be very poor if you should get a cash refund as well.
One or two loan cases are hard to win at the Ombudsman. It’s probably best to give up on one or two loan cases unless:
- the loan was large. Here is one single loan case that was won even though it was an instalment loan and the borrower had a good income. And another single loan case for a loan of £1,000. You can win cases for smaller amounts if the repayment would have been a large amount of your income; or
- you still owe money.
Don’t delay – there is a 6-month time limit after a lender rejects your complaint to send the case to the ombudsman. If you aren’t sure, send the case and let them make an independent decision.
How to send a complaint to FOS
Put in a separate complaint about each lender. There is no limit to the number of FOS complaints you can make.
Send the rejections as they come through – don’t wait until all your lenders have replied!
FOS’s “complain online” option is easy and asks for the information to set up your case.
Attach:
- the lender’s reply.
- bank statements if you have them. Ideally from 3 months before your first loan until the last loan was repaid or you defaulted on it. This strengthens your case, showing how unaffordable the loans were. You can still get bank statements even if your account is closed.
- your TransUnion Statutory credit report
- it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the credit agreements, FOS will get them from the lender.
What happens after you have sent a case to FOS
Your case will wait for the lender to send FOS their case file and then be picked up by an investigator/adjudicator who will make a decision on it.
The Financial Ombudsman has a two-stage process. Most cases are settled by the first “adjudicator” stage but about 10% go to the second “Ombudsman” stage.
A few problem cases
Don’t ask for a refund:
- if you have been bankrupt unless your borrowing was all after your bankruptcy – any refund would go to the Official Receiver.
- if you are in an IVA, as refunds will go to your IVA firm not to you.
- if you are in a DRO now, a refund of more than £2,000 may mean your DRO is cancelled! But many payday loan refunds are less than that.
More help
Ask a question in the comments below.
Don’t use a claims management company. They are expensive and often incompetent. FOS says individuals making a complaint have a better success rate than claims firms.
Card & catalogue affordability complaints
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Could a Debt Relief Order help you?
Dave L says
I have concerns about an investigator at the FOS apparently they have passed a case to an ombudsman who is dealing with it, but the ombudsman will not contact me directly and any decision will be through the investigator. Doesn’t seem right or their
Usual process to me . I’m a bit suspicious as investigator was armament they were right with their decision despite overwhelming evidence it was unaffordable. Wanted to argue every piece of evidence I sent in.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is the usual process.
Ross says
Hi Dave,
When my adjudicator contacted me, to say that it had to go to an ombudsman for final decision, he asked if there was anything I wished to add before he sent off the case? As I believe all adjudicators should be working the same, maybe email the adjudicator, explaining any additional information you want to be considered. The ombudsman, who decided on my case (upheld), didn’t contact me directly but all through the original adjudicator. Hope this may help?
Dave L says
Thank you I appreciate your advice. I may have just had different experiences before as I think that the ombudsman only partially upheld in some cases
Jane Guvenir says
Hi Sara
I had a few loans with my jar several years ago but have not put in an affordability complaint to them. Today I received an email from their administrators saying I am due redress on 4 loans and I should use a link on the email to confirm my bank details. Is this legitimate? I don’t want to click on the link unless I am sure. I have checked the myjar website which names same administrators but just being cautious with so many scams around. Would I get this even though I haven’t made a complaint? They did stop lending to me after a few loans.
Thanks
Jane
Charlotte S says
Hello, I had the same email yesterday evening. It is a legitimate email address for Harrison’s so must be legit. I have entered my bank details and looking forward to receiving my redress 😊
Lynne says
I referred my case to the ombudsmsn regarding loans 2 go they have been absolutely dreadful and are still hounding me with text messages. Anyway ombudsman have emailed to say it’s likely to take 4 months for a case worker to contact me! Is this the norm?
Rose says
Yes, I think so – sometimes it’s quicker, but I’ve got one at 9 months and waiting.
Meera says
Hi Sara
I have made a complaint against vanquis bank by email two weeks ago but I haven’t received a acknowledgement of complaint yet I have rang them they said the complaint is logged they will have 56 days time ,do they need to send me a acknowledgement of the complaint legally or shall wait until 56 th day for the final outcome
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Just wait until 56 days.
Kamil says
Hi ive had a few loans at the same time from different providers such as piggy bank amigo and lending stream
I was not able to make payments at the time loan was given to me by lending stream and evently they made my account defqult reporter to cra and took everyrhing to court and I had to pay £1330 this ccj will be there for another 2 years
Any chance i can get something out of lending stream not money wise but to remove the bad cra
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Was this your first loan from Lending Stream? How much did you borrow?
Kamil says
No not the first one and I borrowed 300 first and the 230 and both went defqult and went to court and I satisfied my ccj which was 1330 after 6 months
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you will only be able to get your credit record corrected if you win an affordability complaint – it isn’t any easier if you say you just want the record corrected so you should use the normal approach of asking for a refund.
However, with only two small loans, it is unlikely you will win this complaint I am afraid.
Geraint says
Hi all Received an email from safetynet today, they have partially upheld my claim and said im due redress of just over £1.5k and have written off the £200 i was paying to a debt company, was expecting a bit more as i paid over £2k in interest but heyho! Have called them and said id accept the offer and lady said she would pass my details on to the team dealing with it so just have to wait for it to hit the bank now! Would never of got this back if it wasnt for evwryones help on here especially sara! Thank you!
Helen says
Hi all,
Update on myjars administration page, emails should be received by the 5th of June if you are due redress and payment by the 15th of July, they expect to pay between 1 and 2 pence in the pound.
Helen
CeCe says
Hi, I’ve received an e-mail from Myjar administrators asking me to click on a link to input my bank account details. Does anyone know if this is genuine as when you go onto their website it says that you will never be asked for your bank account details.
Also does anyone know how to claim from lending stream? I tried to e-mail but it bounced back and if I try to logon to contact them it isn’t recognising my e-mail which has never changed.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See the other recent comments here on this page about these emails.
Lynne says
I’ve just had an email to log onto the provident portal as I have an email to say I have a secure message and it won’t let me log in. Any one else had this? It’s frustrating I can’t see what it says!
Lynne says
Forget that. I’ve managed to log in and the message is to say they’re not upholding my appeal 😡
Geraint says
How long did everyones safetynet compo take to go into their accounts? I confirmed my acceptance on friday but still waiting for the money :/ ive seen some have gome in the next day :/
Nic 51 says
Anyone have experience of dealing with Mr Lender?
I’m up to week 5 this week they have acknowledged the complaint but that’s it.
Any advice would be welcome
Geraint says
All ive had from them is the acknowledgment of the complaint and a letter of my lending history, next week is the last week for them to get back to me! Il be calling them if i dont hear anything, they seem to just be ignoring it atm it seems! :( sorry not very helpful but just to let you know your not the only one waiting in limbo lol
Sam says
Still waiting too, on week 6.
Does anyone know if they reply via letter?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
they are very likely to respond by letter.
V says
I applied to mr lender took about 5 weeks and they finally responded after I emailed another department saying nobody had acknowledged my complaint. They then sent me a template to fill in but it’s PDF so you can’t fill it in 🙈 so I replied to that email with an explanation of my circumstances.
Joanna says
Hi
Great news today, took 6 weeks, but Lending Stream responded and offered £7.1K which I have accepted! Uploaded photo of bank as bank details since changed and waiting for the funds now. They say within 28 days, but how long has anyone waited before received?
Thanks so much Sara for your guidance
Joanna says
They will also correct my credit file, wiping some of the loans off completely and adjusting some others. So happy!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It is a great result!
If you may make any other affordability claims, take a copy of your current credit report now and keep it safe, as you want the LS loans all showing on it.
Joanna says
So chuffed they have just paid it in, probably by faster payments, 24 hours after I accepted the offer.Hopefully encouraging news for anyone wanting to make a claim or waiting.
Jo says
I put a complaint into lending stream on April 27th and I’ve heard nothing I hope mines is as quick . Did u have to send any statements to them xx
Cece says
That’s great! Is their offer the first contact you’ve had from them since putting in a claim? Or was there contact backwards and forwards prior to that?
I’ve just put in a claim and just wondering how it works as it’s the first claim I’ve put in with anyone.
Thanks
Joanna says
Hi
No I had an acknowledgement first then they sent me the paperwork as I had asked for it. I chased a few times they kept saying its up to 8 weeks and in end it was 6.
Best of luck!
Joanna says
No I also had an acknowledgement then paperwork I asked for, chased a few times and took 6 weeks in end.
Best of luck!
Laura says
Hi Sara,
I previously raised a complaint with Ombudsman which they wouldn’t uphold. It is now with Lantern who I pay, however it was initially with Vivis (V7)
Am I right to believe there is nothing I can do. The Ombudsman said that although it was sold to Lantern, they had no involvement in the affordability checks etc. apparently vivus has now dissolved and no longer trades.
I am paying them through Stepchange but it’s taking forever and the initial interest was disgusting.
Thanks,
Laura
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what is the rest of your financial situation like? How large are the total of your DMP debts? How much are you paying a month and is that affordable with bills and prices going up?
Laura says
I am on benefits, I have to other loans which I am paying along with this one. I’m in a debt management plan and pay an affordable amount monthly. It just causes me anxiety whilst it’s still there. The total for all three is just over £3400.
I just wanted to make sure that Ombudsman are right and that Lantern can’t give refunds for affordability complaints?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it’s arguable, but I don’t know anyone that has one a complaint in this situation.
If you are renting and don’t own a car worth more than £2000 you should talk to StepChange about a Debt Relief Order. because as you say paying a low amout would take forever.
Pablo says
What if I was offered unaffordable credit by a credit card provider instead of the payday loan companies mentioned above ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Read https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/ and so any further questions on that page.
Lucy says
Hello,
Does anyone know anything about when Piggy Bank is likely to pay the redress.
I’ve been waiting around eighteen months now and the customer service is terrible. Never seems to be an update.
Surely it can’t be much longer?
Can things like this take years?
Lucy
BT says
They are due to send a progress update by early July covering the period from 4th December 2021 and 4th June 2022. I emailed them as well and I got a generic response saying there were no news and that it’s a lengthy process.. the usual BS.
This is taking a very long time but there’s nothing really we can do to make things better. It’s the usual wait and see.
louise says
How can I make complaint about mr lender the money av paid them back and still got 800 to pay they are saying a can’t do this anymore had to take another loan out to cover that one not getting to me as I have house to keep
And now am part time
Sara (Debt Camel) says
they are saying a can’t do this anymore
Why did they say this? Did you previously make a complaint?
Louise says
Yes made complaint they says they can take the payments down. Getting a joke the amount av paid them so far is crazy
Sara (Debt Camel) says
they can reduce the payments? or they won’t?
how many loans have you had with them – how large were they – could you list the sizes in order eg 300,400,250,700
K says
Hi Sara
Do you know if anyone has heard anything from ferratum.
I have written to them a few times, they have asked me to stop writing as my complaint has been logged and is in the hands of the liquidators and someone will be inTouch in due course but it’s been a month since I wrote. Has anyone had any like with them ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I would be surprised if you hear anything for several more months.
Jax says
My Ferratum account disappeared from my credit report in the closed section a few months ago but its now reappeared. Very strange. It is still in the closed section as I paid it off 2 years ago but I have no idea why its back on there after being removed.
Kelly says
Hi,
I raised a complaint with My Jar last year. It was acknowledged.
I emailed My Jar today as I haven’t heard anything regarding the redress and I’ve seen people are starting to get emails.
They have responded saying that my Loan ID isn’t recognised and that my name/email isn’t recognised either.
I have never changed my name and always had the same email. I’ve sent them a screenshot of an email I received from My Jar years ago about a repayment plan. This states the ID and the agreement and my email address etc.
I will see what they come back and say but is there anything I can do if they still can’t find me?
Thanks Kelly
Emily says
Hi, I’ve only just came across this and didn’t realise this is something I could do. I’ve had 5 Lending Stream loans within a year (4 closed, 1 still open) £110, £350, £400, £200 and the most recent £200. Although I’ve managed the payments, I found myself taking another out as I was missing other bills due to the hefty direct debit being taken on payday. I then found myself taking 2 more with other lenders to help. Although I managed to make the repayments, would I still be able to request a refund? I’ve always been a bit embarrassed by it and blamed myself for getting into a mess, but seeing others I now know I’m not the only one to be accepted for something so unaffordable!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can make an affordabilty complaint. You may only get a refund for the last one or two, but that’s better than nothing!
Jo says
I’ve never been as happy lending stream just repaid all the interest and 8% on top only after applying like 5 weeks ago refund total 1654.25 the fastest outcome and the money was in my bank like 10 mins after me accepting it xx
Helen says
Hi all,
Eventually got a reply from myjar, I had 18 loans since 2014, mostly borrowing after paying one off, sometimes on the same day, my complaint was not upheld, wrong decision by the Administrators if you ask me!
Helen
Cenk says
I spoke with Harrison’s myjar, I have £2700 redress and he told me that I will get 1p of 1pound, all about £27. This is totally ridiculous.whats is reason why they pay 1-2p ? Why they don’t pay full amount ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Because there is almost no money to pay these claims.
Geraint says
Hi sara and everyone else, just a update on my loan complaints, received a letter from mr lender today, they are not upholding my complaint as they deemed the loans affordable (i only had 2 small loans with them a big distant apart) which i thought might of been the case, but they are writing off my remaining debt of £200 as a gesture of goodwill! Bit sad to not be getting any money back but at least i have no more outstanding loans with anyone! Wooohoo! On the other hand im still waiting for my £1500 from safetynet to hit my bank! Been nearyl 2 weeks now! :(
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The Mr Lender offer sounds like a reasonable one in this situation.
Geraint says
Yes its a good outcome for me, just hope i get yhe Safetynet payment soon they said id have it by friday, just dont know why taking so long when others have had theirs within hours and days :(
Nic 51 says
How long did you have to wait for a response? I’m on week 6 now had 5 loans back to back over 3 years
Geraint says
Hi it pretty much took them near the whole 8 weeks to send me my final decision, the 8 weeks were up on monday and my letter came yesterday. They seem to like to use up the whole time allowed! Hope this helps :)
Lynne says
I wanted to make a complaint to mr lender but even though I’ve provided them with my previous address and former email address dob etc they’re asking me to send a photo holding up my drivers licence or some other form of ID? Anyone else had this? It seems a bit odd especially as they should be able to get my account info up with what I’ve given them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They may be being difficult, but on the other hand, you don’t want someone else to be able to pretend to be you and say the email has changed and get your refund, do you?
Mike says
Hi,
I have received an email from (Myjar Limited – In Administration)
It details the administration process and their findings. It states I have a small refund due (£48) and gives a ‘secure link’ for adding my bank details and alternative phone number.
Is is likely to be a scam? I did have plenty of myjar loans a few years ago.
Thanks for any help.
Michael Butt says
No we’ve all had them
William says
Hi. I put in a irresponsible/affordability complaint to moneyboat. Just got a very nasty reply- stating they would take mefor fraud by claiming redress. Has anyone else received such reply. Please advise.
Will
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes they say that to everyone. No one has had a problem who has ignored this and taken their case to the Ombudsman, they are just hoping you will give up.
Lynz says
Hi, hoping for a bit of advice on Lending Stream redress.
I had 3 payday loans with LS back in 2010/2011 and submitted a redress claim. They have issued a final reply upholding my complaint re the third loan and offering a refund of £1580 (charges and interest paid, plus 8% interest, minus 20% tax they say is compulsory?). The claims re the first two loans were rejected. The basis of the rejection was that I had more money left at the end of the month after expenses than was required to make a monthly payment to the loans. The details they sent me indicate that they had no expenditure information for me, and quoting a figure they based their assessment on, but I am not sure where they got that figure.
Basically at the time I was desperate enough to be using payday loans in an attempt to clear mortgage arrears, inevitably ending up in a vicious cycle of payday loans. Because of all of the above, I know at the time I absolutely did not have money left at the end of the month.
I appreciate the first two loans are relatively small, but using their calculations the further redress could almost double the offer they have made. Not sure if this is worth trying with the Ombudsman or whether I should cut my losses and take the offer. Any advice greatly appreciated!!
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how large were each of the three loans?
Neil says
Hi Sara
Just received this reply from safety net should I wait or go to the ombudsman thanks
We are contacting you following your complaint received on 13/04/2022.
Unfortunately, we are still in the process of investigating your concerns and want
to thank you for your continued patience. We will contact you as soon as we have
an outcome for you.
As eight weeks has now passed since your complaint was received, you have the
right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge
– but you must do so within six months of the date of this letter. They can be
contacted at the address detailed below by post, phone or email.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s unusual – I suggest you go back to them and say you will be going to FOS in a week if they haven’t made you a suitable offer by then.
Ugo says
WOW! I can’t believe it! I used Sara’s template to make a compliant regarding lending stream loan affordability 3 weeks ago. This morning I got an email asking me to confirm if I would accept a refund amount of £20k!!!
I can’t believe it! Sara you are a God sent Gem
Thank you so much
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh! How long had you been borrowing from them?
Ugo says
On and off from 2010 to 2019 or so
Lynz says
Hi
The first loan (rejected) was for £365, and was paid in full over 5 months. At the time the loan was granted I was 8 months in mortgage arrears, my credit card was in arrears, my overdraft was beyond my approved limit and I had just paid off a previous payday loan with another lender. I had also taken two much larger payday loans with other lenders just the day before.
The second loan (rejected) was for £135, 7 weeks later and was paid in full over 4 months. At the time the loan was granted I was still in mortgage arrears, my credit card was still in arrears, my overdraft was beyond approved limit and I was still paying off a much larger previous payday loan with another lender.
The last loan which they have upheld was for £615 and was June 2011.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So it is very unlikely LS would have been able to see that you had taken 2 payday loans the day before an application to them in 2010 – reporting wasn’t that quick. But the mortgage arrears should have been a huge red flag if LS had looked.
I am sorry but I can’t guess what the Ombudsman would decide in this situation.
T says
Can I just ask how do you go about finding all the dates for loans. I have relied heavily on payday loans previously and was so caught up in having to borrow from another lender to pay each one off. I paid a lot in interest but wouldn’t know where to start in looking into them. I’m pretty sure they were all unaffordable. Any help appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know the lenders, just not the dates?
if the loans are in the last 6 years they should all show on your credit record – check Credit Karma.
Ugo says
I didn’t have to provide dates for mine, just my account/ref number. They have the dates in their system
T says
I’m guessing the best thing then would be to get a credit report and start from there. Not all were in the last 6 years some were further back, maybe from 2010 onwards. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is the best start. You don’t need the loan dates – you can ask the lender for those when you make a claim (see the template letter above).
Ans you really just need the names of the lenders you used several times – it’s very unusual to win a complaint against a payday lender you only used once or twice for a small amount. Many of the older lenders may have vanished…
Are there any lenders you had large loans from? These can be worth claiming from even if there were only one or two.
What other high interest borrowing did you have that you don’t think of as being a payday lender?
T says
I used little loans, loans 2 go more recently they aren’t marketed as payday loans. Is it best to continue paying whist submitting affordability checks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
For Little Loan use the template on this other page: https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-large-high-cost-loans/
Loans2Go are so bad they have a page all to themselves: https://debtcamel.co.uk/worst-loan-in-britain/
Nick says
Hello – I got exactly the same back from safetynet yesterday- they have said they haven’t been able to make a decision in the 8 weeks and that I can go to FOS but must do so within 6 months and meanwhile safetynet will try and respond to my complaint as soon possible? Does it sound like they might be going into administration maybe? Am I best going straight FOS or tell them I’ll give them a further week?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am hoping they are just a bit snowed under at the moment. A lot of people getting payouts from QuickQuid started looking at what else they could make complaints for.
it’s hard to know what to do but at the moment I am suggesting people reply saying they will send it to the ombudsman if they have had an acceptable offer within a week.
Ryan says
For those who are awaiting on my jar redress, what email did you receive this from? Also were you sent a link to enter your bank details?
Charlotte S says
I received the email from – noreply@myjarredress.co.uk but it states to email – myjarredress@harrisons.uk.com for any queries. The email they sent out had a link to give my bank details.
Marc says
I received the same and was also curious because I hadn’t received anything from them previously. So, for me it seemed very random and worth checking out.
The thing that convinced me is that they used the correct reference numbers for all 4 loans, which I verified by logging into my MyJar account.
Eric says
Yes I have received three separate emails from myjar with total redress for £857.46p. I have entered my bank details ,in the link, for each of the emails they have sent me. They claim that they will aim to pay us by 19th July 2022. I hope this redress goes smoother than the bullshit I had to deal with CashEuroNet.
V says
I am waiting for them to pay also but tbh they were saying only 1-2p in the pound so we’re only going to get peanuts. I arnt getting my hopes up as it sort of sees pointless them even doing a bacs for such a small amount 😞
Lauren says
Hi I’m hoping for some advice.
I made an unaffordable loan claim to money pig. They have passed the debt on to aci. This is their response;
“ The redress of £1226.86 will be used to reduce your current balance, leaving a remaining £783.14 left to repay within a comfortable repayment arrangement.
Please confirm if you are happy to accept this offer in full and final settlement of your complaint and if so, I will instruct ACI to adjust the balance accordingly and request to have the agreed loans removed from your credit file.
As your debt has been passed to ACI, you will need to contact them to discuss a suitable repayment arrangement to resolve the remaining balance if you have not done so already. I have copied their contact information below;”
Can you advise me if this is a good offer? If not what do I say to them back?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how many loans did you borrow from them? have they agreed they are all unaffordable?
Lauren says
I had 5 loans
Borrowed-£100 Interest refund £0
Borrowed – 250 interest refund £58
Borrowed 250 interest refund 56
Borrowed 945 interest refund 99
Loan 5 I borrowed 1005. I’ve not paid them back but have said I owe £1005 interest. I don’t understand the email very well they word it so carefully to make it confusing.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the interest amounts look low – did you take out the next loan each time before the previous loan had ended?
Lauren says
Here is the details of the loan borrowing:
25/10/2016 £100.00 Repaid 01/11/2016
02/03/2017 £250.00 repaid 31/03/2017
31/03/2017 £250.00 repaid 28/04/2017
28/04/2017 £945.00 – £352.28 per month for 5 months repaid early on 09/08/2017
30/06/2017 Total: £1,005.00 – £402.00 per month for 5 months unpaid
I’ve got until the 8th to respond if I wish to except their offer
Lauren says
If I was to reject their offer will it go through the ombudsman or will they renegotiate with me directly? Any help would be great thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know how much you repaid to loans 2,3 and 4? eg by checking your bank statements?
I am asking because the interest figures look surprising low. If you have actually paid more interest than 56 ,56, 99 then there should be a larger reduction in your balance.
Kelly says
Hi Sara,
Can you help me please.
I raised an affotdability complaint with cash converters – I borrowed £100 – repaid £130.74 – interest £30.74 – Total £130.74.
They have came back and said they have reviewed the information and can see my bank statements show numerous gambling.
I also had a CCJ and an awful credit history which they haven’t mentioned but I did.
They’ve offered to refund £33.19 inclusive of 8% stat interest. The 8% is taxable and they are now offering 32.60.
Shall I take this to the ombudsman? If I did and they declined can I still get the £32.60?
Not sure what to do as I feel it should all be refunded.
Thank you,
Kelly
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You normally only get a refund of the interest you paid.
Did you supply the bank statements to CC before the loan?
John says
Hi Sara . I have had a email from a solicitor called q.d r saying I owe nearly 650.. on payday loans from at least 7 or 8 years ago. Do I still have to pay these people even tho I haven’t heard anything in about 4 or 5 years maybe longer ?
John
Sara (Debt Camel) says
who was the lender? when did you last make a payment to the debts?
John says
I last made a payment at least
Period of this statement:
Original Creditor:
Date of agreement:
Amount of the principal loan advanced:
Opening Balance at the start of the statement period: Current Closing Balance at the end of the statement period:
04/05/2015 to 04/05/2016 Cash Genie
06/01/2012
£150.00
£393.00 £150.00 Transaction Date
04/05/2015 04/05/2016
Transaction Description
Balance brought forward MMF – Write off
Charges
-£243.00
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Whatever you pasted in is hard to see.
I suggest you phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and ask them if this old debt may be statute barred. If they think it may be, they have a template letter you can send.
Nikki says
Hi Sara, I just wondered what your thoughts were on my complaint with moneyboat. 3 Loans with them as follows:
Loan 1 taken on 19/04/2021 for £200 repaid 28/05/2021
Loan 2 taken on 29/05/2021 for £1500 repaid 19/06/2021
Loan 3 taken on 23/06/2021 for £1500 repaid 22/02/2022
They rejected my complaint so I submitted to FOS who have also rejected it so I have asked for an ombudsman to look at it. I was suffering a gambling addiction and repaying when I had a win and then taking again straight away. I have argued that the fact I took another loan pretty much straight away and the fact the second two had repayments of 28% of my declared income, it should have prompted them to do better checks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have you sent FOS a copy of your credit record and bank statements?
Nikki says
Hi,
I sent my bank statements but not credit record.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did your adjudicator decide that Moneyboat didn’t need to make any additional checks? Or that if they had checked, they would probably have decided the loans were affordable?
Nikki says
What I think this means for your case
I’ve thought about all of these issues in the individual circumstances of your case, and I don’t think Gain Credit LLC irresponsibly provided your loans to you. I’ll now explain why.
I’m sorry to hear that you were struggling financially and that repaying these loans may have been difficult. But given your loan amounts, what was apparent about your circumstances at the time and your history with the lender, I don’t think it would’ve been proportionate to ask you for the amount of information needed to show the lending was unsustainable.
There wasn’t anything in the information you provided or the information Gain Credit LLC should’ve been aware of, which meant it would’ve been proportionate to start verifying what you were saying.
Finally, I don’t think that the number of loans you took, the amounts they were for or the period of time you were borrowing meant your loan history, on its own, should’ve shown Gain Credit LLC you might’ve been experiencing underlying financial difficulty.
I understand that loan three is currently outstanding, as such I would like to remind Gain Credit LLC of its obligations to treat you fairly if you’re having difficulties repaying the loan.
Nikki says
This is what she sent me. The fact she said I understand loan three is currently outstanding raised alarm bells with me too because it was repaid in February so not sure why she had that information
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Moneyboat’s legal name is Evergreen Finance – that reply from the adjudicator refers to Gain Credit which is the legal name of Lending Stream.
if your loans were from Moneyboat, then this reply may not relate to your case at all?
Nikki says
That is weird I didn’t even notice that. This is the beginning of the email:
Dear Miss ….
Your complaint about Evergreen Finance London Limited
I’m getting in touch to let you know that we have everything we need to look into your complaint – and I now have an answer for you.
This assessment is based on the information provided so far. If you or Gain Credit LLC is able to provide me with further information by 3 June 2022, I’ll be happy to look at it.
From what I’ve seen you were given three loans by Gain Credit LLC between April and June 2021. Here is further information about the loans taken:
Sara (Debt Camel) says
and the further information matches the actual loans you took?
Nikki says
Yes the loan amounts were correct, just she said the last loan was still outstanding which was incorrect.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok go back to the adjudicator, say you see that the reply to you confused two lenders – Evergreen and gain Credit, and also said the last loan was not repaid, which it was.
Say you don’t understand how a bad credit lender should not have had to look closely at an application for a £1500 loan and you would like the adjudicator to reconsider, and for the case to go to an Ombudsman if they don’t.
Nikki says
Ok thankyou, ive gone back and asked for clarification on why she has referred to gain credit llc when that isn’t who my complaint is about. I had already gone back with further points to consider but it didn’t change her opinion so it is now waiting for an ombudsman. Do you think I have a strong case?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well I can’t see what your bank statements showed, but i think a payday lender should have looked closely at at such a large loan.
John says
Has anyone had any luck with safetynet??? I put a complaint in yesterday just wondering what they were like in terms of trying to get a refund?
Nat says
I have ! I put i complaint in earlier in the year, waited 8 weeks to get back to me and rejected it. I said I would go to the ombudsman. Was on the waiting list for the ombudsman for around 3 months and randomly got an email offer for them for a 2 grand pay out which I accepted ! Defo worth putting one in even if it is a bit of a wait!
Jayne says
How long did the refund take to hit your bank account? Thanks
Paul says
Think of all the pay day loan companies John these are the easiest to get refunded from based on the fact they have access to your bank account so could freely see potentially other pay day loans or other forms of borrowing or that a person has nothing spare at the end of the month to be able to afford to pay back the credit of what Safety net was giving.
Both myself and a few others I know last year was repaid all of the interest. All of us though had to wait the full 8 weeks before they replied and then it took an additional day or 2 for the refunded money to be in our bank accounts.
The other thing to note is on your credit file if you have not used them for a while and the account has been closed then all of a sudden it shows as open again. This is only why they complete their investigation and then it removes itself shortly after. It has no affect on your credit score because if anything it improves it because it shows as a credit balance that you have available that you have a zero balance showing for. Good luck anyway but be prepared to wait the 8 weeks.
Ah says
I will let you know tomorrow, that’s my 8 weeks up. Going from feedback here I’m sort of expecting Safetynet to decline so I’ll just pass it on to the ombudsman
Nick says
There are a couple of us (myself included) who have waited the 8 weeks and then been told that they have been unable to make a decision in this time and that we can go to FOS and safetynet will let us know in due course on any decision. I mailed them back to say will offer another week but had no response so will now go the FOS route.
John says
I’m the same, waited untill 8 weeks to the day to email stating they have no answer and will email when finished investigation, coming up to 10 weeks now. They are useless
John says
Hi Sara,
This is a great site really thanks for your efforts on helping so many.
I have a complaint in against a payday lender Cash personal cheques, Southampton. I think I’ve used it for over 10 years regularly.
It’s gone to Ombudsman, and as soon as that happened they said their are no assets and will close. Also threatened fraud on my time.
I feel it’s because of my claim.
Should I pursue and what happens if business closes?
I can add more detail in email if required as the story has more.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What is the legal name of the lender?
Many of these businesses have closed down. If this one does, you become a creditor of the firm in administration. How much money you get will depend if there are any assets and how many other creditors there are. This is impossible to predict with a small lender – they may just be telling lies and hoping you will go away or they may be on the point of administration anyway and this has nothing to do with your complaint.
Some payday lenders routinely threaten action about fraud to everyone that makes a complaint. But no one ever has had a problem if they continue with their complaint to the Ombudsman. In general, Cheque based lending over a long period is pretty unlikely to be fraud as fraud requires an intent to deceive… and you have been repaying your loans for 10 years!
John says
Goes under the registered name of Howard Rees Hilliker.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
He has applied to cancel his FCA authorisation.
It is not a limited company so I can’t see if the firm is in administration.
I don’t know what happens when it is an idividual that is lending, I suggest you talk to the Ombudsman about this.
John says
Thanks for the info! Oh no guess I’ll be left with no hope then… the ombudsman do not reply
John says
“And even if they did cancel their FCA authorisation, they would still be liable for complaints that were made against them before the cancellation actually took place.”
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is true. The question is, how much money there is. But you have nothing to loose by carrying on.
KW says
Hi Sara,
I noticed that all my Ferratum loans have been removed from my credit file. I contacted them( now oumptuu) who said this was correct. I have been paying to the via a dmp for 4 years and the payment was going to CRS towards the latter end. I had a balance of £58 which Ferratum ( Harrison’s) wiped. Am I able to claim my payments back from CRS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No.
You can make a claim to the liquidators – they say “If you believe that you were provided with an unaffordable loan(s) through Ounapuu / Ferratum you may have an eligible claim. The Joint Liquidators are currently reviewing the position with regard to potential redress complaints and will advise potential claimants in due course of the claim process.”
Do you have other payday loans or other high cost credit (loans, catalogues, credit cards etc) in your DMP?
KW says
I have Lending Stream and capital one but only have 2 payments and my dmp is clear
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then I suggets you look at aclaim against lending Stream – template above – and Capiatl One, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/
dan says
Hi everyone
Lending stream – bizarre but I feel theyre being super obstructive in not allowing us to complain, you go to the contact us page and the “live chat” option is basically an empty bot, that does not no matter what you say allow you to speak to a human operator! There is no email to complain to. So i rang lending stream, i asked how do i complain, firstly the agent said he can do it on my behalf – i declined. Then he said he will find where the form is to make a complaint. Basically he told me to log out – then go to “contact us” then click “i am not a customer” then in subject you get 3 options and you have to use the “i am a friend/relative” option, then explain in the text below that you arent a friend or relative but yourself…..HOW BIZARRE!!
Jo says
I found them amazing just keep typing no on the chat and I will get through to an agent I made my complaint on chat . 5/6 weeks later I got a final response and got 1685.27 p back transferred into my account within 5mins of me accepting the offer . Personally I couldn’t be happier how they dealt with my claim xx
Ah says
Safety net just been in touch on the final day of the 8th week saying they’ve not finished their investigation. Can I go straight to the ombudsman now?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can.
Scott Mather says
Sent emails to safetynet credit for a affordability claim .
Heard nothing back for 5 days ….went on live chat ….oh complaints are having problems …basically nothing they can do.
What do I do …they refuse to respond to my claim
Sara (Debt Camel) says
send it to the Ombudsman when it gets to 8 weeks.
Leigh says
Hi,
Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks since I lodged complaint of unaffordable lending with safetynet. They sent acknowledgement and then another email advising would have final decision by 18th June or before. Sent them a polite reminder email today that tomorrow is deadline. Should I await email of decision or if no response by next week proceed to financial ombudsman?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Several people haven’t received a reply by the 8 week point. And they haven’t had it just a few days late, so i suggest it isn’t worth waiting for this.
I suggest you send it to the Ombudsman at 8 weeks – they need to sort their systems/complaints handling out.
K says
Hi Sara
Just recieved this from ferratum…..
Is it worth complaining to the FO ?
Thank you.
We are in the process of selling our portfolio and I imagine that your balance will be removed before selling it as you have already repaid the capital. I can’t guarantee this, but I would say it is safe not to pay anymore. Once the portfolio is sold should there be a balance to pay then you will hear from the new company, but I think this is unlikely. It is more likely that your loan will be written off and reported as settled to the credit reference agency.
As for compensation then I am afraid your claim is rejected. As we are in liquidation this means we do not have any money even claims we accept will receive a modest dividend when the liquidation process concludes. (meaning: pennies/low £’s)
I hope now that we have provided you with the answers you needed.
Jane Shaw
Operations Manager
__________________________________________________
OUNAPUU | 25 Goodlass Road Suite 318 Liverpool L24 9HJ
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The Ombudsman is not allowed to take a complaint about a firm in administration.
Kim says
Is anyone still waiting to hear from My jar – I have not heard of my claim is successful or not.
Kelly says
No, I haven’t either.
Well, I contacted them and they said that they cannot locate me on the system (Even though they acknowledged my complaint last year)
I provided my Loan ID and a photo of my payment plan on a letter that was sent by My Jar a few years back.
They are now investigating.
It’s been a few weeks now.
Terrible how this has been handled and they had the cheek to ask if I’m sure I haven’t got it mixed up with another company.
I have proof so they need to sort it.
I would drop them an email if I were you because you might be in the same boat as me.
Tink85 says
Hi,
I have a loan I am repaying to my jar, now ACI. I won a unaffordable lending claim in this loan with the financial ombudsman, which stated all negative markers must be removed. Myjar removed the loan from my credit file. I have setup a repayment plan with ACI, they have emailed this morning to say I must pay the remaining balance within 28 days or a default will be added to my account, can they do this if it’s been said that all negative marks must be removed?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
did Myjar accept the Ombudsman decision before administration?
Tink85 says
Yes, the ombudsman decision was at the end of 2019, and myjar removed the interest from my loan and data from my credit file.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
and have you been making repayments since then?
Tink85 says
Yes, just small monthly payments. And I’ve set up a repayment plan with ACI.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
and those small payments are reasonably all you can afford?
The I suggest you reply that you are paying all you can afford and that this debt has been the subject of an affordability complaint, so a default should not be added if you are making reasonable payments.
K says
Does anyone have an email address for Harrison’s regarding Ferratum please. Thank you 🙏🏻
Scott says
Can anyone explain what is happening with Ferratum? I had a successful claim with them and unfortunately still had £126 remaining which was being paid to CRS via Stepchange.
CRS have informed me the account is now closed and Ferratum website shows ‘Paid Back’.
I’ve had no communication to say if the remaining balance has been written off but at present my DMP is unable to make further payments to it.
Anyone else having this experience?
Kw says
Yes, mine was closed with Ferratum and crs confirmed this too. Al wiped
Scott says
I spoke with CRS whom have advised a new company whom has bought the backlog for ferratum have stated the debt is still owing so CRS have reopened.
They are called Onuapuu. I emailed to confirm and they have written to CRS to reopen the account so looks like the debt is still outstanding
Nic 51 says
Did Mr Lender respond on time, tomorrow is my 8 week deadline not heard a thing
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have they not acknowledged the complaint?
Nic 51 says
They did but tomorrow is 8 weeks.
I’ve checked the post there hasn’t been anything.
Should I be calling them tomorrow?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ok so you know they have it. Yes I would call the day after 8 weeks.
Eric says
Has anyone been paid by the Myjar redress? They said they will try to pay us before 15/07/2022.
Kerry says
Hi Eric, no I haven’t yet still waiting .
Nikki says
Hi Do you know of anyone putting in an affordability complaint with fund ourselves?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They are a small lender and aren’t often mentioned.
How many times did you borrow from them and how large were the loans?
Nikki says
I had 4 loans with them as follows:
22/04/2021 200 Interest £9.60
29/04/2021 250 Interest £2.00
28/05/2021 250 Interest £58.00
24/06/2021 320 Interest £317.44
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then it’s worth making a complaint. At the Ombudsman you may well only win on the last loan – but that is where you paid the most interest anyway!
Eve says
I dont know what to say really other than the stress of this is effecting my mental health.
I had a loan with my Jar and was paying off as much as I could on a monthly basis in 2017 and had to stop in 2018 as I was homeless for a few months living in travel lodge with my son so had to stop making those monthly payments, due to having no money because of all the payday loans i had taken out. The DWP helped me get into a privately rented property. I heard nothing from my Jar since 2018, then I decided to use a complaints template for an un affordability complaint to at least try and get my interest redressed or what I owed removed. This is where it all gets stressful, My jar wrote me an email saying my account is now with ACI. Then I got another email saying could I send them my bank details for redress payment. Then I got another email saying that last email was sent in error and no redress is due. Then I got an email saying the loan I took out for £1650 has been cleared as redress but I still owe £368 ! Then I requested a statement showing all the payments I made and interest charged and they now today write back saying the last email was a system error and that I actually owe £1120 !. I have made so many payments to this company which covers what I borrowed, I dont know what to do. There emails are making no sense, and I can’t even get help from the FO ! I dont know what to do. I am worried what the next email will be. I cannot afford anything.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what a catalogue of errors.
I suggest you send an email to paulboyle@harrisons.uk.com, davidclements@harrisons.uk.com and tonymurphy@harrisons.uk.com with the title Complain
List what has happened and add some dates to when you got the emails if possible.
Say you have paid more than you borrowed and your mental health is being affected by this, so can they arrange to have someone look at your case in detail and explain to you exactly what is happening.
Dave L says
This mirrors my experience that this administration has been carried out with total incompetence by both Harrison’s and Myjar. Neither seems to have a clue what they are doing
James says
and yet Myjar have the cheek to start themselves back up as ‘Tie Ta’ who believe it or not offer there services for complaint handling amonst other services to others!
Eve says
Thank you Sara I have now written them all an email. fingers crossed. x
Mel says
Has there been any update on piggybank redress ?
Kel says
No, I’m waiting too. I emailed today and they just reply with the same email each time. Surely it can’t be much longer now!