Did your payday loans cost so much when you repaid one you had to keep on borrowing?
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 letters here. The letters work if your payday loans were repaid or you still owe money.
The comments below this article have thousands of stories of the refunds people have got using these letters. It is a great place to ask questions!
Contents
What are “unaffordable” loans?
Was a loan affordable just because you repaid it?
No! If paying a loan left you so broke you had to borrow again – from the same lender or a different one – it was unaffordable!
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.
Payday loans are meant to solve a short-term problem. If you kept repaying one then getting another loan soon after, the lender should have stopped lending to you.
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.
Many lenders ignore obvious signs of problems such as your loans increasing in size, or borrowing again soon after repayment.
How much compensation can you get?
You don’t have to calculate this. Just ask for a refund from the lender and see what you are offered. This is simple and it works well.
The Financial Ombudsman has seen tens of thousands of payday loan affordability complaints.
A typical decision by the Ombudsman is that the payday lender should refund all the interest you paid interest after the third, fourth or fifth loan.
But if your first loan was large, or was rolled over several times you could get a refund from just one loan.
Which lenders can you get refunds from?
You can complain to lenders that are still in business, even if they are no longer lending. These include:
Lending Stream, Cash Converters, CashASAP, Drafty, Dot Dot, Fast Loan Uk, Fernovo, Fund Ourselves, Kabayan, LoanPig, Mr Lender, Moneyboat, MyKredit, My Finance Club, QuidMarket, Savvy, The Money Platform, WageMe, Wizzcash,
See this email list for payday lenders for a longer list and all the contact details to use.
If the lender has gone into administration, including CashForUNow, Piggybank, Ferratum, Oakam, Safetynet Credit, Tappily:
- make a claim to the administrators – there is normally a simple form for you to complete, see the lender’s website for details – but there will be a time limit for doing this.
- you may not get much cash back but this is very easy to do. A balance may be reduced or cleared even if there is no cash to distribute. And if you win the complaint any negative marks on your credit record will be removed.
It is probably too late to make claims to other lenders who gave up years ago, see this list.
For longer-term loans there are better template letters to use on other pages:
- doorstep lenders and guarantor lenders,
- Loans2Go – the worst loans in Britain!
- 118 Money, Likely Loans, Bamboo, car finance, bank loans and other long-term loans.
Do this before, before you send in a complaint
Doing these things now will make your life easier later.
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 later have to go to the Ombudsman.
If you still owe money to the lender, read Will an affordability claim hurt my credit record, and other questions. These looks at your options for stopping paying, the effect on your credit record etc.
If the rest of 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 to go through at the Ombudsman. Winning a complaint then speeds up the DMP.
Unless you can afford to make this month’s payment without borrowing again, cancel the CPA to the lender at your bank. Otherwise the lender may take the money and you will be in a mess.
If your loan was sold to a debt collector you complain to the original lender. But also tell the debt collector that you are disputing the debt. It is a good idea to carry on making payments to the debt collector if they are affordable.
Start your complaint & get loan details
Find the lender’s email address for complaints from this list.
Put “AFFORDABILITY COMPLAINT” as the subject of your email:
You should never have given me these unaffordable 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 that my debt problems were getting worse. It was not responsible to continue to lend to me. [Add more details eg how often you borrowed or rolled loans if you know them, how the amount borrowed generally went up etc]
[Include/change this if your credit record would have shown big problems:] My credit reports would have shown all my other debts 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.
[delete this sentence if you know what all your loans were.] I know the difficulties your loans have caused me but 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.
[delete this sentence if none of your loans were sold.]If a loan was later sold to a debt collector, please inform me of the date of sale and the name of the debt collector.
Some ways to improve this
Add any other points that help you describe what happened to you. You don’t need to list the loans – the lenders knows them.
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.”
- if you weren’t treated fairly while you were borrowing or when you could not make a payment, add a bit about this.
You can attach bank statements if you like, This is a good idea as these show how unaffordable the loans were for you. If you have gambling showing, this helps your complaint, it doesn’t harm it.
I don’t know if many lenders actually read what you send them. I
it’s easy to make these complaints – you don’t need to calculate what refund you should get or quote laws.
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, 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 very difficult complaint to win. If you have borrowed once or twice from 5 leaders, that is much more difficult to win an affordability complaint than having 4 or 5 loans from two lenders.
Waiting for a reply from the lender
This email starts your affordability complaint.
They may send the list of loans first and later respond to your complaint. So don’t be surprised if you get sent info on the loans but nothing about your request for a refund.
When you get your loan information, you can send in more details about your complaint if you want. You don’t have to do this, your complaint has already begun and the lender has to reply.
The lender should reply to your complaint within 8 weeks from when you send the email, not when they acknowledge it. Make a note in your diary for 8 weeks time and chase the lender up if you don’t get a reply.
Don’t be surprised if you have to wait until the end of the 8 weeks to get response – this is common.
Send your bank statements or other information?
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. But you should download a copy of your credit record asap as the Ombudsman will ask for it. Don’t put this off, the sooner you get a report downloaded, the further back it goes which is good.
Don’t send payslips – they won’t help an affordability complaint and the ombudsman never asks for them.
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.
Again 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 says No or makes a poor offer
If the lender rejects your complaint or offers you a small amount, don’t be depressed. 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, despite being rejected by the lender.
Give up?
Some lenders try to make your case sound bad when it isn’t. People have had large amounts refunded after a complete rejection!
Just ignore any of the following comments, they do not mean you have a weak case:
- they relied on your loan applications and you didn’t give accurate facts – see Lender says I lied for more about this;
- you repaid some loans early – this doesn’t prove the loans were affordable, just that you were trying to save interest;
- your borrowing 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 more closely;
- your 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.
Don’t worry that you will lose a small offer by going to the Ombudsman – this doesn’t happen.
Some points to think about:
- if you are offered a refund on only a few loans, don’t accept it if you think the lender should have realised a lot of the other loans were unaffordable;
- an offer to write off your current balance may sound convenient … but it may be very poor if you should get a refund as well;
- if getting defaults or late payments removed from your credit record is important to you, are you happy with what the lender is proposing to do? Don’t assume your credit record will be cleared if the lender didn’t mention this.
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 installment 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 too long – there is a 6-month time limit after a lender rejects your complaint to send the case to the ombudsman. When you aren’t sure, send the complaint to FOS. This is easy to do – let FOS make the decision.
How to send a complaint to FOS
Put in a separate complaint about each lender.
Don’t wait until all your lenders have replied before sending the first one to the Ombudsman!
FOS’s “complain online” option is easy and takes you through your complaint step by step.
You can just copy what you said in your complaint to the lender. You can add more details, for example, if you disagree with what the lender replied to you.
If some of your loans were over 6 years ago, tell the Ombudsman when and how you found out about these complaints. For example:
“I knew the loans were causing me difficulty in 2016, but I thought this was my fault for being bad with money. I didn’t find out that the lender should have checked the loans were affordable until June 2022 when my brother told me about these claims/I saw an advert from a claims company on Facebook/I read an article about these claims” – change this so it is right for your case!
Things to attach:
- the reply you have had from the lender.
- 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 – if you don’t have them, start the process of getting them now, don’t wait until FOS asks for them.
- a copy of your TransUnion Statutory credit report
- a copy of the credit agreements for the loans if you have them. If you don’t, don’t worry, FOS will get them from the lender.
What happens after you have sent a case to FOS
You will normally be contacted within a couple of weeks and asked for a copy of your credit record and your bank statements if you haven’t sent these. If you have sent these on one complaint, then when you complain about a different lender they will use the ones they already have.
After this initial contact, your case will wait for the lender to send FOS your case file and then wait to be picked up by an adjudicator who will make a decision on it.
If you are still making payments to the lender, tell the lender you want to reduce these to an affordable amount. This will make waiting for an Ombudsman decision much less stressful for you.
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 are bankrupt now or have been bankrupt in the past – 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 your IVA has finished the refund may still be sent to your old IVA firm.
- if you are in a DRO now, getting a refund may mean your DRO is cancelled!
More help
You can ask a question in the comments below – you may get a reply from someone who has been in your exact situation.
Don’t use a claims management company. They are expensive and often incompetent. It’s easy to do this yourself and you can ask questions below and get replies from other readers who have done this.
Card & catalogue affordability complaints
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Could a Debt Relief Order help you?
Pastpayday says
Hi folks
Help please, a couple of issues.
1) Motormile have responded to a Vivus loan (CCJ papers issued by Moriarty Law) final response is debt still stands after the complaint. Given me the option of taking it to FoS but no mention of what will happen to the ongoing CCJ. contacted Moriarty who basically said the claim will go ahead once the go ahead is given by their client (motormile) however in the meantime dude tried to get me to commit to a payment arrangement. Emailed Motormile asking for a copy of the credit agreement with Vivus before i take it to FOS and asking them to keep account on hold.
Any advice on the above would be greatly appreciated.
2) Wonga have sent a statement of accounts so will construct the complaint. They have also attached another persons statement with mine. A lady called Lindsey – clearly they dont have a robust system in place to abide with Data protection. My question is shall i mention this in my complaint to say that if this goes to FOS they will see that you have no regard for data protection etc?
Thanks for this site and all you team players!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
1) I can’t advise on a court claim in progress. You could talk to National Debtline or post on Legal BEagles forum. But I will make a couple of comments:
– you only had 1 loan from Vivus, this is not a strong case. It’s up to you if you want to try though, especially if a lot of interest was added. I just don’t want you to think this will be easy.
– it’s not clear if you complained to Vivus (which you should have) or Motormile.
– if you want a copy of the CCA agreement, you can’t just email Motormile and ask for it, you need to make a specific request and pay £1 – the wording is in a template letter here: https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/getting-information/credit-agreement-advice.aspx
– if you are going to complain to the FOS you need to do this immediately, no delay, and inform Moriarty and Motormile that the debt is still in dispute and you want them to hold off on any court action until this is resolved.
– you need to be aware of the court timescales and put in a defence within the allowed time even if you don’t think this is right because the claim should be halted.
2) Write to Wonga and ask for compensation for their data protection breach.
Pastpayday says
Thank you so much Sarah – its so easy to get lost in all of this and you have made some sensible pointers. cheers
i did complain to Vivus but their website directed me to to motormile saying that they do not deal with this any longer and motormile have taken over.
pat wil says
I stupidly accepted a offer from Wonga almost a year ago for around £1000 but before accepting I told them the loans they gave me had left me so hard up financially that I had no choice but to take the offer I’ve recently asked for a print out of all my loans and can see I had around 15-20 loans all of decent amounts and I contacted them saying I was not happy with the original outcome and that I wanted the fos to take a look now they are emailing me saying they need to talk to me to discuss things could you give me any advice
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You have made things very difficult for yourself here, but you know that. Some point you could mention are:
– they didn’t provide you with details of all your loans before making the offer, so you weren’t able to assess it properly
– they didn’t explain why they had selected certain loans to refund and not others, so you couldn’t assess the offer properly
– when you complained, Wonga were well aware of the sort of offer that the FOS would make on a case like yours, but they offered much less. You don’t feel this was treating you fairly as it just took advantage of the fact that you were in financial difficulty, rather than tried to offer a fair resolution.
Good luck … let us know how you get on!
Mike says
Just received this from myjar… any advice please
Dear Mr Foster,
Thank you for your patience while we have been reviewing your complaint about your loans with us.
We would like to have the opportunity to agree a fair settlement with you and would ask that you let us know when would be a convenient time for us to call you.
Please reply to this email with a time and day which is convenient for us to discuss this with you. Alternatively you can call us at your convenience on 020 3371 3061.
If we agree that any refund is due to you, we would like to get the payment made without delay so it would be helpful if you would have your bank account details available during the call so we can ensure that the funds are sent to the correct account.
We look forward to speaking with you and resolving this matter as soon as possible.
Kind Regards,
Gerth Treufeldt
Complaint Handling Specialist
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s… unusual. I can’t remember anyone mentioning this before for Myjar. Could you give a brief summary of your case (how many loans. how long ago, what was your credit rating like, do you know how much interest you paid, was the last loan repaid?)
Mike says
7 loans , £100×4 £200×1 £300×2 all from 2011 although last one was not cleared until march 14 (collections)
My credit rating was pretty poor and paid approx £640 in interest/charges on top of the £1200 , £1840 in total.
It’s the phone call that concerns me,I just don’t know what to expect?
A fair settlement? And bank details IF A REFUND is agreed?
Any advice will be welcome as don’t want to speak to them in case I don’t say the right thing.
Thanks Sara
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The bad news is that some of those loans – probably most – are over 6 years old. If it wasn’t for that you would probably be looking at a refund of £500-900 from the Ombudsman.
But over 6 years cases go VERY slowly at the Ombudsman, so far as I know Myjar hasn’t agreed to pay out on them yet. I’m optimistic there will be progress on this issue soon, but that doesn’t mean that I am right…
I suggest you think before you call what amount you would definitely accept. If you are offered a bit less, on the phone it’s worth trying to negotiate – “I don’t think £400 is adequate. I paid c £640 in interest. I would be happy to settle for that now without going to the Ombudsman, who would add 8% interest on top” that sort of thing.
If you aren’t sure, just ask them to put their offer in writing as you would like to be able to think about it.
Mike says
So do you think it is odd that they appear to want to settle these (old loans)?
Do you think Ross has a point about doing the negotiations by email?
It feels like fishing and getting a bite but worried it will get away!!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have no idea what they want to say to you. No point in me guessing! If you find the idea of a phone call makes you anxious, then say you would prefer email.
Mike says
Update….I was cheeky and sent this in response to myjar
Good evening,
Firstly thank you for getting back to me today and thank you for agreeing to settle this matter fairly.
I prefer to finalise this through email in order to keep a record of the outcome.
As your records show I paid £642 in interest and charges and if this had to be passed onto the FOS then interest of 8% could potentially be added for the passed 6 years.
That potentially could be £940(total), but as you have showed good will towards me I would naturally like to repay that goodwill to yourselves.
Therefore I would like to propose a refund of £642 + £148(half the potential interest) for a total of £790.
I think this would be a fair settlement for both parties and hope you agree.
My banking details as you requested are: acc no:
Sort:
Name on account :
Thank you again for sorting this out and glad it did not have to escalate any further.I await your confirmation of our settlement arrangement.
Kind regards
Mike Foster
Mike says
Thank you for your words of wisdom, I am not comfortable with the idea of a conversation over the phone.
I will email …. it’s easier !
I will let you know how it goes
Thank you very much
Mike says
Then after hearing nothing sent this..
Good evening,
I was wondering if you can update me with regards to our settlement agreement.
I sent an email on 11/10/17 with regards to this matter following your email offering to agree a ‘fair settlement’.
Mike says
Then today…..who said a little cheek never works….
Dear Mr Foster,
We are glad to hear that we have reached a mutually acceptable resolution. We confirm that the refund in the amount of £770.41 has been done to the bank account details you provided as a full and final settlement of your complaint. We normally expect for the funds to reach the bank account within two hours. A tax certificate is available, should you require one.
Wes says
So, wageday advance haven’t responded to adjudicators decision which means it’s off to the ombudsman.
Can anyone give me any idea how long this usually takes? Should I be excited at the thought of having a refund before Christmas?! Or think of it as a early birthday present!?
Is it worth contacting wda to see if they have seen the response from the adjudicator?
Tia :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
2-4 months is typical – not sure when your birthday is …
I doubt it’s worth trying to talk to WDA. Sometimes a firm will accept an adjudicator’s offer while you are in the ombudsman queue.
Dave says
So adjudicator found in my favour on all but 4 loans with Sunny.
They have until 30th October to respond. Anyone know what Sunny are like responding? Do they normally respond on time and do they normally agree with adjudicators? Hoping they do as it is around £4K.
Had an adjudicator decision at the end of July for wonga and they were about 3 weeks late responding and only partially agreed with adjudicator. Ended up accepting as needed the cash but looking back at it now I reckon I could have had £500-£600 more as one loan they disagreed was my outstanding loan.
Nicola Handley says
How long did it take you to get a decision from the adjudicator
Dave says
Around 3 months from when I reported to FOS. Though 2 of those were waiting for it to be assigned to an adjudicator. My wonga one was a little quicker, Around 2 months I think.
Think the FOS are getting busier and busier with claims now. This site has certainly got busier!
Plus I have now started to notice the adverts on the radio alongside the regular ppi ones!!!
Richard says
I have requested a list of loans from Payday Express and I have this evening received the response of:
“This account currently has no sums due or payable. Therefore, we have no current obligation to provide a statement of account under Section 77 of the Consumer Credit Act as per Subsection (3) of Section 77 which states that the requirement under “Subsection (1) does not apply to – (a) an agreement under which no sum is, or will or may become payable by the debtor.”
I am able to see the payment dates and amounts via my bank statements but I wont be able to calculate the interest.
Should I do the calculations that show my unaffordability and e-mail them back requesting a refund of interest and extra changes from the section “Step two – ask for a payday loan refund”?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The next thing is to send them a full step two complaint.
You can calculate the interest from your bank statements – it is what you paid to them less what they paid to you.
Dave says
Sara, can I just say a big thank you from myself and on behalf of everyone else who’s lives you are changing because of this site!
I discovered the site when reaching rock bottom with my pdl cycle, thinking there was no way out other than an iva (been there before) or bankruptcy (wanted to avoid this at all costs!)
Thanks to you im now in a manageable DMP and have managed to reduce my debts by around £7k, get a payout of £1.3k and am expecting another around £4.3k!!
was wondering when you started the site as I hadn’t heard of being able to claim back the interest until I found it. Also noticed the comments section get a lot busier since I did find it so there must have been more like me. Also now hearing the radio adverts from the rip off claims companies almost as much as the ppi ones!! :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I started Debt Camel about 4 years ago. But it wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I was talking about payday loan refunds. Debt Camel was the original source for a lot of the refund letters that some Facebook groups and other websites use.
Perhaps you could use the next refund to make a full & final offer on some of your other DMP debts?
Dave says
I was thinking that. Will some creditors accept offers lower than the amount outstanding on a DMP in order to settle the accounts early?
All I have left on mine after my last pdl claim will be a couple of credit cards, an overdraft and my 118 loan which has had all Interest removed.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes they may – it depends how long ago you defaulted and how low the monthly payments you are making
Dave says
DMP plan was setup in May and is set to last about 3 years
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ok then they probably won’t take much of a discount then. Offering 80% worth trying.
Lee says
I received this reaponse from Lending Stream…. what would you suggest I do as the next step?
We are writing in reference to your recent correspondence, requesting the information that Lending Stream holds for you.
We have reviewed your accounts and would like to share our findings. You borrowed six loans (Agreement No:1150221, 1170341, 1269589, 1313963, 1342831 and 1383552) from Lending Stream and all the are closed successfully.
We see that you are requesting to investigate your concern regarding the affordability analysis and credit checks conducted when the loans were approved. We would like to inform you that such nature of query falls under the purview of Subject Access Request (SAR).
Therefore, in order for us to provide you with the information, we would request you to send us a written letter addressed to Lending Stream with a £10.00 cheque (in favor of Lending Stream LLC) as per the Subject Access Request (SAR) requirements under the Data Protection
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Reply saying you have made a complaint about the unaffordability of their lending, you have not make a Subject Access Request.
You can probably still log onto your online LS account – try using your birthday DDMMYYYY as the password.
Mike says
Hi I was wondering if I have a case. I used Wonga from November 2016 to April 2017 roughly 17 times according to my credit score. Can’t get into Wonga to see as my last one defaulted. Used to use it around 2012 for sometime as well. But lived at fathers house so may be no use them loans thanks for any help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Definitely worth a complaint. If you borrowed repeatedly in 2012, claim for that as well.
Gary Keen says
I have started the process against the following
Wonga
Paydayuk
Wageday advance
Quick Quid
Pounds to pocket
Lending Stream
Thanks for the info I will keep you updated and seek advice if needed
Many Thanks
Gary
Gary says
Hi
I have had standard investigation responses from all so far apart from Quick Quid, I await the next responses, here’s hoping for a Christmas windfall to pay off my DMP caused by these.Thanks so far for all great advice I’ve read on this site
Gary says
Did not realise I had more loans with Moneyboat
247 Moneybox
Mr Lender
Ferratum
All complaints now sent ,payday loans made my life hell , hope I get some recompense after 6 years of reliance on these and losing the payday buzz, I’ll keep you updated thanks Sara
Dave says
What are people’s experiences of Sunny in responding to adjudicator decisions?
Do they respond on time and do they tend to agree or disagree with their decisions?
Steph says
Hi Dave,
For me, Sunny agreed both to the adjudicator decision and also within the 2 week period. They also paid out very promptly.
Good luck!
Dave says
Thanks Steph. Thats good to hear!!
Didn’t have the best experience with my Wonga one. they were about 2 weeks late replying and then only partially agreed with adjudicator meaning I got about £500 less.
I accepted as I needed the cash and adjudicator had indicated a 3-4 month wait for an Ombudsman decision. Then Wonga took the full 28 days to pay out.
Ben says
Hi Sara,
I received a direct offer from Wonga yesterday, 7 weeks and 2 days after my initial complaint.
The breakdown of the offer was as follows; total interest and fees: £953.15, 8% interest net: £229.98, total settlement: £1,183.13, less a partially unpaid balance of £600, so a final refund figure of £583.13.
The total interest I paid Wonga over a 45 month period was £3,242.46, so am fairly confident that this offer is below average, but would like you to confirm before I go to the Ombudsman.
Their refund was also based on 4 random loans, like many others.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
4 random loans says it all really … they are just hoping you are desperate for the cash and will have to settle now :(
Danny says
Hi,
I received an offer from Lending Stream on Monday night, and accepted on Tuesday morning, but haven’t heard anything from them since. Do es anyone know how long it takes for Lending Stream to pay out? Is it worth me chasing them up over the phone?
Thanks,
Danny
Sara (Debt Camel) says
it will be slow, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refund-payout/
Willie says
Hi,
I received the below email from my adjudicator asking for the below information…
It looks like you took your short term loans from April 2009 to June 2014. I can see that you have sent in your bank statements and credit file for our service to consider.
Please can you also tell us what your usual monthly expenses and income were during the period of your loans for the following:
• Income – including salary/pensions, child tax credits, child benefit, working tax credit and any other income
• Rent/mortgage payments
• Your typical monthly spend on food
• Water
• Electricity
• Gas
• Council tax
• Petrol/transport
• Childcare
• Others (TV, Phone, Insurance etc.)
• Any other regular financial commitments such as credit card payments
If these expenses changed over the course of your borrowing, please can you let us know. Please can you also let us know about any financial commitments you have had that will not be clear from your bank statements.
My income and expenses varied month to month throughout the 5 year stretch of short term lending so I would really need to go through my bank statements for the five year period and try and work out my expenses month to month. Is this normal to have to do this or should I ask them to consider my case with the information they already have, i.e my bank statements and credit report?
Thanks in advance!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s always good if you can be as helpful as possible to the adjudicators. This is work for you, but on the other hand you know what is on your banks tatements more than anyone else will.
If you could look at your statements for say April each year, that would mean you had the latest council tax water, income etc on them. That would only be 6 to look at? After you had done the first one, the others would be easier as you would know what you were looking for.
Then you could say here are some summaries – the adjudicator really doesn’t expect you to go through every statement and add it all up.
Dave says
I’m nearly at the end now, Shop Direct got back to me today offering to refund all interest and charges… nearly £4k there too!
Got two complaints in the ombudsman queue, awaiting an ombudsman decision – one was upheld by adjudicator, the other wasn’t.
Sara, thanks so much!
Maureen says
That’s very interesting and well done! Shop Direct as in the catalogue? I’ve wanted to raise a complaint to Littlewoods after increased my credit limit to £6000 then refinancing my loan in to a new agreement when I was in no position to make the payments but didn’t think I could complain to them
Dave says
Yeah you can, potentially.
They were NOT easy to deal with – I filled in an email to them and had no acknowledgement until a letter 8 weeks later asking for another 4 weeks.
Today had a letter saying they haven’t completed their investigations, but to save time while they’re still investigating, they’d like to send a cheque within 14 days for the full interest and charges applied.
Sara’s got a section regarding this elsewhere on the site.
Maureen says
Thanks for your reply Dave. I suppose it’s a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained! I’ll look out the details and get a complaint email off to them. I have a £6000 balance with a debt collection company….would be a good result if they even wrote that off! It was 2008 to 2012 so they may not entertain me but with an outstanding balance certainly nothing to lose. Thanks again
Ally says
Hi Sara,
Quick update on my Money Shop complaint. case has been on hold as 99 of the loans were over 6 year rule. I was advised at the begining of September that The Money Shop had agreed the FOS could look at some cases and mine was one of them.
On Monday I received an email saying TMS had made an offer to refund all interest and charges on all loans from loan 4, I accepted as the interest on those was about £45 and my refund will be about £3,500
Thank you again Sara for all help and advice.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Good result!
Louise says
Hi there,
I complained to Quickquid over 9 weeks ago. The interest adds up to about £4.5k. It was 2 loans in 2011, 2 in 2012 and then every month throughout 2013 and 2014. Then there was a one off loan in 2016 which I still owe £950 and am paying small payments via a debt collector.
I had pdl’s pretty much continuously from 2009 and borrowed from someone else if I wasn’t borrowing from QQ. I filled out the details on the FO website yesterday and then today Quickquid have replied to an email I sent saying that they had replied to me within 8 weeks. They hadn’t. I asked them for a copy and they sent me an undated PDF letter not a dated email.
So they are offering me £1100 and to write off the £950. So just over £2k from the £4.5k. With 8% interest I think this amount would be £5.5k.
I am really in need of the money and debating whether to take it but then on the other hand it annoys me that , yet again, these people are trying to take advantage of my desperation :-(
If I decide to decline is it worth me telling them that or do I just carry on with the FO and let them figure it out? Do I tell them the things I don’t agree with in their letter? Can anyone with experience of QQ say how long it took to get the second offer from them? Or can anyone say how long it takes for an adjudicator to pick up the case?
If people had received second offers from QQ quite soon after the first then I may be swayed to hold off.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They are definitely trying to buy people off as cheaply as possible. Their offer may be worse than it looks as well, as the £950 outstanding probably includes some interest, which the Ombudsman would take off if that loan was considered unaffordable – so the “write off” could be a lot less than £950.
There is no point in trying to reason with them – they ignore what you say. But do make sure your complaint to the FO lists the points you disagree with in their offer.
The good news is that QQ does often makes larger offers. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/quickquid-payday-loan-refunds/ for some examples. Sometimes these are as soon as you send the case to the FO, more often they are after the adjudicator has decided what is fair. Sometimes people get several increasing offers!
gillian says
hi louise just to let you know quickquid offered me nothing when it went to the adjudicater he ruled in my favour for loans 3 to 12 they disagreed but while it was in the ombudsmans que they changed suddenly agreed and paid me just over 6500 pound it took just over 9 months all together but worth the wait as i didnt know until this year i could reclaim anything i would say it was worth the wait good luck
Steph says
Hi Louise, exactly the same thing that happened to Gillian also happened to me.
QQ made a total of 4 offers to me throughout the course of my complaint. The first was £350, the final was £7,300 for all loans except the first. It too a total of 9 months from initial complaint.
Hang in there if you can afford to.
Steph
Heather says
I got a reply from Lending Stream to say the affordability checks were performed while approving the loans. But they offered to waive all the interest incurred on the outstanding loan and are ready to accept the remaining principal balance. Should I push further to get on the other 2 loans’ interest & charges refunded?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you give the numbers? Sometimes LS’s offers can be a bit misleading…
How large was the first loan? how much interest? And the second loan?
Then for the last loan, what did you borrow? How much have you paid so far if anything? What have they offered to reduce the balance to?
Heather says
1st loan – £360 – interest £345.60
2nd loan – £680 interest £665 & £15 missed payment charge
3rd loan – £450 interest £408.24 – I am on a £25 per month arrangement to pay the loan back
They emailed “With the above being said, we are ready to extend our support in clearing the debt. Hence, we offer to waive all the interest incurred on the outstanding loan and are ready to accept the remaining principal balance (Borrowed amount – Paid amount). Post waiver, loan will be closed without any further payments.” I have paid £200 (8 months x £25).
What should I say when I email them back? I want all the interest paid back on the 3 loans ideally and the outstanding balance of £250 cleared. Is that realistic to ask for?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, you won’t get the interest back in the first two loans AND the balance cleared. Part of the interest refund will be used to clear the £250 balance that remains when interest is removed.
Realistically getting the interest back on the second loan would be a reasonable result, so clearing balance and a refund of £430. You could suggest you would settle for that?
Heather says
I will write with the proposal to them to see what they say.
Heather says
I spoke to LS today – they are not budging from their initial offer of writing off the first loan balance, I have written to FOS to see what else can be done
Sarah says
Hi, I have been following this thread for a couple of months and decided to give it a try. I email Wonga as I was instructed and waited. Got a final response today ( 7 weeks 1day later). I calculated that I was owed about £4000 in interest including the 8%. I was hopeful I would get an offer of over £2000 ( which I probably would have accepted). I have been offered £4690!!, this includes the 8%, which I have accepted. Thank you so much for all the advice, this means so much to me and my family ?. How long should it take make it to my bank account?
Emma says
My adjudicator ruled in my favour and now qq are saying they do not agree with them I don’t no were I stand now with this can anyone shed any light on this
Marc says
Hi All,
Firstly many thanks to Sarah and everyone else for the help and information already supplied.
I’ve sent off the Step One Template to four lenders covering various PDL’s from 2012 to present day two days ago.
Quickquid – 5 loans
Wonga – 20 loans
Mr Lender – 1 loan
Wageday – 6 Loans
So far I’ve had responses from wageday and Mr Lender acknowledging receipt and stating investigation is ongoing. I’ve had a reply from quickquid asking for pay slips, bank statements etc to which I used the stock reply listed on the site stating I’ll supply them to the ombudsman when required and to please provide list as requested and continue investigation.
As yet nothing from Wonga.
I’ve downloaded a full credit report from Noddle and have access to online bank accounts for one of the accounts I used at the time. However, because I don’t now have access to my other account (Natwest) and due to the layout of the credit report I’m unable to ascertain how much I borrowed and paid out over the period.
At the time and to the present day I was paying off two large credit cards that had defaulted and servicing a ridiculously large overdraft (all my fault I may add).
Can anyone advise as to what I might expect next, how long I should wait for Wonga and if there’s a way I can get my bank statements from Natwest now the account is closed?
Thanks in Advance,
Marc
Lee says
Wonga replied to me in 7 weeks from intitial compliant. Wonga do actually make decent offers. I got £2559.10 which was basically 85% of what I interest had calculated. I accepted and money was in my bank account within 14 days. So in 9 weeks was worth the 1 letter sent. Don’t ever use a claims company.
MrsT says
Hi all,
Quick update!
Quickquid – Responded in 6 weeks, rejected all loans, all 12 of them – Referred to FSA
Loans Total = £3,275
Repaid = £4,175.29
Wonga – Responded in 7 weeks, only upheld 2 out of a possible 20 loans – Referred to FSA
Loans Total = £4,243
Repaid = £5,318.14
PDUK – No response yet, 8 week point next week
Loans Total = £920
Repaid = £1,340
Lee says
Does anyone know what the current wait time is for the financial Adjudicators to pick cases referred after the 8 weeks.
I have 6 in the end with the Financial Ombudsman Service now. I managed to settle 7 other payday provider complaints directly with the providers within the 8 weeks.
Ones I have referred for adjudicator to pick up.
Payday Express – Referred end of July
Lending Stream – Referred beginning of August
Wage Day Advance – Referred beginning of September
Uncle Buck – Referred beginning of September
Satsuma Loans – Referred on Monday (9th Oct)
247 Moneybox – Referred today.
Lisa says
Hi Lee,
Have any of your complaints been picked up by an adjudicator yet?
They have advised me its about 2 months after they have received the business file back from the company. The FOS requested mine from PDE on 12 September and they still haven’t sent it. I chased it this morning with them and they said we’re working with the FOS to come to a resolution, however, the management at the FOS are aware of the delays.
Lending stream sent my file in after 14 days and WDA did so within about a week.
Lee says
My payday express one sent to them end log July starting to be worked by an adjudicator. others waiting to be assigned or worked by allocated adjudicator. Just feel like no movement with things now.
Susan says
Stick with it trust me I started the process last November and only got few complaints left with payday express who have decided to eventually agree with me, it is a long process but be patient and stick with it.
Mrs B says
Hi
New to this thread however I have followed your advise back in July 17. I have reviewed my credit history since 2009 and was shocked to see what damage I have done over the past 8 years via payday loans. Due to these loans I have defaulted on every possible credit account I have held including catalogues, credit cards and even had to leave uni in my final year to get a full time job to try and repay these monies. I would like to say a big thank you as I have just received my first repayment notice from Payday express of £1995 and hopefully a few more to come.
I would like to ask if anyone else had been contacted a few years ago from Wonga and given a small rebate of interest on the final loan. Will this prevent me from making a claim as they have written to me and suggested so. Lending Steam as mentioned seem to be very coy and will not release any information barr the amount I am still due them. Quick Quid are also refusing any liability so I have tonight contacted the Ombudsman in relation to this account as I have calculates over £3k paid out in interest alone.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Having had a previous small refund given to you automatically by Wonga won’t affect an affordability complaint. I think a good way to think of this is that the previous refund was the “first instalment” of a refund you may get now, so it will reduce what you can get but yiu san still claim. ( NB those are my words, they aren’t used by Wonga or the Same mbudsman so don’t reply to Wonga saying you want the rest of your refund as what you had before was just the first bit.)
Nick says
Hi Sara, I’ve got some on going complaints with various companies at the moment and I’ve been looking through some old bank statements and have just remembered that I used to take a different kind of payday loan out locally which was where you would write cheques out and the company would borrow you the money then they would cash the cheques on your payday. Can these types of loans be claimed for too? I had them with Ramsdens (local pawnbrokers, who I think may have been covered by provident) and the money shop.
Thank you.
Michellew says
I have had a refund from Ramsden and Herbert Brown for cheque cashing. Email ramsdens direct. They took 4 weeks to look at my claim.
Just money shop with fos as a lot of cheques over 6 years
Feelinghopeful says
I put in a claim to wonga theee days ago, not really knowing the facts about my borrowing, but yesterday I spent the entire day trawling through my past emails from them and loan agreements – I have borrowed every single month since May 2012. Each time borrowing the max they would allow as it was a viscous circle. I have worked out that the interest and fees charged are around 3700. What do you all think a fair offer from wonga would be should they reply? Also – anyone know how long wonga normally take to respond?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have borrowed every month since 2012 that is probably a VERY strong claim. With the 8% simple interest added, you may well get over well over £4000 refunded…
Do you still have a loan from them?
Feelinghopeful says
Yes. It’s been added to a debt management plan with step change that I have had for about 8 years – they were very understanding about letting me add it on. Still waiting for wongas response about the repayment plan but the current loan isn’t due for payment until the end of this month so it’s not in arrears…. YET! Fingers crossed it all comes good.
Brad says
Hi Sara,
Are complaints any less / more likely to be upheld if you carried on applying for pay day loans with a different lender after lodging a complaint?
I did this a while ago but I was rejected. I think my credit recoEd obviously worsened due to defaults and the letters going out to lenders. I only applied for a small amount as I was still struggling at the time and not all payment plans had been agreed etc.
It was in the weeks after I sent letters to 13 lenders. I tried to take out small loans with other lenders that I hadn’t written to. I’m in agreed payment plans now with the 6 I have left to pay off.
I was rejected by the lenders. Not been to the ombudsman on one case so far which is ongoing. Just wondered if carrying on applying for PD loans would affect the position.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No it shouldn’t. But you do need to stop borrowing! Seriously! If your situation is such that you can’t get through the month without borrowing again, talk to StepChange. It may be you are paying too much to the agreed payment plans.
Brad says
Agreed. I have stopped borrowing now.
Actually just had a response from Ferratum offering to write off my remaining balance of £100 and refund me £150. I paid total interest of £462 and I had 9 loans in 12 months. I’m happy with this. Resolved just over 6 weeks from initial complaint.
Mark says
Hi,
Does anyone know the best way or easiest way to get a copy of my credit file, I tried to get it via Noddle but they haven’t been able to validate or verify my identity so I can’t access it, I presume this is because I recently moved.
I need to get a copy from somewhere to send to the FOS.
Kind regards
Mark
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Try applying for your free statutory report from TransUnions: https://www.transunion.co.uk/consumer-solutions.
i can’t guarantee it will work, but its worth trying. Next option would be the similar from Experian, but payday lenders tend to use Trans Union more often.
Stacey Reddick says
Hi All , Just a little updates.
SUNNY – Finally gave me a response! £2000 + £331 interest = £2331 they are happy to reinstate me with the £331 + £59 @ 8% and happy to write of my outstanding debt off £351!! I thought this was amazing. First company im happy with and not had to go through the FO.
PROVIDENT – Sent me an email after 56 days stating they need a further 14 days. Any one else experience this? I feel like this will be taken to the FO. Has anyone taken them and got anywhere?
118118 Money – Complaint has been outstanding for 54 days , called them today and nobody has even looked at the complaint. Any one delt with these before?
LENDING STREAM – With the FO. The have Said they would write my outstanding debt and credit me with £90 not happy with this as i had over 17 loans this was just one. So waiting on adjudicator to look into. Anyone have any positive news?
Quickquid – FO taken this on. They said they are not doing anything with my complaint.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think the regulars here would have predicted that you would be most likely to get a good offer from Sunny. Lots of successes against Lending Stream and QuickQuid at the Ombudsman. Provident too, but you tend to only get a refund for more recent loans, not all of them. 118 Money there have been fewer complaints so far but some good wins.
Lisa says
Well done!
Im wishing more of mine were with Sunny as 247, PDUK, PDE and lending stream have been hopeless! Im getting the distinct feeling that these people tend to agree to some form of refund if you still owe them money
(PDE and PDUK are apparently working with the FOS however, after more than a month they still haven’t sent in the business file in case others are asking)
Lee says
Well done Stacey. I found Sunny easy to deal with. Gave me the full amount I had calculated in initial compliant with the additional 8%. No hassle – just refunded me. Would be nice if they were all this easy. In same boat with you regarding Lending Stream – waiting for my adjudicator to start looking at this case. Also expecting payday express and 247 Moneybox to be difficult – also awaiting adjudicator to contact me once reviewed properly. I’m kind of expecting no response till December at the earliest. I just phone up every month to see what movement there is with my 6 cases at adjudicator stage.
AK says
Lee, how long did it take Sunny to pay you after you accepted their offer? I received the response from them today offering me the amount of interest plus 8%, no doubt I accepted. In their email they said payment will be made in 3-5 business days, did they keep their promise?
Paul says
Another success in my complaints – Ferratum responded to me today, within six weeks of my initial complaint. I’ve had 3 loans with them, which isn’t that many, never defaulted, always paid on time. So I didn’t really expect anything. I have a current loan outstanding with two more payments due totalling £318. However, they have agreed, as a goodwill gesture, to waive the balance of my current loan so no monies are owed AND refund me £50 by faster payment.
I’m very pleased with this result and goes to show that it’s worth pursuing a complaint even if you think it’s unlikely to be upheld.
Thanks again to this site. Amazing!
Brad says
Same here mate. Must be their day for responding! I got £100 written off and £150 back from £460 interest. Good work
Jess says
Hi again Sarah – I got the following response from 24/7 moneybox:
Please take this email as acknowledgement of your complaint. We will now investigate the issues you have raised within the timescales as set out in our complaints procedure below.
We are aware that there are many forums and templated letters available on the internet to exploit any previous credit commitments under the wholly subjective banner of affordability. To compare our actions with the reported behaviour of other lenders is inappropriate.
We are confident that the required assessments were carried out prior to the advance of all loans. We are able to substantiate fully the information on which lending decisions were based.
Our relationship was based on responsible lending in addition to responsible borrowing. We provided you with all the facts about our product and the charges and costs involved. We treated you as a rational individual able to make a credible decision as to whether to borrow or not. For our part of the relationship we acted on the information available to us at the time and the prevailing regulations and guidance at the time.
We are happy as a gesture of goodwill to resolve today by removing all reporting made to credit reference
———————
Jess says
What do I say back as surely it doesn’t matter if I used a template !!!!
Thanks Jess xx
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is Moneybox 247’s standard reply so you could always reply pointing out that they have used a template to reply to you :)
How many loans did you have from them over what period? How much interest did you pay?
Susan says
He folks,
I started the process last November and only few complaints left to hear back from, I know the process is long and can be frustrating but trust me stick with it and be patient, the financial ombudsmen are really busy now as more and more people are realising they can complain.
But trust me when I say there is light at the end off the tunnel cause I am one off them.
So good luck to you all and no complaint is to small x
Mandy says
Quick update from me Uncle Buck rejected complaint I sent one year ago now. They disagreed with adjudicator who upheld and went to Ombudsman who also upheld. They have contacted me for bank details and said payment due 28 days from 3/10/2017 I reminded them it’s actually due no later than 28 days after 29/8/17 – the emailed and agreed they got the date wrong. They have been so difficult to deal with and I’m so pleased it’s nearly over. Thank you all and especially Sara for this fantastic website.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So they are already well over the 28 days?
That sounds a very slow complaint. If you think the delays have been mainly caused by UB, then you may want to consider informing their regulator, the FCA, of what you think about UB’s complaints handling… It won’t help you but it may improve things for other people in the future. Email the FCA at consumer.queries@fca.org.uk and make it clear you are not asking them to look at your complaint (they won’t) you just want to say how badly one of their authorised firms has treated a customer with a complaint. You will get an acknowledgement back, not a request for more details.
Steph says
Lending Stream FOS Ombudsman decision received today. Ombudsman has rejected my complaint on the basis that it was my first loan with Lending Stream and my income was sufficient to cover the payments. This is despite having other payday loans and high debt elsewhere at the time of applying for this loan. It’s a shame as the adjudicator found in my favour, but clearly harder to win one off loans.
Good luck everyone!
Thomas says
Wonga wrote off my debt with them a while back without me even making a complaint.
Should I still be claiming from them in regards to interest on the loans? I borrowed 3 times going by my credit file (£227, £470, £571 are the amounts showing on my file). I believe it was the final £571 that they wrote off out of the blue.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you remember if you made any payments to the last loan?abd how much you borrowed?
Lauren says
Hi all,
What are everyone’s experiences with turnaround times once they’re assigned an adjudicator?
My complaint relates only to Wonga and I was assigned an adjudicator on the 25.09.2017 (about a month after making the complaint). They’ve contacted me a few times since with questions about certain payments on my bank statements but then I’ve heard nothing else.
Also- worst case scenario- if the adjudicator does find in the lender’s favour, is it possible they may even suggest that lender retracts their original settlement offer?
Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It depends how complicated your case is. If you had lots of lenders, a partner who paid some expenses, a joint bank account and a one in just your name, some large gaps between your loans and the case went over several years during which time you moved and changed jobs it can be an enormous amount of work for the adjudicator. If you were single, had 6 loans in 6 months and your income and expenses were the same throughout it is much simpler. Also if the adjudicator had to ask Wonga questions it will depend on how quickly they reply…
I suggest you wait a week then email the adjudicator asking if there is any other information you can provide that will help – a polite nudge.
Worst case, we have never seen a case where the adjudicator said less than the lender offered. The worst case is that the adjudicator says they think the lender offer us fair and yiu shoukd accept it.
Xenedra Rebecca says
Hi,
After chasing my Lending stream complaint and last night sending it to the Ombusman. This morning I have an email with and offer but I really don’t understand it. I plan to call them to discuss it but just to see a response and to help others that might get the same il post the response below.
‘Resolution:
However, we would like to confirm that Lending Stream would never retreat in extending our support, whenever required. Hence we are ready to extend our support in clearing the debt and waive the interest and charges incurred for the loans 3332680, 3406870 and 3528788 and accept the remaining principal balance of £399.43 (Amount Borrowed – Amount Paid).
To clarify, the total waiver would be £575.67.
We find it worth mentioning that the reduced balance (£399.43) can be paid in a full one time payment or in an affordable payment arrangement.’
What does this mean?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It means that they say you owe money on the three loans they have named, current balance about £975. They are offering to remove the interest from these loans so you only pay back what you have borrowed, which they say is 399… so no money back but you repay less.
This could be a good offer, if you only had 3 loans. But it is probably a very bad offer if you had a lot of loans.
The first thing is to check that there numbers are correct – never trust a payday lender (especially Lending Stream) to have got these right! So the last three loans, what did you borrow & and gave you made any payments to them?
Then how many loans did you have before these three? How much interest did you pay on them?
Xenedra Rebecca says
Ok thank you.
Iv done some sums and tbh they are way out with all the figures so glad I checked.
Yes I was paying them and they are receiving payments via my DMP.
The three loans they refer to here are the active ones in a DMP. There are 2 previous loans that are closed.
M M says
Just got my first response from QQ. Offered a £30 against interest paid of £2200. They said they did credit checks even though there was two defaults on my file throughout the whole period. They said my income was enough even though there was no reference to any of my outgoings. The one they decided to pay out on was some random one in the middle. Once I got my three responses back from the other lenders, it’s off to the FOS I go. Will be in it for the long haul as some are over six years.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You don’t need to wait for the others, you can send this one to the FOS now.
If these were oldish QQ loans, then I don’t think they usually asked for your expenses, so asserting that you earned enough is the best they can do… of course what you earned has little to do with whether a loan was unaffordable or not!
M M says
Ah ok. I just thought it would be easier for one person at FOS to deal with all four. Looks like I have a lot of scanning of bank statements to do. Doing Four years worth is going to be no picnic.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Your cases may not all be picked up by the same adjudicator even if you put them all in at the same time! Your bank statements and credit report can be shared between adjudicators.
Stick some music on and settle in for a boring few hours scanning…
M M says
Good advice! As my loans cover 2007 to 2011, best I can do is an Equifax credit report from 2014 that shows the defaults being placed in 2008. I don’t think I will be able to get hold of anything older than that.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is an excellent and unusual bit of evidence – few people have old credit reports at all and they are still winning these older loan cases.
Mike says
Hi just received this from the FOS…thought they ‘could’ consider older loans?
Dear Mr F
Thank you for your recent email.
We have received the business file from Quick Quid relating to the loans that you took out with them.
As you are aware Quick Quid stated they can’t consider the loans you took out with them more than six years from when you made your complaint to them, as they are outside the six year time limit for raising complaints.
We are still in discussion with the businesses that issue short term loans (including Quick Quid) about whether we can look at the loans they consider to be out of time. This has been a lengthy process and currently we don’t have a timescale of when this issue is likely to be resolved.
You do have the option of waiting for an outcome to this issue, when we will let you know if we can look at your loans dated October 2009 to March 2011 (7 loans).
Please can you confirm if you would like to wait to see if we can consider all the loans that Quick Quid granted, or if you would like us to close your complaint. Once I have received your response I will either place your complaint on hold or close your case against Quick Quid.
Please could you let me know as soon as possible, and no later than 30 October 2017, so I can update your complaint.
Kind regards
Jane Gallagher
Mike says
I read on here that someone said they appeared to be moving forward with this?
Nevertheless I asked to be put on hold.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The FOS has decided it can look at these, some payday lenders have accepted this and are paying out, QuickQuid is being difficult. A few people with QQ 6+ year complaints have heard from their adjudicator that there may be some movement on these by the end of the month.. I hope so!
But in your position you have nothing to gain by closing your complaint, I suggest you ask them to put it on hold.
Bakey says
Hi,
I have initial complaints in to Wonga, The Money Shop, Cash Converters, Sunny and SafetyNet Credit. I’ve heard from all acknowledging the complaint and then from some again saying it is taking a bit longer, but all still within the 8 week period.
I didn’t give any extra info to Sunny or SNC, just sent the initial complaint email. Should I? I put them in after the others and moved shortly after/had no internet so just forgot.
Also, should I keep paying Sunny and SNC? To be honest, I am struggling to do so but don’t want to jepordise things – my credit isn’t good so that isn’t a major concern in any decision.
And lastly, sorry for so many questions, what can you do if the company have failed to send you info on your loans? All but one (The Money Shop) did and I did find the info from TMS from my Noodle report BUT, I doesn’t show what the interest was or default/late fees etc.
Thank you for your help! This site has been an eye-opener for me.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
SafetyNetCredit and Sunny – unless you can repay them and not borrow any more from them or from other lenders, you need to cancel the CPA with your bank (don’t trust the lender not to take more money) and tell the lenders you need a repayment plan. This won’t harm your case – your complaint is that you can’t afford their loans and this shows that you can’t.
I’m not sure if you are saying that all the companies apart from the Money shop have sent you a list of your loans?
You can also work out the interest on all apart from the cheque based lending from your bank statements. If you ignore the last loan where you still owe money, then the interest you have paid is just the difference between the amount you borrowed and the amount you repaid.
Bakey says
Thanks for your response, Sara, it’s much appreciated.
I cancelled the CPA for Sunny and SNC a couple of weeks ago but had been trying to keep up paying at the very least Sunny because they are so incessant with calls and emails. I will definitely negotiate a repayment plan now though, assume they cannot be awkward because of the complaints lodged? Annoying to continue paying as what I am paying Sunny now every week is purely interest added to a small initial loan.
Sorry I wasn’t very clear but yes, all but The Money Shop furnished me with details about loans.
I’m in the process of access my old bank account for statements but TMS borrowing was in cash so I only have the repayment info on any statements. Hoping it will be simple enough to tally what shows on my Noodle report against what the statements show I paid out and work out the interest. So much easier of lenders were just transparent and forthcoming (and accurate) of course!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Lenders won’t be deliberately awkward because of the complaint, but it can be a confusing period as complaints are handled in one area, repayment offers in another and at the same time their system is probably churning out automatic reminders.
If yiu still have the local money shop you borrowed from, you can call in there and ask for a list of your loans. A lot of people have found they will simply print you one out.
Linda says
Hi I have a few complaints in the queue for an adjudicator (it’s been about 1 1/2 months now) all the companies have been written to by the FO and I have reference numbers but I understand the wait for an adjudicator is normal. One of them is The Money Shop who after 11 weeks never sent me a SOA or a final response and just stopped replying. Has anyone had any experiences with this company making a final offer/sending a final response once a complaint has been referred but before it has been investigated? The FO said they may do this, just wondered if anyone else has experienced this?
Acee says
Is it normal not to hear anything from the adjudicator? I had the initial letter asking for bank statements etc which I emailed them but nothing since that was about 6 weeks ago. They haven’t responded to any of my emails just hoping they are looking at my complaint. I was expecting them to ask for SOA as most didn’t send me one so couldn’t send it to them so they won’t know how much interest I was paying.
Linda says
Hi when I asked the FO I was told sometimes they’ll get in touch with you to ask for info/ introduce themselves etc but if they have everything they need not always.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Your complaint probably hasn’t been assigned to an adjudicator yet. The initial letter is just getting everything ready for when someone picks up the case.
Linda says
If it helps Acee mine have all been about 6 weeks since receiving the initial letters they gave me an estimated waiting time of 2/3 months
CT55 says
Hey Sara
Looking for some advice, I recently accepted a full and final settlement from QQ and got the cash in my account, since then I have been bombarded with emails and text messages offering me another loan with QQ and pounds to pocket, my other half said I should consider taking this to the FOS as it’s almost predatory the way they are trying to entice me with another loan.
Obviously I won’t be taking it out, and settled full and final but would you recommend taking this further to FOS given the admission of dependency etc?
Thanks in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When was the last loan from QQ?
Linda says
I had this with QQ as soon as I had accepted the offer and they had refunded into my account I received several emails and even a text offering me 10% off the interest on my first payment if I took out another loan with them with a code, I was gobsmacked. Like you I didnt take a loan out, didnt think about putting in an additional complaint to be honest it is ridiculous though as they upheld my complaint in their final response.
MH says
Hi All
Just wondered if anyone had any success reclaiming against Likely Loans (Oakbrook finance)??
Thanks
MH
Dan says
No – just uploaded a complaint to the adjudicator, think I have a strong case based on what others have said, received their FR two hours before the deadline, despite chasing them weekly, full of errors and very dismissive.
Xenedra says
Hi!
I put in a complaint to the Likely Loans (Oakbrook Finance) on 31.08.2017, got a bounce back email but nothing since. I will chase them tomorrow.
My debt is in a DMP currently.
I’m hoping for something because they are one of the companies that refused to stop the interest when I entered my DMP. My current balance is twice what I borrowed, despite making the full agreed payments for one year and reduced payments for about 6 months!
I would be interested to hear people’s outcomes on this.
Dan says
Rejected and dismissed bluntly.
I hope you are on a good run……I’m at 190 ish
Best wishes, cg
MH says
Mine is currently with an adjudicator, they have contacted me to say that they are looking into it, once i hear anything guys i’ll update you on this.
Alan says
I have had a response from peachy which they say is there “final response”. It listed in detail all there findings and that I had enough funds available for repayments. (turns out when I emailed to claim that what I put in outings was different from applications). The main thing I want to ask is, they say that based on info they have and have shown me that “we are not able to uphold your complaint as we are confident we carried out sufficient checks” although they have offered a low good will payment. Should I accept it? (think its 1/8th of full amount).
thanks in advance and any advice what to do much appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
1/8 doesn’t sound good… can you summarise your borrowing? How many loans over what period? How much interest?
There may be a lot of good reasons why your application didn’t match your expenditure, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-lender-says-lied/ for details. These won’t stop you winning a case at the Ombudsman.
Thomas says
What should response be if the lender asks to see bank statements and payslips? I no longer have the account, it is about 4 years old.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You don’t have to provide this sort of thing to a lender – you can say you want them to consider the case as it stands. If it goes to the Financial Ombudsman, you will be asked for bank statements (but not payslips!). You can get these from closed accounts and it is normally easier than people expect.
Lucia says
Hi All, Has anyone had any updates with over 6 years complaints? My partners given up on his Wonga one and has given the go ahead to the FOS to ignore the over 6 year loans – there’s only a few. I’m hanging on though. Its taking forever!
Jess says
Hi, mine were all taken out in 2010 and I’ve only just started 2 weeks ago (I had about 7 different lenders) all have acknowledged my emails and I’ve already had some money paid back to me from one lender. I’d say hold on there because I am!!! Xxx
Matt says
I’ve been waiting since May 2016 for my Wonga complaint with loans all over 6 years. I got a reply from the FOS last month saying that they’re still looking into the objection raised by Wonga regarding loans over 6 years old.
Kat says
Hi All, I lodged a complaint with 24/7 moneybox on 5th October and they have responded on the 13th Oct with what seems to be their standard reply about being a responsible lender and they are aware that template letters exist online etc etc. However at the end they did add –
We are happy as a gesture of goodwill to resolve today by writing off your current outstanding balance of £672.00.
Should I accept this and not chase my complaint for older loans? I’m wary of accepting too early as from what I have read 24/7 Moneybox is routinely slow in replying and I think they got back with this offer quite quickly. Is the prompt response in the hope that they can get rid of me quickly and save them self a bigger payout? I’d appreciate any thoughts on this one please as I really don’t know what to do
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Could be an OK offer but it may well be very poor…
Do you know how much interest you paid on the previous loans, not including the defaulted one?
The last defaulted loan, how much did you borrow? And how much 9if anything) have you paid to it?
david says
247 Moneybox usually take your loan history off your account as soon as a complaint is made, so you have no record of how much interest and charges you’ve paid (therefore difficult to judge if an offer is good or not).
In my case, I heard nothing at all from them – no response to the complaint, and nor did they deal with the adjudicator or ombudsman. The good news is the ombudsman decided in my favour, am nearing the end of the 30 days and still havent been paid out.
I have had some decent results from following the advise on this site, for me though 247 Moneybox are by far the worst to deal with.
You are lucky to have at least had an email from them, but I would decline the offer and take it to the FOS unless they can show you how much you paid in total.
Linda says
I agree 247 by far the worst. I sent quite a few emails to them following my complaint I had one reply offering to wipe my balance which is very small and this came through about 9 weeks after I lodged my complaint and wasnt marked final response. I declined as I’d had 14 loans with them over a period of time and the interest and charges amount was a lot more. They didnt send through my SOA either. After 10 weeks I sent to FO and after an update im told they haven’t responded to them either. Guess its just a waiting game
Kat says
Thanks David, I’m going to have to trawl through bank statements to double check my figures because as you rightly say when I now log on to my account summary page all I get is an error message. All previous loans were paid in full so I think they are going for the cheap option, think I might wait this one out.
Ash says
Hi can someone help
Satsuma have offered me £460 little less than half the interest I paid . Do they add on 8% or is this only if it’s been to ombudsman service?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Some firms add 8%, but if they were going to do this, they would have said so, so the £460 is what you would get.
How many loans did you have from them over what period?
Ash says
I had 2 loans there only giving me the interest for the 2016 one not the 2013 one. Tha ks for the reply
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So there was a long gap between these? Well, you may get some more if you go to the Ombudsman, but you may just be told the adjudicator thinks your offer was fair. You have a better case if you had problems paying back your first loan – missed payments or needed a payment arrangement.
Gary says
Had reply back from Poundstopocket , quite scary I had principal of £5600 and paid nearly £4000 interest , would be happy to get a quarter of that back well that’s 1 of 14 different lenders, bad days back then. Wish me luck I have s similar one with QQ as well. Gary
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have paid £4000 in interest, you may well get back quite a bit more than a quarter! if it goes to the Ombudsman, the 8%s on top add up as well!
Gary says
Thanks Sara, here’s hoping ?
Lou says
Almost 2 weeks ago I sent the adjudicator who has picked up my complaint against Wonga a copy of my credit report and answered a series of questions on income and expenditure – any idea how long they normally take to make a decision or is every case different?
Lou
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Every case is different. If the adjudicator asked Wonga some questions, they may be waiting for a reply. I suggest you wait another week then email and ask if there is any more information you can help with – a polite type of nudge.
Kel says
Just had a response from satsuma who say they can’t uphold my complaint due as they see no irresponsible lending has been given. This is one of many complaints I have with numerous companies but one I didn’t think would be successful due to it being a single loan. I am a little bemused and concerned by their response so wanted to know if you think it’s worth perusing with the Fos the state in their response that the £1000 loan I took out in august 17 was affordable based on the details I gave (I slightly made my credit commitments sound more attractive than they were) they also said that after checking with the CRA they use it showed no history of pay day loans in the last 6 years so there was no reason for me to be reliant. This I so wish was true I had problems had in access of 40 payday loans between 2014- to date at least three companies being used monthly as well as safety net
If I’m honest satsuma was a shot in the dark from many of the marketing emails I nearly fell off my chair when it said approved I was desperate and didn’t have the funds to pay bills or my existing debt hence the application! I now have a balance of £1926 due to interest I haven’t paid them anything back as yet but find it scary that people like me can take a loan for £1000 when it was obvious I was in a real mess and they say they couldn’t see it !! Your opinion would be appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Some one loan cases aren’t worth pursuing. One where you borrowed £100 4 years ago and repaid it on time… Yours is at the opposite end of the spectrum – it is recent (so the lender had to check your credit record), large (lenders should do more thorough checks for larger loans) and you have a balance outstanding (showing you can’t afford to repay it). You will also have your bank statements around so that is going to be easy.
That doesn’t mean you are definitely going to win, but it’s well worth a try by asking the Ombudsman to decide what is fair. Make sure you point out to the Ombudsman that Satsuma must have seen the payday loans on your credit record if they had correctly checked your credit record.
NB winning in this case means having the interest removed from the balance that you owe. I guess you have other debts as well? Have you looked at a debt management plan to get your finances under control whilst your complaints go through? This won’t harm your case, it won’t reduce any compensation, indeed it proves you are in financial problems. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/help-payday-loan/
Dave says
I have sent my satsuma one to the FOS for one loan.
Exactly the same situation as you, I got one loan for £500 a month before going into a DMP. Their response said my credit file showed no evidence of any other payday loans in the last SIX YEARS!!!! Yeah right!!
If that was true I wouldn’t be in a DMP.
6 months into DMP and I owe them £750 still
Wiggles says
Update on my cases: Lending stream – Case originally put in 28th October 2016 got an adjudicator around Dec 2016 had a decision around mid Jan 2017 so 9 months or so of being an a que for an ombudsman, still nothing from them at all. I have emailed once a month and had updates of saying “its still waiting in a queue” the other case which is QuickQuid, Has been in for as long as the lending stream one, I asked for the older than 6 years to be removed from the complaint as i worked out it was only a small amount and was not willing to wait even longer. That has been and gone to an adjudicator and is also in the queue for an ombudsman
So my real question is has anyone had to ever wait nearly a year for a case to be allocated to an ombudsman ?
sw says
Yes, my QQ is waiting and has been since July 2016. Some loans over 6 years old.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hopefully there will be some movement on these older QQ cases soon – rumour has it …
Kerry says
Is this from information then or just rumour? I emailed my adudicator last week and she said no news at present and it would be unfair to say if it would be before the end of this year as didn’t want to get my hopes up. Been with adudicator 1 year now. 4 out of 6 of my QQ loans are over 6 years.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If your QQ case included loans over 6 years it would probably have been on hold until you said they could be removed. Is there anything unusual about your LS case, because that delay is HIGHLY unusual.
Wiggles says
It must have been sods law as both cases are currently being looked at by a single Ombudsman. I emaield to get an update for the month and they said both are being dealt with now so soon I hope
Sara (Debt Camel) says
fingers crossed!
Kel says
Hi Sara thanks for the advice is it worth challenging this with satsuma or should I just go straight to the FOS I am just worried what happens to my outstanding balance whilst waiting for my complaint to be dealt with. I am making token payments with some of the lenders whilst my complaints are being dealt with. The 8 weeks are up at the end of October. I have had a couple of successes so things are a little better wanted a dmp to be a last resort
I have also had issues with gambling too which I’m getting under control
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Satsuma probably won’t change their mind. If you want to challenge it with them, enclose a copy of your Noddle report showing all the payday loans and say that unless they delete the interest from your balance you will be going to the ombudsman in a week, so there is a deadline.
A DMP is not the last resort, it is the sensible option when your money is a mess. If you get loads of money back, then you start repaying the DMP balances. If you get balances reduced, your DMP goes faster. A DMP doesn’t have to be permanent!
M M says
Wonga wouldn’t even pay out on £140 interest claimed. Ah well, another one to give to the FOS.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Was this just one loan? How long ago?
M M says
Six loans from December 2011 to July 2012!
Jb says
What’s everyone’s dealing like with sunny. They have come back with a final response and offered all interest and charges back for all my loans. How quick are they with paying out. Sara a massive thank you to you out of 7 complaints I’ve had 5 successful complaints that have been upheld. Now just waiting for 247 but not holding my breath as I hear they can be tricky.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sunny are normally quite quick, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refund-payout/
Brad says
Hi Sara, QQ last night rejected my complaint after exactly 7 weeks. I had 17 loans with them in 14 months including top ups and more recently default.
The email response was vague and factually incorrect so I’m off to the FOS.
Ryan cotta. says
Just wondering how people got on with Quick quid how much they have got back and how long it takes to get a reply I must of took 20 odd loans out some at 1200 surely I’m going to be entitled to a decent amount It was month after month I was borrowing from them paying one back then getting a new one out I’ve had my complaint in for 6 weeks now I’ve just asked them for a full copy of my history of borrowing
Brad says
See my post above Ryan. Replied after 7 weeks rejecting my claim after having 17 loans in 14 months. Gone to the FOS
Sara (Debt Camel) says
then that is probably a very good complaint. Don’t be fobbed off by a low offer from QQ – come back here and ask if you aren’t sure whether to accept something.
Ben says
Hi,
Just wondering how long it takes if you refer something onto the FOS to have a reply / outcome. Basically had an offer from Lending Stream last night for full refund on what I paid on 1 loan. However nothing back on a separate loan I had with them.
Andy says
Hi advice please!!!
I’ve got a complaint with quick quid!! About 2 weeks to go until final response is due.
I have opened my post today and I’ve got a county court claim form???
What’s the best thing to do??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Who is the claimant? QuickQuid or a debt collector? Have you had a letter about this debt from them recently?
Andy says
Moriarty law letter dated 16.10.17 (received yesterday) saying I had 14 days to amicably resolve the matter then today a letter from county court buisiness centre dated 16.10.17 the claimant is motormile finance uk ltd. No letters what so ever
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Were you aware your debt had been sold to Motormile Finance?
Andy says
No not a clue and even when quick quid responded to my email they never said that it had been passed on and that’s original loan was in 2013!!! Never heard anything and now I’ve complained this?? Doesn’t make sense
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you contact National Debtline and ask them for help to defend the court case. The points to make are:
– you have already disputed the debt with the original lender and the complaint has not yet been resolved
– you have never been informed by QuickQuid that the debt has been sold to Motormile Finance
– Motormile Finance have not complied with the new Debt Pre Action Protocol rules that started on 1st October.
It is essential you enter a defence to the court case within the tight timescales allowed. I think you should also put in complaints to QuickQuid and Motormile Finance about the court case being started and ask them for the court case to be put on hold BUT you also need to defend the court case itself.
C says
Hi all signed my agreement from ombudsman for refund from moneybox 247 on 30th sept. They have said its with the finance dept being worked out (4th oct) however still waiting for refund and not answering emails, does this sound familiar with anyone? I am aware the 28 days isnt up yet but thought they paid fairly quick?
David says
My refund is due from 247 money box and the 30 days are nearly up. I know this site says they pay within a few days, but my experience (and others) is different . They will not communicate at all, and I fully expect to have to go back to the fos to see what the next step is when they won’t pay out after been told to by the fos and 30 days have passed.
I’m sorry to say I’ve had dealings with too many payday lenders in the past , but 247 money box and on absolutely terrible and the worst by a long long way. Hopefully Sara can update her
Info regarding this outfit
C says
Thats exactly how I feel about them,nightmare to deal with. I will wait the 28 days if nothing then will go back to fos. I was hoping for a redund in a fee days as per Sara’s update. Keep me posted how you get on please. Good luck.
david says
Thank you. I am in the fortunate position where 247 M are the last payday lender for me to deal with, and the FOS have decided in my favour, so after this I will have some spare time on my hands. The way I feel now is that how dare companies like this get away with not even acknowledging a complaint…or paying out when the FOS says they should. If 247 Moneybox had been decent and courteous with me, it wouldnt have gone this far and I would have accepted a lot less than the FOS have adjudicated.
As it is, I feel like they should not be in business at all and want to take things further still if i can. Luckily I have been able to work out roughly how much refund is due to me, but how can it be right for these people to refuse details of your loan history when asked? Or to flout the FOS?
I will look into what steps can be taken next – tell the FOS, talk to am MP, basically try and get these people out of business- because this site is great but I cant see what to do next when this company ignores the ombudsman.
Annie says
I informed the fos that I accepted their decision on 247moneybox on 26th September and still don’t have the cash. I’m not expecting it before 28 days to be honest. It’s not that long in the grand scheme of things.