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!
Are you struggling to pay car finance?
Is your credit limit too high? Not affordable?
Can you get an overdraft refund?
alison cairns says
Hi – I posted a couple of weeks ago initially – saying FO had given Provident until 21 March to consider all loans over 6 years old. I have found out Provident have agreed to look at all loans.
I posted the other day about missing Bank Statements./financial info… My bank are adamant I can not obtain more than 6 years. (maybe being awkward as I don’t use them anymore). Anyway I have got some of 2013/2014. (last loan ended end of 2013.) I was unemployed for a year from May 13 up until Feb 2014. I have also got proof of what my rent & CT costs where at the time the borrowing started/finished. I have done an income & expenditure for the period of borrowing when I was part time.. I never worked full time when I was borrowing due to having young children and being on my own. Infact – I was not much better off working but its something I needed to do.
Sarah do you think this will be enough for them?…. They have also said another FO will pick this up to look at the ‘affordability bit’. So does any one else know the timescale of this once they were told to look at the old loans – how long before the next step ???………..
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think that sounds like a lot of information. FOS knows it can be hard to get older bank statements.
Timescale – sorry, I know a few provident cases have been held up on the 6 year jurisdiction issue but I don’t have a feel for how long it will take to get an adjudicator to look at the case.
Alison cairns says
That’s fine thank you x first leg is done on agreeing loans 6 yrs and over so it’s not as if the ball is not rolling x
Annie says
Ive not heard anything as yet.Ombudsman looked at it,requested more information.Got it back but still heard nothing.Is this a good sign…she obviously reviewed it and needed more but heard nothing yet
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I’m sorry but no news is simply no news. These are all very individual cases – I can’t guess what the ombudsman has asked for or why.
Carrie says
Hi all
Provident have until 5th April(tomorrow) to either accept my adjudicators decision to uphold my complaint or reject the decision. Has anyone else had any experience with provident in this scenario? Thanks in advance
Annie says
Hi Carrie…have you heard anything yet.
Carrie says
Hi Annie
No I’ve not heard anything yet. They were suppos d to respond by Friday but they didn’t so I spoke to the adjudicator and she chased them Friday evening.
Annie says
Hope you get it sorted soon .All the best.
Kezza says
Hi did you get a response ?
Provident have come back with an offer but it’s lower then what the adjudicator recommended, do I accept or let it go to ombudsman?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This can sometimes be a tricky decision – what did the adjudicator say and what have Provident offered?
Sue says
Hi all, I’ve had a few provident loans over the years can I claim back ppi from them or do I have to go to the ombudsman.
Many thanks
Sue
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t think there has ever been PPI on Provident loans.
But you may be able to claim a refund of interest if the loans they gave you were “unaffordable”. Read the article above which looks at this and how to do it.
Ann says
I have been With Provident for 20 Years Last Loan I had Was for £500. intrest was 600 0dd. 2018. ask for Loan not long ago and got turned down, Made a Complaint no Reply. thats What You get for being a good Customer.
Paul says
I have 3 loans with Provident at the moment which I have referred to the Financial Ombudsman for a number of reasons. Following a complaint to Provident they have stated historically that between 2008-2015 I had 22 loans from them. With all of the interest added this totals over £27,000. I have 2 questions which are 1. Can I submit a claim for all of the accounts back to 2008? and 2. Do I need to wait for a response from the Financial Ombudsman regarding the current case before submitting another complaint to Provident? Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
” With all of the interest added this totals over £27,000.” just to be clear, if you win an affordability complaint, you would only get the interest refunded.
” Can I submit a claim for all of the accounts back to 2008?” yes – you can’t go back before April 2007. Complaints about loans that are more than 6 years old are likely to go very slowly at FOS as provident is objecting to the over 6 year loans being considered so FOS has first to decide that it can look at them before it actually starts doing this.
“Do I need to wait for a response from the Financial Ombudsman regarding the current case before submitting another complaint to Provident? ” can you say what the current complaint is about?
Paul says
Many Thanks for the prompt reply. The interest alone totals over £14,000 going back to 2007 so I will certainly be starting the process against them soon! With regards to my complaint with the Ombudsman, I had/have 3 current loans totalling £6,600 from Provident and unfortunately last year was a bit of a nightmare and without going in to too much detail, my children are now living with me due to Child Protection Issues. I took out numerous payday loans etc as well (which I am now in the process of making complaints) and stopped paying Provident. They never contacted me (apart from a letter every six months stating I was in arrears) and I admit I never contacted them but I had a lot going on. In January of this year I started reading about doorstep lenders and payday loans complaints so I raised a complaint with Provident about how I shouldn’t have been offered the loans, how the Agent was trying to hit her targets and the fact I never asked for them but was always offered them. Provident rejected my complaint so I referred the case to the Ombudsman with a lot more information than what is here and I am now waiting to hear back.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, but your complaint was just about your current loans? If it was, I suggest you ask FOS if you can expand that to include previous loans or if you need to start a new complaint for them.
Good luck!
Paige says
I have had 2 loans from provident since 2017. I had one for £400 in May 2017 and was in employment for a zero hour contract. I was then offered a £1000 loan in November 2017 and was advised by the collector to pay the remaining loan off which was around £300. A showed one weeks payslip to the collector but wasn’t asked for anymore. Like I stated I was on a zero hour contract and pay varied. 3 weeks after getting the new loan I lost my job and wasn’t able to afford the payments. I still owe £1500 on the loan and have only been able to pay £30 per week back.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Whether you can win an affordability complaint will depend on what was on that payslip. It isn’t provident’s fault that you lost your job a few weeks later – things can go wrong with loans and it doesn’t mean that the original loan was unaffordable.
But if you feel you should never have been given the £1000 loan – had you been having difficulty repaying the previous smaller loan? – then it is worth making an affordability complaint and asking provident to remove the interest from your current loan balance, so you only repay what you borrowed.
Carrie says
Hi all
Provident had until 5th April to respond to my adjudicator. They didn’t reply so I chased them up and they’ve said it could take two weeks to reply so I’ve now put in a complaint against their complaint handling saying that I am being treated unfairly. Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Unfortunately it is common 😠
Carrie says
Hi Sara
Do you know of any cases that have gone to the fos that have been upheld by the adjudicator and then rejected by the ombudsman?
Jay says
Heya Carrie,
I use this alot in my job and have kept an eye on decisions again Prov for my complaint. Some of them do get upheld at ombudsman level and others don’t. They seem to have a higher degree of legal/regulation knowledge.
https://www.ombudsman-decisions.org.uk
You can toggle the filters to change the type of case it throws up.
Carrie says
Hi Jay
Thanks for that. After reading a few of them for the last six months it appears that the ombudsman usually agrees with the adjudicator decisions. So fingers crossed if mine goes that far then that will be the same in my case. I’m trying to stay patient but it’s hard lol.
Annie says
Mines was rejected by adjudicator and now been passed to ombudsman.Been told she’s reviewing it at present and will get decision in few weeks.Thatcwas about 4 weeks ago.Just taking it as it comes …I don’t think adjudicator looked into it properly.As I always said i don’t have good feeling about it but time will tell
Carrie says
Ah ok well mine was accepted so fingers crossed the ombudsman also upholds it. If it goes that far.
Gazza says
Hi provident have agreed with adjudicator about unaffordable lending to my self so just wondering what the next steps will be if anyone can help many thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Good news! Provident will now calculate what the refund amount will be.
Gazza says
Thanks sara is there a timescale in which they have to do this many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You should be paid within 28 days. I assume you have told the adjudicator you agree with the decision? Does Provident have your correct bank details?
toni says
Hi guys, how do I go about claiming back? basically I am a single mum and have been on income support and jsa and at one point I had so many loans out I was paying £80 a week!I got to this stage as I would struggle to pay so would either refinance or get a new loan then would be ok for a few mths then would get in that circle again. I don’t understand how they would let someone on benefits get so high? I am currently paying off the last bit with an arrangement with Lowell …. however they they let me get a new loan ( I no my own fault but was desperate at xmas with a kid) and I was shocked I was accepted. I now have 2 loans that’s £30 a week and my jsa is only 102 a fortnight so I cant afford to pay £60 out of that. I have emailed a complaint asking for all interest paid back from over the years but now I am not sure what to do?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Emailing Provident is the best first step. The fact they let you get a new loan when your previous loan had been sold to a debt collector is a strong point in favour of your case.
You also need to say you can’t pay them £30 a week and offer something affordable such as £1 a week. These complaints can take many months to go through so you need to get yourself into a safe position where you don’t have to keep borrowing again.
Annie says
Hi Toni that’s how I was on benefits and at one point over 90 pounds a week due to refinancing in to bigger loans and longer payments and last one refinanced even though in mega arrears.Adjudicator said he couldn’t see that provident has done any wrong.Ombudsman looking in to it now.She asked for more info from them which was sent yet I’m still waiting on decision.Jyst been told they are still reviewing complaint and will here soon
Toni says
Its stupid isn’t it as I didn’t even get that much a week on benefits, and they no how desperate we are and so keep offering more x
Annie says
One question I always mean to ask is does ombudsman e mail or write to you with decision
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It normally a letter for a Final Decision from an Ombudsman.
Annie says
Thanks Sara.I was thinking e mail but then thought it would hold a lot of information so maybe letter.
Gazza says
Hi Sara sorry for late reply it was actually a phone call to fos that i had they told me that provident had agreed with them so not had anything in writing or emails as yet thanks.
Annie says
Just had call from FOS to say will be a few months with my case now as they have to re look at how these claims are being dealt with.My case is with an ombudsman who has everything in front of her to make decision but has a lot of cases to do.Im just going to forget about it for while now
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, hope they come back to you soon!
Annie says
Well fingers crossed won’t go on too long..said a few months at most .Feeling a bit optimistic thinking if she’s been through it and got everything back she needed which was screenshots of any payslips etc or what they used to do credit check. ..they wouldn’t have any as I never worked and had poor credit history with them on my credit file…feeling a tiny bit positive but you never know
Carrie says
Hi Sara
I’m still waiting for Provident to respond to the fos. I called them and they are waiting for approval from a manager. I asked what this meant and the guy on the phone said that if there has been a proposed refund then a manager has to approve the decision! So I’m waiting rather impatiently now. How long do they normally take to respond? Thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry I don’t know!
Mark says
Hi Sara,
Looking for some advice please.
I have 4 loans currently running with provident,I had 5 and paid one off last month.
The loans totalling nearly 5k.
I have been a customer for many years and found myself with this massive debt due to a history of top up loans given over the past 6 years or more.
I started with a £200 loan and over the years took loans out to save money on interest as advised by my Agent.
I took out additional loans that had no affordability checks done and was offered loans at times when I was vulnerable.
I always managed to pay the loans off somtime 3 or 4 running at the same time.my Agent would say to me you are due a top up we can clear these loans and put them into a new loan saving you interest.
I have complained to provident to regarding the current 4 loans and asked for them to be consolidated into one affordable payment.Imam waiting for the outcome to this complaint.
Do you think I should be complaining to the ombudsman regarding he previous loans and way I was given the loans?The a Agent didn’t look at wage slips bank stamens ect she just sold the loans saying I was due to refinance and this would save me interest.
I am currently up,to date with my mortgage ect and was considering taking a secured loan to consolidate.
Thanks
Mark
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do NOT take out any loan, let alone a secured one, to consolidate.
Ask Provident not for a consolidation loan but for a repayment arrangement for your existing ones – this will mean no further interest is added. oh and actually you are not “asking” you are telling them, “I can only afford £30 a month across all four loans” and from now on don’t pay any more than you can afford.
“took loans out to save money on interest as advised by my Agent.” Refinancing loans may have made them more affordable and given you more money, but it did NOT save you any interest.
Yes you can complains (and from what you have said I think you should) about the your history of borrowing – that you were given unaffordable loans, without adequate checks and that it was not explained to you that refinancing the loans was more expensive than letting an existing loan run and taking out a new one for any extra money you needed.
Sandra says
Hi I have had several loans from Provident taken out after 2015. Do you think is worth to complain? Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you think they were “unaffordable” – making the repayments on time left you getting behind with household bills or running up other debts, then yes!
Emma says
If I settle a provident loan early they deduct the interest accordingly,if I refinanced my loan the interest for loan 1 would stay the same and from my refinanced loan I would have to pay the whole balance of loan 1,,including the interest for the whole of loan 1…does anyone know if I have a valid complaint here??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s a bit more complicated than that because you do get a “settlement rebate” when a loan is refinanced, so you don’t pay the whole cost of the interest on loan 1. There are worked examples on p33 and 34 of this paper by the regulator: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/consultation/cp18-12.pdf
But refinancing loans is in general more expensive because you are the settlement rebate is not full AND because you are simply borrowing over a longer period and therefore paying more interest. the agent should have explained to you that it would be cheaper to take out a second loan and let the first loan continue to run. Often this was not mentioned!
If you have borrowed and refinanced a lot, that by itself is grounds for complaint.
Carrie says
Hi Sara
My adjudicator has had a response from provident they haven’t said what they told me over the phone, they have objected to loans over six years. My adjudicator has had to pass the objections over to a senior person at fos for them to decide whether they agree with provident or with the adjudicator. Do you know how long this normally takes? Thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry, no.
Carrie says
Thanks Sara
Annie says
Well Carrie a bit similar to mine.Adjudicator never upheld mine so passed to senior ombudsman to re look at it.Shes looked at it ,got all fresh evidence needed from provident but no final decision.Got call last week to say could be few months as they are snowed under and looking at ways to deal with all claims.Adjudicator never upheld near end of last year and ombudsman picked it up at start of year.Think it could be a wee while as they go through it all again.
Carrie says
Ok thanks Annie
alison cairns says
Carrie – my adjudicator contacted me in March and said they had given provident until 21 March to consider loans over 6 years old. I had to ring (FO) other week for an update. They told me that Provident had agreed to look at older loans. I stupidly :) :) thought this was near the end… Its not. its now in a queue for another Adjudicator to look at the irresponsible lending. – although they did say that it was ‘good news’ that Provident had agreed on loans over 6 years. Whoever I spoke to – was very nice and said they couldn’t advise timescale – but they were ‘training’ more people – in a hope to look at these kind of claims more efficiently. She advised maybe to ring monthly for an update………..
Carrie says
Thanks Alison
Annie says
Well Carrie mines being looked at by senior as well since beginning of year.Got call last week to say up to few months yet as they are busy .Quite similar really both passed to senior ombudsman to look at again .Prepare for a wait I think.
Dan says
Hi, I sent off my provident claim to the FOS on 21st november 2018 and am still yet to hear anything. I rang at the start of march for an update and got told it was still in the pile. What timescales have other people had? And will my claim just get thrown out when it finally reaches the top? Any advice appreciated.
Angela says
Hi mine went to FOS in November 17 and was picked up by adjudicator Jan 19 to see if older loans over 6 years could be looked at. This was approved in March 19. Now waiting another adjudicator to be assigned to look at the un affordability complaint. So be prepared for a long wait
alison says
same as mine :)
Lisa G says
I sent mine about Provident in Oct 2018. No loans over 6 years. Still waiting to be picked up by an adjudicator.
My Peachy complaint was sent in Jan 2019 and was picked up last week so I think it all depends on how many complaints each company has against them… possibly, who knows!!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Provident complaints are not dealt with by the same team that handles payday loan complaints.
jo says
took out 3 provident loans march 2012 for £500 fess intrest at £450 = £950 paid off then another loan again brrowed £500 fes and charges £900 paid off still got a loan off £900 in total
been given refund how much will i get back
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hi Jo, that will depend on when you made the payments to them and what has been paid to the most recent loan. Sorry. they will come back with a number – if you think it looks low, ask them for an explanation and then come back and ask about it?
Steven Sweeney says
Many thanks for the help from this site! Just had my complaint upheld and received £2,320 from Provident, cheque is in the post
There was 16 agreements with Provident and Greenwoods in total but only 5 were from after 2013 which they have considered and paid out on (the 6 year period). The other 11 were from 2011 to 2013.
Is it worth going to the FOS to try and claim these other 11 agreements? Would be about £3500 to 4000 by my calculations, all used to refinance previous loans
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you read the email or letter carefully. It presumably says you have the right to take your case to FOS. But does it say the cheque is offered in settlement of your whole claim? Or can you cash it and go to FOS?
If you do go to FOS it sounds as though you could get a much larger refund but this would take some time.
Annie says
Think these FOS cases are going to take for ever.I thought when they had sent for extra information in March my decision would be soon then call to say could be months yet told it is with senior ombudsman on her desk with all relevant information.Only thing I keep thinking is I’ve not been told no yet
Amy says
I have had multiple loans with Naylors Finance dating back at least 12 years I know I can only claim back from 2007 I requested statements from them which they have provided for the last 6 years as every thing before this has been destroyed, along with this reply: All loans issued to you were at your own request and were dependant on an up to date income and expenditure declaration which you signed as being true statement of your disposable income. They were also subject to your proven payment record of your previous loans where you had obviously shown that you could afford to make these payments. Every payment was made in an excellent manner until mid December 2018 when you decided to go through a debt management plan. If you have any queries in understanding the statements of accounts please contact Mr x. So where do I go from here? I am having difficulty understanding the statements and because I was topping up the loans as soon as credit was available I have no idea how many times I have topped up my loans with them, I also got into debt over the past couple of years with lots of payday loans which I have already sent complaints to can I use this against naylors? Just wanted some advice.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you send the case straight to the Financial Ombudsman.
Do any of the loans or repayments show on your bank statements? Do you have any records showing the loans that are over 6 years old?
Amy says
Hi Sara,
Thank you for the reply,
I have no evidence of the loans previous to the last 6 years as naylors informed me these statements have been destroyed and at that time monies were being collected in cash from my doorstep.
I do have bank statements to prove some transactions probably from the past 2-3 years, although the statements they have sent me go back to 2013 and I can see the cash payments on there. I have replied to them today explaining I have received the statements and that I am requesting a refund on interest, they have replied and said they are looking into should I wait for a reply before sending to the ombudsman?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you say the case will be going to the Ombudsman in a week if they do not make you a reasonable offer for the last 6 years borrowing.
Amy says
Great thank you for the advice I will keep you updated!
Carrie says
Hi Sara
I just wanted to say a massive thank you for setting up this website and thank you to all of the other posters. Thanks to you I have today received confirmation that I have won my complaint at the fos at adjudicator level and will be receiving a cheque within 28 days for £11,000! Really pleased to say the least :)
Annie says
Well done you.Hope you enjoy treating yourself to something nice.Im still waiting to hear.Would be amazing to win.All the best for the future.
Carrie says
Thanks Annie
Hope yours is sorted out soon
Angela says
Well done. What were the timescales to be picked up by ombudsman from first sending your complaint?
Carrie says
Hi Angela
I sent my complaint to fos in November. It was picked up by and adjudicator in January then there was some back and forth between the ombudsman and provident for a couple of months. Then provident eventually agreed with the adjudicator. Great result :)
Petra says
Oh wow that’s fantastic news :-) Can you tell me how much total your loans were for please. I have had over £10 000 (just on my side and not husband) and have paid a total of £22500 back. Crazy I know
Carrie says
Hi Petra
I hadn’t actually worked out how much I had borrowed sorry. Good luck with your complaint. :)
fred says
i had 20 loans from providence,but i owe money to vanquis, if i get refund from providence will they give the refund to vanquis
Joseph says
Probably best if they make the payment to you, then you make a payment to Vanquis
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t remember anyone saying that this has happened to them.
Debora Colman says
I have had no response about the complaint I put in provident totally ignored ,what’s the next step to do ?
Joseph says
Submit to FOS
Sara (Debt Camel) says
was it more than 8 weeks ago?
Issy says
I used provident and shopacheck for many years in the 80,s, 90,s , until around 2010 when I finally got rid I borrowed thousands from them over the years , as one loan was paid I was taking another and got myself in to a terrible rut with these lenders , can I claim interest from the beginning? or have I left it too late ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You won’t be able to go back before 2007 as the Ombudsman can’t look at loans before then. But the interest you paid in 2007-2010 can still add up to a lot and if you win a case the lender has to add on an extra 8% per year as compensation, so that is also a lot on older loans.
These older complaints can be very slow so I suggest you start one right away and then take a chilled attitude to the time it takes.
Jay says
Question Sara, not sure if there is an easy answer or its even been looked at as an issue.
Can you go back further than 2007 thriugh the courts?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No.
Well theoretically it may be possible sometimes, but generally the Statute of Limitations would apply and the limit would be 6 years – so you can go back a lot further via FOS. This is why over 6 year cases take longer at FOS, FOS needs to consider if it can look at these old cases. It is generally deciding it can for payday loans and doorstep lending where there has been a lot of repeat lending.
You would need to take advice from a solicitor before considering going to court.
Issy says
Thanks for the advise, I will make a start and keep you updated with the progress
Jacqui says
Hi Sara
Just received this from Provident “We are sorry that we have been unable to resolve your complaint at this time.
We can assure you that investigations are still ongoing and this matter is receiving our urgent attention“
Is this stated after 30 days?
No doubt I’ll receive the same response from
The Money Shop & Pay Day UK
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s a standard system-generated reply. It means nothing.
Jacqui says
Hi Sara
I made me complaint to Provident 30 days ago, they confirmed receipt of my complaint and didn’t ask for any information from me.
My loans got back to 2009 with them, I’ve asked for a record of all loans from them but haven’t received anything should I chase them up?
Just received this from Provident “We are sorry that we have been unable to resolve your complaint at this time.
We can assure you that investigations are still ongoing and this matter is receiving our urgent attention“
Is this stated after 30 days?
Annie says
Just been told my case is allocated now for decision and should here in next week.Looking for closure now .I’m not expecting to win as adjudicator never upheld.Peace of mind knowing I’ve tried as loans after loans issued,refinanced hardly ever asking for any proof of income.Will post result when it comes through
Sara (Debt Camel) says
At last – fingers crossed for you!
Connor says
Just had an email from ombudsman saying the following.
(We have received the business file from Provident and it appears that they have given their consent for us to look into all of your loans.
So your case is waiting to be allocated to an adjudicator to review.)
Finally a different response than the usual we are looking into whether we can look into the ones older than 6 years…
Complained to Provident November 2017
Sent to ombudsman January 2018
First proper response June 2019
Waiting to be allocated Adjudicator.
Deb says
That’s quite helpful because I’m starting to get jittery! I complained to the onbudsman in May 2018. I was starting to feel forgotten!
Connor says
Hi Deb,
It’s a very long process isn’t it, I know the feeling forgotten part.
That’s why I thought a little timeline might help.
I’m half expecting another long wait to be assigned an adjudicator :(
Hope you hear something soon.
Complained to Provident November 2017
Sent to ombudsman January 2018
First proper response June 2019
Waiting to be allocated Adjudicator.
ste says
my case is fairly similar
Complained to Provident September 2017.
Sent to ombudsman November 2018.
First proper response February 2019.
so fast forward to this week ive just had (what i think is) good news:
what this means for Mr x case I’ve thought about all of these issues in the individual circumstances of this case, and I think the loans taken out from 15 December 2007 onwards shouldn’t have been lent to Mr x. I’d like to explain why. By 15 December 2007, Mr x overall pattern of borrowing suggested they had become persistently reliant on these form of loans. At this point Mr x had been borrowing from you for around five years and four months. By December 2007, he had taken seventeen loans in six years. With this in mind, I think from December 2007 and arguably well before that, you should’ve reasonably questions whether continuing to offer further short-term loans to a customer who was clearly reliant on this form of lending was unsustainable or otherwise harmful. In my view, the pattern of lending itself shows that the loans from here were unsustainable –so I don’t think you should have given Mr x any of loans from 15 December 2007 onwards.
Jay says
That is pretty much the best outcome you can get :)
ste says
i hope so jay. provident have got until 17th june to either agree/disagree with the adjudicator, fingers crossed it goes my way. if they agree to all its 12 loans which ive worked out to approx £4k interest inc 8% simple to be returned to me.
Connor says
Fingers crossed Ste they agree and it comes through. They really need to give their heads a wobble how they have taken advantage of so many people.
Annie says
I went in queue for ombudsman to review irresponsible lending in March.Was told on Thursday one had been allocated to review file and would hopefully hear in next week a decision.
Kiki says
Hiya, I made a complaint to provident at the end of 2017. They sent me two emails over a few weeks saying they were looking into it and I pretty much forgot about it. I then chased it up in summer 2018 and they sent me a copy of a letter they had apparently sent me dated February 2018 refusing my claim. They did say in the letter I could go to the ombudsman within 6 months but, not knowing anything about them, and assuming I had lost, I just dismissed it. Although I have never heard from provident again, despite still owing them £2000, would it be too late for me to contact the ombudsman now that I know a bit more about them? Provident were awful to me, the agents frequently pressured me into lying and getting more loans and I’m really worried this £2000 outstanding is going to come back to haunt me. Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well you can talk to the Ombudsman, but you are over the 6 months point and I doubt they will accept this.
Annie says
My complaint was not upheld.Totally disappointed.
I have told them I disagree with it but won’t make any difference.Last loan was in mega arrears yet was refinanced to bigger loan and higher weekly amount.It is what it is so need to accept and move on
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Oh Annie how disappointing after all this time :(
Annie says
I have told them I disagree with it but won’t make any difference.Last loan was in mega arrears yet was refinanced to bigger loan and higher weekly amount.It is what it is so need to accept and move on
steve says
provident truly are awful. i have an ongoing complaint lodged with FOS. this week, after 21 months since complaint lodged i received news from adjudicator that they agree with me and provvy should refund me approx £4k. they have until 17th June to agree/disagree with adjudicator. today i got a letter delivered to me, i recognised the address (goodwin st, bradford) on envelope so im thinking maybe a cheque or something. opens envelope to discover they’ve sent me a notice of account in arrears lol. you couldn’t make this up….question for sara. do i mention or complain to my adjudicator that they are still harassing me? cheers
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, they are legally obliged to send out NOSIA (Notice of Sums In Arrears) letters, you can’t complain about this. I suggest you just keep that with any other paperwork.
Keely says
Hi all! I’m currently just starting my complaint with Provident. I dread to think how many loans I had with them and the interest I paid.
I’m coming up to my first 28 day point with them, how are they at replying etc? Thanks! Xx
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You probably won’t hear anything until the 8 week point. And they often reject or make poor offers even on good cases, so don’t be surprised if this has to go to the Ombudsman.
PF says
I put in a complaint on the 10th April and am still waiting for a reply. Sent in a complaint to FOS last week.
Steven Sweeney says
Hello Sara,
I claimed successfully against Provident and they paid out £2,320 without having to refer to an adjudicator/FOS. Although I have now asked the FOS to look at loans older than 6 years (2011-2013) so I am waiting for a response on that. I know it can take some time so just sitting back and waiting.
Just a query on the tax they withheld (£147.38), how do I go about claiming this back? I am a basic rate tax payer
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/ppi-payday-refund-get-back-tax/
Alison cairns says
Hi all
Today I got an email Saying adjudicator agreed loans 6 – 24 were unaffordable . (18 in total ). More than happy with that. With provident . They have until 4th July to respond. He did say it highly unlikely they will challenge this.
Does anyone know the timescale after ? As in if they did respond before this date (I’m aware it may go over )…. what’s next ?
Do they then get 28 days to pay and if so do they send a cheque or pay by bank ??? Xxxxxz
Don’t ever give up this has gone on 18 months as some loans were over 6 years old
It’s with being patient
Jay says
Hey Alison,
Amazing news! Well done :)
With mine, it went just over 28 days and they accepted. We were paid by cheque, which arrived about 2 weeks after they accepted
alison says
Thanks Jay
Angela says
Well done. What were your timescales ie when did you send to FOS ? When was case allocated an adjudicator? Thanks
alison says
Hi Angela
Sent to FO Jan 2018. Didn’t really hear anything until March this year (to be honest I forgot about it). It took this long as I had loans over 6 years old.
In March FO advised they had told Provident to look at older loans. They agreed with this. I have chased a couple of times since -and it has been in queue waiting to be allocated an adjudicator for the irresponsible lending part.
I got the letter yesterday. Hope this helps
ste says
im in the exact same situation, adjudicator said my loans was unaffordable. this was on 4th june and gave provident until 17th to respond.
the adjudicator has said provident should refund all my loan interest from 2007 – 12 loans totaling approx £4k.
ive heard nothing back from FOS so i called them today, they told me provident haven’t replied to them and the next step will be for them to escalate to ombudsman – this could drag it on for another couple of months.
im well fed up as i thought it was coming to and end. this has dragged on since september 2017 when i first approached FOS.
alison cairns says
That’s a shame Ste If you do a bit of research it seems that they may go over the timescale given by the FO but do respond after a nudge….. I cant say what my refund will be as I also had Provident store cards – and I cant work out the balance I had. I also only had details of 15 loans not 18 (I assume they didn’t send me details of the other 3 as over 6 years).
I also have an outstanding balance that was sold on – which is about £1200. Inc interest. This has been sold to Lowell. I know this will reduced the payout. However i still think that Im due around £2500 with this taken off.
Keep posting on how you get on – and I will do the same………… :)
Angela says
Hi
Have you had a response yet?
alison says
Just a pointer for people still going through this.
Some loans were over 6 years old. I couldn’t get bank statements going back to cover all the loans – in fact most of them with the time scale that had past. I provided what I could and then made a detailed incoming and outgoing expenditure form for the period I had taken out most loans. I also provided details of arrears on my rent etc. I was unemployed for quite a while and was ale to show benefits going in to my account. Anyway – if you can not get all statements – just do the best you can on giving a true reflection on your financial situation at the time loans were taken I was so worried not been able to get these statements would be a huge problem. But it has not been – thankfully. :):):)
Angela says
Just had email from adjudicator. Upholding my complaint against Provident . Interest on 7 loans to be refunded plus the 8%simple interest. This has been going on since November 2017 so a long time but worth it in the end. Think i should get about £5000 back. Very happy
Alison cairns says
That’s fab news…. :).
Lynette says
Really pleased to hear some people are getting good results! My complaint like many others has been with fos for over a year but I am complaining about loans over 6 years ago as these were the ones I couldn’t afford, I had 52 loans in 12 years bigger and bigger all the time, at one point I was paying £135 a week!! While working part time, finally broke the cycle over a year ago and found this site. Sent in more statements and notes beginning of this month and got an email to say they had been added to my file but I’m still waiting to be allocated an adjudicator. It may take years yet but there’s nothing to lose.
Angela says
Hang on in there. Hopefully you will get a good result. Mine complaint has taken 19 months from first been sent to FOS . From comments on here things are actually moving forward for people complaining about the loans over 6 years old.
Lynette says
Thanks, it’s sounding a bit more positive now🙂
ste says
ok, so a quick update..
adjudicator upheld my complaint . this was on 4th june and gave provident until 17th to respond.
just received an email today from my adjudicator..
Hello Mr…
I’m sorry it’s taking us some time in getting back to you.
We’ve chased the business up, however they have informed us that they are having a back log at the moment and trying to get through our views as quickly as possible,
I’ll keep an eye on the case and if we don’t have anything by Friday I will make sure this gets escalated.
If the business does not reply we might have to move the case towards a final decision made by an Ombudsman, however this could take some time so I’m still trying to get a response from the business first.
I will let you know when I know what the next steps are.
Looks like provident are trying to drag it out as long as possible. on the bright side though more 8% simple for me (assuming it goes my way)
alison says
Awe no – that’s naff. Fingers crossed they do respond.
As mine is similar time scale then Im not expecting them to reply by 4th July. :( Its very frustrating that you get pushed back at what you/we seem to think is the final hurdle….. Do they not get penalized if it goes to the Ombudsman ???……….
ste says
thanks alison, i hope they respond soon too.
no i dont think they do get penalized. i believe they just get charged £550 whatever the outcome..although they should, its as if provident are making a mockery of the whole process. the FCA should fine them each time they miss a deadline that would make them pull their fingers out.
alisonn cairns says
that certainly would :)……….. It seems each case is different. I know some have had replies within the time scale and some have had replies after – but I don’t get why… And at the end of the day – we are all due a refund – and if its a few grand its hard not to be disappointed that timescales are not met.
alison cairns says
Any News Ste?
ste says
nope :( im hoping i hear something in next couple of days, i really dont want it going to ombudsman cos that will take ages
alison cairns says
I would ring FO this week. Let them give them a nudge
ste says
gutted!!!
provident dont fully agree with the adjudicator. they’ve offered to refund 1 out of 12 loans. which would just clear the balance i owe them.
i have refused this offer and will now have to wait for the ombudsman to make a final decision :(
god knows how long that will take.
alison cairns says
OMG that’s awful Ste :(:(:(
That could take months more. Did they say why they did not agree ? I have heard that like 99% of Ombudsman decisions are the same as the adjudicators. Its defo a delay tactic. My deadline day is tomorrow (4th) but im not holding out much hope. Very disheartening :(
alison cairns says
any further news?
ste says
no :( waiting on an ombudsman to be assigned. fos have give until 18/7 for any further info to be supplied so i guess nothing will happen until atleast then….how about you. did provy agree with your adjudicator?
A says
I have had over 55 loans with naylors over the past 6 years (I was a customer for over 12 years altogether) I was constantly topping up loans as soon as was possible and the agent always filled all the paperwork in and would say things like just say you earn x amount or say your bills amount to this amount, I put in an affordability complaint which has been rejected with them stating that the loans were all affordable at the time of issue, I found out afterwards that the agent was also putting my partners income down which I was not aware of as the loans were taken out by me and had nothing to do with my partner he didn’t even know I was getting them at the time, they have done nothing but mess me around during the 8 week period, within the first week they sent statements with a cover letter saying that the loans were affordable but they were looking into my claim, fast forward to two days before the time limit I asked for an update and had a reply saying they were still looking into it and I would hear something soon the next day I received an email stating that they had dismissed my claim and they had stated this on the cover letter sent with the statements, nowhere on that cover letter did it state that that was a final response so I basically waited the whole 8 weeks for no reason and being told throughout that it was still being looked at. I’m so annoyed! Do you think I stand a good chance by sending it to fos?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes – repeat lending over a long period is ALWAYS worth taking to the Finacial Ombudsman. Do you still owe them money?
A says
Yes I still owe them around £300 but I am in a dmp paying them back that way, when I originally set up the dmp last year I even have text messages from my agent asking me not to go through stepchange stating it’s not needed and to sort it out between ourselves! Thank you for the advice I will submit with fos.
Jackie Simpson says
Do provident like to delay cases? It’s been over 2 months and I’m still waiting for information. They messaged me today saying since I didn’t send my proof of ID etc in they’ve closed my request for the information. I never had any email asking for this so now they’re going to take another 30 days to reopen the file. Is there anything I can do? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think they are mostly just incompetant. You could talk to the Financial Ombudsman and ask if you can send them the case now as it has been 8 weeks. Most provident cases do have to go to FOS.
Jackie Simpson says
Got my response from provident saying that they did nothing wrong at all, didn’t want to listen to what the collector said or done. I’m still waiting on my request for the paperwork to be sent to me but once I have this I will be taking it to the FOS. Is there anything I need to make sure I include etc? They brought up every loan I’d had since 2008, I couldn’t even remember them but I was working then and able to pay. My concerns were with the loans from 2013 when I wasn’t working.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send the complaint to FOS now, provident complaints go slow, you will have a lot of time to write more detail and then attach it to your existing case.
Jackie says
Thanks I’ve just done it :)
jean says
Hi
I filled out an online form on my phone to go through a claims company but have not heard anything.
Can I make a complaint myself or so I have to wait for the claim company
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How long ago was that?
Jean says
It was at least 6 weeks ago. I started on my first loan paying 12 a week but at the end I was paying 85 a week.
I have managed to pay them off now but all the loans had missed payments on as I am a single parent
working part time so I think it was irresponsible of them
Hayley says
I have opened up an irresponsible lending complaint with provident on 2 May. They still haven’t resolved atm and have said I can escalate to ombusman as the time frame has long elapsed.
I have today received communication from the agent saying “I’ve been contacted to say a complaint has being made and I need to discuss wether you want an agreed waiver put on your account which shows on ur credit file that you have made a formal reduced agreed rate with us as you have told them you are now in financial difficulty”
Should I agree to this waiver? Will it affect the outcome of my complaint?
Thanks in advance for your help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am not sure whether you really have an option here. You could go back and ask what happens if you say No? But whatever happens to your credit record, it won’t affect your complaint – and any negative marks will be removed if the last loan is determined to be unaffordable.
Julie Clarke says
Hi
Ok so a bit of background I escalated my provident claim nearly two years ago ( yes that long ) and it has been past from pillar to post . Last week after a complaint to a manager at FOS I received a reply from a head adjudicator saying he is upholding my claim but as first few loans were under Greenwood’s before they moved under provident he has to do two different assessments . He is awaiting some info from provident before he can proceed . He then said as it is a large amount I am due provident will probably reject it anyway . What is the point after all this time if they just reject it and withhold information. I thought a decision by the highest at FOS was law binding and the had to pay out
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If a lender rejects an adjudicator decision, there will be a second decision from an ombudsman, that is then legally binding.
Julie Clarke says
Thanks for reply I was under the impression that mine was with an ombudsman as I had a decision rejected in September 2017 said I didn’t agree send more info in then heard nothing till last week. Today I find out this is not the case it is just a different team of adjudicators . So I will have to wait again now . Nearly two years and no final settlement
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Not good, but wait and see what the response is from Provident. This seems to have taken an unusually long time for a provident case. I hope FOS will fast track this through the Ombudsman decision if that turns out to be necessary.
And I hope the eventual refund is a large one!
Julie Clarke says
Thank you so do I !
Julie Clarke says
So provident had until yesterday 26 th July to respond and they havnt , I rang FOS and they said they will chase up once on Monday and then escalate to ombudsman. My case has been going on since May2017 when I sent the first complaint to provident and stopped paying my loans . I rang provident too and they said they had the complaint and knew the cut off date . So why do they not respond then ? I Am owed for 32 loans from 2011 till 2017 . They have agreed to look that far back. The amount is quite a lot and I just want my pay out . I feel I have waited enough and been passed from pillar to post . Three different Adjudicators have had my file then passed it to another department . Then I went to back of the queue again. To say I am frustrated is an understatement . I will be ringing every day till I get an answer
Angela says
Has anyone actually had a refund paid from Provident after referring to FOS. It seems on here Provident are disagreeing with adjudicator’s discussions. My complaint was upheld by adjudicator and Provident have to respond by tomorrow.
Not holding my breath for a response.
Ally says
HI Sara
It’s been a while since I posted all my claims were sorted out in 2016/17 however, provident refused FOS to look at older loans so I held out. My complaint went in, in January 2016, March this year they sent my file to DO A. I have just had adjudicator decision upholding on 9 of 12 loans I know they will disagree as my claim is over 30k with the interest but do you think I may be able to ask to be fast tracked to Ombudsmen as it’s been over 3 years??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well you can ask… but this is all a bit premature, Provident may accept the decision.
PS well done! That’s a life-changing amount.