UPDATE: The Morses Scheme has failed. See Morses – what is happening to loans and refunds
UPDATE: in March 2022, Loans At Home went into administration. There is no money to pay any refunds. Any remaining loans have been written off and you should not make any payments to them.
UPDATE: The Provident Scheme has now closed and it is too late to make any Provident complaints.Doorstep lending – also called home credit – is where a collector comes to your house to collect the repayments. Many people have been borrowing from the same lender for years.
If you had doorstep loans, 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.
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.
So even if you always paid your loans on time, they could still have been unaffordable. Especially if you had several 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 the lender 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 home credit lenders
Here is a template letter you can use. Change it so it tells what happened to you.
Template letter for doorstep loan refunds
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. 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 have all 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
- Cockle email enquiries@cocklefinance.co.uk with Affordability Complaint as the title
- Compton Finance email mark.phillips@comptonfinance.co.uk with Affordability Complaint as the title
- GR Finance email grfinanceltd@gmail.com with Affordability Complaint as the title
- Mutual email to complaints@mutual.uk.com.
- 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
- Valleys Finance admin@valleysfinance.ltd.uk with Affordability Complaint as the title
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.
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, which will arrive later. You don’t need to do anything with the list of loans, just keep 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.
Lenders may be 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.
How strong is your complaint?
Very large numbers of these complaints are being won at the Ombudsman – in the last quarter of 2020, 84% of doorstep lending complaints were won by the borrower.
In all of those Ombudsman cases, the lender had either rejected the complaint or made a poor offer.
So don’t be put off if this happens to you, send it to the Ombudsman!.
Three 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.
- It can be hard to win a complaint for just a couple of small loans.
- It’s normal to not get the first few loans refunded. If a lender has offered you a refund on 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.
- The larger the loans became, the better your complaint is.
- The Ombudsman will usually look at loans that are over 6 years old, but many lenders just refuse. You can go back to 2007.
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.
- Say if you had a poor credit record, especially if it got worse as you carried on borrowing from the doorstep lender.
- Say if you repaid some loans early because you refinanced your loan. Here you may have paid more in interest than if you had just been given an extra loan. 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.
- Also tell 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 in your house should only offer a loan if you had asked them in writing for it. 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 what the ombudsman asks for.
Don’t worry if your bank statements show a lot of gambling. The Ombudsman 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 that you can’t get an old credit report – the Ombudsman knows this isn’t possible.
Do you have a current loan?
You can complain when you are still repaying a loan. If you tell the lender you want a payment arrangement, they should 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 also still complain if you are in a debt management plan. But don’t bother if you are in an IVA, bankruptcy or a DRo.
Need some help?
Your local Citizens Advice can help with these complaints.
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 complaints are going and the successes they have had. If you have a question, ask it here!
Annie says
Can I ask you this.Ive been with provident for over 40 years.Tgeyve bled me dry refinancing while on benefits with 3 kids.My claim for irresponsible lending was dismissed.I have had a waiver on my last one for a while now.Balance 1076 pounds.Rwceived a text from agent today saying it’s been passed to special collection agents.Ive phoned them they said as they are no longer lending any overdue accounts are being passed to these agencies.Mines has went to Capquest which has a bad name.Im not happy as I have been paying my reduced amount faithfully.Is this legal what they have done after all these years and had issues in past we worked out together then out of the blue this.I will be putting it in writing to Capquest to return the debt back to them as I have been paying regularly on weekly basis.Il never understand why my irresponsible claim was turned down by Ombudsman either.It was all in black and white the refinancing and benefits.Atvone point I paid 96 pounds a week.Can you advise me where I stand here legaly about them handing this to a horrible company as they no longer lend
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Provident are trying to set up a Scheme to cap refunds to customers. As part of this anyone can put in a complaint, including people like you who have lost previous complaints. I don’t know why your original claim was rejected but you could try again…
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/provident-scheme-refunds-vote/ which explains how to vote on the Scheme – – voting enters a claim – even if you vote No. Read that page and have a think.
But yes it is perfectly legal for a lender to ask a debt collector to try to collect debts in arrears.
Nic M says
Hi Sara,
I made a complaint to Morses club re unaffordable lending. 4 of my loans were them sold to lowell, all loans were eventually paid off and clear so indont have any outstanding balance, my question
Is this… if my complaints is upheld what happens to the loans i paid back to lowell?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Morses should find out what you paid the debt collectors and take that into account. You also want the defaults on your credit record removed by Morses and by the debt collector that bought the loans.
NicM says
Thanks Sara.
So in effect even though i paid the debt to Lowell then Morses club would be resposible for any refund?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
exactly.
Claire says
Hi
I have received offer from loans at home they have rejected 9 and upheld 4 and offered me 1023.00 should I reject this offer as I would say my income was less with they loans and the rep used to add extra onto income sheet so she could get the sale and they didn’t ask for payslips back the either ?. Any help would be appreciated
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It doesn’t sound a good offer.
I have no idea how likely this is to work, but you could go back and say you would be prepared to accept the last say 7 being upheld? If you think that would be a reasonable compromise? But if you want the most money you could get then you will probably need to send this to the Ombudsman, when you may get more than 7 upheld.
Stef says
Hi Sara,
I sent a complaint to morses & was knocked back due to dates etc so I escalated to the ombudsman. The ombudsman requested proof of my loans & bank statements from the time, Which I emailed to them. I heard nothing for several weeks, not even an email acknowledging receipt of this evidence. I sent an email requesting an update on my case & this time I did get an auto reply acknowledging receipt of this email, but nothing since. Do you have any advice?
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you phone them up and ask what is happening.
Stef says
Thanks, just gave them a call & they’ve got everything I’ve sent. Just taking them time.
Lea says
I have received a final offer from Morses but I dont think its enough at all given ive been borrowing from them continuously for years. Should i accept offer and take it to ombudsman or should i decline and take it to ombudsman.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How many loans did you have from them? How many have they said are unaffordable?
Lea says
Lots! Lol and less than half 3 they said they had no paperwork for.
Im seriously tempted to accept their offer as its about 1500 after tax but i do think there should be more. Hence why im wondering if i accept offer does it mean i cant go to fca to question their decision?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if you accept their offer, you can not go to the Ombudsman.
Lea says
Thank you, fca have now been sent my complaint
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I hope that was a typo for FOS?
Rob says
Hello,
Does anyone know if Morses take the full 28 days to pay out redress?
Or is it sooner?
John says
Ten days nowt in bank just emailed and asked that question yesterday but no response
Rob says
Yes got mine today also from Morses.
10 days.
John says
Just checked bank m8 redress gone in that was 11 days
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Redress from Provident?
Kirsty says
Hi
I have just received a letter from morses club in response to my complaint. I have had 14 loans with them since 2018 and they have just upheld loan 4,5,7,8,10,13,14. In their offer they have also said that they will wipe my remaining balance which has gone into arrears this year due to covid and change in circumstances.
Now I’m unsure if I am best accepting the offer or if I should take it to the financial ombudsman. Up untill now my situation had not changed so I’m unsure why the other loans have not been upheld if my circumstances were the same as the ones that have been.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how much cash are they offering?
Have you worked out how much interest you have paid on the loans excluding the last ones?
the last three loans – how much did you borrow? and how much have you repaid so far?
Kirsty says
The last 3 loans are still active but the 11 that I have already paid off comes to around 2000 in interest. They have offered £117 cash to me and to clear my balance.
The last 3 active loans are in arrears and my balance to clear them is just under 2000.
I’m thinking that the outcome might be around the same if I went to the ombudsman as I’m guessing if I won the other loans and had a higher payout then the offer of clearing my balance would go so am I right in thinking that I would still end up with the same amount of cash at the end of both options?
Last 3 loans – In total I borrowed 2100 and interest is 1625. My current balance is 2070
Sara (Debt Camel) says
On those numbers it sounds as though you have paid 2100+1625-2070=1655 to the current loans. Does that sound about right? I will assume it is.
If interest is removed from them then you would still owe 2100-1655= 445
So their offer to you amounts to clearing a balance of 445 and refunding 117 – a total of 562 againts the fact you say you have paid 2000 od on the repaid loans.
BUT their offer to you did not include loan 12, which is one of the current loans?
Have they given any reason why they have not included loans 11 and 12?
How large were loans 9,10,11,12,13, 14 in order please?
Were there any gaps between these loans – a period where you had repaid one loans and didnt take a new loan for more than a couple of months?
Kirsty says
Their reason in the letter was that the loans they did not uphold were affordable.
9. Dec 2019- amount 1000- interest 855
10. Jan 2020- amount 400- interest 280
11. Mar 2020- amount 200- interest 140
12. Aug 2020- amount 700- interest 490
13. Oct 2020- amount 1000- interest 855
14. Oct 2020- amount 400- interest 280
Sara (Debt Camel) says
when you got 11 and 12, were any of the previous loans still running?
Kirsty says
Yes. Since my very first loan their has always been atleast 1 loan active. With the last 2 loans they were renewed and topped up
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In that case I think 11 and 12 should definitely be included.
And loan 9 is very large!
If you want the maximum you can get, that may well be loans 4 onwards then you probably have to go to the Ombudsman.
If you are happy to try for a compromise and get less than the maximum, you could go back to Morses and say you would be happy to accept as a compromise if they include loans 11 and 12 – point out that if you go to the Ombudsman it is pretty likely the decision will be to refund all loans from loan 4, so that would also include loans 6 and 9.
If you suggest a compromise, can you let us know what they say?
Kirsty says
Yes I will go back to them and will update with what they say.
Thank you
Kirsty says
Hi Sara
Update- I went back to morses with the compromise and they said no as that was their final offer based on their assessment.
I have now sent it to the ombudsman so will just wait for their decision.
Tim says
Hi. Has anyone had much success against CLC Finance for unaffordable lending. They are a bit crafty loans are split into multiple amounts meaning if you borrow 600 pounds they will give you seperate loans of £200 pounds each. Also taking your repayments by card payment in the middle of the night giving them priority over other debts. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They are rarely mentioned. If they gave you 3 £200 loans on one day, I think FOS will view that as the same as a £600 loan. If they don’t make you a good offer take the complaint to the Ombudsman if you know repaying the loans caused you a lot of problems.
Gina says
I’ve currently got a complaint against CLC finance with the Ombudsman. I first complained to them over a year ago about the 33 loans I had with them.
The adjudicator ruled in my favour to refund from loan 9 onwards. The reason they gave for not including the earlier loans was because I had no bank statements to show income from that time (2015).
CLC didn’t agree with the adjudicator so now awaiting an Ombudsmans decision. My adjudicator contacted me last week letting me know my case has now been allocated to an ombudsman. Hopefully not long now for the outcome.
Anne says
Hi there,
I first submitted a claim to CLC last February. They rejected my complaint so I sent it to FOS. Adjudicator ruled in my favour upholding loans 6 to 38. CLC again rejected this so it went to the ombudsman. Today I’ve had the final ruling from the ombudsman – they’ve ruled in my favour loans 6 to 38! Theyve been instructed to contact me to arrange the refund and I need to go back to FOS in 4
Weeks if they haven’t sorted it. I have a feeling they’ll drag their feet with the refund though. They’ve been nothing but difficult!
Gina says
I’ve just recieved a letter stating CLC are going into liquidation. I’m so annoyed at this its the forth time I’ve tried getting a refund from these types of company’s and lost out due to them throwing the towel in. Even with the fos ruling in my favour, I have lost thousands because of the length of time it takes them to issue a decision. By the time I get an outcome the company has gone into administration. Its so unfair.
Rose says
Sorry to hear this Gina – it’s sucks… I got nowhere with Swift Sterling as it was the Malta-based iteration, then Wonga, Wageday Advance, Payday Express, Payday UK, Pounds to Pocket and txtloan (My Jar) went into administration and I ended up getting pennies in the pound. That said, I am really grateful for Sara and the site, as I have had success with other lenders, but I’m pretty sure that one or two of the ones that are currently with FOS are likely to go bust before any potential payout.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That letter isn’t clear if they are contemplating a solvent liquidation or insolvent. If it is solvent, creditors should be paid in full.
I suggest you contact the ombudsman urgently about this and them if they know what is happening.
Tim says
Hi Anne did they make you a poor offer after visiting your home before rejecting your complaint?
Annie says
Has anyone ever had irresponsible lending case with Likely Loans.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes lots … see https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-large-high-cost-loans/ which has the template for this sort of complaint.
Annie says
Thank you.Do they take a while to deal with them
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ask on the other page – more likely to be seen by people who have complained to them.
Linda and Roy says
Could you please send a other letter out please I filled it out wrong
Thank you we both had loans since I been 18years old this is for a refund
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hi Linda & Roy,
was this a letter from Provident?
Peter says
Hi Sara
Just received my response to my complaint to Morses. Despite using the Debt Camel’s template letter (adjusting it slightly to reflect my circumstances) they didn’t even answer my complaint. I initially received confirmation that they had received my complaint, and yesterday received a large envelope containing all my previous signed agreements/statements with a very short letter “I trust this clarifies your request”. (Think they mean “satisfies”).
Not sure if this is worth persuing as I still have 3 outstanding loans with them where I am making a token payment. Including these 3 loans (current balance £261.72) I have had a total of 7 loans with an overall total of £1,650; after interest I would have repaid £2,580. One thing that always puzzled me is that each time I took a loan they performed a credit check which I passed despite having a CCJ and numerous defaults showing on my record.
Any thoughts?
Peter
P.S. Good news from MoneyShop though; received my settlement at the beginning of June. Fingers crossed with Provident/Greenwoods. Thank you Sara for the website.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It may be they have just sent you a list of your loans? When did you send them your complaint?
Trenwick1 says
My partner had the same, his paper copy of loans. They then sent a letter a few days later saying they are looking into the complaint.
carole clark says
Help!can anyone help me with this one.
Pawnbrokers are moneylenders except they want your goods first.
The interest rates are unbelievable
Example.i spawned some diamonds because I needed the money urgently. I borrowed £1000and had great difficulty paying it back I was very worried,these diamonds were worth 10 times what I pawned them for.every month I was trying to pay the interest.this went on for 3 years. I paid something in the region of £5000 and then the £1000 on top of that. The pressure was unbelievable and I overdosed many times so I could go to sleep and not think about it
I finally got the diamonds back but guess what? The diamonds are back in and only today tha calls have started for the ticket to be renewed. I am ill with it all. What do I do
There is no regulated for pawn shops. Help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am sorry but the affordability rules do not apply to pawnbrokers.
I know you won’t want this suggestion, but if you can get the diamonds back, how about selling them and clearing a lot of your debt?
If you can’t get them back, talk to a good debt adviser about your situation – phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
bobby says
hi can someone help me with some device please i have hd multiple loans with naylors. the old agent i had used to come to my address to give me money before it went in to the new online system i’m behind with some of my bills due to repaying loans back but i did ask for subsequent loans myself after the first one. which a man just turned up looking for previous tenant and then asked me if i wanted a loan that’s when it all started back in 2015 but my agent would ask me what i pay in bills and ask me about my income and he would just shovel figures around add some on take some off till it was suitable never asked to see proof of anything and still have loans of them which i am behind in arrears. would this be accepted for refunds does anyone no. thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That sounds like a lot of loans – repeat lending is usually a sign of a strong complaint.
bobby says
ok thank you, sorry about the spellings using a different device. thanks i’m just not sure we’re to start and yes it is a lot of loans when i think about it now. i also have 2 loans from loans at home will that affect my claim? and also do i go to the ombudsman of naylors or go direct to naylors first sorry.? sorry never done anything like this before
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The article above takes you through it step by step – you complain first to Naylors. The complaint includes a request for a list of your loans and how much interest you have paid – you need that to assess any offer they make.
If they reject, send it to the Ombudsman. If they make what sounds like a poor offer, some back here and ask? You can’t change your mind if you accept an offer…
bobby says
ok brilliant thank you very much i will start the process tonight. then let you no with an update once i have heard back before i make any more steps. Thanks for your help sara
Kayleigh says
I had two loans with Morses and got into arrears and set up a repayment amount. When I contacted them to set up a repayment amount the woman wasn’t very polite on the phone as basically said it was my own fault for getting into arrears. she then looked into my details and realized that the woman who provided my loan didn’t complete the income and expenditure correctly and has missed out elements of using a car i.e. insurance. petrol and tax. Do you think i should complain about this and see if they will remove my interest? I’m happy to repay the monies just not the interest?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Absolutely. Send them an affordabilty complaint, template above, and add to the template what you were told on the phone. It will help if you can attach copies of your bank statements for the 3 months before each loan. If they refuse to remove the interest, send the complaint to the Ombudsman.
Did you set up a payment arrangement?
Kayleigh says
Hi yes I have a repayment in place for £20 per month but they are hammering my credit score with late payment notifications whilst other lenders have set up special arrangement notices. I have sent them an email using the template and bank statements.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if you win the affordability complaint, they will have to delete the negative marks on your credit record :)
CC says
I made an unaffordability claim for loans taken out with Morses some years ago. They repeatedly loaned to me and used ‘top up’ loans to pay off existing ones, which was encouraged by their agent. I recently provided all address history, personal details including reference numbers for my Morses account and even sent further information when I found it.
They sent me two letters saying they have been unable to trace any account information and therefore say I have no grounds to complain and consider the matter closed. Are they allowed to do this and just refuse to take any responsibility by saying they cannot find the data, not even with reference numbers I supplied which I know are correct? There is nothing from them on my credit file though. Do I just presume the loans are too old to do anything about even though their practices were questionable to say the least and they are still trading as the original company as far as I know.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you have the details of these loans – what you borrowed, the dates, what you repaid?
CC says
No sadly I haven’t, just the account reference number and some old letters with a balance on when the loans were active. I thought they would have those details and used your excellent template letter to ask for the loan information when I contacted them but all I received was the ‘brush off’ letter (twice). I did provide everything I thought they would need to trace my account with them but it is as if it never existed according to them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how long ago was this?
CC says
I think the last loan and paperwork I had from them was in 2011/12 so about 9 years ago. Is this too long ago to do anything now? I just find it puzzling they have no data and cannot find anything even with reference numbers and full personal details that I supplied.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If they don’t have the data (because they have wiped it) and you don’t , then there is little that can be done :(
CC says
Oh well never mind :( hope other people have more luck with this lender who continues to trade (hopefully with better practices than they used before). Thanks so much for the information Sara.
Martine says
Hi sorry to jump in! I had this with black horse, I told them if I still owed them money they’d know me!!! I put it in writing and said that again and suddenly they found me! Try that before you give up as I was successful in my claim!
Stef says
Hi all,
Has anyone ever recieved an email update from the ombudsman that says
“Your case is currently in a queue waiting to be assessed by an adjudicator and we’ll be ready to give you our answer once we’ve considered all the information that we have on the case.”?
If so, does anyone know how long this stage is likely to take?
Thank you 😊
CC says
I have two cases lodged with the Ombudsman. The first submitted and accepted in Nov 2020 and the second one in Jan 2021. Although I have spoken to them and get updates via email neither of the cases have been allocated to an officer yet. I don’t whether they assess the urgency of cases and allocate accordingly but I was initially told it would be 4 months because of delays but my first case has been waiting over 7 months and the second one almost 6. They are obviously extremely busy at the moment.
Rose says
I put in two cases in November, and a separate complaint, about one of the initial lenders I was making an affordability complaint, in January. The January one was allocated and resolved first. One of the cases from November was assigned in February, and was a bit of a faff (settled last week) because Safetynet Credit initially refused to accept their adjudication (this was to do with their final) and the other was assigned in April, and settled in May. So there doesn’t seem an awful lot of rhyme and reason, in my particular case, about what gets picked up when.
I put another in last week, and will be doing another next week: I am expecting both not to be resolved until some time next year, based on what I’ve seen so far, and I know they have a huge backlog at the moment also.
Margaret says
Hi has anybody had any complaints against GR Finance?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you have been the only person to mention them – they are a small lender.
Nicki says
Hi Sara,
I used your template for Morses/Shopacheck, they have sent my statements through today, but have told me to contact Welcome for the ones previous as they only took on the open accounts- is this correct and what happens from here
AllyG says
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to this site, and yourself Sara . I only came across it 2wks ago didn’t even know I could put in a complaint about being Miss sold doorstep loans,after reading comments I realised I certainly had so I used you’re template on the 28th June. I finally got a offer from LAH today after just 2wks of 19K+ 👍if wasn’t for this site I would of been none the wiser,They were giving me loan after loan sometimes 3 at once;never checked my income only on first loan in 2010.When I was going through cancer even got me to redo loans,they should be ashamed,never once a offer of help or a break while going through my Chemo treatments,they have upheld my loans 7-68 !! going even over the 6yrs and time barred accounts some being upheld ..
Thanks Again
Emma turner says
Hi I need help as safety net credit has replied saying they was right with the outcome of the loan but they have gotten the income at the time wrong and saying I was on 2grand a month which is not what I was on at all.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Go back to them and point this out. Say the case goes to the Financial Ombudsman in a week if they do not reconsider and make you an acceptable offer.
Lea says
Hi i currently have a claim in for Morses refund with ombudsman for many loans, i have outstanding loans with them but realised today im only paying the interest off now as ive paid way over what i borrowed on each loan. Should i stop paying?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
are the repayments actually affordable? if paying Morses means it’s hard to manage your other debts and bills, then yes you should probably stop.
Stopping paying will also mean that you are better off if Morses go into administration and your claim is then upheld – I have no reason to think they are in trouble, but you may be worried about this.
The only downside to stopping is that it will harm your credit record, but any negative marks will be removed if you win your case.
You say “many loans” – how many? if it was a LOT then it’s very likely you have a strong complaint.
Lea says
I have had 2-3 loans runningqll the time with them for about 15 years and yes its hard to afford it thats why i wondered a out paying. Im on benefits have been for 15 years as disabled and been paying out 135 to morses every fortnight. Course then they have you as you always need that renewal they offer
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That sounds like a VERY strong case. I suggest you tell them you will not be paying until your Ombudsman case has been decided.
Nic says
Has anybody had any joy complaining to mutual??
AllyG says
Hi Nic
I put in a unaffordability complaint 5 July to Mutual ,I had a acknowledgement email that same wk with how they deal with their Complaints attached, then say will be in touch within the 8wks.That’s all I’ve had so far from them.
Nic says
Hi, mutual replied to me stating that all 20 of my loans were affordable and they weren’t paying out on any
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I hope you sent this to the Ombudsman, Nic?
Nic says
I have, I sent them this week.
Kind regards Nic
Nic says
Good afternoon,
Iv had a reply from the ombudsman and they have told mutual that they shouldn’t of gave me any loans 1-20 and they didn’t do proper checks, mutual have now got until the 7th of March to either give them more information or agree, what do you think the outcome maybe?
Jo says
I’ve had a on-going claim with mutual for over a year now. The ombudsman favoured for me loans 6-27 but mutual disagreed so it had to be escalated higher. I’ve finally had the outcome to say they have to pay and have till the 7th of March, I don’t think they like to pay out!!
Thanks Sara for your website.
Nic says
Hope you get what your owed :)
Nic
Nic says
Hi
So mutual have agreed with the ombudsman loans 1-20 should never of been given, I still owe on 4 so confused how they work it all out.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So 1-20 is all the loans?
If it is, what they will do is add up all the amounts you borrowed and all the amounts you have repaid so far. To all the loans includ8ng the last 4. Do you know what those 2 totals would be?
Nic says
Hi Sarah 20 loans is what I had I total
Loans totalling £11250
Total repaid £12593
Sara (Debt Camel) says
and what are the current balances? Have you defaulted on these or are you still repaying them?
Nic says
574
417
969
1265
All included interest
Deflated on these
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, those numbers look low – my guess is a lot of your loans paid off an earlier loan? So the new loan may have been fopr £500 but you only got £300 in cash – is that right?
Nic says
Hi
Yes that’s right, but according to there statement it was just two, but it was more than that I’m sure
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok in this case you need to ask how much interest has been paid on each of the 1-16 loans that have been settled.
And for each of loans 17-20, how much you have borrowed and how much you have repaid to them so far.
Nic says
£200 paid £280
£200 paid £251
£800 paid £686
£300 paid £403
£500 paid £723
£300 paid £403
£100 paid £135
£800 paid £899
£300 paid £391
£500 paid £711
£800 paid £1208
£600 paid £888
£550 paid £816
£600 paid £927
£800 paid £1162
£650 paid £899. 1-16
£800 paid £666
£600 paid £512
£1000 paid £581
£850 paid £52 17-20
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are those the amounts of interest paid on each loan? Or the payments you made to each loan? I’m sorry but unless you have the statement of account for each loan, it can be hard to work this out if the next loan was settling the previous one.
Julie says
Does anyone know how long is it taking for cases to be allocated to an adjudicator?
I have a complaint against morses club which is with the financial ombusman waiting for it to be allocated.
I recieved an email this morning from a company called Lantern (Debt collector) saying that my debt with morses club is now with them and that I need to set up a payment plan to pay the debt off.
I’m not sure what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Tell Lantern that you are disputing the debt with Morses and there is an open complaint at the Ombudsman.
Julie says
Ok. Thank you.
AllyG says
Hi Sara
Is there a direct email for Morses/Shopacheck to send a unaffordability complaint to ,or do you just filling the form that comes up when you have clicked on the name from list on this page. Thanks
Kathleen Gray says
I just copied and pasted the template letter onto their link for complaints… they are now dealing with mine and have sent details of all my loans which to be honest shocked me. I didnt realise how much ive actually paid this company. top up after top up just to help repay the original loan. crazy! anyway they have told me they will provide the outcome of my complaint no later than 3rd november
Ann Elizabeth Murphy says
After 1st loan with Provident,I was never asked again if I could afford to pay back the loan,I was always offered another loan. When I got married and wanted to change my name with Provident ,was told it didn’t matter. Provident agent came on one occasion and gave me money back as her books didn’t balance and she was sacked.
Lisa Selway says
Hi Sarah, as my case is with the FOS do I still need to re apply to provident??
Mines been going on over 18 months now.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You shouldn’t – a claim should automatically be registered, see the Flowchart linked to in the article above.
But why not set up an account in the portal and see what it says? One person in the comments above with a FOS claim said it didn’t show in the portal. This may just be something temporary and they haven’t yet uploaded the FOS complaints. Or it could be an error. You could wait and. Check again in a few weeks or just decide it’s simple enough to submits the claim yourself now and get it out of the way.
Nicky says
Hi
How does anyone know how long Morses take to pay/transfer refund after you accept their offer?
Margaret says
Hi Nicky, I got my payout last week after 21 days. I was told 28 so it was a bonus ! Hope you don’t wait too long . Good Luck
Stef says
How long were your cases with the ombudsman before you got an offer, if you don’t mind me asking?
Margaret says
Didn’t use Ombudsman Morses settled with me
Nicky says
Hi Stef
So Morses made poor offer, sums didnt add up. End of February, Ombudsman emailed to say both parties had 2 weeks to add any more information.
Middle of April another email saying i was in que for my case to be assigned.
First email from Adjudicator was end of July
Decision from him on 5th August and Morses agreed with them on 10th August.
Glad i didnt take Morses first offer, as im now get exactly 3 times what they first offered.
Hope yours is not too long now.
Nicky says
Hi Margaret
Thanks for reply. Im on week 2, so hopefully not much longer. 😁
J Donn says
Just a heads up on the final outcome of mines with Skyline.
They accepted responsibility for irresponsibly lending 20 loans out of 30. This worked for me as it has removed most of their loans from my credit file as was my initial concern.
I received around £3.5k by bank transfer within 48 hours when I had accepted the decision, and those loans have been removed from my credit file.
A good outcome and thank you Sara for all the advice
Gina says
Hi, I’ve just won my case against CLC finance at the FOS as an ombudsman final decision. They were told to refund from Loan 10-33 and add 8% simple interest. I’ve had a phone call from CLC saying they are sending me a form to sign and will pay what they owe me into my bank account within 3 days.
The problem is the form they want me to sign does not provide a breakdown and the amount is lower than what I had worked it out as. They say “we are prepared to pay you this sum for full and final settlement of your intended claim against CLC” They state that by signing I agree to drop any complaints I have with them. They state they do not accept any reposibility or wrongdoings by them.
Nowhere does it state this is due to a ombudsman decision, just what they are offering due to my complaint, which they rejected back in March 2020. I’ve requested for them to send me a breakdown but have yet to hear back from them.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Tell your adjudicator what is happening.
Gina says
Hi, I’ve spoken to my ajudicator at FOS this morning and have been told that as the Ombudsman disision is final and legally binding I shouldn’t have to sign CLC’s document. She said she will contact them regarding this and if I want anymore advice on the documents to contact citizens advice.
Just when I thought it was all over after 18 months.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest the bigger problem here is that they have come up with a figure that is too small.
Tim says
Hi Gina. I also have a claim against C.L.C. Finance. Did they finally pay you what you was due to?
Gina says
Yes eventually. I’m still waiting for my tax certificate to reclaim the tax though. Been over a month since receiving paent but they keep giving different excuses as to why the haven’t yet issued the certificate.
C says
Hi
Quick question. Wondering if anyone can give experience of receiving redress from morses club.
Do they generally take the full 28 days to pay out?
Many thanks C
C says
Sorry I just saw the comment above. Hopefully I get it in a similar time frame 🤞
Damien says
HI Sara,
my wife and I have had three loans in the UK but ten loans in the Republic of Ireland from 2013/2015, if i was to submit a claim would i put in to account all the loans together or just the ones here in UK since 2015.? We do still have al l the provident books from both countiers. Thankyou
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I *think* it will only cover the UK loans. But you need To ask Provident to bd sure as thus is an unusual situation.
Lesley says
Hi I can’t find my original loan documents or the book that I used to re pay the loan when they came to my door how would I go about finding this because I would like to make a claim and can’t without this thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You shouldn’t need to produce this unless Provident say they can’t find a record of you.
Nicola Powell says
Hi, I put in a claim for multiple unaffordable loans with Provident at the beginning of the year. After quite some time they came back and refused the claim. I took the complaint to FOS but then Provident went into administration and FOS told me that Provident would now deal with it through their scheme. As Provident originally refused me will they now re-look at my claim or will it automatically be refused again?
Thanks in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They will relook at complaints in their Scheme, not just reject them.
You need to check your FOS complaint has been logged as a claim – the simplest way may be to try to enter a new claim yourself.
Michelle Louise says
Hi ,
I have a claim with the FOS and im awaiting a payout from Morses Club , Its now almost 5 weeks Ive now contacted my Adjudicator as was told
Payout should of been within 28 days. Anyone had similar issues and how long did your payout take? Thanks
Nicola says
Hi Michelle
I received my payout from Morses 16 days after phoning them with my bank details. Transferred it to me on 1st September this year.
Hope this helps and your not waiting too long for this
michelle louise says
Hi , Thats good to hear thanks for letting me know.
Chris says
How do I claim the tax back from my refund from morses?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
see https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/
Marie says
Provident Scheme, I have been chased and threatened by agent to make payment, I have said to them numerous time I don’t even have money to feed my family, she said I still have to pay. She call a few times a week to chase payment. Do I still need to carry making payment to provident
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You have made a claim to the Scheme? How many loans did you have from Provident before this one?
Marie says
Hi Sara,
5 loans from 2012, before this one. I paid all of them. I have 2 with remaining balance to pay. Been off work due to sickness. Berm chase and proper harass by agents they are calling up to 5 times a day. I’ve explain i can’t afford to pay. They still saying it need to be paid or provident will take me to court
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so you have already made a claim to the Scheme?
do you have other problem debts or arrears as well?
Marie says
I have made a claim yes. But they won’t link all the ID scheme under one, they want me to register, but when I register a pop up message comes up as the email address already registered
Sara (Debt Camel) says
so there are three problems here.
1) being pressured to pay money you can’t afford. If you have a claim in, there is no way Provident will take you to court until it has decided the claim. The debt collector is just being unpleasant.
2) making sure Provident include all your loans. I can’t tell what is happening. You need to phone them up and explain the problem.
3) do you have other problem debts as well at the moment?
Marie says
Hi Sara,
No I don’t
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, so tell the debt collector you want your claim decided, phone Provident and get the different loans all under on id and wait for the outcome of the claim.
If you lose it you will have to make a payment arrangement, but it could be just £1 a month if that’s all you can afford.
Lea says
Hi I just want to thank Sara for all the advice on this site It is because of that advice i applied for a refund from Morses, i disagreed with their token decision, i reported to ombudsman and received a 700% increase in offer. Thank you Sara x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That sounds better! Did Morses accept the adjudicator decision?
Lea says
They did! apparently ill receive refund within 28 days and they will remove all of the loan histories from credit file.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
great! If there is any chance you make other complaints in future, take a copy of your credit record now and keep it – before they delete the records.
Shelly says
Im still waiting for a payout from Morses , They agreed with the financial ombudsman back at the beginning of August and had 28 days to settle . Moving on to now ive heard nothing I told the Adjudicator who has now twice told them to settle this promptly. They now have until the 12th October to do so and im not holding much hope , Ive seen cases where they have settled within the 28 day period. Don’t understand why its taking so long.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you phoned them with your bank account details as some previously suggested?
Peter says
Quick question, I have a complaint on going with LAH and they had till the 8th of September to get back to the adjudicator but still nothing! They ruled that not any of the loans should have been lent. I’ve still not heard anything and it’s been nearly a month, are LAH like this trying to get out of paying? Thanks
Alison says
Hi Peter LAH were pretty quick in paying out after finding loans shouldn’t of been given to me, from first email of complaint to excepting their offer the actual payment took literally 2days to go in my bank. Length of my case was only 2weeks..So they usually don’t mess about paying out.
Alison
Peter says
The ombudsman said they had till the 8th of September to agree or disagree with there discussion and they still haven’t got back to them! Don’t know if I should do anything?!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ask your adjudicator what is happening.
Alison says
Hi Peter . I’d get in touch with your adjudicator and see what the hold up is then,it may be that they are working out the payment for you from the loans ; so I’d definitely chase up ..Hopefully sorted for you soon . Alison
Jane says
Hiya peter the same has happened to ne with lah ..adjudictor found loans 3 -11 should not have been given . They gave them 2 weeks to reply ..its gone 3 weeks now they havent replied ..its now been exculated to the ombudsman ..was wondering what the outcome was for you .. did they get back eventualy ?
Tim says
Put a complaint in with C.L.C. Finance about a month ago. A audit manager visited me at home within a week offering me £300 pounds and paying off my 2 outstanding lians with them as a good will gesture. Has anyone else had this with C.L.C.? I believe this must be a ploy to get you to drop the complaint
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How much are the two outstanding loans?
Do you have a list of your repaid loans and the interest on them? How many were there over how many years?
Tim says
2 outstanding loans about £600 pounds. Had about 30 loans. Interest paid about£3200. And yes they have sent me a list of all my previous loans over the last 6 years. Got redress of Provident. Morses Club. and Loans @Home. All 4 lenders were running together
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then that does sound like a poor offer!
Are you making any payments to the current loans?
Are you prepared to compromise at all? If you want the maximum possible, just send your case to FOS now. But if you would be happy with a lower quick settlement, reply saying what you would be prepared to settle for and say they have a week to accept or it goes to FOS.
Tim says
CCL have stopped taking payments on my loans. However i think they will still report missed payments to C.R.A. I did tell them what i would accept. They refused. ( £750 plus the 2 loans paid off)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ok then send the case to FOS now. You offer was very fair.
Alyson says
My adjudicator came back to me last week for Morses and that they agree with her decision (this was very fast they decided so I hope they get in touch soon for my bank details).
On my breakdown she sent apart from the tax deducted it also has deducted ‘Outstanding capital deduction’. Would this be to do with the last 2 loans that got shifted over to Lowell.
Also in the letter she initially sent them it does say about them getting In touch with the debt company, Should I also get I touch with them or just sit and wait.
Thankyou.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes that will be to do with the loans with Lowell. Are you making payments to Lowell?
Sandie says
Hello, I have been using Morse club since 2016, ranging from £100 at the start to £1500 to this date, some loans before others were paid of and some top-up loans, I have paid about £9k in interest to this company while I struggled with other bills and missed payments. Would it be worth my while asking for some interest back?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That sounds like a lot of continuous borrowing. It sounds as though Morses should have realised that you were becoming dependent on their loans, with one leaving you so short you ended up borrowing more from them.
If this sounds like what happened to you, read the article above and send them a complaint.
Sarah says
Hi ive complained to morses club they have sent me my list of loans for past 6 years they were back to back loans interest alone was 9050 pounds
What happens after this point it took them 3 to 4 weeks after my complaint nothing since loan history letter came
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is the response to the bit in your complaint that asked for a list of your loans. It isn’t the responses to your request for a refund, they will reply to that separately, they have 8 weeks to do this from your complaint date.
Did you have other loans with them older than 6 years? If yes, were there a lot of them?
Sarah says
Yes I did but they haven’t sent them through and I can’t find them i have put in a complaint asking for a refund and my list of loans the loans go back 6 years back to back so the 9050 is interest they charged in 6 years what would others suggest as a fair refund
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you have any idea how many years before you borrowed for?
I suggest you reply to Morses that you want a complete record of your lending, not just the ones within 6 years.
Sarah says
I still haven’t heard of morses club they said they were at final stages of my complaint mid Oct and nothing since.i got a email though from clear score saying that home lending was coming off my account in 2 days as in morse club should I hear about a refund soon tbsnks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
it has been more than 8 weeks since you complained? have you phoned them up and asked?
Sarah says
Just got a reply will not budge i had 37 back to back loans over 5 years paid 9000 in interest saying no to 1st 35 and yes to last 2 they have offered 350 quid and basically made me out to be liar and that agents don’t need to check payslips after 1st loan
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send this straight to the Ombudsman. Prolonged lending tells its own story, that you had become dependent on high cost borrowing that should only have been used for short term problems.
Tim says
Hi everyone. I complained to C.L.C. Finance Ltd 8 weeks ago. They have not responded to this so i have now complained to F.O.S. Has anyone had any success against this company? Thanks
Jo says
Sara,
I have a complaint on-going with mutual and it’s been picked up today to be looked into. This is the response I’ve had and this is what they have said……..
As you’re aware from their final response letter, the business has raised some points around the time limits of when this complaint was first raised with them specifically regarding any loans taken before April 2016 and said the complaint about them was made too late and outside the time limits set by the financial services regulator. So, to progress your case, we need to look at whether the business is right about these time limits. That means looking at whether the complaint about the earlier loans was made within six years of the date of the event complained about or, if it gives more time, within three years of when you should reasonably have been aware of the problem.
Mutual has provided all the information they hold for you on their electronic records which contain details of loans from 2011. Due to the age of any loans you may’ve held before this time they would require further information such as account reference numbers or loan agreements to see if they can locate these loans on their archive physical records.
From the evidence, only nine loans were taken within six years of when your complaint was made on 30 January 2021 so the business is right about the six-year part of the time limit.
I’m sorry it’s such a long read but not sure how to go forward!
Jo says
Continued as it was too long….
Therefore, we now have to look at the three-year part of the time limit and need to know whether the complaint was made within three years of when you should reasonably have known you had cause to complain.
So, we need to now know when you first became aware that the business may have done something wrong and what prompted you to realise this.
It is important that you provide as much information as possible, including the month and year, although a rough approximation of the month and year would be sufficient if you are unable to recall the exact date.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
we need to now know when you first became aware that the business may have done something wrong and what prompted you to realise this.
This is what FOS needs from you. if you don’t reply, they will only look at the loans within the 6 years before you complained.
Just replay saying how and when you found out about these complaints. Did a friend tell you? Did you see an article in a newspaper? Did you see a Facebook advert saying people could complain about unaffordable loans and wonder if theta applied to Mutual so you googled and found the Debt Camel site? did you have a payday loans and were contacted by an administrator? All FOS wants is your story.
Jo says
Ok thanks Sara.
I had another claim going and never got asked any of this! Mutual don’t see to be taking it laying down.
Has anyone had a good outcome with these?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They aren’t a huge lender but there have been some good wins against Mutual!
Chris says
Hi Sara,
I have a claim with the ombudsman for LAH.
I started taking these loans out in March 2009 and then in October 2009 I was made bankrupt (discharged a year later) as my finances were out of control. I still kept getting loan from then right up to 2019. Now I’ve put a claim in the adjudicator said I had to get authority from the trustee for the claim to go ahead! What does that mean for any payments? am I likely to receive any money or will it go straight to the trustee?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When you went bankrupt your assets were transferred to the Official Receiver/Trustee. This includes the right to make a legal claim for events that happened before your bankruptcy, which is why FOS is saying you need the trustee’s permission to bring the claim. Any refunds will then go to your Trustee, not to you.
BUT (and in your case this is VERY important) the right to make this claim did not cover events which happened after your bankruptcy – that is still your asset and any money for refunds on the later loans should come to you. That is almost all the loans in your case!
There isn’t normally a refund on the first few loans anyway… you may have seen here that a typical award could be a refund of loan 4 onwards.
So to simplify this and probably not reduce your refund at all, I suggest you go back to your adjudicator and say you are happy to only have the loans after your discharge considered for a refund if the previous loans are taken account of in determining when the lending became unaffordable. Say you understand that this will not involve your trustee at all and the refund money will come to you.
Chris says
When I spoke to them about accepting what LAH had already offered and I think it was for 12 of the loans 2015-1019 they said it still need the trustee to approve this! But I will go back and say this and see what they say.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
come back if they disagree because they would be wrong… and this is worth getting clarified.
Chris says
I went back to them and they were happy to proceed after discharge from bankruptcy but I now can’t find my letter! I need that so I’ve had to get on to the official receiver but I’m thinking this is gonna take a while!!
Chan says
Hi I sent a complaint to mutual an they have sent me a letter saying they only have two loans an that was 2011 an 2012 an that’s the only data well I’ve had loans every year an they were from my old address an I’ve had loans later from later years at my new address an I moved here in 2015 I’ve got none of my books with them but I’ve stated who was my last caller was an said how can you old only two loans on me an that’s it but I’ve had further loans after this date surely this is incorrect
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you have given them all the addresses?
do you have any other evidence of these loans?
Chan says
Hi there yes gave them both addresses an no I haven’t got any of the other information strange how they have older loans but there was much more than two an then not more recent loans doesn’t make sense
Jo says
So Sara I’ve got a problem and not sure what to do.!
My uncle has learning difficulties and you would know that if you met him. He’s been having these loans from morses for years and I’ve told him about unaffordable leading to which he agrees to put a complaint in. He’s on universal credit and gets £420 a month to which £100 of that is to them and he lives on his own. Someone had called him from morses and offered him a loan but he couldn’t have because of the complaint so he said to cancel to get the money but now they have back-tracked.
Do I just call them? Put another complaint in?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
did you put the complaint in on his behalf?
So he put in a complaint (or did you on his behalf?) and they offered him another loan, but then they said he couldn’t have it so he tried to withdraw the complaint?
Has he stopped paying them?
Does he have any other debts eg arrears with bills?
Jo says
I filled it all in for him but it was as if he had done it himself. Yeah they said he could have one but not with the complaint going ahead, so he said to stop it then they got back to him and said they couldn’t offer him one. So my guess is it was for him to cancel it! No he’s still paying them. He has got himself in arrears with his rent and phone bill.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then he needs to stop paying them. This is a non priority debt – rent is a priority and must be paid in full. And his phone may be an essential service for him?
Do you think he could manage talking to a debt adviser if he finds the idea of stopping scary? National Debtline on 0808 880 are very good and he could start by explaining he finds it hard to cope with letters and emails and bills – or his local Citizens Advice? If you could be on the call with him that may help?
Bill says
Hi Sarah, after many years of trying to make a complaint against shopacheck, I think I was contacted by welcome finance to inform shopacheck had gone out of business and could not continue with the complaint, I’ve just browsed on your site to see Morse’s club had bought shopacheck out, does this mean I can complain to Morse’s? I had 5 loans of which am still paying off to Lowell, loans where between 2008-2010
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can but they may not have any record of the transactions.
Alison says
Hi Bill I had same problem as yourself with loans taken out over the years with Shopacheck that shouldn’t of been allowed to have ,to now find don’t exist when put in a claim rejected by Morses who said didn’t have anything on file for me as so long ago;yet money through a payback plan was still going to them then went to Lowell.co.uk .I then thought if can’t find my details I will request a CCA agreement request after reading the piece on debtcamel page;so I did a request to Lowell who got back to me saying they can’t fulfill this request;then got a email couple days later saying closing all accounts owed to Shopacheck to £0 ..So If you have no look I’d try requesting the CCA agreement from Lowell ;even if you just get that debt wrote off what you still owe is better than nothing back .Alison
Bill says
Hi Alison, that is absolute fantastic advice, you know I heard about CCA thing a few years ago but thought it was too good to be true! Am going to work on that tomorrow, thank you so much x
Sarah can I just say your reply to my comment was abrupt as most of my comments over the last 4 years, in fact u remember my very first complaint was against amigo loans in 2017, I asked if I could or be possible to claim back Interest interest against them? You refuted almost immediately saying I had very little chance against as guarantor lenders!! We’ll look what’s happened since
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have just looked back at your first comment about Amigo – it was the second comment left on my new refunds from guarantors page…
I replied “I don’t know what the Ombudsman will say about this. These complaints are quite new. All you can do is try.”
I am not sure what else I could have said at that point!
In 2018 the uphold rate at FOS for Amigo complaints was just 13%… it was when properly written affordability complaints started to be made in the second half of 2018 that things started to change, but it would have been irresponsible of me to say that I was sure you would win your complaint at FOS on no evidence whatsoever!
Alison says
Hi Bill like yourself I was a bit unsure at first ,but word it right and make sure you look about if unsure how to word it ,as there is some different templates out there or some say you have to enclose a £1.00 I just sent the clause about Consumer Credit Act 1974 (sections 77-79), requesting all CCA for accounts they have with a nice email stating this ; just over 2wks later got back with me owing £0 to them all accounts closed . So fingers crossed you get somewhere with them using that as can’t for unaffordability complaint. Good Luck Bill x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s best to use the formal wording and send the £1. My page on the process is here https://debtcamel.co.uk/ask-cca-agreement-for-debt/ that has a link yo the National Debtline fact sheet with a template to use.
Gemma says
Come on, be fair. Sara runs this site for us free of charge. Look how many people she responds to on a daily basis. She can’t give everyone a couple of paragraphs.
I quite like the no nonsense, straight-to-the-point approach. You know where you are.
I know it’s stressful dealing with these companies but your anger is directed at the wrong person.
Mike_p says
Exactly – I’ve had tremendous help from this site and my finances are in a much better place because of it. It must occupy a large amount of her time and we should all be grateful that she is willing to help so.mamy people
Alyson says
I just want to say thankyou very much to Sara, I received my payment off Morses (I actually decided to email them my bank details as couldn’t be bothered waiting on them to call)…… Just waiting on Naylors now.
How would I go about claiming the tax back please I remember seeing a link but can’t remember where thankyou very much
Sara (Debt Camel) says
great! For tax reclaim, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/
Stacey says
Ill second that sara has been so helpful throughout alot of my process of reclaiming some really hefty unaffordable loans . I thought i would honestly die paying and stressing over. I have a few remaining just praying
Ky says
Hi, if you have a complaint in with the FOS can a debt collection company take legal action against you for not paying the debt while it’s being looked into? United Kash is sending me emails and texts threatening legal action unless I pay.
This is the message they keep sending.
“We intend to apply for County Court Judgement of attachment of earnings, in relation to your past due Loans 2 Go debt. Would you please confirm your correct employer details: and your pay frequency .
To stop this action, simply reply to the email with a reasonably affordable amount you can repay each pay period and we will revert with alternative options.
Please note that your outstanding balance, at this time is £3568.15”
I borrowed £1000, paid back £1400 and apparently I still have £3568.15 remaining.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you already have a CCJ for this debt?
Have you had a response from L2G? Is this with the Ombudsman?
Tim Stone says
Just had an email from Provident that basically says they are closing on 31/12/2021 and although my balance is £980 and I am behind on payments I don’t have to pay anything more and my credit record will be updated as paid and partly satisfied
Have I read this correct??
Seems to good to be true?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It is correct.
Have you made a complaint to the Scheme?
Tim stone says
Yes I have.
I hoping once the scheme reports back my loans will be totally removed.
Jenna says
Hi Sara after some advice please, I took a £300 Morses club loan of £300 at £15.00 a week back on the 12th August, I did fudge my income and expenditures because I was desperate I actually said I was on universal credit and she didn’t ask to see any evidence of what I was receiving a month in fact when I had to sign the agreement I couldn’t get on the website and she actually signed it for me and said don’t tell anyone so then after 10 weeks she rang me saying I could now borrow a further £600 and again I lied to be fair I didn’t even ask to borrow more money but because it was then offered I took it again took my word and she even fudged the figures for me and again signed the agreement the weekly repayment are now £38.00 I struggled at £15.00 a week but paid each week I’m now at a point I just can’t afford to pay this amount and it’s basically my food money I’ve not missed any payments but I’m late paying I know it’s my fault but Morally I think it’s wrong she had let this happen, didn’t even ask to see my universal credit award is there anything I can do thanks and sorry for the long post x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is this your only problem debt? Are you behind with any bills?
Jenna says
Yes I’m up to my eyeball with debts got 6 ccjs and lots of debt companies chasing me I’ve got behind with my council tax but just paying other priority bills x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you need to talk to a debt adviser about your full situation.
You can just off morses a token £1 a month, but that isn’t your real problem here.
I suggest you call National Debtline on 0808 808 4000
Jenna says
Yes I’ve been advised to do that I’m happy to pay Morses but can’t afford that much I think what I’m trying to say is how do they get away with borrowing money to people that can’t afford it with no checks thanks for your help x
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well indeed. You could also tell Morses what the agent told you to do.
However the point is that you need debt advice. making token payments does not solve debt problems and with CCJs already you have clearly been struggling for a long while. Do yourself a big favour and call National Debtline.
Chris says
I’ve had a few refunds from different door step lenders and can claim the tax back, do I have to wait till April or can I do it now?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/
Leeanne Clifford says
Hi Sara!
On the morses contact page. I refreshed it multiple times and then it worked.
Thanks for the brilliant template, I adjusted it to suit my own circumstances.
I’ll keep everyone posted
Leeanne
Leeanne Clifford says
I’m having trouble even contacting them via the form. It won’t accept my email or my phone number (and they’re both definitely correct)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Contacting who?
Jo says
So I’ve just had a email from my adjudicator saying ‘An ombudsman will review this complaint’
What dose this mean for the outcome already? Is it likely to change?
Thanks 😊
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It means the lender disagreed with the adjudicator decision. in 90% of cases the Ombudsman agrees with the adjudicator, but sometimes in these cases there is a change to the number of debts decided to be unaffordable. So if the adjudicator said to refund loans 4-7, the Ombudsman could change it to 3-7, or 5-7. Or indeed 3,4, 6 and 7.
If you think an extra loan should also be incleded as unaffordable, this is your chance to tell your adjudicator – say you were happy to accept 4-7 (or whatever) as a compromise, but you feel that 4 was also unaffordable and you would like the ombudsman to look at that.
Jo says
I see. So this be the final outcome and mutual will have to agree and pay if they say so? Do you know how long this roughly takes as I’ve not been given any timescale?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
An ombudsman’s decision is legally binding. I am afraid it’s impossible to give timescales.
Are you still making payments to a final loan?
Michael says
Hi I need advice, I’m thinking of putting an unaffordability complaint into Morses. I’ve had them for years and although never missing a payment, I’ve struggled to pay and missed other bills. I’ve basically had 4 different agents over the years, always texting me that I can have more, always texting and emailing saying I can renew and the majority of times I’ve renewed to pay them. I’ve got old payment books where the agent as split mine and my partners income up so we would both pass for loans and wrote the outgoings in the back of the books with our initials so they know what to put.. so we would pass again next time. They can’t have checked me as I also have 2 CCJS. I also have all texts from the agents offering more loans anytime I need them. This new agent messages me every fortnightly on a Thursday ” to remind me its payment day” I’ve told him I don’t need reminders as I’ve had loans since they took over from KDS but he carries on. Do you think its worthwhile trying?
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Anyone that has taken several loans in a row from a doorstep lender may have a good case – yours is definitely worth trying!
Amy says
Hi I have just received all my loan paper work from morses following a complaint I’ve made been lending from then for years. 49 loans in total adding the finance change alone comes to 15000 Iam so shocked just waiting to hear something back what happens next.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Next they will actually answer your complaint – come back here if you aren’t sure if it is a reasonable offer.
Amy says
Thank you i will do. I did also tell them with my complaint that I was in a DMP from 2014 to 2019 it was just constant lending as soon as a loan got half way through a loan I was offered a top up