If you had doorstep loans from lender such as Provident, you may be able to get a refund of the interest you paid if the lender should have realised the loan was unaffordable for you.
Doorstep lending – also called home credit – is where a collector comes to your house to collect the repayments.
Doorstep loans are used by over 1.3 million people in Britain. Many people have been borrowing from the same lender for years.
Provident is much the largest lender, but everything in this article also applies to the other lenders including Morses Club, Mutual and Loans At Home.
Contents
What is an “unaffordable” loan?
The regulator says that a loan is unaffordable if you couldn’t make the repayments without borrowing again. This could be borrowing from the same lender, from someone else, getting deeper into your overdraft or by not paying a bill such as a utility bill.
So even if you always paid your loans on time, they could still have been unaffordable. Especially if you had several Provident loans at the same time or often had to refinance/top-up a loan.
Often the first few loans may have been just about affordable, but Provident should have realised their loans were making your life more difficult when you kept getting more loans.
If you were struggling, your agent should have suggested that you could repay the current one a lot more slowly with no extra interest being added. But too often people were just offered another larger loan.
That was irresponsible lending and you should get a refund back of the interest you paid.
You are very unlikely to get a refund for only one loan. But if you borrowed several times and if you took out a new loan when you were having problems paying an existing one, then complain.
How to ask for a refund from Provident or other home credit lenders
For the last few years, lots of people have been getting large refunds from payday loans, see How to ask for a payday loan refund. The good news is the process is exactly the same for doorstep loans – the regulator’s definition of affordability is the same for all sorts of lending.
And now people are having success with complaints about doorstep loans – see the comments at the bottom of this article!
The template letter here for doorstep loans is similar to the one for payday loans, but it has some extra points that matter for doorstep loans.
Template letter to ask Provident for a refund
As I do not have all the details of my loans, I want you to send me a list of them, 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. I would like you to send me a complete list even if you consider that some of the loans are too old to be refunded. [delete this if you already have your loan details.]
You should never have given me these unaffordable loans. 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.
[If any of the following happened to you, add a couple of sentences describing this. If the problems didn’t happen for all of your loans, add the words OFTEN or SOMETIMES. Delete any that didn’t happen to you.]
- I have borrowed from you continuously for [say how many years]. Every time I repaid a few payments my collector encouraged me to take a top up and refinance it. My collector never explained I would have paid less interest if I just took a new loan and carried on repaying the old one.
- I missed several payments and the collector knew I was in difficulty as I had lost my job/had my hours cut/benefits reduced but I was just offered a new loan. I was never told that I could have a repayment plan for my existing loan instead.
- When I asked my collector if I could pay over a longer period, he/she said I couldn’t unless I took a new loan.
- For the first loan my collector looked at my payslip but after that he never checked and never asked if I was getting the same money – I wasn’t.
- My collector said I needed to change some things on my application otherwise it wouldn’t be approved.
- My collector filled out the application and gave it to me to sign, I didn’t have time to read it.
I didn’t know that the lender was supposed to check that I could repay the loan without having to borrow more. I only found out in [say when and how you heard about these refunds – article in the Sun? Facebook advert? friend told you?]
Also include your customer reference number if you had one. And explain if you have moved address or changed your email so they can locate your account.
Contact details for doorstep lenders
- Provident & Greenwoods Use their online form: complaints to Provident and copy your complaints letter into the “message you want to send us” box.
- Morses Club & Shopacheck You have to write to them, see complaints to Morses.
- Loans at home email with COMPLAINT in the title to customerservice@sd-taylor.co.uk.
- Mutual email to complaints@mutual.uk.com.
- CLC Finance email complaints@clcfinance.com
- Compton Finance email mark.phillips@comptonfinance.co.uk with Affordability Complaint as the title
- Naylors Finance email with COMPLAINT in the title to admin@jrnaylors.com.
- Pinewood Finance C0 email tracy.evans@pinewood-finance.co.uk with Affordability Complaint as the title
- Short Term Finance (Birmingham) Use their online form and copy your complaints letter into there: complaints to Short-Term Finance.
- Skyline Direct complaints@skylinedirect.com
- Swift ivan@swiftdl.co.uk
Keep a copy of online complaints or letter sent – if you email it to yourself it’s easy to pass on to the Ombudsman if needed.
How strong is your complaint?
It can be hard to win a complaint for just a couple of small loans.
Two useful guidelines are:
- The more loans you had, the better your case. Borrowing for long periods by taking out new loans or refinancing existing ones shows you were dependent on the loans.
- The larger the loans became, the better your complaint is. The first few loans may have been affordable but if they kept going up, that is a sign of increasing trouble.
You should get a response in 8 weeks
You may get a list of your loans on its own. This is NOT the response to your complaint, that will arrive later. You don’t need to do anything with the list of loans, just keep it as it if the lender makes you an offer, it will help you to see how good or bad it is.
The lender should reply to your complaint within 8 weeks from when you send the email, not when they acknowledge it.
Provident is being very slow about replying to complaints and they often don’t make a good offer. They may ask for two more weeks several times… I suggest you send the case to the Ombudsman straight away after 8 weeks.
If the lender rejects your complaint or makes a poor offer
If you think you have a good case, don’t be put off if the lender rejects it. People are winning A LOT of these cases at the Financial Ombudsman.
It’s normal to not get the first few loans refunded. If Provident has offered you a refund of loans 5-12 that is probably a good offer. But if they have offered a refund on just loans 10-12 it probably isn’t – you may be able to get a lot more by going to FOS.
If you are offered a small amount, don’t worry you will lose this offer if you go to the Ombudsman. We have never seen this happen.
If the lender says the loans are more than 6 years old so you can’t complain about them, ignore this and send your case to the Ombudsman who is looking at older loans (but not loans before April 2007. you can’t get a refund on them).
I have written more about Provident’s low offers in 2020.
Sending a complaint to the Ombudsman
The easiest way to send a complaint is to use their online application form because that asks all the questions they need to know the answer to (most of these are easy, such as would you like to be contacted by letter, email or phone?).
You probably won’t get a refund back of all the interest you paid… but ask for a refund on all loans and let the Ombudsman make the decision about where your loans became unaffordable.
You don’t have to calculate anything or ask for a specific amount. If you don’t yet have a list of your loans, say you have asked for one but the lender hasn’t sent it.
What should you say to FOS?
There isn’t a separate template for this. You can just copy the complaint you sent to the lender. But here are some more things you may want to add.
It’s worth emphasising if you had a poor credit record, especially if it got worse as you carried on borrowing from the doorstep lender.
It is worth emphasising if you repaid some loans early because you borrowed more that month from the same doorstep lender. This is sometimes called “refinancing” your loan.
In this case you may have paid more in interest than you would have if you had just been given an extra loan because of the way the “early settlement calculation” was done. If this wasn’t explained to you by your agent (and I bet it wasn’t!) then you paid more interest than you should have.
It is also worth pointing out to the Ombudsman if it was always your agent suggesting you borrow more, perhaps because it was getting near to Christmas, or in August when you might need more money for new school uniforms, or because you had paid off a lot of a previous loan.
A lender such as Provident should only have offered you a loan if you had asked them in writing for it. The collector shouldn’t have sat in your home and offered new loans. So if this happened to you, mention it in your complaint to the Ombudsman.
Send your bank statements and credit report
Send your bank statements with your complaint. If you haven’t got them all, send ones you do have and set about asking your bank for the rest, then send those. You are more likely to win a complaint if you send them, especially if you only had a few loans.
If you have borrowed for many years and the pile of statements would be HUGE, it’s still a good idea to get them all now, but you could then wait and see that the ombudsman asks for.
Don’t be worried because your bank statements show a lot of gambling. Here is one case Ombudsman decision about a Provident case involving gambling which shows that FOS just accepts you have a gambling problem, you can still win these complaints.
Also get a copy of your free TransUnion Statutory Credit report and send it to the Ombudsman with your complaint. Don’t worry you can’t get an old credit report – the Ombudsman knows this isn’t possible.
What about your current loan?
If you are still repaying a doorstep loan, you can still complain. If you tell the lender you want a payment arrangement, they will allow you to pay less each week over a longer period without adding any more interest.
But if you have other problem debts as well, talk to StepChange and they can see if a debt management plan would help. You can still complain if you are in debt management.
Need some help?
Your local Citizens Advice can help with writing these complaints, that will be free.
You don’t need a lawyer or a claims company. They take a LOT of your refund and you can make a better claim on your own than they can. A good claim involves telling your own story, you know what happened and a claims company doesn’t!
Comments or questions?
Hundreds of readers have posted comments below about how their Provident complaints are going and the successes they have had. If you have a question, ask it here!
Payday loan refund template letters
Too high a credit card or catalogue limit?
Borrowers are getting refunds from Amigo
Julie says
Hi debt camel. If I put in for refund off provident. Where would I write to. Or is it best to email them. Thankyou. Julie
Sandy says
Has anyone received cheque from provident in the 6 weeks after agreeing to FOS findings, or, is it likely this will exceed the 6 week timeline?
Matt says
That a good question I’m in the same boat
Maybe they are under that much pressure for deadlines as seems they have blanket accepted fos decsions over the last week or so
Hopefully things start to move and people get settlements they deserve
Julie says
I’m in the 6 week too, they agreed with Ombudsman and I’ve just got to wait. It seems like they’ve agreed to a lot this past week/fortnight which is great. Gimme my money!
Karen says
My deadline was 2/10/20 so am hoping I get a result very soon. My hubby’s was 17/9/20 and he received a cheque on 22/9/20 (dated 14/9). I don’t think they’re sticking to a particular order as some are being resolved quickly and others are taking a lot longer. Hopefully you’ll hear something soon.
Elaine says
Karen can i ask if your deadline was with provident after the ombudsman got involved , they have agreed to pay me on 30/09/20 and have said should hear from provident 6 weeks , that was quick your husbands chq hopefully mines arrives soon
Claire says
I made my complaint to provident 9 July 2020, I received the usual emails from provident then I received an email Thursday asking me to call them. They told me my claim has been partially upheld and 3 of my 20 loans had been upheld. On Friday I received a cheque from provident but no breakdown, I had already sent my complaint to ombudsman on 1st September so I contacted them and told them my situation. The ombudsman have now asked provident for my file so they can review it. My question is how long roughly does it take for the ombudsman to make a decision and what do I do with the cheque? I am not accepting the offer.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Tell Provident you are not accepting their offer and you want FOS to consider your case. Ask if you can cash the cheque now.
Claire says
I will do that tomorrow.
Thank you
Jon says
Hi there :)
So, I had an initial complaint to Provident rejected which I sent to the Ombudsman and they’ve finally replied saying that of 12 loans, only the 5 were reasonable and the other 7 should not have been given.
They’ve sent a letter/email to Provident and given them 2 weeks to reply (although they already told me that Provident have a backlog so it’s unlikely to be 2 weeks but they’ll chase after 2 weeks)…
So what comes next? I assume that Provident will either seek to settle in some way or counter argue their case maybe? Is this the final stage or is there more to it?
Thanks,
Jayne says
Hi Jon,
Provident were given until 20th August to agree/disagree with FOS assessment of my complaint. I called Provident to chase on 1st October and they promised to chase it up. Just over a hour lasted FOS emailed me to say Provident agreed with their assessment to refund. They now need to pay me within the next 6 weeks. Unfortunately provident don’t seem to be processing claims in any particular order.
Amanda says
Hi, I have had a response back from Morses, using the template, which states Due to our internal data retention policy we are unable to provide you with any information in relation to my request. As a result, the information we might have held has now been purged from our system.
I had many loans from Shopacheck, often clearing one with another when times were hard. These date from 2007 until I took a loan out with work in 3011 to clear them all off as I was paying well over £100 a week in loans and it became too much. I don’t have my old payment book, does this mean as there is no data I am basically stuck and unable to claim?
kaz says
ive finally got round to sending my complaint to fos – im just worried because i cant send all my bank statements and loan statements as i did it online?
kaz says
can you let me know if ive made a mistake doing it online and not sending statements please
Sara (Debt Camel) says
no that’s fine. When the case is picked up you will be asked if there is anything more you want to add.
kaz says
thanks so much…..
Jane says
Can anyone tell me if I will have to provide bank statements etc as I am now with a different bank so unsure if I would be able to get them?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You should assume that you have to and set about talking to your old bank now. They may not be necessary but cases are often easier with statements going as far back as possible.
Jayne says
Morning All,
Please can I ask, when waiting for the refund from provident do they email you first with a breakdown on how much the refund will be?
When sending the cheque to you is it usually by regular post?
laura says
I was wondering the same how long from accepting offer to cheque arriving?
Jayne says
It says provident have 6 weeks, although given the fact the interest is still being added I’m sure it would be better to send the cheque ASAP. I think they’re probably overwhelmed by all the claims they have. Hopefully not too long to wait now
Claire says
I received a cheque on Friday, I still have not received a breakdown. I had to call them to find out what the cheque was for.
Kerri says
Hi Claire ,
How long after hearing from FOS that provident agreed with their findings did you receive your cheque?
Jayne says
Hi Claire,
Did they send the cheque recorded or normal post please?
Georgina says
Cheque runs are only done on a Thursday and are sent by normal 1st class post
Claire says
Normal, it was raised last Thursday and I received it Friday.
kirsty chapman says
I had a reply with a breakdown via email on a Monday afternoon, said it was going to take approx two weeks for the cheque but it arrived on the Friday. I banked my cheque as i thought it was a good offer for my case.
Moira says
Hi kirsty,
How long did your claim take until provident upheld it?
kirsty chapman says
I sent my complaint off to Provident on 17/07, had a couple of emails saying they were sorry they hadn’t resolved my complaint the usual ones, then I sent an email saying I was going to send to FOS on 8/09 but sent a final crappy email to them at the 18/09 in the morning, had a reply with offer and breakdown the same afternoon and cheque in the Friday. I consider myself really lucky!
Matt says
Hello Kirsty when did your claim get upheld
I have had email today asking what my preferred method of contact is email or letter
Provident accepted fos decision 8 weeks after deadline.
Agreement to fos came through 1/10/20
Thanks
Joanne says
Hi there I sent the standard email to provident and they have sent me a breakdown of all loans, what do I do now? Will they automatically come back to me with a response about my complaint or do I have to now respond as they’ve sent me a breakdown of all my loans I’ve ever had with them.
Jamie says
When did you request yours. How long has it taken
Joanne says
I requested it about end of August and probably received the loan info end of September but I’m not sure what I need to do now, I used the template letter so do I wait now for further communication from provident?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
just wait until Provident respond , send it to the ombudsman if you haven’t had a reply after 8 weeks.
P given says
Hey all, my husband has a current claim in with FOS with regards to provident. They have said they will refund 1 random loan but not the other 11, we sent it to FOS last December. Anyway I received an email from an adviser today asking for proof that the official receiver has no interest in any claim that is made. My husband was officially made made bankrupt in early sept 2005 and discharged 10 months later. His first loan from provident was oct 2005. Am I right in thinking that as he took the loans after his bankruptcy then the OR has no claim anyway? And how do I get proof they do/don’t
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you know how large the loans were that he took before he was discharged? They may have been 1 or 2 I guess?
Phil says
Hi Sara yes here’s where it’s interesting tbh. He had 4 loans of 50. Then according to the paperwork 2 more of 100 a week later. So a total of 400. If I remember rightly back then it was shopping vouchers/gift cards. He can’t remember getting them so close together and he was a full time student at the time plus he obviously had to tell them he’d gone bankrupt.
He had a total of 16 loans over 9 years and the biggest was £2500 followed by 1100 2 months after. Provident offered refund on loan number 14. Nothing after and nothing before.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ok so he borrowed less than £500 so he didn’t break any bankruptcy rules. He just needs to tell FOS his discharge date.
FOS will not order a refund on any loans before April 2007. So none of the loans pre discharge will be refunded and no money can possibly need to go to the OR.
Phil says
Thanks Sara. I’ve emailed the OR to get proof of discharge so hopefully won’t take much longer.
Thanks for your help
Jodie says
I did an affordabitly claim against provident and they took longer that expected to reply so sugguested i should take it to the ombusman. I did this back in july an last friday i was told that provident had accepted/agreed to my claim but with no figures or calculations but they stated that they would pay out following the guidelines by the obusman. They said it would take upto 6 weeks for this figure an payout. I was wondering if anyone as got to this stage an if it actually took upto the 6 weeks or longer?
Thanks
Elaine says
When did provident agree to pay u following ombudsman guidelines? Im in similar situation mines was agreed last week i was told 6 weeks im hoping it is within this time scale
Shirley says
Well after 15 months the FOS said provident should pay me loans 7-38. I received email from Provident today stating they are paying me four loans back and when I rang them they said they have had no correspondence from FOS, its so frustrating. They said sending me a cheque for just over £4600 I wouldn’t mind but 30% will go to claims company. I have gone back to FOS and the claims company but heard nothing as yet. Grrrr
Elaine says
Hi i would get in touch with your adjudicator at ombudsman as that is not acceptable I wouldn’t cash the cheque as tempting as it may be as thats what they will be hoping u do you could be owed 3 or 4 x as much as there offering
Rosemary Stockdale says
i sent the template off to provident they could not find me i gave them account no they then asked for addresses still cant find me and said will close my request in 7 days?
Lisa L says
They said that to me. Persevere…..they’re just trying to put you off. I told them I didn’t believe they couldn’t find me, and I would be taking it to the ombudsman anyway. Lo and behold, they suddenly found all my information!
Julie Berry says
Hi, I’m just wondering, anyone recently who have had Provident agree with the Ombudsman’s findings and have a 6 week timescale to make an offer, how long has it actually been for you between hearing from the Ombudsman that Provident are agreeing and the time that you get your cheque? Are they sticking to 6 weeks or is it miles over? Just wondering if anyone has been at this point recently. Thanks!
Jayne says
Hi Julie,
It looks like there’s a few of us in the same boat, I received an email on the 1st October from FOS to say Provident agreed to pay.
Someone has confirmed they issue cheques on a Thursday so I will be watching for the postman tomorrow.
You would think they would want to get them over with ASAP to clear their backlog but who knows with provident. There doesn’t seem to be any consistency throughout the whole process with them.
Karen says
My deadline was 2/10 and I haven’t heard anything, emailed my adjudicator and she sed Prov have advised they have a huge backlog and are trying to work thru it as quick as they can. However my hubby’s deadline was 17/9 and he received a cheque on 23/9.
Julie Berry says
Thanks Karen, fingers crossed we all get sorted before Christmas, ours will make a huge change to our lives so to be able to get treats for myself and hubby for Christmas would be amazing as usually we don’t have much money to get much. Do update us when the cheque appears. X
Karen says
Fingers crossed! Both me and my hubby have complaints with FOS for Provident and Morses so am hoping for a decent outcome. It’s such a long drawn out process but hopefully we are near the end, could really use the extra money as Covid has really messed up our finances. Good luck with your claim.
Julie Berry says
Thank you, and thanks so much to Sara for this site. Without it, I wouldn’t have had any clue that we’d be able to get some money back. I am a carer for my daughter, she has disabilities and to put it bluntly, we never have any money for anything, so this will really be life changing. Hopefully just a few more weeks to go. Oh, Karen, was your husbands cheque the kind of amount you were expecting?
Sharon Boodhoo says
Hi Sara
I just wanted to ask, if anyone else has had a problem, with the ombudsman sticking with the 6 year time barred, and not looking at loans before that time, it is so frustrating, I have had my complaints with the ombudsman since March this year, and for loans at home and Vanquis, they are telling me, that the time is barred, and that I ought to have known before the time, that I was unaware that I could complain.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
this sort of problem seems to be pretty rare.
Moira says
Hi I put in a complaint against provident in July, have requested loan breakdown but still haven’t received it, I just keep getting a reply saying it will be passed onto the relevant department. They are over the 8 weeks so have sent to ombudsman and am in queue with them. Any other way I can get my breakdown? Thankyou for all your help.
Sarah says
I put mine in June, just get emails asking for time still investigating, sent to fos in September just got fed up, how hard is it to just send list of loans. Today another email asking for dob verification !!
Russell says
Hi Moira
Make a subject access request, they have 30 day to send you everything they have on file. Also just keep chasing them up.
Moira says
Hi Russell,
I have put in a request a month ago but haven’t received anything, not even an acknowledgement. I rang them today, they said their systems are down today, conveniently but someone would chase it. I intend to ring again tomoro and keep on at them until someone sends them. Thank-you for your reply.
Russell says
Hi Moira
Send a strong email to Neil Iveson a company only has 30 days. You will need this information to assess any offer Provided make to you. I got mine in 3 weeks. Is a pain but you have to keep on top of this, let them know you are not going away, that’s what I did.
Lin Mawn says
Hi my deadline was the 5th October today received a letter saying it was still been looked into and receiving there urgent attention . What’s best next stage from here please ? Has anyone had a offer quickly from them after these letters
Karen says
My hubby did, his deadline was 17/9 and he received a cheque on 23/9, however mine was 2/10 and haven’t heard anything as yet. Don’t think they’ve got a specific order or system seems like pot luck at the moment. If you’ve got a contact at FOS it’s worth emailing. That’s what I’ve done and mine has chased it up as urgent. Think we all need to make nuisances of ourselves lol. Good luck.
Bev says
Hi I have received my break down today of all the loans I have had since 2008, I think the interest on all the loans adds up to £6,723, what do I do now? do I have to wait till they contact or do I have to reply to them, I am confused as there was no further instructions on the email just a break down
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Nothing to do now until the 8 week point where Provident will hopefully have replied to you.
Moira says
I’ve emailed every day for this last week for an update as they have passed the 8 week mark. I also have emailed Neil iveson 3 times and still haven’t had a response. I still haven’t had my loan breakdown either. Rang them and they said they are still looking into my complaint but could take several weeks still as they have a backlog and not to bother ringing again until end October as they doubt anything will have moved until then at least. Have sent to ombudsman but am in queue waiting to be picked up by them. Am at stalemate at the moment. Anyone else had to wait like this?
Danny says
I’m on week 16 waiting for provident to reply I have also emailed Neil but no look I sent to fos at 8 weeks
Amanda says
Hi all, does anybody know please if I have any further options if Morses are saying they do not hold my information as it has been purged from the system? Thank you x
Jayne says
I submitted my complaint in October 2029 like many others so yes, we’ve all played the waiting game.
Mine took 4 months before an adjudicator picked it up, some have been lucky and had outcomes quickly.
I guess you will just have to chase again at the end of the month. I chased with Neil and never had a response, if I was him I’d dread going to work everyday. I know they’ve taken on extra staff to deal with the backlog but it doesn’t appear to have quickened up the process yet.
Moira says
Update.
After pushing today I have received a final response from provident. They are upholding 2 of 13 loans which are small compared to the others that they say were affordable. I have said I’m no accepting this, I emailed Neil again and told him so and asked him to look at my complaint again and have also forwarded it to ombudsman for them to review. Cant understand why 2 small loans aren’t affordable but larger ones are.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Cant understand why 2 small loans aren’t affordable but larger ones are.
Surely it couldn’t be because they are hoping you will be so desperate you will take a tiny amount of money now?🙄
Moira says
They have upheld the middle 2 loans, I’ve been lending consistently since 2010, never a break in between. The redress they have decided on is being put off against my outstanding balance which is the largest loan of all and the one I’ve struggled to pay resulting in alot of missed payments. Fingers crossed ombudsman will be in my favour.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Unless you have had a big pay rise, it’s hard to see how the earlier smaller loans were not affordable but the later large loans were! Good luck!
Joanne Branscombe says
Hi, I’m in contact with Morses over miselling, they have sent me text asking me ti provide any documents such as bank statements, arrears letters or credit files but they have not provided me with all my loan details, am I required to do this?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You don’t have to, no. But if you give them evidence that shows the loans were unaffordable it’s possible that Morses may be more likely to uphold your complaint.
You can win a complaint at the Ombudsman without bank statements if there was prolonged lending lending but if you have them, it’s a good idea to send them to the lender now.
Pat says
Can someone help, My last loan was £1000 interest £980. I have paid £540 and have an outstanding balance of £1350. All my loans have been upheld so how do they work out what I owe them as I’m of the understanding that the interest isn’t included. The loan was £1000 and I’ve paid £540 so does that mean I owe them £460? I hope that makes sense. Thanks for any help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes that us what should happen with the last loan. The £460 owing will then be reduced/cleared From the refunds on the previous loans.
Pat says
Before the FOS ruled in my favour Provident included the whole £1350 in their calculations which I thought was wrong so thank you for clarifying.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There are different ways to skin this cat and get to the same result.
Some lenders will include the whole amount outstanding, but also include the extra interest in the interest being refunded. It will give the same result, it’s just more complicated for you to see what is happening.
Moira says
Hi Pat,
How long did it take for the FOS to look at your case?
Pat says
We started our complaints in March. I rang the ombudsman at the beginning of September as things had gone quiet and was assigned to an adjudicator there and then. I’m just waiting for my offer now.
Moira says
Fingers crossed its a good one. I have emailed Neil again asking him to have another look at my complaint as its very clear they were unaffordable from loan 6 onwards. I have sent all to ombudsman so keeping fingers crossed not much longer now for either to respond.
Claire says
How long roughly does it take the fos to make a decision once a complaint is assigned an adjudicator?
Michelle says
Mine took 2 weeks, I’m now waiting on provident to agree or disagree they have until Thursday. X
Claire says
Thank you, I sent all my evidence to the adjudicator last Friday so hopefully it won’t take too long x
Jayne says
Mine took 4 weeks once assigned to an adjudicator. They gave provident until 19th August to agree or disagree and they responded 1st October after I called Provident. Now waiting for breakdown and cheque, FOS have said I should receive within 6 weeks
Claire says
Thank you x
mandi says
Hi sara again I got this reply when I asked if there is a problem
Thank you for your recent correspondence.
We appreciate your patience whilst awaiting a response to your complaint.
Due to high volumes this has caused a delay in issuing our Final Response but please be assured your complaint is currently under investigation and an update will be provided as soon as possible.
We apologise for the time taken and inconvenience caused.
Ruth says
How long does it normally take to get assigned to an adjudicator? I received an email on Friday to acknowledge receipt of my claim but nothing else?
Claire says
I sent my complaint to them on 1st September and I called them beginning of October as I hadn’t heard anything, an adjudicator emailed the next day to say they were working on my case.
Ruth says
Do you know the phone number you used just in case I don’t hear back? TIA
Claire says
0800 0234567 – The guy I spoke to was so helpful and I am sure he must have done something to hurry things along as the next day I was assigned an adjudicator.
Jayne says
Mine was 3 months
Sarah says
So the complaints myself and my husband have with Provident have stalled.
Both have been referred to FOS, mine has been picked up and FOS have requested case files from Provident on 22nd July and as yet they’ve had no response. I’ve emailed Neil several times and also no response. I’m at a loss as to what to do next.
My husbands was sent on the same day as mine, he got a holding email from FOS at start August, but his case hasn’t been picked up yet.
I know patience is the key, I was hoping this would be solved for Christmas, but I think it might be Christmas next year!
We also heard from Morses who said our details had been purged from their system, so end of the line there too.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So Provident haven’t yet sent the case file to FOS?
Sarah says
No not yet, the FOS first requested on 22nd July and say they send chasers when I chase up with them.
But as of today still nothing has been sent to FOS by Provident.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you email the FCA at consumer.queries@fca.org.uk and copy this to joe.sweeney@provident.co.uk and Neil.Iveson@provident.co.uk
Subject: Provident doorstep lending (700144) won’t send case files to FOS
I complained to Provident and my husband also complained separately as we were borrowing at the same time.
My husband’s complaint about 16 loans was rejected.
I had loans 4-5 and 14-28 upheld but no explanation about why loans 6-13 were supposedly affordable. I think it is unfair of Provident to send a cheque to tempt people who are desperate for money to accept a low offer.
We sent our complaints to the ombudsman. My FOS reference number is 9999999999999 and my husband’s is 88888888888
FOS asked Provident for our case files in July, but they have still not been sent.
I think they are being deliberately slow and trying to stop FOS reaching a decision on our cases.
I thought you should be aware of how one of your authorised lenders is just ignoring the Ombudsman.
Sarah says
Thank you so much Sara!
I’ll send that off right now, and hopefully this will spring them into action.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
don’t hold your breath….
Sarah says
I received a reply from the FCA saying they’ve taken note of Providents behaviour and passed it to their internal team.
I’ve not heard anything from Neil or Joe despite copying them in. I’m now starting to feel that my claim is just being ignored. It’s certainly not as big as some people’s but it really would help us out just now. Just telling myself it’s all patience! Lol!
Shirley says
Now nearly 16 months and despite the FOS saying it was being treated as a priority and advised prov loans 7-31 should be refunded and gave them till 8th Oct prov still saying they have not received this correspondence so was sent to them again they now say they will reply within 28 days. I thought it may take 10 months but this is a joke now😡😡😡
Hellene says
Hi all. Just to say that provident agreed with fos to refund. This was on 15th June….and still waiting for cheque. Have e mailed fos and provident without success. Its coming up to 4 months and still am getting nowhere. Has anyone else waited this long after decision has been made. At providentvi e mailed neil but not sure what position he holds???? Anyone got any other contacts I could try.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you email the FCA at consumer.queries@fca.org.uk and copy this to joe.sweeney@provident.co.uk and Neil.Iveson@provident.co.uk
Subject: Provident (700144) agreed to refund me in June but haven’t yet paid me.
Put in some details about your complaint. Put in the agreed refund details.
Say if it was with the ombudsman. Say you can’t get an answer from Provident.
Say you think this is unreasonable and unfair behaviour by Provident.
Hellene says
Thanks for you advice Sara…I emailed fca and copied in joe sweeney and Neil iveson and within 5 minutes I had a reply e mail saying that my claim had gone to the manager that morning and I would get a reply with a breakdown of refund amount at the earliest convenience. At 8.37 the next mornin I had e mail with breakdown and a refund amount of £18,358 which will be sent within the next two weeks. What a result and well worth all the e mails and phone calls. Not bad from an initial letter from Provident saying that I had only had one loan from them since 2007 and not entitled to refund. I followed all the advice from this forum and sent to fos and just waited. So to everyone out there……don’t give up and good luck. Oh and just to say my husband had a refund in May this year as well for £16,600. Thanks again Sarah for setting up this forum.
Angie says
That’s great news Helen well done can I ask what you put in your email as I’m in the same position been waiting for my breakdown and redress since june and am really fed up atm.
Hellene says
Hi..I took a screenshot of the email that said Provident had agreed to refund and said that despite numerous emails and phone calls I was getting no response. I also followed Sara’s advice and said that as it was 4 months ago I considered this to be unfair and unreasonable behaviour and asked if they could intervene. The fca email is on Sara’s response to my post on 12th October as are joe sweeneys and Neil iveson. Good luck…hope you get a quick response as I did
Lottie says
Hi Sara, I submitted my complaint to Provident on 11.08.20 – they have responded , advising they need further time. I eventually got my SAR today which is over 8 weeks, but no response to my complaint. I requested back to 1996 to 2015, they have only gone back as far as 2012 even though I had at least 20 loans from 2007-2012 and to many to even count back from 1996. In my SAR info they have sent from 2012-2015 there is a total amount of 21 loans, some within 1 month or two months from a previous loan. The loan information they have provided totals £10,750. So I dread to think how much o have borrowed since 1996-2015. Rather scary. I do not borrow at all now, and my finances are almost getting there, albeit I have a DMP. I have referred my case to FOS as the 8 weeks have passed. Do I stand a chance of getting any redress, and should I request to get info as far back to 2007? Many thanks Lottie
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you asked them why they haven’t proved details of any loans before 2012?
Lottie says
Hi Sara, yes I have, they have ignored my question, and even when I called them, they said they will come back to me, but still haven’t.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you phone them up again and ask? You sometimes need to be persistent with this sort of thing. It’s not clear if they haven’t located any older loans or if they are ruling them out for some reason – in which case why the ones before 2012?
Lottie says
Ok, thank you. I will do. I will let you know the outcome. Many thanks
Lottie says
Hello Sara, I called them today. They said they only need to provide from 2010 and FOS will not look at anything prior to 2010. I requested the information again, and said I want it all, from 1996 as requested. They advised they can try but can not give a time scale. She requested the information and advise my original complaint on 10.08.20 will be in going as they have a backlog and they can not say how long it will take to give me an outcome of my complaint. Is this acceptable?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Interesting! Have they put 2010 in writing to you? Could you ask them to do this? No-one else has mentioned this date.
Lottie says
Hi Sara, yes I will ask them to do that. Just spoke to FOS and the lady I spoke to Said this wasn’t something she was aware off 2010. Will keep you informed. If I am lucky enough to get some redress back, do you have a donation area to help keep this service going? I would be more than happy to donate. Your site has been really helpful. Many thanks Lottie
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It would be great if you could send a small donation to your local Citizens Advice – they are all separate charities and many are badly squeezed for money at the moment.
Claire Brown says
I have had my SAR back today and had al loans from 2006 included.
Lottie says
Have you, well I will be going back to them insisting on more information. Thank you Claire, and good Luck with getting some money back.
Karen says
Can I ask, the 8% interest, in my letter it states this should be added from the date the loan was taken to the date the claim was settled. So if I took a loan out in January 2015 but settled February 2016 is that 8% x 1 or does it mean the date of the complaint settlement, which would (hopefully) be Oct/nov 2020? Sorry if that doesn’t make much sense lol
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s actually 8% from the point you make the interest payments. Not the start or the end of the loan – but the end is a better approximation so if you use that, a loan out in January 2015 but settled February 2016 would be about 4.5 years ate the moment, so about 36% extra.
Karen says
Thank you for clarifying, could work out rather nice then 😃
Claire brown says
Hi
I requested my loan information 5 weeks ago and have received it this morning. I sent the template letter above. Do I have to do anything or will they reply eventually with an offer as all I have received is the data from all my loans?
G Steadman says
I have recently looked at gaining a refund from provident I had a very strongly worded letter from them mentioning possible court action and also I would be banned from any future lending.
As in the current climate I enquired to see if I would get any refund and seems provident have took the hump claiming no loans are ever wrong blah blah but looking at these comments not the case?
Should I proceed with claim…
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Roughly how many loans have you had from them over what period?
Do you think these loans were unaffordable – you couldn’t pay them and all your other debts and bills and normal living expenses so you ended up borrowing more, either from other lenders, by getting behind with bills or taking another loan from Provident?
Moira says
Hi all,
Have received confirmation today the fos has picked up my complaint with provident. Have emailed Neil Iveson to advise him and asked him if he is prepared to look again at my complaint. Fingers crossed either way its finally being looked at. Good luck everyone with your complaints and thanks again sara for all your help.
Kerry says
Can anyone advise ? I sent my letter via email to provident on 6th August 2020 asking them for a breakdown of all my loans and also to log a complaint for irresponsible lending. So far I have had the usual we are looking into this email and also one saying they apologise for the delay and I can refer to financial ombudsman if I wish. I have yet to receive a breakdown of my loans should I have received at least them by now ? I also phoned last week and spoke to a advisor who could not tell me anything more than the email stated. She said complaints were worked in date order but then couldn’t tell me what date they were actually working that day so my phone call was a waste of time. Is there anything else I can do while I wait – tia
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes, you can send it to the Ombudsman. Provident often make very poor offers, so get your case in the queue at the Ombudsman now.
Kerry says
Thank you- can I send it even though I do not know anything about my loans i.e amounts dated etc as they have not sent them to me.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can. Just say you borrowed for many years, you still haven’t been sent the loan details but it was roughly 2009-2015 {or whatever}.
Later you can go back and give FOS more details.
Claire says
Is there a maximum amount that provident offer as a refund?
A friend told me that refunds are capped at £17,000 per lender, I have looked online but can’t see any information to confirm that, I just wondered if this was true?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No it’s not true. The idea makes no sense at all. Refunds depend on your case, how many loans are unaffordable and how much interest there was on them. Here is an Amigo refund of c £25k a couple of months ago https://debtcamel.co.uk/how-to-complain-guarantor-loan/comment-page-49/#comment-377643.
Here is a photo here https://debtcamel.co.uk/provident-complaints-rise-offers-too-low/ of a reader’s cheque from Provident of just over 20k. And a few people here have received a lot more than that from Provident.
Claire says
Thats great to hear, I have calculated that the interest I paid exceeds the £17,000 so I will keep my fingers crossed that the ombudsman in on my side thank you x
Jill wray says
Hi Sara
I had 30 loans with Provident totalling £13450 with interest of 11209. Neil Iveson has just e mailed offering £9630. On loans 14-30. How does this sound to you?
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So 14-30 isn’t a stupid offer. But should they have included a lot more?
What date were your loans?
How much of this £9630 offer is an interest refund and how much is added 8%>
JILL WRAY says
Hi Sara
The first 8/10 loans were quiet small only a couple of 100 each.
The Breakdown he has given me is
Interest paid £6759.34
Sta Interest £3598.30
tax deducted £717.86.
Would you recommend I accept and draw the whole thing to a close?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how large were loans 11,12,13? were there any gaps when you didn’t have a loan from them?
Tony Kennedy says
Hi Sara
Reult at last. Started my complaint in Jan, after an offer of 4k from provident I have listened to the great advise on your site and sent to FOS.
Received a cheque for 24k yesterday plus the original 4k so I’m over the moon. Thanks again for everyone’s help. Fingers crossed for you all.
I now just need to see if I can get the 20% tax back👍
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yay!
Jayne says
Hi Tony,
Great outcome for you, well done!
Can I please ask how long you’ve been waiting since Provident agreed with FOS and was the cheque dated on Friday as I believe this is the day they write the cheques.
Tony says
Hi jayne
FOS emailed me on 1st of October telling me provident had agreed and it could take up to 6 weeks. Only been 2.good luck
Jayne says
I also had an email from FOS on 1st October so hopefully it’s not the full 6 weeks
Thank you and happy spending 😃
Julie Berry says
Hi Tony,
Did provident email you with information on the amount they were giving you, or did they just send a cheque? And did the cheque come in regular post or was it signed for? I’m so so happy for you!
Tony says
Hi Julie
I received it all in the post from provident only agreement numbers and an amount of intrest and 8% info. The amount was close to what I had estimated.
David says
Fantastic!! Good luck with tax rebate, tax man wasn’t very fourth coming with mine!
Tony says
Hi David
Can I ask what is the process for applying for the tax rebate?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/.
I don’t know why David had difficulty, most people don’t!
Martin says
Hi, i was just wondering if someone with experience can help, i contacted provident to make my complaint on 28th sep, theyve replied today 15th october with my statements going back to 2006 and said if i require any further assistance to either email or message through the portal. It says my request is a DSAR , does this mean they have over looked my complaint and just handled it as an information request? do i now need to follow up in order to try to claim a refund or is this just a step in the process and they will get in touch again in the future with an offer?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is in response to the part of your complaint where you asked for a list of your loans. They will respond to the actual affordability complaint later. You don’t need to do anything now.
Elaine says
Thats fantastic tony can i ask u when provident agreed to pay amd how long chq took im in a similar situation to yourself
Tony says
Hi Elaine
FOS emailed me on 1st and I received my cheque yesterday. Fingers crossed for you all.
Matt says
Offer today following acceptance on the 1/10/2020 to the ombudsman’s decision
Said cheque should be posted within 14 days
Has anyone had cheques arrive on time and is a certain day
Many thanks
Jayne says
Great result Matt, someone on here said cheques were written on a Thursday so fingers crossed they get it straight out to you.
Did they email you the breakdown of the total they are paying you?
Matt says
Hello yes full break down redress and interest up until 29/10
Hopefully cheque isn’t a waiting game
Will update when cheque arrives
Thanks
Danny says
I’ve just received an email from provident after 16 weeks saying they aren’t upholding 3 loans but on my data I requested weeks ago they was about 10 loans from 2010 but on this email it only states 3 which are from 2016 I have emailed them back asking what has happened to the other 7 has any one else has this thanks
Ash says
Has anyone got a phone number for Provident, my deadline passed 2 weeks ago and am looking for an update. Thank you in advance.
Manxcat says
Hi I started my complaint with Provident in July 2020, they responded swiftly with a list of my loans, I had another email around mid Sept basically saying how busy there were and I could contact FOS which I did straightaway. Yesterday I got the following email from the FOS – Does this mean they have picked up my complaint? Do I need to do anything or just wait for the next correspondence from them? Thanks in advance.
Your complaint about Provident Personal Credit Limited
Thank you for the information you sent us. I’m sorry we’ve not been in touch with you sooner.
Like many organisations adapting to the Covid-19 outbreak, we’re having to work differently. For the safety of our staff, and in line with government guidance, our case handlers are currently working from home and we have limited access to our office.
We are receiving letters, but there are delays in opening and replying to them. So please only send us post if you can’t contact us by phone or email.
We’ll be in touch as soon as we can. In the meantime, if you’re experiencing severe ill-health or financial hardship – or your particular circumstances mean that you need our help more urgently – please call us to let us know.
Amelia says
I’ve just sent a complaint to Provident 15/10/20. I copied the letter of the template and sent it via the Provident complaint email website.
I’m I right in thinking I’ve done this correctly and I now wait 8 weeks for a reply from Provident. If I hear nothing do I contact someone?
Jayne says
Hi Amelia,
You would send to Financial Ombudsman if you don’t hear anything after 8 weeks
Lynne Archer says
Hi my 8 weeks was up on 8th October 2020 but gone through a claims company and now been told they have give then them 15weeks to reply, which I’m not happy about. I had my statement going back to 2007 and i have paid over £10,000 in interest. Should i ring provident myself to see what’s happening or should i email them? is there someone I should contact? \does anybody know what kind of payout i could get??
Moira says
Hi sara,
After receiving my offer from provident last week which was only upholding 2 loans which the redress amount would come off my outstanding balance. I emailed them saying I wasn’t happy with this and advised them I’ve sent it to fos. I’ve just looked at my provident account and they have used the redress to lower my outstanding balance. Will the fos see this as my acceptance even though I said I wasn’t accepting it?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, that won’t be a problem.
Moira says
Thankyou sara, I’ve also received an email from Neil Iveson asking if he can ring me to discuss the complaint. Will update after or if he telephones. Thankyou again x
laura says
I spoke to Neil last week and to be honest he seemed a genuine man who wanted to help he made me a offer which a took and that was the Monday come Friday I had cheque I just wanted the whole thing done with and reading some of the comments about people waiting a long time I thought it would be never ending and seemed the best option good luck with your call hope it works out in your best interest
Moira says
Thankyou Laura x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Unless the offer he makes is obviously great, say you would like a while to think about it. You want to know which loans he is offering to refund, not just the refund amount. Only by knowing which loans are included and which are excluded can you decide if this is an OK offer.
There is nothing wrong with accepting less than you could get from FOS, but how much less? they have already tried to buy you off with an offer of just two loans. this is not a company that is behaving well at the moment!
laura says
tbh my offer wasn’t much less than the intrest i paid a thought it was reasonable and was worth it to have it come to a end a thought everyones different and it was a quick process he said he’d look into it Friday phoned Monday I accepted and come Friday I had cheque so all in a week
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Thats fine.
If the lending was over many years the 8% can add up to a LOT. But it’s what feels fair to you that matters.
Ash says
Anyone know how quickly Morses pay out once FOS ruled all loans must-sold? FOS have given them until 27 Oct to respond. Thanks in advance.
Jen says
Hi, can I ask if the people who have settled their complaints/received offers, have the loans been removed from your credit reports?
Thanks x
Sarah says
So I finally got a call from Neil today who was lovely and very apologetic about the delays with my case. He’s promised the details will be sent to the FOS ASAP now, so hopefully things will move soon and the FOS will rule in my favour.
Interestingly he said there has been a court ruling which means that they don’t need to look at anything prior to 2010 which mine all are, so he said they weren’t in a position to offer me anything more and the new ruling meant I wouldn’t have been offered what I already have. He was unsure how the FOS will process this but he acknowledged they can go back to 2007. But this might be why they are now only supplying info back to 2010.
So the wait goes on, but at least I have small progress now.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Interestingly he said there has been a court ruling which means that they don’t need to look at anything prior to 2010
Fascinating.
That appears to be a strange interpretation of the court case, see my article on it here https://debtcamel.co.uk/kerrigan-elevate-credit-unfair-relationship/. The judge unsurprisingly said nothing about loans before 2010 because none of the loans under consideration in the case was taken out before 2011. He found there was an unfair relationship under section 140 of the Consumer Credit Act, which came into force in April 2007.
Sarah says
He went into it in a bit of detail, but he said it was a very new ruling but it was something to do with new guidelines that were published on irresponsible lending and it only went back to 2010.
He said something about the guidance didn’t exist for loans prior to 2010 which is why they weren’t going to look at the rest of mine. He acknowledged that it was less than £1000 for the loans that weren’t upheld, but he couldn’t offer anything due to this ruling.
Just hope the FOS go in my favour now.
Thank you for all your advise Sara, it really has been invaluable.
Moira says
Hi all,
Having just finished my telephone call from Neil Iveson from Provident, who i agree is a very nice chap, we have come to a settlement. He has agreed to write of my outstanding loan and send a cheque for £3200 which will be posted Thursday 22nd October. I think if I had carried on with fos I honestly don’t think I would get much more as total package works out £5650. He was willing to uphold 9 out of 13 loans and the first 4 were very small, 3 £100 and 1 £250. Huge thanks to sara for all your help. Good luck everyone with your cases x
Kerry says
Can I please ask, how long it took from you sending letter in ? I have emailed Neil and got no response, did you ring and ask to speak to him or did he ring you ? Tia
Moira says
Hi Kerry,
I basically emailed him every other day asking him to review my complaint. He eventually emailed back asking if he could call me to discuss the complaint as I had rejected the first offer. Keep emailing, he will respond. Put my complaint in 27th July 2020 and it was resolved today, took 11 weeks. Good luck.
Moira says
I also found if I emailed late at night or very early in the morning he responded, maybe first in queue when he opened emails? Good luck
Kaz says
I started my complaint on 18 March, tried emailing Neil several times at different times only ever had one reply and that was him asking me for a settlement amount! He never responded to my emails again! My complaint has only been assigned to an adjudicator in the last 4 weeks so I don’t think they’re working in order. It’s pot luck I guess!
Kerry says
Hi Moira,
Thank you for your reply, I will keep emailing him. Well done on your claim it’s nice to hear people getting what they are due.
Lisa L says
Hi Sara,
I’ve had a poor offer from provident in which they only agree to paying the interest on two loans out of 9, and are sending me a cheque for this amount. My question is, if I refuse this offer and ask for more based on my workings out but they refuse this, can I still accept the first offer? They can’t then withdraw it can they? Thanks in advance 😀
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They aren’t likely to withdraw the offer.
Another option is for you to wait until you have the cheque, and then tell them you want to send your case to the ombudsman so is it OK if you cash your cheque?
Lisa L says
Ok Thankyou for your help. I will post hopefully soon with a positive outcome fingers crossed 😀
Donna says
Hi I was sent a cheque from Provident in July but then sent my complaint to FOS. FOS said Provident should refund all the interest on every loan plus 8% interest.
I emailed Neil Iverson to ask could I cash cheque and he said as Provident had agreed to settle it would do no harm for me to cash the cheque and I would receive a cheque for the final redress once it is finalised. He has put a note on my file to reflect this. I am so glad I emailed him as this will really help me.
Hayley says
Hi can someone advise please. I sent a complaint to Provident about unaffordable loans. I never got a final response so I sent to the FOS. However I’ve looked on my credit report and Provident have reduced my outstanding balance by about £2k. I just find this strange that they didn’t give me a response. I looked into my statements and I paid around 7k in interest originally. The majority of loans were definitely unaffordable. Do u think the FOS will uphold my complaint if provident have already reduced my outstanding balances without telling me? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
FOS won’t see this as a problem, they will just work out what the total redress should be.