The repayments on many loans and car finance are too high to be manageable so people get deeper into debt trying to repay them.
When you applied, a lender should have checked a loan would be affordable for you – often they did not check properly and you should never have been given this loan.
This article describes how to complain, with a template to use.
Many people have won complaints using this. If you win, you get the interest refunded in cash. When you still owe a balance, the interest is removed so you only repay what you borrowed.
These complaints do not hurt your credit record if you carry on making the loan repayments while the complaint goes through.
Contents
A quick overview
What types of loans?
- any personal loans, including high-cost lenders, bank loans, and credit union loans;
- you can complain if you are still paying the loans, it has already been repaid, it has defaulted, or you have a payment arrangement/DMP;
- a consolidation loan may have been cheaper than the credit cards it cleared – but it may still have been unaffordable!
- you can also complain about car finance. But if you are still paying car finance, be careful as in some cases early in the car finance you may win the complaint but have the car repossessed – read Car finance affordability – what you get if you win a complaint
- the complaints here do not apply to mortgages or business loans.
What is “unaffordable”?
The regulator says “affordable” means:
you can make the repayments without hardship or having to borrow elsewhere.
For large loans, a lender should have made adequate checks at the start. The larger your loan, the worse your credit score and the more other debt you had, the closer a lender should look.
You can win an affordability complaint if you have made every payment on time. That doesn’t make the loan “affordable” if you had to use a credit card say as paying the loan left you short.
If your loan was fine at the beginning and only caused problems later when you lost your job or your mortgage repayments went up, you are unlikely to win an affordability complaint as this could not have been predicted at the start.
How does this work?
You make a complaint to the lender, saying the loan was unaffordable and ask for a refund of the interest.
There is a complaint template . You can adapt to say what happened to you. Send it by email.
The lender has up to 8 weeks to reply. Lenders reject many good complaints, so you can send a rejection to the Financial Ombudsman if you know the loan has caused you problems.
Will this hurt my credit record?
Not if you carry on making payments. If you can’t afford to, ask the lender for a payment arrangement, which will damage your credit score. If you win the complaint, this damage may be repaired.
Complain to the lender
Send a complaint by email
It’s easiest if all communications are by email – free, instant and you have a copy with a date stamp to show the ombudsman.
If your loan has been sold to a debt collector, send your complaint to the original lender not the debt collector.
Find the right email address to use
BANK EMAIL ADDRESSES see this list : email complaint addresses for banks.
CAR FINANCE LENDERS see this list: email address for car finance lenders
PAYDAY LOANS see this other article as there is a better template to use for smaller loans where you borrowed a lot
OTHER LENDERS Here are the email addresses for most large non-bank lenders. There are a lot of smaller lenders, including many Credit Unions. If your lender is not listed, ask in the comment below for an email address.
Abound (used to be Fintern, other brand is Credisphere) complaints@getabound.com
Admiral Complaints@admiralfinancialservices.co.uk
Anico complaints@anicofinancialservices.com
Avant Credit emailcomplaints@avantcredit.co.uk
Bamboo Loans complaints@bambooloans.com
Better Borrow enquiries@chetwood.co
Castle Community Bank complaints@castlecommunitybank.co.uk
Creation customercare@creation.co.uk
Everyday Loans – for loans after 31 March 2021, see Evlo and use the template in this article. It is no longer possible to make complaints about their loans before that date
Evlo (rebrand of Everyday Loans) complaints@evlo.co.uk
Fair Finance complaints@fairfinance.org.uk
Finio Loans (rebrand of Likely Loans) complaints@oakbrookfinance.com
Fluro (used to be Lending Works) cx@fluro.co.uk
Koyo loans info@koyoloans.com
Lendable/Zable complaint@lendable.co.uk
Lending Stream debbie.gandy@gaincredit.com
Lifestyle Loans info@lifestyleloans.co.uk
Likely Loans – see Finio
LiveLend support@livelend.co
Loans by Mal (Monthly Advance Loans) Complaints@loansbymal.co.uk
Loans 2 Go read Loans2Go – how to complain
MBNA mbnaonlinecomplaints@mbna.co.uk
Moneyline headoffice@moneyline-uk.com
My Community Bank complaints@mycommunitybank.co.uk
Norwich Trust complaints@norwichtrust.co.uk
Novuna (used to be called Hitachi) ComplaintsTeam@NovunaPersonalFinance.co.uk
Plata complaints@plata.com
Plend complaints@plend.co.uk
Progressive Money complaints@progressivemoney.co.uk
Quick Loans customerscare@quickloans.co.uk
Ratesetter complaints@ratesetter.com
Reevo complaints@reevomoney.com
Salary Finance (Neyber) complaints@salaryfinance.com (for loans, not “salary advance”)
Savvy info@savvy.co.uk
Shawbrook Customercare.team@shawbrook.co.uk
Snap Finance customer@snapfinance.co.uk
Stream (used to be called Wagestream. For loans , not “salary advance”) complaints@stream.co
Tandem pl@tandem.co.uk
TM Advances info@tmadvances.co.uk
Updraft complaints@updraft.com
Vanquis customer.relations@vanquisbank.co.uk
Wagestream see Stream
Zable loans see Lendable.
Zopa complaints@zopa.com
118 118 Money complaints@118118money.com
Use this template
Email the lender to begin your complaint. Put AFFORDABILITY COMPLAINT as the subject of your email.
Template for you to adapt:
I have moved since the loan started. My current home address is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please do not send any letters to other addresses on my file. [only include this if you have moved!]
Please confirm the date this loan started, the amount, the interest rate and the monthly repayments. [don’t include this if you already know the information]
I am asking for a refund of the interest and any charges I paid, plus statutory interest.
Also to delete any negative information from my credit record. [delete this sentence if there are no missed payments or other difficulties with the loan on your credit record.] I also want the CCJ that I have for this debt set aside. [delete this sentence if you don’t have a CCJ]
I attach copies of my bank statements and credit report from the time I applied for this loan/these loans. [delete if you don’t yet have them yet, but they help your case if you do. Even if they show gambling, that supports your argument that the loan was unaffordable.]
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 [2025] when I [saw a newspaper article in the Sun/an advert on Facebook for refunds/a friend said they had made a complaint/posts about them on Instagram/TikTok, whatever]. So I am complaining within 3 years of having found out that I have cause to complain. [only put this paragraph if some of your loans are more than 6 years old. It explains why you haven’t complained before. It’s only an example so change it so it really covers what happened to you!]
Add extra information if you want – see below for some ideas – you don’t have to do this.
Do you need a payment arrangement now?
If you want an affordable payment arrangement now, add a sentence to the complaint saying this. These complaints may take months to sort out – a payment arrangement can get your finances into a safe place:
- a payment arrangement shows on your credit record, but if you win the complaint all negative marks will be deleted
- talk to a debt adviser such as National Debtline if you want to know more about payment arrangements
- but don’t risk a payment arrangement for car finance or a logbook loan – one would put your car at risk.
Other details you can add
The template above is fine, you don’t have to add a lot more details.
But you can add extra points if they apply in your case, for example
- my bank statements and credit record (attached) show that I was unable to afford the loan repayments.
- this was a large loan, you knew I had poor credit and may have been in a difficult position so you should have tried to verify my income and expenses. If you had done this, you would have rejected my application.
- during a telephone call, your agent suggested some figures should be lower to get my application accepted.
- (if the lender was your bank) – you should have seen from my bank account that I was in financial difficulty, I was using my overdraft a lot, I was only making minimum payments to my credit card from you.
And some points about top-ups or second loans:
- a credit check would have shown that my finances had got worse since the first loan
- I had said the first loan was to consolidate debt, but you should have seen that this hadn’t happened.
Waiting for a reply
Some lenders send an acknowledgement quickly, others don’t.
You should get a decision from the lender within 8 weeks. If you don’t, phone them up and ask when you will get it – a couple of days is worth waiting for but many responses are rejections, so don’t wait weeks for one, go to the Ombudsman straight away.
Try to get copies of your bank statements from 3 months before the loan to three months afterwards. You can get statements from closed bank accounts, normally going back 6 years.
Also get a statutory credit report now and download it. You can get one from TransUnion. Do this as soon as possible as sometimes the details change, so you want a full one saved to show the Ombudsman later if necessary.
Do not wait until the Ombudsman asks you for credit records or bank statements – you want them ready to hand. They really help your case as they prove your financial situation when you took the loan out.
6 month deadline to go to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS)
This deadline starts when you get the decision from the lender.
6 months may sound like a long time, but it’s easy to forget this if someone in the family is ill, or there is a new baby, or you are trying to move house or just coping every day is hard…
It’s important that you make the time to do this.
There isn’t a template to send off because it’s best to use the FOS online form (see below). It’s pretty easy!
Don’t be put off by a rejection or a poor offer
Sometimes lenders send long, complicated replies designed to make you look as though you should give up:
- if they say the loan was over 6 years ago, see below for “time limits.
- they may say you were going to use it to consolidate more expensive debts – that doesn’t mean this loan was affordable, it was just not as unaffordable as the other debts;
- if the lender said it was your fault because your loan application wasn’t accurate, the lender should have made checks to verify it.
I suggest you rely on your instinct – if the loan caused you problems, send it to be looked at by the Ombudsman.
If you aren’t sure, ask in the Comments below this article.
It isn’t usually worth trying to negotiate with these lenders, you are just wasting your time.
How to send a case to FOS
This is easy with the online form here: send a complaint to the Ombudsman. It asks you for all the details they need.
The main part of your complaint can be a version of what you sent the lender in your complaint. Add any more details you want, including pointing out mistakes in the lender’s reply. Also attach:
- the reply from the lender
- Trans Union statutory credit record
- bank statements starting 3 months before first loan
- do not 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 if FOS asks for it. Don’t delay sending a complaint to FOS while you try to get this from the lender.
Bank statements
Don’t delay sending a case to the Ombudsman while waiting for this information.
If you don’t have the bank statements from the time of the loan application, get them now. And then send them to the Ombudsman, don’t wait to be asked.
You can get these going back at least 6 years even from closed accounts. And you can often go back a lot further with an account that you are still using. Ask your bank if you need statements from further back than you can get in the app.
“Is there a time limit?”
You can’t complain about a loan that started before April 2007.
If your loans from this lender ended more than 6 years ago, then it is very unlikely you will win a case at the Ombudsman.
Lenders will often reject any complaint if the loan started more than 6 years ago. But if your loan was still being repaid within the last 6 years, the Ombudsman may well decide they can look at it. So if your loan started in 2018 and finished in 2023, send this to the Ombudsman if the lender says it’s too old, because it isn’t.
The ombudsman may also look at older loans if you had a continuous stream of borrowing which carried on into the last 6 years. So if you had 2 loans, the first from 2014-17, when it was refinanced into a loan from 2017-2021, the Ombudsman may decide they can look at the earlier loan as well. And if you had two overlapping loans, eg from 2014-2019 and 2017-2022, the Ombudsman may look at both.
Need some help?
Don’t use a claims management company. They are expensive, often incompetent and use a similar template to the one in this article.
Instead, ask a question in the comments below.
Can you get an overdraft refund?
Refunds from cards and catalogues
AQ says
I was comparing options on credit karma app for loan. Admiral offered pre-approved but I did not even go upto a stage where they do hard search. I just checked my credit profile and 2 hard searches for today are showing from admiral. What can I do to get them removed
Sara (Debt Camel) says
its best to avoid credit reports if you want a loan – all you see are some adverts, you may be able to do much better elsewhere.
You can complain to admiral, saying you never applied and they should not have done a hard search.
LB says
I recently used the loan letter template to complain to Wagestream. They were quick to acknowledge my letter and in just over 1 week I received a letter to say they had investigated and were partially upholding part of the complaint. They were refunding all interest that I had paid, any interest still to pay and a goodwill gesture of £250. Totalling £808 refund. Huge thank you to Sara and her template- I would never have considered complaining to lenders, let alone receive a refund.
John says
Hi Sara,
In November 2025 I had an affordability complaint upheld by FOS from 118 Money. The redress brought the balance down to £800 which as part of the outcome was to create an affordable plan with me to pay off that remainder. I contacted 118 and asked just to let me figure my other finances out for a month or so and then I’ll get back to them. No reply. Since that day they have either sent me an email, tried a phone call or sent a text message about my arrears and that could be sent to a debt collector if not paid. These all seems automated emails/texts. I’ve sent 3 emails since asking them to respond and to stop contacting me. They haven’t and haven’t responded. This is now 4 months later and it’s either been a missed call, email, or text message every single day for 4 months, sometimes an email and a text on some days. It’s really getting to me now, is this starting to be seen as harassment?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you said you would get back to them after a month with a proposal, did you? Getting something in place is the simple way to to sort this
John says
‘A month or so’. So I am now in a position to do this and I sent two emails 2 weeks ago and they’re still ignoring it? It’s the correct email as they come back with an automated response saying they will be in contact.
Regardless though, they have repeatedly not replied to my emails and the contact, which has been every single day including Sundays and holidays, sometimes more than just an email or text message, have been constant. Plus, the amount they are asking for is the old amount, not the recalculated amount.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
why not phone them up and ask why they (a) haven’t replied to your proposal (b) are quoting the wrong amount from before the affordability complaint settlement.
It’s more important to actually get this sorted than complain about harassment
John says
I completely get what you are saying but because I work during their opening hours and literally do not have any time to have more than a 5 minute phone call with them, hence why I asked them to communicate by email.
Due to my mental wellbeing, being bombarded by this is just sending me one way.
But it’s ok, I just had a response from Stepchange who just said this classes as excessive communication and can be classed as harrassment. I contacted them and yourselves incase one didn’t respond. I appreciate you getting back to me.
Annoym says
Thank you so much for your balanced advice and guidance in a time of stress. Novuna have upheld my complaint and no need to go to the ombudsman. All interest wiped from my loan- so I owe £22,000 rather than £44,400. Still a long way to go until I am sorted financially – however this feels like a massive relief. Novuna handled it really well and I never had to speak to anyone, just sent my bank statements. I would urge anyone to use the template.
Jlb2012 says
affordability complaint against Moneyboat after they had given me 8 back to back loans dated 2021-2023 for amounts ranging £1000-£1500.
I was in a cycle of borrowing, taking out large amount just to cover daily spending on a low income
The complaint went in to Moneyboat October time using the template on this website and using Resolver for communication. They rejected my complaint with no form of compensation.
I escalated my complaint to the FOS.
The investigator requested bank statements however I had closed my current account at that time and had to ring the bank for paper statements dating back to 2021, I explained this to the investigator and he extended the deadline to send documents.
Fast forward a week later and the investigator had used the information Moneyboat had provided to uphold my complaint and no longer even required bank statements!
The investigator partially upheld it based on 7 out of 8 loans deemed unaffordable.
Moneyboat challenged this but accepted they should not have given 2 out of 8 of the loans, the investigator could not agree with Moneyboat new evidence and it was forwarded to the ombudsman’s for final decision!
Finally after 6 months (start to finish) the FOS have ordered Moneyboat to pay back interest, charges and fees on 7 out of the 8 loans totalling approx £8.5k, this does not include the 8% (as my complaint was before January 2026) and to remove all negative markers off my credit file!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well done for persevering to the Ombudsman. It’s amazing Moneyboat rejected that, not even offering to uphold the last loan…
Gemma G says
I’ve just had all my interest refunded on my lendable loan. Had to go to the ombudsman but they deemed I should never have been given the loan. It’s taken about £3,000 off my loan & 13 months off my debt management plan.
Thanks for your help & templates
Marta says
I have a 24K loan, that the bank adviser almost forced me to chose 5 years – the meeting was recorded and she kept making gestures during the meeting, so I was led to do what she said in order to get approval. That was consolidation loan, and due to being unaffordable, I have maxed the credit card and I am in the never ending loop of living of my overdraft. It is all with my bank, so I can use you template to complaint about all 3? I am with NatWest, have been for 20 years.
Thank you, M
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest making seperate complaints about the loan, credit card and overdraft. If you read my template letters, they make slightly different points, also the cases may go at different speeds, both with the lender and at the Ombudsman.
Natwest have a bad reputation for reject almost all complaints, so expect this and send them straight tot the ombudsman if this happens for an independent review.
Marta says
Thank you so much for your advice.
CM says
Hi there,
I’m currently in the process of trying to sort out my finances after a severe gambling spiral that has left me in significant debt. Trying to establish if I would have a case for an affordability complaint. Things escalated towards the end of last year when I took out 4x 5k loans in quick succession. I’m pretty sure I lied about my income and expenses on the loan applications as I was starting/ on maternity leave, not sure if this would negatively impact my case. I will detail the credit taken out below –
Monzo flex card increased from £1500-£3250 29% interest- 29/01/25
Monzo overdraft increased from £500-£1500 39% interest- 07/08/25
Monzo 5k loan taken out over 5 years at 19.1% interest- 30/08/25
Hastings direct 5k loan over 5years at 24.5%- 08/10/25
M&S bank loan 5k over 5years at 8.9%- 22/10/25
Zopa loan 5k over 5years at 36.2%- 12/11/25
Mr Lender loan £500 over 12months at 164%- 01/02/26
While I’m aware I took out these loans and am accountable, I feel if checks had been made requesting bank statements ect it would be very clear I had a gambling addiction and would not have been afforded this credit, therefore stopping me getting in further debt that I now cannot afford to repay. Do you think I should proceed with an affordability complaint?
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you managed to stop gambling? If you haven’t, that has to be your priority.
I suggest loan affordability complaints against Hasting, M&S and Zopa.
Mr Lender – was this the first loan from them? Have you had any other payday loans?
Also against the monzo flex – use my credit card template for that.
How difficult is your situation at the moment – can you make all the minimum payments and manage without using credit cards or other borrowing?
CM says
Thank you for your response. Yes I’ve managed to stop gambling thankfully. Yes first loan from mr lender. Took out 2 other payday loans from money boat and fernovo but cancelled within the 14day period and paid back plus the interest that accrued in the time I had the loan. I can manage the repayments just at the moment but only with support from my husband as I’m on maternity leave so my income has dropped. Thanks again
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You may not win a single 500 loan case against Mr Lender.
What will your financial situation be like when you return to work, presumably you will have childcare costs?
Are you buying or renting?
CM says
I will manage repayments when I return to work. I’m also expecting a fairly significant back pay from a promotion which I will use to clear some debt. Good to know not to bother with the mr. Lender. Im a homeowner
CM says
Sorry to bother you again Sara but I am drafting an email for affordability complaints and can’t work out how to attach a statutory credit report. I can sign on via trans union but unsure which parts to send if you could advise.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You need to download the report as a PDF and send that. This is normally easiest with a statutory credit report and using a desktop or a laptop.
If it is taking some time to work this out, send the complaints in without it.
Bill says
Hi Sara,
Had a response from adjudicator regarding £2k loan from Reevo Money.
They’ve said that the checks made by Reevo weren’t enough or proportionate and that by their calculations I only had £100 disposable income left. However as I sent FOS bank statements they calculated that I had £574 disposable left so not upholding? Regardless though Reevo didn’t do correct checks?
Also, my last complaint with different company was upheld because my debts were over 40% of my income. This Reevo complaint my debts and income are exactly the same. Is it normal for responses to be inconsistent? Thank you
Bill
Sara (Debt Camel) says
they calculated that I had £574 disposable left
do you agree with that calculation?
If not, you need to detail what is wrong or missing. Don’t just say it’s wrong take a couple of months bank statements from before the loan and show what the calculation should have been
Bill says
Hi Sara, I’ve told them that whilst that figure is likely correct (as two years ago so can’t remember exactly), my outgoings didn’t include repayments to 2 other loans which I was in negotiations with about a repayment plan (£1,100 and £1,700) respectively along with a £4,900 overdraft which had interest frozen whilst I sorted my finances out. If I had been repaying these then, it would be £300-£400 outgoing. The adjudicator also calculated my expenses for food at £80 per month – I told him this was due to me really cutting back on my nutrition as I was trying to get as much disposable income as possible. I also explained that I had signed up to Gamstop in the month prior to my Reevo loan and had a relapse, spending £500 in 2 weeks before regretting it and signing up again.
Also, I sent him a decision that was made by another ombudsman on a £2k loan taken out only 2 months later. Other than this Reevo loan my outgoings and income were exactly the same and they upheld it saying it showed I was significantly vulnerable, including the £500 gambling spree. The adjudicator found this irrelevant.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
get your bank statements so you can argue from real numbers, not memories.
if you had just stopped loan repayment before this, that should still show on the -3 months and -2 month statements. If you had stopped before that, missed payments should show on your credit record. Ditto overdraft payments.
Ask the investigator to review your case and send it to the Ombudsman if they don’t change their mind
Bill says
Thanks Sara. The adjudicator also said as all payments have so far been made, it shows no signs of struggle… I went back and asked where they got this information from as I’ve missed the last 4 and the loan has now defaulted and being sent to debt collectors. I also asked to speak on the phone with them last month before this decision and they refused as said they had all the information they needed. I worry that this adjudicator hasn’t done a thorough investigation as they also said Reevo didn’t do the correct checks etc but then on the other hand he says that just from bank statements, and that £574 disposable, makes it affordable, despite the proper checks not being taken out by Reevo
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Get these concerns in writing, don’t try to talk on the phone.
if the investigator won’t change their decision, ask for it to go to an Ombudsman
Bill says
Thanks Sara, they’ve come back this morning and have said that they incorrectly reviewed the information and will get back to me once reviewed properly. Their dates and calculations don’t add up. For example they said one loan was taken out in June 2025, when it was actually October 2024. They also didn’t include a couple of credit cards which I had already told them about.
This is really, really concerning as I could have easily accepted the adjudicators initial decision and lost out. I still might, but now at least they (hopefully) have the correct information.
ED says
Hi Sara, thank you for your detailed response under credit cards. I have four loan complaints all currently pending or at FOS and would value your view on each.
BOS £3000, Mar19, 24.5% APR. BOS is my main bank. In Jan & Feb 19 my BOS current account was overdrawn 97% of days. PayPal Credit was simultaneously at 93% utilisation. Complaint submitted Apr26, awaiting response. Does full transactional visibility as main bank strengthen this compared to an external lender working from a credit file?
Lendable £1000, May19 & £3500 May20, 38.8% & 19.8% APR.1st is 2 months after the BOS loan, credit file showed BOS loan fresh and PayPal near-maxed. Second used to repay some of the above. Complaint submitted Apr26, awaiting response. Does the high APR support the argument they saw risk but lent anyway, and 2nd weaker due to attempting to consolidate?
Zopa £10000, Oct22, 25.7% APR. Total repaid £15409. Income verified by payslip only, no bank statements seen. Expenditure ONS-modelled. Their credit decision noted £17269 existing debt. I used the funds for consolidation, BOS statement shows payments to named lenders, back in overdraft within 1 month and every month since. Monthly repayment £321 and the account returning to OD within 30 days suggests this was immediately unmanageable. Rejected, now at FOS. Is that sequence strong evidence of unaffordability from the outset?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
BoS – a lender should take account of information they have access to. What was the loan for? if consolidation, then the question is whether your outgoing dropped by much. A consolidation loan may have been a bit cheaper than the cards consolidated, but it may still be unaffordable
Lendable – same argument. You need to show that the repayments to the consolidation loan were unaffordable. the repayments to the recent BoS loan should be taken into consideration
Zopa – the evidence of unaffordability is your bank statements. A consolidation loan can still be unaffordable. Argue from the numbers. not just that you had to use your overdraft. Add up household bills. Other essential expenses. debt repayments
Naomi says
Lendable – Complaint Upheld
Whilst I can see from my review that our standard affordability checks were met, it is my view that there was information available to us at the time of your application that could have warranted us requesting further information about your financial circumstances at the time the loan was granted. As a result, I have decided to uphold your complaint.
As a result of my decision, we will remove all interest and charges from the loan, and you will only be required to pay the original amount that you required the loan for, £6,000.00, the principal amount. Any amount that you have paid towards the loan, which has been attributed to the interest, will be reworked to ensure that you only pay the original amount that we advanced to you.
As you have repaid £1436.00 towards the loan, and the principal balance of the loan is £6000.00, the new remaining balance will be £4564.00. Please be aware that this process will take 7-10 working days to complete.
In addition, we will ensure that the loan is reported as in Good Standing to the Credit Referencing Agencies throughout, which includes during any payment arrangements.
Sam says
Hi,
I am in a complete mess at the moment and want to know what my options are in terms of affordability complaints. I have a severe gambling addiction and already had loans with the following:
Updraft
118 Money
Plata
My Community Finance
Bamboo
In total these amount to over £25k with repayments of over £1k per month.
On Saturday my addiction got the better of me once again and ‘Drafty’ appeared as a triple lock guarantee for a £5k loan, paying back £317 per month over 3 years. Within 3 minutes of applying the funds were in my bank account and I stupidly gambled it away.
Where do I stand in terms of irresponsible lending – with the amount of debt I have I don’t understand how I was given this loan so quickly without any real checks being carried out. I earn 32k per year and there is no way I can keep up with repayments. How would you advise I proceed?
I sent my details to StepChange yesterday to begin a DMP.
Thank you for any advice.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is an unpleasant collection of high cost lenders…
Do you want to stop gambling. Unless you do, there is nothing that can really help…
How much did the Stepchange advice tool say you would pay a month in a DMP?
Are you buying or renting?
Catherine says
Hello Sara I had a loan with 118 interest please July 24 for 3 years paying £99.21 per month. I repaid the loan in full December 25. I’ve won the case with the FOS to have all interest paid refunded plus the 8%. Now 118 have sent me a breakdown. Saying I’m owed £1105.05 that how much I paid over the original £2000. There’s no mention of any 8%. Should I have 8% on to of this? I’ve emailed them to ask but they’ve not got back to me yet. I just want to make sure I’m getting the correct amount. Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you should have 8% PER YEAR added on. The loan of 2000 would have been paid in just under 21 months. So for the last 15 months of the 36 months you were paying just interest with the interest increasing from 0 to 1105. This is equivalent to 7.5 months when you were owed 1105. Plus 3 months of this year. So the 8% should be paid for 10.5 months = 7% extra should be added.
I suggest you go back to 118 and ask them to add the 8%. If they don’t immediately agree, inform your FOS investigator
Catherine. says
Thank you. I’ll email them again now.
Catherine says
Hi Sara just an update. Apparently at the start of the year it changed from the 8% interest to the Bank of England base rate plus 1%. They’ve emailed my FOS adjudicator asking which one he wishes for them to apply.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
when did you send the complaint to the Ombudsman?
Myron says
Hi Sara
I have had plenty of loans over the last few years, surprisingly being successful but has also caused me great financial strain. I have sent emails to most of them asking for a refund on interest etc. My main point for this is the clear amount of gambling transactions daily shown on my bank statement(the one I get my salary paid into). Some lenders did due diligence and wanted open bank which may have got me rejected, but for the ones that didn’t use open bank and just used information based of credit history and information I’ve inputted (could’ve falsely entered figures to align with affordability ), how much of a leg do I stand on with this complaint ? if they didn’t use open banking to see my clear addiction.
Thanks,
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you managed to quit gambling?
Can you list the lender names and loan amounts? It’s easier to talk specifics
Myron says
Hi Sara,
Yes, I am in the process of quitting. meaning I am currently gambling free as of recently.
Updraft – £2000, £4000 and £4000
Lendable – £1500 and £2000
Reevo – £2000
Castle Community bank – £2000
Oakbroak Finance – £1000 and £1200
118 188 – £1000
I have provided them all with my bank statements around the times of loans clearly showing constant use of overdraft and daily gambling transactions.
There are others that I haven’t got round to as I’m only able to retrieve bank statements to provide back to 2023 and these other loans were in 2022. but I will get round to them once I am sure Ic an get the statements further than 2023.
Thanks,
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You will be able to get bank statements going back 6 years, even from closed accounts.
you can look at credit reports to see when the earlier loans were, probably in the closed/settled part oif the report.
This matters as you need to list all the loans from a lender. So if you may have borrowed from Updraft or 118 before 2023, you want that information.
BUT you don’t need it before making complaints… read the template in the article above, as you will see you can ask for these details if you don’t know them.
You should expect most or all complaints will be rejected by the lenders, this tends to happen when gambling is a big factor. but then send the case on to the ombudsman and there you will need the bank statements
Myron says
Thank you
Yes, will get my previous statements when I can. I have to call my bank as only back to 2023 is on portal.
Gave you seen many ones like this succeed, where gambling being the main factor ? If so, is there anything else that could help my case ?
I’m expecting rejection from the loan companies, but I want to ensure I provide FOS with all they need to help me in my favour.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is a useful article as background https://debtcamel.co.uk/gambling-refunds-loans-cards-overdrafts/
Anon says
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Sara for the very helpful and concise details on this website. I was able to obtain an affordability win from MBNA (had complained to FOS but MBNA upheld my claim before FOS had reviewed it, they were just subject to backlogs). Because of this refund, it reduced what I owed by over 1/3 and I should hopefully be in a position to clear the remaining balance, my 0% CC and an interest free front door with a work bonus in a couple of months, leaving just a consolidation loan to clear. Thank you so much
Jay Hussain says
Hi Sara, I’m starting out with all of this and asking for your help on how to even begin. I didn’t know any of this was possible until Starling Bank sent me a proactive letter admitting they failed their affordability checks on my overdraft. They are refunding me over £500.
This has made me look at my other accounts:
HSBC: I’ve been continuously overdrawn since December 2023, never returning to a positive balance. My limit was increased in chunks to £1,250 during this time. I also have an HSBC loan (started 2017) which I topped up in November 2022 while I was already stuck in my overdraft.
M&S Bank: I have a £2,000 loan (finishing this June) and an M&S credit card with a £1,200 balance.
Bamboo: I also had a £2,000 loan from them (now paid off). I was taking these out just to cover other debts and living costs because I couldn’t make ends meet. (Jan 25 – Jan 26)
Now that Starling has admitted they got it wrong, does it sound like I have a good case against HSBC and M&S too? I’ve never missed a payment, but I’ve been trapped in debt for years. How should I start the process with them? Thank you!”
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The HSBC & M&S loans – you should complain about these if the loan repayments were hard to manage eg they left you short so you had to use a credit card more. Being in your overdraft is a sign your finances weren’t great, but it is not by itself a reason why you should never be offered a loan.
Also complain about that Bamboo loan! they are usually horribly expensive. If you win a complaint about a closed loan, you get a cash refund you can use to clear other debt.
HSBC overdraft – – in it continuously since Dec 2023, but were you using it heavily in the year before that too? That may be worth an overdraft complaint.
M&S credit card – when this was opened, was it likely you would be able to pay at least £60 a month to it? If not, it too may be unaffordable (see my other page for card refunds)
HSBC
L says
Thank you for your templates. I would never have considered complaining however I used your affordability template and have just had a refund back of £315.12 from capital one. This has paid off one small credit card and they are sending the remainder by cheque which I will use towards paying off the next card.
M says
Hi Sara,
so glad to come across your site today, what a fabulous resource. Having used your template i have submitted an affordability complaint to MBNA who increased my credit limit on a CC to £15,000 while i was only ever making payments, I am keeping everything crossed i get somwhere with this. I wondered though, trying to make those minimum payments resulted in other credit cards and I eventually decided to try to get a consolidation loan to reduce all f this. MBNA offered me a loan for £15,000, i used some of it pay into my MBNA CC and across other debts. but i am no saddled with the minimum payments and loan repayments. Is it worth a claim for the loan as well or is that my own fault for trying to manage it all. I’ve never missed a payment but paying the minimum is crippling me and leaving me in my overdraft every month. thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If the loan repayments are too high to be manageable, make a separate claim about that too.
Do you have any other debts, or is it now just the loan and the overdraft?
M says
I have two credit cards, although I think the credit increases on MBNA may have been more than 6 years ago. And two consolidation loans which I had taken to help reduce the credit cards but the repayments on everything meant I’ve been having to use the credit cards again and they are racked up. I feel very trapped with it all. I can make the repayments but often end up in my overdraft to cover everything
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So make complaints about both consolidation loans. A loan may have been cheaper than the debts you cleared with it, but still be unaffordable!
Try to get your bank statements back to when the MBNA limit increases were.
But this all sounds very tight. I suggest you also look at a Debt Management Plan for all your debts with StepChange. Getting new interest stopped and letting you pay less each month, so you can live without needing more credit. See https://www.stepchange.org/
Winning any affordability complaints will then speed up the DMP
M says
Hi again Sara,
I had a response from M&S bank regarding my loan already with an instant rejection. they said based on an affordability assessment carried out by them and credit checks they deemed that I was in a position to afford repayments of £300 a month. is this worth me taking further to the Ombudsman?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you think you couldn’t, then send this to the ombudsman
Nat says
I sent complaint to financial ombudsman regarding loan on 14th April and on their reply it says if we can help, you can expect to hear back from us within 7 days. Due to the volume of enquiries we receive, we are only able to reply to those customers we can help. I havent heard anything as yet so does this mean they arent able to help. I sent a complaint to them last month regarding a different lender and they responded back to tattoo one and it was upheld. Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
was that the Vanquis case that was upheld?
FOS will definitely look into a case about Lendable, the only ones they don’t look into are complaints about non UK regulated lenders, and complaints about things like a water bill or HMRC debt which are not consumer debts.
I suggest you phone FOS up on 0800 023 4567 and ask why you haven’t heard anything as this has been a long while. Do not just send the case again.
Dan says
So.. question about FOS. I had an investigator uphold my 3 loans against moneyboat, basically the month prior to moneyboat giving me the first loan – 6 new credit accounts had showed on my file. So investigator said more checks should have been done.
Just Wednesday a different investigator took on my case for Quidmarket, and then Thursday they had sent a decision not upholdoing. I had more loans with quidmarket, and loans in the same month as the first moneyboat. How can one investigator be so different to the other? I have sent back some comments, asking the investigator to identify what was actually on my credit file, and if that should have raised red flag.
Annoyingly this same investigator Quidmarket has just been assigned one of my other cases. Is there anyway i can change investigators? or is that not an option with FOS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
it isn’t an option to change investigators.
Challenging the decision on quidmarket is the right approach. I assume you have sent in your bank statements and a credit report?
Hannah M says
I have recently used these loan templates to submit 2 affordability complaints, both of which have been successful and I have received refunds. I am in the process of submitting more and can honestly say that I am so grateful I came across this website as it has helped me start to make a dent in problem debt when I felt hopeless. I am so grateful for all of the advice given on instagram and this website