Have you had a catalogue, credit card or store card where your credit limit was too high? So high that the monthly repayments were hard to manage and you got into more debt?
Many people were originally given an OK limit, but the lender kept increasing it too high.
You may have a good complaint that the lender was irresponsible in allowing you to borrow so much that the debt was unaffordable.
This article explains how to complain and ask for a refund of the interest you have paid.
Contents
What is “affordable”?
The regulator’s rules
You may have made every payment on time, but the debt is still unaffordable.
The following is my summary of the regulator’s rules:
- a lender must check if credit is affordable when you apply for it. A mortgage lender will ask for bank statements, but a catalogue offering a £400 credit limit doesn’t have to go into so much detail;
- a lender should also make checks before increasing a credit limit;
- credit isn’t affordable if paying it leaves you short of money for your bills, normal expenses, and your other debts;
- if you have to borrow more most months, this would not be affordable;
- you must be able to repay the balance within a reasonable period. Paying the minimum amount is OK for a while, but not for a long time.
Good reasons to complain
If the lender could see any of these on your credit record, they should probably have declined your original application:
- recent credit record problems: defaults, missed payments, or arrangements to pay, mortgage arrears, payday loans;
- you already had a different credit card with the same lender where you were only making minimum payments;
- other credit cards where you were near your limit and persistent overdraft usage. Here is an Ombudsman decision saying Zopa should not have given quite a low initial limit in this situation;
- a level of borrowing that looks too high in relation to your income.
Your credit limit should not later have been increased unless you could afford it. In addition to the points above, the following should have also warned the lender you were in difficulty already:
- making minimum payments for a long while;
- making a minimum repayment but then using the card to pay for food or petrol so the balance never drops;
- using a lot of your limit for a long period;
- significant gambling the lender was aware of (this could be gambling on your bank statement if the credit card lender was from the same bank);
- recent missed payments or an arrangement to pay on this account or any others on your credit record;
- your overall level of debt on your credit record has increased.
When your lender increased your credit limit, you don’t need the exact dates before you start a complaint, my template asks for the details.
How to complain
The email address to use
The best way to complain is by email. It’s free, instant and you have a record of what you sent and when.
Here is a list of credit card and catalogue email addresses to use for the banks and major lenders.
Template to use
I’ve invented some examples so you can see how a complaint should read. Change/delete the bits in italics to tell your story.
I want to complain about irresponsible lending for my Barclaycard account number 987654/444.
My date of birth is dd/mm/yy. The email address I used for this account was myaddress@whatever.com.
Then say they should never have given you the account:
You should never have allowed me to open an account with such a large credit limit. When I applied in 2018, you should have checked my credit record and would have seen I had recent missed payments to a credit card and a default only two months before on a loan.
AND/OR say that they should not have increased your credit limit:
You should never have increased my credit limit in 2021. At that time I had only made minimum payments on this credit card for a long while and/or I was using a very high level of my credit limit.
If you had properly checked my credit record before increasing my limit, you would have seen that in the two years since my account with you was opened, I had got additional late payment markers and defaults and/or taken out a lot of other credit. This should have warned you I was struggling with my finances and it was not responsible to lend more. By increasing my credit limit you made my financial position worse. Instead you should have offered me forbearance by freezing the interest on the card.
I do not know the exact months of these credit limit increases. In your reply to this complaint, please tell me the dates and amounts.
If the lender should already have known you had problems with your account, mention these
You should also have realised that I was having difficulty because:
of the late payment charges you added to my account
I had missed two payments to you the year before in 2017
I had already asked you on the phone if it was possible to stop adding interest for a while.
End with asking for a refund:
I would like you to refund me all the interest I paid and any late payment charges from the point the account was opened
OR
I would like you to refund me all the interest I paid and any late payment charges after you increased my credit limit in 2021.
I would also like any late payment and default markers to be removed from credit records after this point.
Think about these points before complaining
Timing
These complaints can be made if your account is still open, or if it is closed and settled, or if it is with a debt collector (NB the complaint goes to the original lender, not the debt collector.)
You can complain if you already have a CCJ for the debt. Add a sentence to the template saying you want the CCJ removed as part of the settlement of your complaint.
If you have had an IVA or bankruptcy after these problems, or if you are still in a DRO, then ask in the comments below, as this can be complicated.
Old accounts
The Financial Ombudsman (FOS) can only go back to April 2007, when the law changed to allow these complaints.
Many lenders will reject complaints about something that was more than six years ago and say the ombudsman won’t look at them. But FOS will often look at these “old” accounts if they have still been open within the last six years, although you may have problems producing bank statements or other evidence from a long while ago to show that a limit was unaffordable.
If your account was opened in 2015 but the lender increased your limit in the last six years, then those limit increases can definitely be looked at. And you can always get bank statements going back six years even from closed bank accounts.
A better approach for old defaulted accounts?
If your account was opened a long while ago and you defaulted and still owe a balance, perhaps in a DMP, think about asking the debt collector to produce the Consumer Credit Act agreement for the account.
If the current creditor can’t produce a proper copy of the agreement, the debt cannot be enforced in court and you can simply stop paying anything to it. This applies to all credit cards, store cards and catalogues.
It may be that the balance on the account is larger than any refund you might get. In which case if the CCA agreement cannot be produced, you would be better off.
Is a refund what you really need?
This depends how large your current financial problems are.
Complaining about newish debt will often only get the interest removed – you still have to repay what you borrowed. Don’t spend months arguing with lenders and going to the ombudsman if you will still be in a mess even if you win.
So phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000, tell them you are thinking about affordability complaints but you would like to know what your other debt options are.
Poor reasons to complain
You can’t complain just because the interest rate was high or because you have paid them a fortune over the years.
A poor credit score on its own isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t have been given an account. But if your credit score was poor because you were having a lot of problems with your existing debt, the account should have been refused.
You won’t win an affordability complaint if something unexpected went wrong later in your life. If you had been managing a credit card fine for years but then you lost your job or separated from your partner, this isn’t the lender’s fault. here you may still need help to get interest stopped on the cards – talk to StepChange or National Debtline.
Don’t be put off by a rejection or a poor offer
Lenders often reject good cases
If a lender rejects your complaint or offers a low “goodwill” gesture, don’t be fobbed off – they want you to give up.
Here are some bad or irrelevant comments lenders sometimes make when rejecting a complaint:
- you had made all the payments to them on time – that doesn’t mean you could manage a higher limit;
- the account was opened over 6 years ago – if it was open in the last 6 years the Ombudsman may look at it;
- you could have rejected the limit increase – they still shouldn’t have offered it if it was unaffordable.
You know if this car or catalogue has caused you difficulty – it’s easy to send a case to the ombudsman. Don’t delay doing this!
How to send a case to FOS
Send FOS a complaint using their online form. You can use bits of what you put in your complaint to the lender. If the lender has rejected your complaint or given a poor offer, say why you think this wrong.
The FOS form at the end asks you to add supporting documents. Don’t worry if you don’t have A copy of your credit or finance agreement – lots of people don’t. The lender will supply a copy to FOS if FOS asks for it. Don’t delay sending a complaint to FOS while you try to get this from the lender.
If your credit record shows that you had other debt problems, send FOS a copy of it. If you have kept some old credit reports, send the oldest one you have, otherwise send the current one. You can download a statutory TransUnion report for free.
Also get your bank statements if they will support your complaint and send those to FOS too.
FOS is a friendly service but not fast. Just use normal English, not legal terms. Using a claims company or a solicitor doesn’t help or speed this up.
Ask questions below!
There are hundreds of comments from readers who are using this template. It’s a good place to see how these complaints often go and to ask any questions.
FAQs about Affordability claims
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Could a Debt Relief Order help you?
Peter says
I have an account with Very where my credit limit has increased over time in increments of £400 or so. I have also been able to buy large quantities of PS5 gift cards that I have been able to sell on line to help keep up with increasing debt repayments for my personal loans. By going through everything, I have established the following:
Credit Limit Increases:
January 2023 – £5,000
June/July 2023 – Reduced by me to £4,500
October/November 2023 – Increased to £4,900
February/March 2024 – Increased to £5,300
June/July 2024 – Increased to £5,700
January 2025 – Increased to £6,700
Significant Borrowing from Other Lenders:
My financial commitments were growing unsustainably, yet Very continued to extend credit instead of conducting a proper affordability assessment.
Personal loans taken from multiple institutions totaling £30,000
Maxed-out credit cards:
Barclaycard – £2,000 limit
Tesco Bank – £9,500 limit
Excessive PlayStation 5 Gift Card Purchases: I purchased a total of £3,660 worth of PlayStation 5 gift cards between October 2023 and March 2025, often in large increments of £100.
I am really embarrassed about the situation that I have got myself into and I hope that this might be a reasonable case to at least stop the interest. Do you think there’s a case here? Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The account was opened in Jan 2023?
What was your financial situation at that point?
Have you also made complaints about your personal loans, as these appear to have also been unaffordable?
Apart from this Very case, what other debts do you have at the moment and what is your credit score?
Peter says
My financial position was starting to deteriorate with a number of personal loans and credit agreements being taken out in quick succession over the 4/5 months before Jan 2023.
I am currently putting in affordability complaints in against all loans at the moment thanks to being empowered by this site.
I really want to find a way out of the mess that I am in. It’s really impacting me at the moment.
My credit score isn’t horrendous as I always find a way to make all payments for things that I owe.
It doesn’t leave me with much money left though.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you should consider a debt management plan to halt all the interest being added on Very and other debts. See https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx
Where you have a number of accounts opened in quick succession, although the end result may be clearly unsustainable it may be difficult to show that the lenders knew this when they made the credit offer as credit records can take time to update. I cannot guess which cases you are likely to win, it may be a lot, it may only be a few. And in any case you need to repay the amounts borrowed… so I don’t think you can reply on affordability complaints, many of which may have to go to the Ombudsman, to resolve your situation in the short term .
Winning any cases in a DMP will speed up the DMP, but the DMP gets you into a safe financial space while they go through at the Ombudsman.
Peter says
Very have come back with the following. I’m a bit concerned about what they say they are registering on my credit file:
“We wanted to let you know, we have received your complaint in relation to affordable lending.
Within your complaint you have told us that your account is not affordable which indicates you may be experiencing, or have experienced, financial difficulty. As a precautionary measure, we have suspended your account. This means you will not be able to place any orders on your account at this time and your credit file will be noted to reflect that your account is under review.”
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They normally remove the “under review” marker when they respond to your complaint
Matt says
Some good news this morning Capital One , have decided my card was unaffordable and should not have been given . The limit was £700 the interest paid was £450 , but they are removing the £250 as a gesture of goodwill. The account will be closed . Saving another £40 . Just waiting on AMeX and vanquish . This website has been amazing, would not have had the confidence with out everyone on here’s support but big thanks to Sara for always answering all our questions. I will keep you posted on my other two complaints.
GiddyBiscuits says
After reading Sara’s advice on affordability complaints, I sent one over to my Simply Be account. I had initially asked for all interest to be refunded from when my credit was increased. However, the team looked into my credit facility and stated that “it was obvious a higher credit facility was not in the client’s best interest.”. I was awarded back £646 from a credit facility of £1200. This took around 5 weeks for a decision. I now have affordability complaints in with a couple of other lenders. Thanks so much for the templates and information, Sara! X
Claire says
Hi can I ask if I have 2 new day cards that are still open can I still make an affordability complaint? Both cards were given to me whilst in a DMP (Pulse have even increased to £8000 limit over the 2 years of having the account) I have recently cleared both with a family loan so wondering can still put an affordability claim in?
I was also wondering the cards were opened 4.5 years ago but the Pulse was originally Amazon… not sure how I go about getting the information around exact dates they increased my limits as my statements on the pulse app only go back to April 2023? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
An 8000 limit!
Yes you can make c0mplaints about these, you only cleared them with more borrowing, that doesn’t mean you can afford it.
You will see that my template in the article above ask for the deatils of the limit increase dates and amounts if you don’t know them.
Kath says
Can making an affordability complaint have a negative impact on a DMP – ie, do lenders ever renege on the DMP agreement as a result?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No.
Winning affordability complaints is an excellent way to speed up a DMP and it may help you clean up your credit record a bit sooner. Think about all the debts in your DMP for these complaints!
Chloe says
Dear Sara,
The Ombusmen has requested I send them a full copy of my credit history by email, how do I do this?
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Download your statutory credit report from Transunion https://www.transunionstatreport.co.uk/CreditReport/AboutYou
Also send your bank statements!
Chloe sims says
Thank you, I have already sent bank statements so I am hoping to hear something soon, my case was giving to a case handler on the 5th March. Any idea on how long this part takes?
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Once they have the requested details, hopefully only a few more weeks
Jo says
Just wanted to leave a huge thank you! After coming across your page on Instagram I sent off a few affordability complaints. Santander cleared my overdraft of over £2000. NewDay initially disagreed with my claim so I took it to the FO. They said it was irresponsible lending but NewDay still disagreed so it was being taken to the ombudsman for a final decision but then they did a u-turn! Refund of over £1800. I’m delighted and I can’t thank you enough for your page!
Jess Friggens says
Hi could you help me with the santander complaint??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is at a credit card or overdraft?
Richard says
Hi Sarah thanks to you I have received an offer from Newday on my credit card from the second increase but it seems lower than I was expecting. How do I calculate it? Do i add up all the interest and the payments I made throughout the time and then deduct the amount I owe from the credit limit? Also do they always add 8% as per the recommendation as they don’t mention this many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have they just offered a “partial refund” for interest over a certain limit?
What limit was the account opened with, what was the first increase and the second increase?
You don’t get 8% interest unless the refunds clears the balance.
Richard says
Hi sara it was opened at 300 limit and the refund is from after second increase of 950 this is back from 2016. They accepted adjudicator decision offering refund approx 5500 and clears the balance of approx 4500
when I was waiting for a reply from new day about the decision the adjudicator made, the debt collection company was threatening legal action so the adjudicator put it in the queue for an ombudsman to look at. They said if new day responded then they would take it out the queue if they accepted the decision. However now they are asking if I want to take it out of the queue? What would be the advantage of getting an ombudsman decision at this point if new day has accepted the decision? Is it just for a legal time line to put things right or am I missing something? Because I don’t really understand that part, many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
As that cleared the balance, it should include an 8% amount.
I have no idea what the advantage of going to an ombudsman decision is if you are happy with the offer from newday. As this is with a debt collector, has newday also agreed to clean up your credit record?
Richard says
Thanks Sara yes I am checking they will clean up file and include 8% how would I work out the 8%? Also does payments I made to the card all count minus the outstanding balance owed I am not sure how to work it out but the figures are less than on my statements even the fees they charged!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The 8% will be very little as it is only paid from the point you account would have gone into credit, as as you aren’t getting a large credit balance, that will not have been long ago.
No you arent getting all the interest from that point back. The decision is that the first increase was OK, but the second one wasn’t. (or it may have been that the second increase was OK but the thrid one wasn’t. I can’t tell from what you have written). So if the first limit increase was to say £600, and your balance was £1000, then newday are allowed to charge interest on the first £600 but the interest charged on the next 3400 will be refunded.
Annabel says
Hi, I have submitted complained to MBNA, Lloyds and Halifax for credit cards and lending. I have received replies from all, and they are not upheld. 2 have said I paid regularly and didn’t decline the increase so therefore not irresponsible. The MBNA interestingly says they cannot find my credit agreement, but believe they wouldn’t have leant if I couldn’t have afforded it! Should I take these to FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Were these all credit card complaints or overdrafts/loans as well?
How long ago was the MBNA account opened? When were any limit increases? Is it still open?
Same questions for lloyds & Halifax.
Annabel says
All credit cards. (I do have a loan to do)
Halifax (1) opened 2014, initial limit £1500, increased limits Dec 2014 £2000 , July 2015 £2750, May 2016 £3500, Feb 2017 £4500 – still open
Halifax (2) opened Jan 2024 limit £3,000
Lloyds opened 2015 initial limit £6,000 Decreased to £4500 in 2015, increased to £6000 in 2017- account still open
MBNA opened 2020, initial limit £8,500, March 2021 increased to £12,000- account still open
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes I think these should all go to the ombudsman.
How far back can you get bank statements?
Annabel says
Thank you. Should I add all to one complaint? I can access bank statements for the past 7 years via online banking
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, send one complaint about each lender to FOS. So both Halifax cards go in one complaint.
Annabel says
Thank you. Is there anything specific you recommend I should add about this? Or just follow your example wording.
Can I also just ask you about old DMP’s- I have one that has been running for 20 years from an old relationship! But of course it had dropped off my credit file when I took out the credit cards. Would it hold any relevance to my case?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Use the Ombudsman’s online form to send them each case https://help.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/help. You can use resuse bits from your complaint
And I suggest getting on with the loan complaint!
Annabel says
Thank you! I’ve now done the loan complaint and will raise the others with FOS. Do you feel I have a good case, or is it really hard to tell?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The second Halifax card and the MBNA complaint look strongest, but a lot depends on your income at the time. Often loan accounts are simpler to win
Natalie says
Hi.
Some advice please. FOS have upheld my complaint with creation credit card from 2010 and creation have agreed with the decision , however they claim they can only refund from 2018 as they don’t hold any information before this date. What is likely to happen in this case. Has anyone else come across this issue?
Sara can you advise? I will of course ask FOS but wondered whether you could provide some info?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you have any evidence from further back?
Natalie says
I don’t have credit card statements, but had all bank statements.
Have you come across this situation before and what was the outcome?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So your bank statements show the payments to creation?
Do you have any other evidence from further back? eg any stray creation statements? or downloaded credit records?
Antonia says
Hi Sarah,
The investigator had agreed with my complaint on my Barclaycard credit card but Barclaycard don’t agree, what normally happens next please. The investigator has now given Barclaycard another week to come back with additional information. But I’m wondering if investigators tend to change their minds or is it likely to go to the ombudsman
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sometimes investigators change their mind. All you can do is wait.
Is paying your current barclaycard bill causing difficulty?
Antonia says
Thanks Sarah, I’m just very anxious and hoping I get some positive news soon. Currently my situation:
Barclaycard – Investigator upheld, Barclaycard disagree
NatWest loans x 3 – Investigator didn’t uphold off to ombudsman
Amex – with investigator
Bamboo – settled directly and refund all interest
Moneyboat x 3 loans – investigator didn’t uphold, with ombudsman
PayPal 2 accounts – investigator didn’t uphold, with ombudsmen
NatWest overdraft £3k maxed, investigator part upheld, with ombudsman
My Community Bank – investigator didn’t uphold, with ombudsmen
Vanquis – investigator didn’t uphold, with ombudsmen
Zopa x 2, settled directly upheld and interest waived
118, settled directly interest waived
Conduit – awaiting investigation
Very – investigator didn’t uphold, with ombudsmen
Capital one – awaiting investigation
Reevo – awaiting investigation
Finance club – awaiting investigation
Quidmarket – settled directly interest refunded
Fernovo – settled directly interest refunded
Credit spring, settled directly fees refunded
I submitted most end of October 2024.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you are in financial difficulty at the moment, talk to StepChange about a debt management plan for all the debts. https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx
This gets you into a safe financial space
Jen says
Hi Sara
My case has been with Financial Ombudsman Service since the start of the year about a credit card I had with Barclays since 2016 with large increases till 2018, which defaulted in 2021. I’m having difficulty proving to them I only found out I could complain last year. I have been asked lots of questions by the investigator and been back and forth, Iv explained I had multiple debts at the time and blamed myself for the debt and didn’t think they had done anything wrong. They don’t seem to agree though and think I would have know I could complain when I defaulted on the debt. I’m not sure what more I can do or say to help. Is this common for debt that is over 6 years, does anyone tend to win these cases and prove that they didn’t know they could complain earlier? It doesn’t make sense to me as if I knew I could complain earlier I would have.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did you take any debt advice after you defaulted?
Jen says
I went to StepChange when I couldn’t afford to keep up with the min payments anymore (I was continually getting more credit out just to keep up with min payments for years) they put me on a DMP in March 2021 and that’s when I defaulted on all my cards and loans. I never talked to my creditors separately after this it was all done through StepChange.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then go back and make the point that you thought you were doing the responsible thing by taking debt advice from Stepchange in March 2021 and they said there was no need to talk to your creditors. Say they never advised you that you may be able to make this sort of complaint, and if professional debt advisers didn’t tell you, you don’t understand how you could be expected to know. Ask what you were expected to complain about in 2021, when you had no idea that Barclays had done anything wrong – surely FOS doesnt expect every default to result in an affordability complaint?
Jen says
In the investigators reply – At the very latest, you were sent the first default letter by Barclaycard on 1 April 2021, so you’d have known by this point there was a problem.
So, I think there were several occasions when you ought reasonably to have been aware there was a problem, and it was causing you a loss. However, I also need to consider whether you ought reasonably to have thought Barclaycard might have been at least in part responsible. This doesn’t mean you need to have had a thorough understanding of Barclaycard’s obligations as a lender, only that it might have done something wrong when agreeing to lend.
You’ve explained you started struggling with your finances in July 2016, however Barclaycard went on to increase your credit limit on a further two occasions in 2017 and 2018. You also said you were struggling to meet the minimum repayments prior to the increases. As you were already struggling, I think there was reason to question whether it was right for Barclaycard to extend further credit to you. I’m not aware of any changes in your personal circumstances, so I think when you had difficulties making the repayments it was reasonable to think Barclaycard might have done something wrong by providing you the credit you were struggling to repay.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you reply that is bizarre to suggest that anyone with a default should decide the lender had done something wrong when they had no idea that the lender should have assesses whether a limit could be repaid in a manageable fashion. And that the increases offered by Barclaycard seemed helpful at the time as you were struggling. Now you realise that you should not have been lent more money but it seems extremely unfair to say that you should have known this at the time, or at the point your defaulted. Especially as Stepchange never mentioned the option of an affordability complaint to you. Ask for this to go to an Ombudsman
Emma says
Hi guys has anyone had any really negative experiences with NewDay. I wrote an email to them and heard back pretty quickly about a £5000 credit card that I believe was increased on multiple occasions irresponsibly. They said they do not believe they loaned irresponsibly and have closed the account with immediate affect leaving me in a worse position. I was also on a payment holiday and they have now reported 2 missed payments for those months as well.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send the affordability complaint to the Ombudsman.
Did they tell you the payment holiday wouldnt affect your credit record?
What is the rest of your financial situation like? Do you have other minimum payments that aren’t affordable? Have you made other affordability complaints?
Emma says
Hi Sara,
I’ve sent the complaint to the Ombudsman last Friday so just waiting to hear back from them. They didn’t tell me that it would no and I had a payment holiday in the past and no missed payments were reported. My situation is pretty dire, until this month I had been managing to at least make minimum payments on everything and to stay afloat but now with them closing the credit card and reporting missed payments I’m worried it’s going to get worse. I have made an affordability complaint with Santander as well about an overdraft. If I could get the fees and interest I’ve paid for both of them back it would seriously help the situation and then I’d be able to pay down the rest of my debts within the next couple of years.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you should talk to StepChange about a debt management plan for all your debts, see https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx. That gets interest frozen permanently and allows you to get into a safe fianncial space.
Winning any affordability complaints will then speed up the DMP by reducing the balances and may mean your credit score is cleaned up sooner.
But these affordability complaints on their own are too uncertain and take too long for you current precarious situation.
Lucy says
Hi sorry to send a random message I cannot find an email address at all for new day to send a complaint do you happen to know what it is? Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The article above has a link to page with bank and credit card email addresses
Stacey says
Hi
I have a argos card and i make the payment each month but it doesnt seem to help very much. Its still iver 1000 pound the interest is alot so im bearly making a dent to it. How do i stop the interest so i can repay and clear the card they never should have increased the limit.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can make a complaint about them increasing the limit using the template in the article above these comments.
But you still have to keep paying while the complaint goes through – is this your only debt?
Scott says
Hi. id like to make multiple complaints against credit card companies. Unfortunately i dont have account numbers or dates for the limit increases. Am i still able to make these complaints ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How long ago were these accounts settled or defaulted?
scott dean says
Hi Sara.
All accounts defaulted in the last year.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is fine – if they had defaulted over 6 years ago there would be little chance of winning.
Give enough details in your complaint email for the lender to be able to work out what your complaint is – your full name, date of birth etc
You don’t need to know the dates of limit increases before complaining, my template letter asks for that information.
scott dean says
Thanks Sara. Complaints sent. Let’s see what happens.
scott dean says
Hi Sara.
Just wondering if there is a timeframe for when a lender should reply to a complaint ?
I’ve sent one to Capital One, another to Newday. Newday have as yet not replied or at least acknowledged the complaint , Capital One did within 24 hours
Kind regards
Scott
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They have 8 weeks to reply. But if you havent heard anything, not even an acknowledgement, I suggest phoning them after 4 weeks and asking why?
Anon50 says
I’ve submitted complaints to both MBNA and Barclaycard about what I believe was irresponsible lending. MBNA increased my credit limit to £14k even though I was only making minimum payments. I later took out a Barclaycard with an initial 9k limit, which was also increased to £16k over time. I was trying to manage both by moving balances around, but the debt became unmanageable, and I ended up trapped paying huge interest and only able to make minimum payments.
An old Equifax report shows I was already heavily reliant on credit and making only minimum payments — this should have raised red flags, yet both lenders kept increasing my limits. MBNA also changed the terms and conditions several times, giving me no choice but to accept more expensive terms as I couldn’t afford to pay off the balance in full.
Both lenders have rejected my complaints as being time-barred. However, I only became aware that I might have a valid complaint in 2022, after getting debt advice.
I’ve escalated both cases to the Financial Ombudsman but I’m unsure if my argument is strong enough. What do you think?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
When in 2022 were you told about affordability complaints and why have you waited so long?
Anon says
Thanks for responding Sarah
I became aware about affordability claims when I accessed help through Business Debtline. Until then I just thought it was my bad management with money. I was trying to survive but actually making the situation worse. I had no clue that organisations also had a responsibility.
I waited because I was trying to sort my debts out first. Repayments are now stable and I have the bandwidth to address this aspect.
Have I waited too long?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
These complaints are always easier sooner rather than later. It may now be hard to produce bank statements going back more than 6 years.
Have you told the ombudsman when you got the advice about affordability complaints? Was it more than 3 years before the date of the complaint to the lender?
Anon says
Apologies. I took advice from Business Debtline in 2023.
So no, it wasn’t more than 3 years before the date of the complaints to the lenders.
I was afraid of angering the companies I was asking for help from so waited until agreements were in place with everyone and things had settled down before starting the process.
I said to to the FOS that while some of the lending decisions occurred more than six years ago, I did not realise at the time that I had grounds to complain. I was unaware that the company had a responsibility to assess affordability before increasing my credit limit. It was only since taking debt advice in the last couple of years that I learned about affordability complaints and realised that Barclaycard and MBNA may have acted irresponsibly and that I am aware the FCA allows complaints beyond six years if the customer was not aware (and could not reasonably have been aware) of the issue earlier.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is good news. Good luck with the complaints!
Catrin says
Keen to see how you get on! After the bank rejected my complaint, I contacted the Ombudsman and they replied a week later (25 March) to say they are waiting to assign it to an investigator. So keen to see how long it takes them to get back to you!
I have similar circumstances and have complained to Barclaycard, they rejected based on the 6 years.
Jen says
I also have a similar case with Barclaycard which they rejected straight away as it was over 6 years and i sent it to the FOS early January it took about 3 months and the investigator came back to me last month and rejected it saying I should of known I could of complained more then 3 years ago as that’s when I had my first default (which it’s by true). It’s now been redirected to an ombudsman manager and Iv been waiting again for a few weeks now.
Emma says
Can not thank you enough!
• Vanquis taken to FOS, upheld, refund of £2,000.
• Newday Aqua taken to FOS, upheld, refund of £2,684.
• Newday Marbles taken to FOS, upheld, refund of £3,335.
All after financial abuse, I am now finally back on my feet thanks to you and your templates ❤️
Lena says
I wonder if I can complain, about irresponsible lending, if all my credit cards have been interest free. I was taking new ones due to not being able to keep up with previous ones.. I have mostly always done minimum payment for them
1st credit card £500 Natwest – Maxed out for a long time
2nd credit card £5000 (2021) Lloyds – Hit limit (Occasional overpayment above minimum) Used money transfer multiple times to pay off Monzo Overdraft)
3rd credit card £4000 (2022) Halifax – Split the Lloyds and balancing debt between this and Lloyds
4th credit card £5850 (July 2024) Capital One – Tried to consolidate debt
5th credit card £1500 (July 2024) Barclays
6th credit card £10,100 (September 2024) Used to consolidate all debt into one and maxed out only making minimum payment
Not sure where to begin but I cannot continue with this looming over me, any advise is massively appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The dates are when the card was opened?
The balances are your current balances? So about £27,000?
Are the current minimum payments unmanageable or are some 0%s ending and you can’t get more?
Lena says
The dates are when they were opened and my most recent one has 15-20 months interest free on it.
From transfer balances and moving money between the latter ones. I’ve got about £14,000 now but according to my credit scores I can still take out more credit cards (mind blowing) and my score actually increased wildly too.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So for a card that was originally 0%, but which has now been has been closed or has no balance as you transferred it before the interest started, you can make a complaint and ask for the original BT fee to be refunded. It won’t be much, but every £100 helps?
If a card that was at 0% is now charging interest, you can make an affordability complaint ans ask for the interest to be halted and the BT fee refunded.
But if most of your balance is currently at 0% and you cannot increase the payments to them, then the best option is a debt management plan from Stepchange https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx. That ensures no interest is added and lets you pay a lower amount.
James says
Hi I’m currently going through the ombudsman process (seemingly successfully so far) and have got a question about credit scores.
Clearly as and when missed payment marks or defaults are removed from my credit score my current credit score will go up. Do lenders (thinking mortgage in the future) look at your credit score historically too? If so will my historic credit scores also get updated to reflect the backdated removal of negative marks?
Hope that makes sense
James
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It isnt possible to look at someone’s historic credit score.
But if a lender removes a default, all the months where there was a D showing are then changed to not have a D. Some lenders see this as too much of a nuisance and they then just delete the debt that had been defaulted.
Molly o says
Can I put through a claim even if it has went to a debt collection company.
Does this work for pay day loan company
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes you can.
which lender and how much did you borrow? If there were several loans, can you say how large each of them were?
what other debts do you have, most people who have to use a payday lender are already in a mess, so you may well be able to win affordability cases against some of the other loans, cards etc as well.
Courtney says
Hello there
I had a credit card account with vanquis bank from 2014. Ended up in a financial mess. Lots of credit increases, missed payments, extra loans needed to pay my monthly payment etc. now in a DMP. I have complained using your template (thank you so much). They’ve sent a final response stating it’s over 6 years old so they won’t take it further. I’ve now complained to FOS but is it a waste of time considering how long ago it was.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
did they increase your credit limit? if so, when was the last increase?
how far back can you get your bank statements?
How long ago did your DMP start?
Courtney says
They increased it 5 times., within 2 years. The last increase was nov 2016.
And I can get bank statements from this time period also. Thank you
It started 2021. This debt was included, it was passed to a debt collection agency due to missed payments and defaults
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Has it been sold to a debt collector? Or passed to one to collect on behalf of Vanquis? What is the current balance?
Court says
Sorry yes I mean they collect for vanquis now. Vanquis passed it on
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So this is worth sending to FOS as you have the old bank statements.
Mary says
I have just seen this information, and interested in making complaints. However, I was in an IVA which was successfully completed. I’m assuming I can’t do anything?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you want to complain about the debts that were in your IVA? or any afterwards?
Sara says
Hi
I stumbled upon this whilst looking for something else. I was able to get a credit card when in the middle of an IVA, subsequently defaulted on it due to the cost of living crisis. After reading this I wrote to the credit card company to complain. They have upheld the complaint and are arranging for the default to come off my credit file plus giving a refund just shy of £700.
Lydia says
Hi Sara.
I’m wondering if I can justify an affordability complaint to Virgin.
In March 2021, I opened a credit card with them for £5,400. I quickly used up half of the credit limit and was only paying the minimum payments. In December 2021, they increased the limit to £10,900. At this time, I already had a bank loan of £15,000 and a Barclaycard with £6000 limit (I’d used up £2k when the Virgin limit was increased).
I feel this was unaffordable in comparison to my £25k wage. I have continued to make minimum payments ever since and have never missed a payment. I have recently had a letter from Virgin acknowledging that the account is in persistent debt. Do you think the affordability complaint is worthwhile?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what is your current balance? has it ever been over 5400?
Lydia says
Yes, my current balance on that card is now £9,100.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Definitely worth a complaint!
Kelley says
I have a Vanquis card dating back to 2011. I’ve maxed it for periods of times, then used consolidation loans to pay it off. I think the limit was last increased in January 2022 (£3.5k), and I’ve worked up to the max balance again and have some missed payments. In the last 6 months, they have twice increased the interest rates (now at 66.40%). In October 2024 they wrote to me to outline the reduced minimum payments – from 3% to 1%. In November 2024 they wrote to me to invite me to apply for a credit limit increase up to £4.5k but it wasn’t guaranteed.
I think my credit score must’ve been low when I opened the account, as otherwise I would have gone with an alternative provider – I can’t ascertain what level of debt that I had when I took it out, but I know I was stuck in a payday loan cycle which must have been evident on my credit report.
I am going to submit a complaint to Vanquis, but wondered if they are likely to push back on the 6 and 3 year time bars.
Thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
They probably will push back, but send this to the Ombudsman where I have seen several Vanquis complaints upheld in the last few weeks.
When was the last interest rate increase? You know you can choose to reject a limit increase and stop using the account? then you can repay at the current interest rate.
Kelley says
In March 2025 they increased the interest from 46% to 66%. Could I use this increase as part of the reason for my complaint as it’s making the debt more unaffordable?
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is so recent you may still be able to reject that interest rate increase. try this immediately.
but for an affordable;it complaint, you need to argue that the limit at the start and any increases were unaffordable, something that changed last month wont help you as it only affects things from that point afterwards
K says
I’d just like to say a big thanks to everyone who has posted on here, it’s helped greatly with my own complaints this far.
After submitting complaints to Halifax, MBNA and Barclaycard on 21/03/25, I have had responses from all. Barclaycard came back within two weeks and rejected my complaint without requesting any further information, and this is now with the FOS.
Halifax and MBNA were however very helpful and I felt they took my complaint seriously. They requested a list of information which I provided at the beginning of April and they have called today to say they are refunding over £13.5k in interest and charges by next week! Can’t quite believe it.
I’m hoping to get a good outcome with the FOS regarding Barclaycard but unsure how long that will take. All of these were accounts opened in 2015 and still open now, Halifax/MBNA did not even bring up the time limits, Barclaycard however rejected straight away based on this.
D says
Hi Sara,
I recently came across your Instagram and website and it encouraged me to challenge my credit card lenders which have made my financial situation much worse in recent years.
Although two lenders have disagreed with my complaint, and I am awaiting the ombudsman review on those. I have just had a response from Tesco Bank who are upholding my complaint and have offered a refund of all fees, interest and charges + 8% interest. (I am grateful to you for!). However the refund they have offered does not add up to the totals i have from the annual statements. They have offered around £700 whereas from my math it should be closer to £3000.
I have asked for a breakdown of their calculations but just wondered if there is anything else I should question, I am happy to be offered a refund but I also don’t want to be short changed and accept too quickly.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did they say that they shouldnt have given you a limit increase from X to Y?
D says
They have said they should not have opened account and then shouldn’t have given limit increases.
Exact Phrasing is
“Although our system was working as intended, after conducting a manual search, I don’t believe our decision to offer you the initial CL of £2,400.00 or the CLs of £3,500.00 and £5,000.00 was responsible. Therefore, I have contacted or Payments Team to have all charges, fees and interest refunded from account opening until present.
After refunding all charges, fees and interest from account opening, and adding 8% statutory interest on top, your total refund is £713.78.”
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK that is clearly a “full refund” not a “partial refund”.
See what they say about the breakdown and if it doesnt sound right, ask them to check again as you think you have paid a lot more than that in interest plus charges
D says
Hi Sara,
Just as an update Tesco have corrected what they said in first email
“I’d like to correct this and confirm that the initial lending and Credit Limit increase were affordable. However, the decision to give you a Credit Limit Increase was not responsible.”
They have added compensation for this mistake,
And the initial refund offer was calculated from
“We calculate interest by taking each statement and re-calculating the interest on balances over £3,500.00 as this was an affordable limit for initial lending.
We then add these amounts for each statement where you’ve used the additional credit (anything above initial lending and your Credit Limit increase).
I appreciate you’d like a full calculation however this isn’t something we’re able to provide as this is automated. I hope this clears this up. ”
Does this sound like a low offer or fair? I feel that only interest over the 3.5K Limit is unusual
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how much extra have they added for this mistake?
D says
£75 compensation for the mistake on top in addition to the original refund offer of £713.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
when was the account opened? When was the limit increased to 3500?
D says
Opened October 2019, then 3500 Aug 2021, then to 5000 July 2022
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you feel the original 2400 was clearly too high when the account was opened?
By August 2021, had you only/mainly made minimum payments? Had your other debts increased since the account was opened so your situation was much worse?
Maria says
Hi,
I made a complaint to Barclays but it was only partially upheld. I therefore forwarded to the FOS. I have now received an email from the FOS investigator who is asking the following questions:
•Why did you only bring this complaint to Barclays on 24 January 2025?
•When did you first realise that Barclays might have done something wrong when offering credit. Please be as specific as possible with the dates you first realised.
•When did you start having financial difficulties?
•When you were first struggling to make the repayments, who did you think was responsible for your financial situation?
•What prompted you to realise that Barclays may have done something wrong?
•Were there any exceptional circumstances that prevented you from complaining earlier than you did?
I do t want to say the wrong thing! But I only found out I could complain in January this year when I came across your website, so presuming that’s exactly what I say?!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can you give some background about this Barclays overdraft? When it started? Was the limit increased? When it became a problem? What Barclayts offered in a “partial uphold”?
Maria says
It is a Barclay credit card. Opened in 2015 with initial limit £4000 and still open now.
2016 increased to £10,000
2017 increased to £13,000
2022 increased to £14,000
2024 increased to £16,500
Barclays upheld from point that it was increased to £13,000, and admitted they did not complete the appropriate checks, and refunded me £190 which they said was the interest on the balance above £13,000. They said they will not investigate the account before the 2017 increase as ‘this is out of time frame’ . I then forwarded my complaint to the FOS
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the Ombudsman question refers to finaical difficulties and struggles – was this just increasing debts? Have you ever missed payments? What is your current situation like?
Was Barclays your bank?
Maria says
Barclays is not my bank.
I have 5 months other credit cards and a loan, total debt is around 50k
I kept doing balance transfers to try and resolve the debt, but of course this didn’t work. Now interest is added it is an impossible amt to pay off, let alone in a reasonable time scale. I have been using credit cards for everyday essentials such as food shopping and petrol. I had missed a couple of payments on a different card, but otherwise just paying minimal other than some of the transfers, juggling back and forth across cards.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Could you copy in the part from the Barclays decision where is says what it will be refunding?
Do you think the 4k limit was ok? the 10k limit?
Maria says
This is what Barclays said:
I’ve reviewed the time frames of your complaint and found the application and increases up to May 2017 to be out of time and therefore, I’m unable to look into this part of your complaint.
After my investigation of your credit limit increases in May 2022 and April 2024, I’m upholding this part of your complaint. I believe we didn’t carry out a thorough check of your existing credit and it wasn’t responsible to lend more. As a result of our error I’ve refunded interest on balance is over £13,000(the last affordable limit) from May 2022. This comes to £191.48. As your balance is currently over £13,000, I’ve waived the interest on your account until you bring your balance down to £13,000.
I feel the initial £4000 limit was affordable, but at the time of the first increase I may 2016 to 7k, I had a significant amt of debt on other cards. (Sorry, missed the 7k increase in my first message to you). They increased it in May 2016 to 7k, then again in the September to 10k
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the limit in May 2022 was increased from what to what?
Maria says
Opened 2015 initial limit £4000
May 2016 increased to £7000
Sept 2016 increased to £10,000
2017 increased to £13,000
2022 increased to £14,000
2024 increased to £16,500
Jayne says
I just want to share some success I have had so far with affordability complaints.
I have had 2 complaints upheld with Zable and Capital One, resulting in me having a total of £1400 in credit card debt wiped off.
I complained to paypal who rejected my complaint but offered me a goodwill payment of £125 which I accepted as I only had an outstanding balance of £350.
I have 6 cases that I have referred to the ombudsman, these include a Natwest overdraft, natwest credit card, jaja, zopa simply be and look again.
A big thanks to Sarah and everyone who has posted on here so far
Katie says
SUCCESS!
Thank you so much for this extremely helpful post and information, that I’m sure is helping so many people.
I doubled the debt I previously had due to adverse circumstances in Covid – like a lot of people here I’m sure.
My debts are £15k across three loans, £3600 overdraft and £24k credit card debt across four cards.
I fired off this template to all of them, not expecting anything back. Had refusals from Shawbrook Bank and Virgin credit cards.
However I was over the moon tonight to find that Barclaycard upheld my complaint, specifically saying they should not have increased my limit, and are refunding me £3700 in charges and interest! Furthermore, they’re going to wipe the remaining £3k debt and remove the card from my credit file.
This is a fantastic result and honestly such a huge help in tackling this debt, really so grateful for the advice on this site!
Sending solidarity and encouragement to others in this situation – if you’re reading this post and wondering if the template is worth a try, it is!
Wishing everyone the best of luck on their debt free journeys!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you sent the Virgin and Shawbrook complaints to the Ombudsman? Many strong complaints are rejected by the lender, saying they made all the necessary checks…
Have you also complained about the loans and overdraft?
Ab says
Thank you so much! I received a £2700 complaint from NewDay using your complaint template.
A says
How did you find the process? Did they uphold it or did you have to refer to the Ombudsman? I am waiting for a response from Newday on my 2 cards.
Lucy says
Hi,
I have currently followed your advice on complaining about irresponsible lending to my credit card provider Barclays. They rejected the complaint saying that it was responsible and it was my job to reject the proposed increased. I have then taken it to the ombudsman who is looking into it.
I believe I have a good argument for one of the increases as they increased my amount from £10500 to £13000, whilst also also paying back a loan I owed to themselves and my monthly wages taking a dramatic drop being on maternity at the time of the increase. Additionally within 3 months of the credit increase they sent a letter informing me of being in persistent debt so clearly did not do correct affordability checks.
My question is do you think it is worth complaining about this loan? At the time the loan was taken out to try and pay off my credit card which was just over £5000 and the loan was for £5500. As in addition to this card had credit card debt with PayPal and was paying off a car on finance too.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Was Barclays your bank?
A says
Great news after following the templates provided with Vanquis. They rejected my claim so I referred it to the Ombudsmen and I wasn’t very optimistic thinking they would also do the same. I was wrong, the response and in depth letter they sent back to Vanquis was a surprise and Vanquis upheld the complaint!!
I got just under £3k back, so my balance has been paid and I received £240 back which was the balance remaining.
Background, Vanquis kept increasing my limit and APR to the point that it was just under 50% APR!
Trust the process and go for it.
Laura. says
Hi A
Well done 👍.
I have just received an email that the ombudsman have picked my case up , can I ask how long it took from when the ombudsman took your case to the case being resolved ? .
Thanks
Laura
Jen says
Hi Sara,
I used this template to complain about my Very account and they have upheld my complaint and gave me a ‘refund’ of £2666 on a £10k credit limit which was unaffordable with the salary I was on.
This amountbhas cleared what I had left to pay on the account and will also leave some extra to pay other debts.
Thank you so much for helping.
Moira says
Hi sarah,
I have an affordability claim against vanquis that fos upheld. I had a 500 limit and this was increased to 1450 in 2021. It was sent to lowell as I couldn’t keep up the repayments and this balance was 1080 in April 2025. Fos said vanquis should rework the account taking off all interest and fees since the increase from 500 in 2021
Vanquis sent me a letter today stating they have asked for the lowell account back and are only paying 282 off the balance. Does this sound right? It seems a very small amount of interest over 4 years? Thankyou in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
after 2021, did you mange to clear the balance at any point? did it only increase slowly? When was it sent to Lowell?
Moira says
Hi sarah,
Thankyou for replying.
No I didn’t clear the balance. The fos said it shouldn’t have been increased from 500 in 2021. It increases by 300 first then another 650 4 months later. Lowell took over the account Sept 2023 and the balance was 1653 then.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So interest probably stopped when it defaulted, before being sold to Vanquis. But that is still nearly two years interest. I suggest you ask Vanquis to check this and ask them for a statement of the account from 2021 so you can see the numbers
You are paying about £30 a month now? Is this affordable? Of it isn’t say you need it to be reduced
Do you have a lot of other debts, any arrears on priority bills? If you are in significant financial difficulty at the moment, it’s worth asking for the balance to be written off (this isn’t common but Vanquis do sometimes do this)
K says
Hi, the ombudsman has not upheld my complaint at the final stage. However, they have assumed in their response that my husbands weekly salary was mine in addition to my monthly salary! Basically his went into outjoint acount and mine into my own account. They asked for both lots of statements as he would often transfer Money to my account to help me with things for kids etc, I didn’t use that account though. Anything I can do?!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Go back and explain this to them. If they wanted to do that, they should also take account of all his costs and debts
K says
Thanks, they’ve said:
The firm must consider the customer’s ability to make repayments under the agreement:” (2) out of, or using, one or more of the following:(a) the customer’s income; (b) income from savings or assets jointly held by the customer with another person, income received by the customer jointly with another person or income received by another person in so far as it is reasonable to expect such income to be available to the customer to make repayments under the agreement.
And so as there was a weekly income being paid into the relevant account I’ve considered it in my decision. I hope this clarifies my reasoning.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how long had this weekly income been paid into your account?
K says
It was a joint account but I didn’t use it, my husband did. He had his wages going in there and paid bills from there. My wages went into an account in my own name, and I paid a share of bills from mine. He earned a lot more than me so would sometimes transfer money to my account to help with buying things for kids etc. I didn’t use the joint one though. He didn’t know about most of my debts so they were paid from mine. The debts were in my name and not his.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So there was no regular payment to your account from him?
And the payments into the joint account by him was for bills?
Explain this to the investigator and ask for this to go to an ombudsman if they dont seem to grasp what is going on.
K says
Thanks, yes that’s right. That is the ombudsman who has made the decision not to uphold it. Just seems odd as they don’t seem to understand what I’m saying. I’ve had three other complaints upheld by investigators which were from similar times!
Jake says
I’ve had an Aqua credit card since around 2019 and have been using nearly 100% of my allowance since 2020. My credit limit has been increased from £1000 – £7000 since then. I have also been in overdrafts with other bank accounts consistently in this time frame and have a default because of one of them and have other credit cards close to their max. More recently I have recieved letters warning me of persistent debt but after this was sent a letter informing they were increasing my limit to £8000. I have been in contact with them this year to express stuggle my with paying the debt off and they have frozen the interest for 6 months.
I have just found this page and found the information extremely useful and believe that I shouldn’t have been given those credit increases. Can I still submit a complaint despite them freezing my interest for 6 months?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Definitely make a complaint to Aqua! If Aqua reject it or make a poor offer, send this straight to the ombudsman
But I also suggest you talk to StepChange about a Debt Management plan for all of these debts, that will get interest frozen on the cards and overdrafts. See https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx. Winning the aqua complaints (or any others?) will then speed up the DMP
Kelley says
I submitted an affordability complaint to Vanquis and have received a final response letter within a week or so. I took the card out in 2011 and the limit was just £150. However, I was in a payday-loan cycle that involved 60+ loans form 2008-13, so several loans with 5 providers were showing on my credit file. The credit limit was increased to £550 (2013), £1500 (2013), £2500 (2013), £3000 (2014), £3500 (2022), and they have outlined the steps they took to ensure I could afford at each limit increase. However, there are some problems in what they say – ‘our searches showed there were no new CCJs or newly defaulted debt within the previous 0 months’ – surely that should be 3 or 6? Also, they said one of their checks for the most recent increase was ‘And to let you know you’d need to complete and income and expenditure assessment’. I can’t recall doing this.
I’ll send it to the FOS, but it would be useful to know if my case is strong, given the fact that I was in such a bad place when I took the card out, or if the fact that the increases were so long ago, and that there are times when I haven’t used the balance (after paying off via consolidation loans etc) might make it look like I could afford it. Also, the APR was put up to 60% recently and I haven’t been able to reduce it.
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you have your old bank statements from 2011-14?
What other debts do you have at the moment?
how long ago did they put the interest rate up to 60%?
Kelley says
I have some statements from 2011-2014 from my secondary/direct debit account which show some outgoings, returned payments, payday loan deposits, and also that I took a cash advance of £100 from the Vanquis card within a week or so of opening. I also have payday loan lists and statements leading up to the Vanquis card being given and then leading up to the first increase. Their final response letter talks about how I only had £x of debt at the point of opening/limit increases, but their figures are really really low, and can’t be right.
I have vast debts at the moment – multiple credit cards and loans. The 60% interest was introduced in December, and I don’t think I can undo it.
Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then sedn this to FOS.
BUT you cannot rely on this resulting in a good refund. And it may take a long while.
I think you need to talk to StepChange about a debt management plan for all of your debts, loans, cards and this Vanquis one. That will get new interest stopped and let you make a single lower payment each month. See https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx
Winning any affordability complaints against Vanquis or other debts will really speed up a DMP. In general its easier to win complaints about lending decisions in the last 6 years, so go for a lot of them!
AT says
Hi Sara,
I am finding your advice invaluable, as someone who has always been bad with controlling finances but now looking to change things around.
I am wondering if you can advise if i have some irresponsible lending claims here:
I have been a Halifax customer since 2013.
In 2018 I was given a £200 OD with them. I was utilising this for at least 60% of the month.
In 2021 I was allowed to increase to £2000. Here utilising for 85% of the month.
I reduced the limits myself to £1,400. that is where i am currently, using it for 90% of the month, getting paid and using more than half my salary to pay it off and then after bills so the cycle starts again.
Also with Halifax- opened a credit card with them in Dec 2018- limit £1000
Remained up to 90% of usage until end of May 2021 making minimum payments only, they increased limit to £3000 in June 2021 (whilst being in my HF OD) I have only been making minimum payments ever since.
Paypal-
Paypal Credit account opened in December 2020- £4,500 limit
instantly utilised 50%- making minimum payments only until Aug 21 where i borrowed money from my savings to pay off the balance.
June 23 they increased limit to £5,500
utilising 50% minimum payment
July 23 80% useage minimum payment
Sept 23 limit increase to £6,500
Oct 23 limit increase to £7,500
currently 90% utilisation and only ever made minimum payments.
Carried on below
Sara (Debt Camel) says
halifax overdraft – yes this sounds like a good complaint from 2021
halifax credit card – if this limit was increased in 2021 after your overdraft had gone up a lot, that too looks like a good complaint
paypal – it can be hard to win about lending decisions pre brexit as they were regulated differently then. But the 2023 limit increases are after that, so yeas make a complaint about them
AT says
Monzo-
Opened 2019
Given OD of £2,000 in 2021
utilisation 95%- only paying in £20 a month or so just to keep from going in to an unarranged OD
Monzo flex was opened 2022 £3,200 limit
90% utilisation and minimum payments only with current balance of £3,179
MBNA-
Opened August 2022- credit limit £6,300
instant 80% utilisation minimum repayments
Paid balance in Feb 2023 using family loan
May 23 credit limit increased to £11,300
Balance transferred to Virgin money Aug 23
Limit still £11,300
Constant 90% utilisation since then minimum payments only
Virgin Money
Opened in January 24 as a 0% balance transfer for 12 months
Limit £11,500
90% utilisation and minimum payments only. Now incurring interest.
Zopa-
December 24 £10,000 loan over 3 years 25.3% APR Monthly repayment £305
I believe i should have never been approved for this given all the existing debt. I was desperate and they accepted after being declined at a lot of other mainstream lenders.
Please can you advise whether i have a case here at all? I truly feel that by the age of 24 i should not have had such a large amount of outstanding debt and i believe, whilst i should have been more careful and sensible, that the lenders should not have kept giving me more.
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes complain about all of those too!
BUT many of these may have to go to the ombudsman and I think you need help right now to stop this cycle of borrowing to repay other debts. So i suggest that in addition to making all the affordability complaints, you talk to StepChange about a debt management plan for all of your debts, this will get interest stopped and let you make a single lower payments a month.
Do not underestimate your expenses with Stepchange. Winning any affordability complaint will then speed up the DMPp and get you debt free much sooner.
AT says
Hi Sara,
I have heard back from virgin-
The account was opened on 27 November 2023 with a Credit Limit of £11,500 after you made an online application. The limit has never been increased.
A review of the information you gave us during the application process shows the annual household income was £82,000. You also confirmed on your application you were employed and had a Gross Annual Income of £42,000.
As a responsible lender, we use a combination of factors when reviewing applications. The decision to approve the application was made using the details provided by you and information held with the Credit Reference Agencies about the performance of other products you held.
They have obviously decided not to uphold the complaint.
Can they use my household income even though the card was solely in my name and not paid by my partner? Shall I take this to the ombudsman or is it not worth it?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How large were your other debts at that point?
Were there other credit cards you were only making minimum payments to?
I repeat my suggestion that you should look at a debt management plan to get interest stopped
Barty says
Hi Sara,
I had a complaint that was upheld but Tesco didn’t agree of which it was escalated to the ombudsman. However before review I received this email
“ Our service has received judicial review claims which challenge the way we approach complaints where section 140A is relevant law. Whilst the complaints are not identical to yours, the approach we’ve taken to complaints about unfair relationships is being challenged in the courts, and the outcome of those court proceedings may have the potential to impact the way that we consider your complaint.”
Are you aware of anything
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes several people have been told this. No timescale as this is in the hands of the court, not the Ombudsman.
Barty says
was this a recent development as just a couple of months ago they had given a decision of which tesco had disagreed and was in the queue with the ombudsman for final decision.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s been rumbling away in the background for a while but more people seem to be being told about it now
Leanne says
Hi Sara,
Thanks so much for all of your advice on complaints, this may be the way I can finally pay off my DMP that I have had with step change for the past 5 years.
I have tried logging in to my Very account to try and retrieve my previous statements, however it seems as though they have deleted my account. My debt was passed over to Lowell. Can I still put in a complaint with Very without statements and also who do I complain to? Would it be Very or Lowell?
I also have a debt with Next which is also on my DMP and was also sold onto a collections company. Would this complaint also go directly to Next?
Thanks so much in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
this DMP started 5 years ago? How large are the current balances on these old Very and Next accounts that are now with debt collectors?
Leanne says
Hi Sara,
Yes DMP is around 5 years old, I have paid the majority off now but there is £758 to Very and £1359 to Next.
I have spoken to Very this morning and they have said as the debt has been sold on basically don’t want anything to do with me anymore and no longer have an account for myself so I am unable to access any previous statements to know how much interest and charges have been applied to account.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Any affordability complaints go to the original lenders.
With these old accounts, unless you have your bank statements and catalogue statements, it can be hard to get anywhere. Instead you could consider asking Lowell to produce the CCA agreement for the debt. If lowell can’t, then the debt is unenforceable and you can simply stop paying it. See https://nationaldebtline.org/get-information/guides/credit-agreements-getting-information-ew/ and use the National Debtline template letter to ask for the CCA
Rosie says
Although not a credit card, I wanted to ask your advice regarding finance on a kitchen.
Do the same rules apply? When I applied for the kitchen credit plan, there wasn’t a credit check completed as far as I’m aware. The shop worker took very basic details and within 2-3 mins the finance was agreed! I understand I agreed to this, but it has contributed to my overall debt, and I’m now regretting the purchase. I’m wondering if the lender had a responsibility to check affordability??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Who was the lender? Was this at 0%? Over what period?
Rosie says
0% finance over 3 years.
We understand these complaints from f upheld result in a refund of interest, but I’m just wondering about the rules in terms of credit checking affordability even though it’s a 0% deal.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the only compensation you get is a refund of interest
Hannah says
Hi Sarah,
My husband has a history of bad credit including several defaults and missed payments. An Argos account was defaulted in January. At the time the Argos account was taken out, the defaults were all still very much active on his credit file as were the missed payments. He never should have been allowed to borrow at the time the credit was taken out.
Can we use the affordability complaint to try and have the default removed or is it just used for when credit limits have been increased?
He was part of the complaints of Amigo Home Loans and won that affordability claim and had that scrapped of his credit file.
Many thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How large was the limit he was given by Argos and how long ago?
Hannah says
The limit was £800 and given to him in January 2024.
Thanks ☺️
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So not long ago. You have to argue that the limit was unaffordable, you can’t just ask to have the default removed.
Use the template in the article above
Laura says
Hi Debt Camel Community
Update – Capital One decided card should not have been given refund all interest and wrote , rest of credit balance off of £350.
Ombudsman agreed Vanquish should have not give me the card . Paid off in 2022 . Refund due of £850.00 including 8% .
Nationwide refund £500 of fees and reduced overdraft from £1500 to £1000 saving around £25.00 a month . And removed three late fees from the account.
Virgin money Ombudsman agreed limit should not have been increased refund a £1000 including charges and will remove default when balance reaches £3000 . Currently stands at £4400 . Also as gesture of goodwill paid £250 in to my current account, which allowed me to pay off my phone contract and change to sim only saving £24.00 a month .
Amex rejected my complaint currently being investigated by the ombudsman, hoping for a decision in the next two weeks .
Just want to thank DC community for all your stories and support from Sara answering all our questions. I would not have had the courage to take these case to the banks or the ombudsman in the past but your website has been so helpful to me so thank you .
D says
Hello,
One of my complaints about a Fluid credit card is with the ombudsman currently and they have been in touch today with the following :-
‘I have been reviewing your statements and can see there are some transactions being made to gambling companies.
You had spent roughly around £1,000 in May 2021, £800 in June 2021 and £1,200 in July 2021.
Did you ever discuss this with the business and was it declared as part of your expenditure?‘
These were the three months prior to my card being taken out. I can’t remember what my expenditure information was at the time but I very much doubt I would’ve told the company I had a gambling addiction.
I’m just trying to figure out the best way to respond to this. Will I just tell them no I hadn’t told them and didn’t think I’d need to? Just don’t want to say the wrong thing.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How did you get this Fluid card? Was it recommended on a credit report such as ClearScore? or did you see an advert from them?
D says
I just had a look back on my emails and I found them through a comparison website – moneysupermarket and signed up to them via this
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So that is what you tell the FOS investigator, you don’t recall being asked any questions about your expenditure, it was shown on the money supermarket website and you signed up to it through that.
H says
Just a quick note to say thanks! Newday got back to me in 2 weeks with a refund of £4424 so I now only owe £738 and they have will close the account once paid, how long do I have to pay this now?
I have done affordability complaints with Vanquis Loan and Credit card and Zopa Loan and Credit card so will update you when I hear back from them!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can carry on paying the reduced balance at the normal minimum rate, this won’t affect your credit score.
Peter says
Disappointingly, Zopa have rejected the FOS investigator’s findings in my favour and the case is now being sent to an Ombudsman. After the relief that my complaint was upheld. This feels like a massive setback. I’m really worried about it. Does anyone know what happens now and how long this next process takes please? Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you know why Zopa rejected it?
Antiona says
Hi Sara,
At the end of March the investigator upheld a complaint with Barclaycard, with a refund set to come to me for £7000. Barclaycard disagreed, now the investigator has changed their mind saying the now do not uphold my complaint.
The email back from the investigator was terrible, firstly saying her decision hadn’t changed (ie to still agree with me) but then at the end she said she agrees now with Barclaycard. She even uses NatWest by name instead of Barclaycard, looks like lots of copy and paste.
I’m so upset as that would have cleared my card. Do you think it’s worth sending to the ombudsman?
When I was given the Barclaycard I had lots of other debts and loans. I was on a good salary, but constantly overdrawn and late payments.
In 2023 Barclaycard starting sending me letters about late payments and going over limit and how they could help; then in 2024 Barclaycard wrote to me saying they were decreasing my limit and they never did.
Any advise would be appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you go back to the investigator and say you don’t understand her email, she has mentioned Natwest instead of barclaycard, and can she please explain more simply why she has changed her mind
Mollymood says
I have put in complaints for my Santander OD and credit card. I’m 12 weeks in with the overdraft and it’s went to ombudsman’s but nothing further heard yet. The credit card one I chased up today with the same email as I used before and it said this email box is turned off so either santander has blocked me or they have cut off their email complaints procedure.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Ok you can send it in by message in the app?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
or try customerservices@santanderconsumer.co.uk – let me know if that works? Put COMPLAINT in the email subject
Matt says
Hi Sara
Can I ask how interested is calculated for a refund for an affordability complaint. I have paid the card off now . But the refund seems low . I have looked at my bank statements from 2022 and I have seen that I paid off £400 for 2022 and the same in 2021 in direct debits and the interest refund for the total was £261 .
It might seem silly but is there a difference between minimum payment and the interest payment. Are you refunded the interest plus the payment or is it just the interest ?
Sorry just wondering
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The minimum payment is made up of an interest charge and an extra amount. You are only refunded the interest part, so less than the minimum payment.
Matt says
Thank Sara
for clearing this up for me , it helps me to work the correct amount.
Kerry says
Hi Debt Camel
Can I ask you about a Tesco card I have . The ombudsman has found in my favour regarding an affordability complaint . I still have a balance of 4750 , however I have won a refund of £1600. I know they are going to pay that money of the card . But are they likely to close the account down and ask me to continue to make payments to the account until the card is paid off.
Thanks
Kerry
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That’s up to Tesco, but closing the account and allowing you to continue repaying it monthly is a typical card lender response
Dani W says
I never leave reviews/feedback but hoping this may help motivate someone else!
I used the Debt Camel template to write to Barclaycard about an unaffordable limit that I was given, i was making substantial payments (for my budget) every month and the interest added was just keeping me in a loop and I was not clearing the actual debt.
Barclaycard rejected my complaint. So I followed up and took my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. Before a full investigation had even been carried out by FOS, Barclaycard offered a full refund plus 8% interest of all the interest charged dating back to when the card was opened in August 2021, totalling £2660.91. I received this a couple weeks after and it left an affordable amount on the account that I have since cleared!
The FOS form was easy to complete and I am so glad I took the time to follow up with them. Thanks for the template and ongoing advice Sarah!
Dani W says
I never leave reviews/feedback but hoping this may help motivate someone else!
I used the Debt Camel template to write to Barclaycard about an unaffordable limit that I was given, i was making substantial payments (for my budget) every month and the interest added was just keeping me in a loop and I was not clearing the actual debt.
Barclaycard rejected my complaint. So I followed up and took my complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. Before a full investigation had even been carried out by FOS, Barclaycard offered a full refund plus 8% interest of all the interest charged dating back to when the card was opened in August 2021, totalling £2660.91. I received this a couple weeks after and it left an affordable amount on the account that I have since cleared!
The FOS form was easy to complete and I am so glad I took the time to follow up with them. Thanks for the template and ongoing advice Sara!
Dani W says
Opened Very and Littlewoods catalogues (Shop Direct Finance) back in 2010 with a limit of £250. This was increased to ridiculous amounts over the years and particularly with Very, my limit was increased to £3800 and I was using it, despite making payments every month of over £200+, I was getting nowhere as interest of £180 was being added back on.
Initial complaint was rejected, went to the FOS and they upheld my complaint, ordering Very and Littlewoods to pay back all interest charged to 2010 when my limit was unfairly increased.
Very refund – £6188.63
Littlewoods refund – £1203.12
Cleared my bill and still had thousands for myself! I was so pleased and grateful to be out of that cycle.
Lucille F says
I used debtcamel’s template and received a refund from 118 which reduced my balance from £881.14 to £97.74 and I also got a goodwill gesture of £427!!
I’m over the moon and all with the template above!
Jack Smeet says
I complained to Sainsbury’s and NatWest regarding irresponsible lending for credit cards for both. They both had long periods of interest free period. Sainsbury’s increased my credit limit to £4,000 after a year and NatWest gave me a credit limit of £12k, I couldn’t believe my luck at the time as I had other debt.
Interest free period ended and I was at credit limit for both. I am now getting charged very high interest. I complained to both about irresponsible lending as Sainsbury increased my limit without checking my situation at the time and NatWest should never have given me such a high limit. Both rejected my complaint and I took to FOS.
FOS investigator agreed with my NatWest complaint and Sainsbury’s sent an offer before the FOS investigator even started the investigation. Both outcomes were exactly what I requested. Stop all future interest and refund me back all interest and fees paid including any balance transfer fees. I received back £700 from NatWest and £500 from Sainsbury and no more interest to be paid which allows me to clear this debt quicker.
Don’t hesitate to forward a complaint to FOS. It is free and there are so many good complaints rejected by the card provider without sufficient investigation. This website has been life changing for me. THANK YOU!
Luke says
Hi Sarah,
You mentioned to comment in regards to IVAs and that it could make things more complicated. I am in the last year of an IVA and I have 3 credit cards that are not included in that as I got them a few years into my agreement. When sending a letter to them about the irresponsible lending should I mention I had an IVA on my record at the time they gave me the credit? The main one I am looking at contacting is 118 who have increased my limit from £500 to over £4000 in the last few years, clearly without checking my credit file properly.
Kind regards.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You may want to let the IVA complete first, as you are likely to have broken the terms of the IVA by borrowing so much…