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Affordability refunds from large loans and car finance

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.Logos of some loan lenders

Contents

  • A quick overview
    • What types of loans?
    • What is “unaffordable”?
    • How does this work?
  • Complain to the lender
    • Email addresses for lenders
    • Use this template
    • Do you need a payment arrangement now?
    • Other details to add if you want
  • While you are waiting for a reply
  • Go to the Ombudsman if you don’t get a good offer
    • Send to Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
    • Other information that may help your case
  • “Is there a time limit?”
  • Need some help?

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 – 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.

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 first make a complaint to the lender saying the loan was unaffordable and ask for a refund of the interest.

There is a template here 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.

Complain to the lender

Email addresses for lenders

If your loan has been sold to a debt collector, send your complaint to the original lender not the debt collector.

It’s easiest if all communications are by email – free, instant and you have a copy with a date stamp to show the ombudsman.

For banks, see this list here: email complaint addresses for banks.

For car finance and logbook loans, see this list: email address for car finance lenders

Here are the email addresses for some non-bank lenders. There are a lot of other 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) complaints@getabound.com
Admiral
loansquality@admiralgroup.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) chioma.nwachukwu@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 complaint@lendable.co.uk
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
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
Reevo complaints@reevomoney.com
Salary Finance (Neyber) complaints@salaryfinance.com (for loans, not  “pay advance”)
Savvy info@savvy.co.uk 
Shawbrook Customercare.team@shawbrook.co.uk
Snap Finance customer@snapfinance.co.uk
Tandem pl@tandem.co.uk
TM Advances info@tmadvances.co.uk
Updraft complaints@updraft.com
Vanquis customer.relations@vanquisbank.co.uk
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 am making a complaint to you about irresponsible lending. You should never have given me this unaffordable loan/these unaffordable loans.

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, and to delete any negative information from my credit record. [the refunds for car finance can be a lot more complicated than this, see but this is all you need to put in your complaint]

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 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 [2024] when I saw a newspaper article in the Sun/an advert on Facebook for refunds/a friend said they had made a complaint/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 to add if you want

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 examples of points about top-ups:

  • 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.

While you are waiting for a reply

Try to get copies of your bank statements from 3 months before a 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.

You should get a response 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.

Go to the Ombudsman if you don’t get a good offer

Don’t be put off by a rejection! Or if the lender said it was your fault because your loan application wasn’t accurate – the lender should have made checks.

Sometimes a lender will send a long, complicated reply 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”.

I suggest you rely on your instinct – if the loan caused you a lot of problems, send it to be looked at by the Ombudsman.

If you aren’t sure, ask in the Comments below this article. You only have 6 months to send the complaint to FOS, so it’s best to do this as soon as possible.

It isn’t usually worth trying to negotiate with these lenders, you are just wasting your time.

Send to Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)

It’s easy! Use the “do it online”  option to 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.

Other information that may help your case

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. 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.

This is a good point to ask the lender for a Subject Access Request (SAR) if you are missing information that may come in useful at the Ombudsman. This could be your loan applications, all credit and other affordability checks and assessments, and a statement of account for the loans, and – if you think this will help – a record of all phone calls.

Your lender will have details of how to ask for this information on their website – it’s often included in their Privacy Policy, with a link at the bottom of web pages.

“Is there a time limit?”

You can’t complain about a loan that started before April 2007 – that is when the law changed to allow these complaints.

Lenders will often reject a 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 2017 and finished in 2021, 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.

But 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.

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.


More Debt Camel articles:
refunds from overdraft charges

Can you get an overdraft refund?

getting refunds from credit cards or catalogues or overdrafts

Refunds from cards and catalogues

Get a car finance commission refund?

January 9, 2025 Author: Sara Williams Tagged With: Refunds

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    January 9, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    I have just received an email from 118118 on the last day of the 8 week period. It is a very standard letter with no personal reference to me or my loans, not sure if this is the approach they are taking now.

    Will be sending complaint to FOS today as LL, QQ, and Mr Lender have all upheld my complaint for the same period.

    Reply
  2. Connor W says

    January 10, 2020 at 1:37 am

    Hello

    I have had a complaint upheld by loans 2 go and they have agreed to refund me all interest and charges on my loan agreements.

    How long roughly does the refund take after I’ve sent my details. The loan is fully paid off so should I receive the whole lot of the refund amount?

    Reply
    • Michael Lord says

      January 10, 2020 at 6:49 am

      Hi connor

      I gave them.my details on wednesday and money in account today , got my response on tuesday if that helps

      Reply
  3. Kellie says

    January 12, 2020 at 12:40 pm

    Hi everybody
    I’m still waiting for my complaint with avant to be picked up by ombudsman for final decision after being not upheld by the adjudicator back in sept.
    Anyone had any luck recently with this, nobody will give me any timescales at all in the FOS.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • R says

      January 12, 2020 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Kellie.
      Like you, the adjudicator didn’t uphold my Avant complaint, despite numerous other loans, maxed out credit cards, payday loans and excessive gambling. She put mine in the queue on 01/10/19. On 05/01/20, she sent a further email, apologising for the delay and stating it was still waiting to be assigned to an Ombudsman.
      I also submitted a complaint, about Likely Loans, on 20/10/19. This one hasn’t even been picked up by an adjudicator (yet) and I am not hopeful, if they’re going to offer the same view as per my Avant complaint. It’s just a case of waiting.

      Reply
    • Robert Mclough says

      January 12, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      Mine was submitted in March 2019 to the ombudsman and it’s still waiting to be picked up now with avant credit and multiple other lenders.

      I’ve been to to wait up for two years before it gets looked at however I’m quite confident by then a lot of these lenders will have gone bust. ( May be part of the pre determined plan who knows? )

      Quite a joke to be honest waiting up for two years to get something looked at. Completely accept there’s a lot of claims in however does it really take two years to look at a complaint?

      Would any other business in the world give this excuse? I think not.

      Reply
    • Mr PDL says

      January 12, 2020 at 7:09 pm

      I submitted my Avant complaint to the FOS back in May and still waiting for an adjudicator to pick it up. I don’t have much hope of it moving anytime soon.

      Does anyone have any experience of an adjudicator upholding and how did Avant respond?

      Thanks

      Mr PDL

      Reply
  4. Sara (Debt Camel) says

    January 12, 2020 at 2:47 pm

    This is a copy of a comment left on a page about log book loans by “Jane”:

    The adjudicator found in my favour in my claim against Varooma.It has took a long time and been very frustrating but with the help of the Ombudsman we got there in the end. I want to tell others don’t give up if you have a genuine claim with evidence that supports your case hang in there, these companies know the Ombudsman are under incredible pressure and have a huge backlog and use this to stall legitimate claims hoping the customer will just give up. Never be afraid to provide a Debt and Mental health form filled in by your GP if you were receiving treatment for mental health issues at the time and you were allowed easy credit with little or no checks. It just confirms that you were a vulnerable customer and at the very least you should get back the high interest you paid. Varooma thought they were clever dismissing my claim, I would have been more than happy to have just received a rebate on the interest I had paid as it was they ended up paying 5-6 years of the Statutory 8% compensation as advised by the Adjudicator on top of interest I had paid. Thanks again to my adjudicator, from my case being assigned to settlement just 2 weeks, thorough, non judgemental and fair at all times who constantly kept me updated.

    Reply
    • KR says

      January 12, 2020 at 10:29 pm

      That’s good to hear we had. Instant loans worth varooma loads off late payments and we could still loan again and again despite the massive. Struggles. They sent me the SAR but ignored the complaints and then recently I have noticed they have changed their complaint email to what it was when I complained. It was sent to ombudsman and they have requested information but not heard anything else.

      Reply
  5. Jane says

    January 14, 2020 at 12:22 am

    Do you have all your info now about the loans you had with them if so you can put in a complaint indicating all the loans you feel the interest should be refunded on. If they gave you a loan after you had late payments and there were plain indicators on your bank statement like lots of other credit commitments which they ignored then you have a good case. Varooma were quick to reply but also quick to dismiss and refer me to the Ombudsman, if they refund great but if not you need that final response before you can get the ball rolling. Took me nearly 12 months to get my adjudicator. Good luck

    Reply
  6. KR says

    January 14, 2020 at 7:08 am

    I sent them 4 emails which they ignored and it went over 12 weeks so I submitted this to the ombudsman to advise I had no response despite trying to get a final response in writing. The complaints email they had then was the correct one however they have now changed it.

    Reply
  7. Em says

    January 14, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    My 118 complaint has now been with the FOS for 13 months and still hasn’t even been picked up by an adjudicator yet? Is anyone else experiencing this? I know they have been training up a new team but this waiting is stressing me out. The debt has already been sold off to a debt collector! 188 are just doing whatever the hell they want!

    Reply
    • John C says

      January 14, 2020 at 8:46 pm

      My complaint went in at the start of Jan 2019 and picked up quickly. Only to be moved to a different team in May where its been since. I ring up every couple of months but get told the same thing – its waiting to be allocated. I expressed my annoyance last week as a year to sit on a case does not paint the FOS in a particularly good light. I was told my comments would be “noted”, but doubt that means anything

      Reply
  8. Simon says

    January 14, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    I am in a similar position. My complaint was submitted to FOS last year and not heard anything at all. The debt has also been sold to Moorcroft with I’m currently paying off. Let me know if you hear anything

    Reply
  9. Lindsey says

    January 14, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    My 118 complaint went to the FOS in July 19 and I haven’t heard anything since. My outstanding balance is also with Moorcroft who I’m making monthly payments too.

    Reply
  10. mike lord says

    January 14, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    Hello Sara

    I put a complaint in with varooma and it was rejected , they had me down as earning £4000 a month when the income on my bank statements were from my LTD company income and it was to pay for the running of my vehicle and staff/supplies

    I have sent to FOS but do you think this will get me anywhere? they have repossessed the van now anyway and I still owe them 3800?

    also can they take the case to court whilst I’m awaiting the FOS ?

    thanks for any help

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 14, 2020 at 5:42 pm

      I can’t say what the chance of winning is but £4000 a month sounds like an implausibly large income for someone needing a logbook loan…

      The lender should not start court action while there is a complaint outstanding at FOS. of they threaten this, point this out. If they send you a letter Before Action/Claim (see https://debtcamel.co.uk/letter-before-claim-ccj/ for what this looks like) then come back here. But I haven’t seen them try this in practice.

      Reply
      • Mike lord says

        January 14, 2020 at 5:54 pm

        As always thanks for the help, the bank statements show i had decent money going in but also going out, the did the affordability sheet but i hardly put anything down, all in all it said my disposable income was 2900 and my loan was only for 2000

        Fingers crossed, i guess FOS will take a very long time anyway

        Reply
  11. Daisy says

    January 15, 2020 at 9:55 am

    Has anyone had any luck hearing back from FOS on 118 money loan complaints? This seems a particularly long one for many people, including myself. I call once a month but just get informed they have the info from me and the business and I’m still in the queue. Complaint submitted July 2019.

    Reply
    • DM84 says

      January 15, 2020 at 12:45 pm

      Mine has been with them since December 2018 so I would expect a lot longer to wait.

      Reply
      • Roy Baines says

        January 15, 2020 at 4:15 pm

        I have a few complaints including 118118 from about Feb 2019 and still waiting. Surprisingly the complaint I made at the same time about Sunny and the 44 loans they gave me over 4 – 5 years period was resolved within the time frame stated by the FOS. I hope thats not a case of processing the easy complaints and leaving the more difficult ones for later :o

        Reply
  12. Lee Walker says

    January 15, 2020 at 8:47 pm

    I’ve had a reply from bamboo, complaint not upheld for a loan with them- now referred to FOS and I’ll forget it for now.

    118118 Money replied to say they weren’t upholding the initial loan complaint, not a second loan but they did agree the top up wasn’t done right and have knocked all interest off the remaining loan halfing the amount owed to them saving me about £700 in interest. I’m going to refer this one too but has anyone had similar and did they get a result through the FOS once a complaint from either of these two wasn’t upheld/partially upheld.

    Thanks

    Lee

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 15, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      Hi Lee,
      If you haven’t already,go back to Bamboo and say you do not agree and explain why and ask for it to be reviewed by the compliance team.My one loan was not upheld,I went back and addressed every point on their response and attached evidence,statements,screenshots,info from credit report etc and also addressed part of their response where they stated regardless of the income I put,they said they only needed to prove I received a income of XXX but when I took that figure and deducted the expenses etc they put in their response,they themselves had demonstrated the loan was unaffordable.3days later and over £5000 of interest was wiped.

      Good Luck

      Reply
  13. rikki says

    January 17, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    Hi Looking for some advice i have just made a complaint to 118118 and i have had this reply via email.
    IRRESPONSIBLE LENDING COMPLAINT RECEIVED. IF CUSTOMER REAPPLIES WE REQUIRE THREE MONTHS’ WORTH OF: PROOF
    OF INCOME (PAYSLIP/BANK STATEMENT) & PROOF OF EXPENDITURE TO SUPPORT FIGURES ENTERED ON APP (BANK
    STATEMENT). APPLICATION MUST BE ASSESSED ON THESE AND REFERRED TO COMPLAINTS FOR FINAL REVIEW IF APP IS TO BE
    ACCEPTED (IF DECLINED, PLEASE DECLINE USING USUAL PROCESS).
    After reading through all of the details in the request they sent on proofpoint i can see that they have said no to an iva within the last 36 months and i had been out of my IVA for around 6 to 9 months.

    could someone please inform me of what i should do next.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • rikki says

      January 24, 2020 at 8:01 am

      Hi All, sorry to post again could anybody help me with the above at all please.

      Thanks

      Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 24, 2020 at 8:07 am

      It a very odd email to have sent you. It looks like you have been forwarded an internal email. It may be they are asking for three months of bank statements before you applied for a loan. You coukd phone them up and ask what it means.

      You can also point out that you didn’t meet their lending criteria as you were only just out of an IVA.

      Reply
      • rikki says

        January 24, 2020 at 8:46 am

        Hi Sara thanks for the reply this was in part of all the sars data that they sent to me this is what was written in 1 part of this. so you think i should just email them back with the bank statements and tell them the IVA doesn’t meet there criteria.

        Reply
        • Lisa says

          February 4, 2020 at 11:21 pm

          I had the same on my SAR I think it’s just internal notes if you reapply for a loan. Just reminding the agent that they need to get proof this time around!!!

          Reply
  14. KH says

    January 17, 2020 at 3:15 pm

    Hi Sara,

    Firstly thank you as others have said for this site!

    So far I’ve had complaints upheld with Lending Stream, MyJar, Safety Net Credit and am just waiting for the money to come through.
    I have a satsuma case with the adjudicator that I am hopeful for too.

    I have just had a response from 118118 after chasing the compliance director (9 weeks) ..
    They have upheld 3 and 4 but not 1 and 2 .. they have reduced my balance from 6k to 2k (already done on my account) .. am I able to escalate 1 and 2 to the FOS even if they have already reduced the balance??

    Reply
  15. Fraggle23 says

    January 17, 2020 at 10:33 pm

    I entered an affordability complaint with Everyday Loans in 2018. The adjudicator recently ruled in my favour. Does any one know what EDL are like for agreeing/disagreeing with the FOS decision.

    Reply
    • Lisa G says

      January 19, 2020 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Fraggle23.
      I don’t know the answer to your Q but I was wondering in which month in 2018 you sent your Everyday Loan complaint to the FOS. Mines been with them since Oct 2018 and not yet been picked up. I’m just wondering where they’re up to when looking at complaints.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Fraggles23 says

        January 20, 2020 at 6:36 am

        Hi Lisa,

        I sent mint to EDL 29th Aug 2018. They rejected my complaint with a letter date 18th Oct.

        Might be worth giving the FOS a call to see if they can give you an update. My Adjudicator did tell me they were dealing with high volumes but mine been assigned for a while with the final decision coming through last week.

        Good Luck

        Reply
        • Fraggles23 says

          January 22, 2020 at 3:33 pm

          The adjudicator has emailed to advise me that EDL have asked for more time to consider his decision.

          Has anyone else experienced this?

          Reply
  16. A says

    January 19, 2020 at 9:42 am

    Hi I have a complaint against 118 money at the fos just now. I have not heard anymore after the email with my reference number. I have just recieved my new clearscore credit report which has gone up but all traces of my 118 loan and credit card have disappeared. My 118 account online hasn’t changed. Any idea why this would happen?

    Reply
    • Linds says

      January 19, 2020 at 9:58 am

      Hello,

      I also have a complaint with the FOS for 118, It’s been with them since July 19, not heard anything back.
      I have just checked my credit score and like you, my outstanding balance with 118, had disappeared. I don’t know why this has happened?

      Reply
      • DM84 says

        January 19, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        It has always confused me with 118 loans and how they appear with Clearscore. I too have no record on my Clearscore account who obtain their information from Equifax, it does not appear on my free Equifax statutory report either. It does however appear on my Credit Karma account who get their information from TransUnion.

        They all confuse me as no report ever shows the same info, I also have a loan with another company that appears on Clearscore but not on Credit Karma.

        Might be worth checking if yours is the same at other sites such as Credit Karma (formally noddle) etc

        Reply
        • Linds says

          January 19, 2020 at 12:41 pm

          I’ve checked on Credit Karma and it does not appear on there? It is strange.

          Reply
  17. Mike says

    January 20, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    Hi Sara
    Just a little update with regards to my complaint I put in against a credit union.
    I asked earlier this year if they had to abide by the same lending rules as everyone else and after explaining to you that I would have to send bank statements each time I applied and each one would showed lots of gambling transactions yet they continued to lend me £1000’s .
    Well complained to the credit union July who dismissed it within 5 days, not even asking what my complaint was actually about.
    So sent to FOS and heard from them November apologies for time but said we’re very busy. They said they had requested info from CU and I would be contacted by the person who would be looking into my complaint.
    January 3rd was contacted and introduced themselves with a summary of what my complaint was about. Also asked if any other info I wanted to add which I did. They explained how they had asked the CU for more info and he would give me an update when he received it.
    Today got an update, thanked me for my email going into more detail and explained he had asked the CU for more info ( 3rd time they have asked for even more ) and explained how he hoped to receive it by the end of next week.
    He would then give me another update or give me his opinion…..
    Don’t quite know what to make of it now?
    Surely the CU only have so much info and why they are being requested to send more?
    Does this sort of thing bode well for me?
    What do you think?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 20, 2020 at 5:49 pm

      I think you should ask what is happening at the end of the month. there isn’t much point in speculating.

      Reply
      • Mike says

        January 21, 2020 at 3:46 pm

        Hi Sara,
        Thanks for responding to my vague question yesterday. I did email the investigator at FOS yesterday and asked why he needed to ask for more information for the 3rd time from the CU. I received an email today which has me more intrigued.

        Good afternoon Mike

        Thanks for your email.

        I did receive the information I’d requested, but I have had to go back to them as the information I received raised further questions.

        Whilst I’m conscious of getting my opinion to you as soon as possible, I also need to ensure a full investigation is conducted to give you an answer I believe is fair and reasonable.

        I appreciate your patience, and I’ll be in touch as soon as possible.

        I guess it’s good he has not had to ask me more questions, just them.
        Just wanted to keep you updated.
        Also considering how long people have to wait for an investigator I have to say they have moved quite quickly for this complaint.

        Reply
  18. Jamie Fleming says

    January 21, 2020 at 8:30 am

    Hi all,

    Need some brief advice re Varooma if possible.

    I made a formal complaint on the grounds of irresponsible lending and provided a very detailed complaint including 6 months bank statements prior to loan that shows extensive gambling transactions (I am now in treatment for Gambling Addiction) as well as payments to a Debt Management Plan. Varooma allowed me to provide an overview of my direct debits instead of the full bank statement which meant I was accepted for the loan, this is essentially the basis of my complaint.

    Varooma turned down my complaint and I instantly referred it to the FOS about a week ago, I have been in communication with Varooma and they have offered me a settlement figure of £1,800 reduced from £2,800. This will essentially mean the loan is closed and I would have paid them £500 in interest overall. I offered to close the complaint if they bring it down to £1,300 to bring all payment back to neutral but they have refused and I have stated that we will await to outcome of the FOS.

    My only concern is the timeframes of the FOS and the interest I am being charged in the meantime by Varooma (monthly payments £283). I am not in a position to pay them £1,800 currently but I will be in a position in April to look to settle again but not sure if I should or just let it run with the FOS.

    Anyone have any views on this? Thanks so much in advance,

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 21, 2020 at 8:53 am

      It’s a tough decision. sorry, no guarantees over the FOS timetable.

      if you would be happy to repay the £1800 over a period of several months you could offer that, explaining you are not in a position to accept their settlement and pay a lump sum now.

      Reply
      • Jamie Fleming says

        January 21, 2020 at 9:51 am

        Thanks so much for your prompt response Sara

        I find it interesting that they are not accepting responsibility but happy to knock £1,000 off the settlement just like that. I referred them a FOS case that is almost identical to mine that was upheld, this then led to them offering me the reduction.

        I think I will continue saving over the next 3 months to be in a position to clear the debt, hopefully in that time I may have had initial contact from the FOS, if not they I may offer them a payment plan as you have stated.

        Thanks again Sara, the work you do for everyone is amazing!

        Reply
  19. Bill says

    January 22, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    Referring to other comments re:)118118) I to have a complaint currently with the fos, my loan has also disappeared from credit karma, totally money and Equifax! I wonder I wonder?
    Bill

    Reply
  20. Clare Jane says

    January 25, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    Hi all,

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated….
    I made an irresponsible lending complaint to MYJAR in August 2018. I had three loans:Loan one-Jan 2018-£1000 Loan two-May 2018-£1200
    Loan three-August 2018-£900
    Due to health problems I severely struggled with loan three. The other two were paid off.
    Contacted MYJAR with lots of detail in August 2018….no reply so off to FOS. DSAR came late and had little information. No contact ever by telephone from MYJAR to check affordability or ascertain suitability for a repayment plan(though they undertook the proportionate checks required during lending….I suppose!!). They restructured the loan repayments in December 2018 and the monthly payments were £60 more per month!! They emailed to say no negative recordings would be filed on my credit report whilst case with FOS.
    Adjudicator did not find in my favour…though MYJAR offered to remove interest from loan three and delete a default.
    I declined and supplied further information. The Ombudsman has partially upheld and asked all interest to be removed on loan three. I questioned the default…not included in the deal! MYJAR say they have to go by the FOS decision and will not remove the default….FOS say their decision is not legally binding and I may talk openly with MYJAR.
    I’ve worked sooooo hard to turn my situation around but, this default is causing serious problems and I was told it would not be entered but, MYJAR now having none of that….

    Reply
    • Clare Jane says

      January 25, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      Apologies….there’s a little more comment:

      Have I shot myself in the foot…?!!The Ombudsman said there were no defaults/adverse info on my file at the time of borrowing…I had 4 defaults and several low credit/high cost loans…therefore his findings were factually incorrect…I’ve even supplied my credit report from time of borrowing…again…but,case closed!!
      Thanks in advance for any support….it’s taken 14 months at the FOS to reach a verdict, which I do appreciate but, their final decision was incorrect and they refer to me repeatedly as Mr…..the template must have been playing up that day!

      Reply
      • Sara (Debt Camel) says

        January 25, 2020 at 2:14 pm

        If the Ombudsman’s decision was not the same as the adjudicator’s, you have the opportunity to go back and further argue your case. If you have done that and you think the final decision was taken without considering your response, I suggest you phone and say you want to register a complaint.

        If you only had problems in loan three because you developed health problems, that would not normally be a reason to say the loan was unaffordable.

        Having high-cost credit on your record is not usually seen as adverse unless it is payday loans.

        Reply
        • Clare Jane says

          January 25, 2020 at 2:22 pm

          Sara,

          Happy New Year-do hope you are well?!
          Thank you so very much…I shall call them on Monday. The Ombudsman felt MYJAR should have been more sympathetic and understanding given my honest admissions about my health. I even offered to send medical notes….hence the partial uphold and removal of interest on loan three. The adjudicator did not uphold the case in any form. The FOS said decision was final…
          I’ll keep fighting!

          For those reading this….never give up if you feel you can support your case with evidence. This does not always mean victory but, trying your very best, often in adversity can certainly make the situation feel more positive!

          Reply
  21. Mr F says

    January 26, 2020 at 9:59 pm

    Is it worth a complaint?

    So I’m in the waiting game with my guarantor loans and payday loans (see my posts on relevant threads)

    But wandered about car finance.

    In 2014 I passed my driving test and through excitement got a car from TSW, with finance provided by Family Finance, I don’t recall them ever checking bank statements, anyway I was told I couldn’t sign on my own so my better half had to sign the contract as-well… but here’s the kicker she had no income apart from child benefit for our DD, and realistically made no impact financially on the application, I then exchanged the car in 2016 through the same dealer and finance provider again my better half signed still no income? The payments were unaffordable on the first car and went up on the 2nd is it worth sending a complaint on this basis?

    Reply
    • Mr F says

      January 29, 2020 at 10:14 am

      So I decided to forward on the complaint and have received confirmation that they will look into it do you think I stand a chance on this one Sara.

      Reply
      • Sara (Debt Camel) says

        January 29, 2020 at 10:37 am

        sorry I missed your comment. TSW may well reject, most car finance claims are rejected. Send it to FOS who will looks at the facts of the case. Good luck!

        Reply
        • Mr F says

          January 29, 2020 at 10:42 am

          No worries I put the complaint into family finance who the agreement was with as I understood technically family finance purchased off tsw and I purchased off them

          Reply
  22. George says

    January 27, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    Hi Sara,

    118118 Money have come back to my email in regards to the initial email I have sent and have sent me through all the information as requested. How do I proceed now? Could you please advise me?

    Thank you
    George

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 28, 2020 at 8:13 am

      If your initial email was also a complaint, not just a request for info, then you don’t have to do anything. One thing that can help sometimes is sending the 3 months of bank statements before each loan you took with them – there were probably only 1 or 2?

      Reply
      • George says

        January 28, 2020 at 11:12 am

        Thanks Sara, I have included all my statements and credit report in an email back to them and asked for a decision in regards to a complaint. Will they then give me an answer following this?

        Thanks

        Reply
        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          January 28, 2020 at 11:14 am

          probably at about 8 weeks.

          Reply
  23. Harry says

    January 27, 2020 at 11:16 pm

    If I’m already on a payment plan with a debt company can I still go about getting interest refunded? I’m repaying a few (Ferratum, Myjar)

    I’m on universal credit currently and don’t even have the funds to repay these guys so I’m also thinking about applying for a DRO but would you advise trying to get interest/ charges refunded first – or will they just take that off the amount owed so I’d be quicker just going for a DRO?

    Thank you for the excellent resources by the way, found your website from searching about the Wonga refunds and I think it may work out helping me a great deal, you have so much gratitude from me.

    Reply
  24. Ms B says

    January 28, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    I’ve just sent a complaint to Avant credit for irresponsible lending. I was given a £2000 loan even though I was unemployed They based the application on 1 month bank statement they used my husbands salary as proof of earning despite it not being a joint application they did not exclude his earnings from the application our marriage ended half way through the loan term and I couldn’t afford to pay, the debt was quickly passed to a debt collector who very quickly issued court proceedings. I was forced to pay £1200 ( the remaining balance) a few weeks before Xmas in 2018 which included the money I had saved throughout the year for my kids Xmas, as I was terrified of going to court. I feel I should never have been given this loan in the first place. Do you think I have a case?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 28, 2020 at 2:45 pm

      It doesn’t sound as though they checked properly. If they knew you were unemployed they should not have given you this big loan.

      Reply
  25. Danielle says

    January 28, 2020 at 7:34 pm

    So I failed my iva January 2019 and set up payment plans with my creditors. I googled to see what would happen if I tried to claim irresponsible lending after the failure and couldn’t really find anything. So I’ve had my avant credit complaint in with the fos for 12 months now, today I received an email from them asking for a letter from my iva practitioner to state they are happy for the complaint to be looked at and whether they have any interest in any redress and I thought… here we go. So I called the iva company and they said it would be too much hassle for them to take anything as i have multiple irresponsible lending complaints in, plus some creditors have gone into administration and because I’m in a payment plan they sent me an email straight away confirming they have no interest in it! Made up it isnt a waste of time. Hopefully my avant complaint will get somewhere now

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 28, 2020 at 7:40 pm

      Good news & I hope you win it!

      Reply
  26. Mal says

    January 28, 2020 at 8:26 pm

    Hi,
    I had a range of payday loans, and things got to a critical stage, so I got a loan from Everyday loans in July 2014. When I got this loan and it was approved, they actually said to not include the payday loans as this would affect my chances of getting it. Anyway, I got it, but everything was still too unmanageable and things got worse and 6 months later I entered a DMP. They were the only company not to take off the interest and eventually they reduced it, but even now 5 years later, I’m still paying £50 per month in interest. It’s got to a stage where all other debts are just a couple of years max from being paid off and things are getting more comfortable.
    However, at the time I got the loan, I don’t think it should have been given. I’ve had a look at the template email and can send this. Is the above seem reasonable chance of success and should all interest be repaid? Should I add about what I was advised from their staff member about the payday loans?

    A second question you may be able to help….I am due a rebate from Wonga (accepted claim value of £1400, though of course it’s likely to be <10%). I've also got another payday loan appeal with Quickquid. I used pounds to pockets as well, so as they were same company as quickquid, will this be added to the quickquid one automatically, or will I have to do separate?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 28, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Yes that sounds like a good claim. You should say that EWL said not to include your payday loans on the application – this was in a branch presumably?
      Also complain they carried on adding interest in your DMP.

      You need to check back on the QQ page https://debtcamel.co.uk/quickquid-casheuronet-administration/ in a couple of months and see the rules about making a claim – at the moment it is just me guessing.

      Reply
      • Mal says

        January 28, 2020 at 9:29 pm

        Thanks, yes it was in a branch of Everyday loans as had to go in to finalise / sign it all. Yes, they are still adding interest even now. All others stopped within a month or two. Re; QQ, I will check back – Just found your page today, been very useful source.

        Reply
  27. Brian says

    January 28, 2020 at 8:47 pm

    I have a number of large loans from satsuma, 1st stop, 118, avant (although this one is now paid off) and others and have reluctantly gone in to a dmp. Most have agreed to reduced payments. What I want to know is if I put an affordability claim in against them, can they retract the current payment plans if they are cross with me for complaining? I’m happy for them to use any refund to pay off towards the outstanding balance.

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 28, 2020 at 8:59 pm

      Your DMP / payment plans will not be affected. No-one has had this problem. Their regulator would not that was fair.

      Reply
  28. RC says

    January 28, 2020 at 10:17 pm

    Hi Sara,
    Thank you so much for the all the information; it has been an invaluable resource in helping me get in better control of my finances.
    My complaint from Sunny was not upheld, and I have since complained to the FOS. However, I did not supply Sunny with my financial statements, as these would have shown that I had exaggerated my income. I did submit these details to FOS, but am now wondering if I had been too hasty and should have just sent Sunny my documents. I am not sure whether it is worth me now sending the outstanding information to Sunny, or shall I just wait for FOS to conduct their investigations?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 28, 2020 at 10:31 pm

      Sunny aren’t likely to look at anything you send now. Just stick with the FOS complaint,

      Reply
  29. CJK says

    January 29, 2020 at 9:00 am

    My Everyday Loans complaint went to FOS July 2018, was picked up end of December. FOS agreed but still waiting on Everday to get back to them, three weeks now. So did take a bit of time to pick up but hopefully hear something by end of the week

    Reply
    • CJK says

      February 1, 2020 at 8:19 pm

      Been over three weeks now and still no reply from EDL. Can’t even get a hold of ombudsman to get an update.

      Reply
  30. Paula says

    January 29, 2020 at 9:30 am

    I took out an Everyday Loan twice to clear off payday loans which I told them. This is one loan I still have 2 years on. Is it worth a complaint?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 29, 2020 at 9:42 am

      If the repayments are more than you can afford, yes. If you took the first loan telling them it was to clear payday loan debts and you didn’t do that, or you did but then got more payday loan debts, it sounds as though Everyday loans should have looked in great detail at your situation when you wanted a second loan…

      Reply
  31. Shaun says

    January 29, 2020 at 11:01 am

    Hi all,

    I had two loans with Everyday Loans. Both times I went to there office and went through my accounts. They could see I had existing payday loans, 2 credit cards, and an overdraft. My credit score was terrible at the time. But they still lent me money. Some of the payday loans and credit cards were paid off by these loans. Now they lent what they said I could afford to pay back, which still left me in a difficult position.

    Do I have grounds to complain?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 29, 2020 at 11:04 am

      that is good grounds to complain. Expect EL to reject your complaint then send it to FOS who will look at what EL saw and decide if you could really afford the loan or if EL should have realised you were in too much financial trouble for them to be affordable.

      Reply
      • Fraggles says

        January 29, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Hi Sara,

        Do you know what EL are like for accepting the adjudicators decision? I made an affordability claim in Aug 18, the adjudicator recently ruled in my favour giving EL until 29 Jan to respond.

        I’ve received an email from the FOS saying EL have requested an extra week to consider their.

        Reply
        • Jay D says

          January 30, 2020 at 5:47 pm

          I’m in the same boat as you. ajudicator has accepted my decision and asked for an extension until Mid-February.. their original deadline was last week. I’m not holding my breath anymore and if they come back saying they don’t agree then it goes into a long ombudsman queue.

          So the question is, do I just assume they will reject the adjudicators decision and can I send this to straight to an ombudsman without waiting to hear from EDL because they’ve already gone past the original deadline?

          Thanks

          Reply
          • Fraggles says

            January 30, 2020 at 5:55 pm

            Did they give you an extension date? Mines the 5th February. I think the adjudicator will automatically send the complaint on to the ombudsman if they don’t get response by the agreed deadline.

            If your deadline has past, I guess there would be no harm is contacting your adjudicator for an update.

            Let me know how you get on.

          • Jay D says

            January 30, 2020 at 9:35 pm

            Hi Fraggle

            Well the deadline for a response was originally the 23rd of Jan.. i called the FOS yesterday to see if the lender had responded but was told instead that the ajudicator had given them an extension until the 13th of Feb.. they didn’t even bother telling me until I rang them up. I might have a think over the weekend and decide if I should send it to the Ombudsmans queue.. that’s assuming they let me.

            They’ll probably just reject the adjudicators findings anyways so.. might as well try and get into the queue early.

            Anyways let me know how yours gets on too.. good luck

      • Shaun says

        January 30, 2020 at 8:35 am

        Quick question – is it an issue that I paid my second loan off early? I got the money from a family member.

        Reply
        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          January 30, 2020 at 10:34 am

          No, the question is whether you could afford the monthly repayments. Just say the loan was only settled with family help.

          Reply
  32. James says

    January 29, 2020 at 11:28 am

    I have had a couple of loans from 118 money. At the same time I had credit cards and was paying about £350 a month and getting nowhere. Am I still able to make a complaint against 118 to try and get my interest back?

    Reply
  33. Simon says

    January 29, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    Hi has anybody had a successful claim against SafetyNet credit I have had loans with them since 2018 have to borrow each payday as they take all my money many thanks

    Reply
    • A says

      January 29, 2020 at 4:42 pm

      My complaint against Safetynet credit was upheld Simon. I asked for them to be added to the resolver tool in 2017. I pasted Sara’s helpful letter into the resolver tool and changed it to suit my needs, SNC typically sent an automatic response demanding data protection act vertification 3 times, I responded with the required information (simple security details such as first line of address, DOB etc)….and they didn’t respond at all!

      once the timer ran down, Resolver asked me whether I wanted to escalate to the ombudsman, a simple ‘yes’ tick in the box and it was automatically kicked up. It took just under a year from initial complaint to resolution but I got money back from them through the ombudsman.

      They are a very naughty company as they can claw money from your account using continuous payment authority, I ended up asking Barclays to stop paying them (I can not advise you to do the same!). When I received my refund through the Ombudsman, this was less the £200.00 I had owing to SNC (without interest!). In my experience they did not put a bad mark on my credit file… I suspect their records are in such a mess they don’t know their a*** from their elbow, nevermind issuing defaults.

      Reply
  34. Emma Jayne says

    January 29, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Hello. I’d really appreciate advice please…. Do people have any luck claiming back from Creation Ltd? I have just finished paying off a 5 year personal loan. Borrowed 6k paid back almost 10k
    It was crippling and I have gone into major debts and acquired ccjs so as not to default on it. I was desperate at the time and don’t realise what I was letting myself in for 😞

    Reply
  35. James says

    January 29, 2020 at 1:25 pm

    I also had loans from everyday loans at the time of payday loans and cards. Just need to know if I can still claim it back? Any help would be great
    Thanks

    Reply
  36. Stephanie says

    January 29, 2020 at 2:18 pm

    Just wondering if anyone has had any joy making a complaint with Avant on the basis of affordability without escalation to FOS? I’ve had a loan with them which I ended up repaying by using payday loans. I was already using payday loans when they agreed to lend me £3k and they would have seen this on the bank statement I provided at the time.
    Before the whole Wonga thing, I would never have thought twice about complaining, but if they accepted my complaint it could wipe my remaining debts entirely!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 29, 2020 at 2:39 pm

      Hi Stephanie,
      I complained to Avant in October,they didn’t uphold and their final response was pathetic and very generic,basically stating I passed eligibility requirements and that was it.No information on a affordability assessment,basically nothing personal figures wise was presented in my final response and my DSAR report showed no checks either.They had a bank statement from the time of the loan showing over 15 payday loan repayments and tons of gambling transactions but questioned nothing.I also sent my credit report from the time of the loan as I had it saved which showed a debt management plan settled only a few months before.
      This is with the FOS now.

      Reply
      • Stephanie says

        January 29, 2020 at 3:55 pm

        Thanks Catherine
        I’m not getting my hopes up, but I sent an email last night and already have my SAR. I’ve not had a chance to look it over yet, but it’ll be useful if I have to go to the FOS.

        Reply
  37. A says

    January 29, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    Hi Sara

    I have used your template letters for payday loans in the past, I have been considering putting in a claim with my last remaining creditor ‘Likely Loans’. I borrowed 4k from them in 2018 and they front loaded all of the interest so it looks like I owe around 6k now (originally 8.6k) on my credit file. I am currently paying them £280 per month, this is over the agreed amount due to a missed payment in December 2018 (3 months after I took out the loan) due to difficulties in making the repayments. I have been repaying it ever since and I calculate I have paid atleast £4080 back in repayments so far. I was in a debt management plan when I got my loan with them and it was never added to my plan. I have since come off my DMP and am getting back into the black financially but I am still paying them.

    I don’t think they should have ever have given me this loan in the first place with me being in a DMP and my credit rating being ‘very bad’ on all of the credit reference agencies websites including 3 defaults – one for my current account! My credit rating is still completely shot.

    Would you recommend I put a complaint? I am still in an agreement to pay with them and the agreement is until autumn 2021.

    Does it not look as favourable if I am now back in the black?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      February 4, 2020 at 12:49 pm

      Were the loan repayments affordable for you when you took the loan? Why did you need to borrow 4k when you were in a DMP?

      Reply
      • A says

        February 4, 2020 at 4:50 pm

        The repayments were not affordable I would say, I had only made two initial payments to them when I ran into difficulties, I missed a payment in December 2018 and since then I have been paying over the odds trying to make up for the one missed payment.

        I borrowed the 4K because I owed this to a friend at the time. I was so desperate to get the money I didn’t even think about the ramifications of how much I would actually owe… I really don’t think I looked properly, because 8k is double what I borrowed in the first place.

        I can probably afford it now that I am back in the black but I don’t think they should have ever have given it to me in the first place.

        Reply
        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          February 26, 2020 at 1:22 pm

          if it was unaffordable when you took the loan then that is a good reason to make an affordability complaint.

          Reply
          • A says

            April 29, 2020 at 10:15 am

            Hi Sara

            I have been paying £269.77 per month Feb 19-Present. Sept-Nov 18 was £242.27. I missed payment in December 18 and paid 50.00 in Jan 18.

          • Sara (Debt Camel) says

            April 29, 2020 at 10:25 am

            then the 8% amount sounds about right as you only finished paying back the amount your borrowed a couple of months ago.

    • A says

      April 29, 2020 at 10:39 am

      Thanks Sara :)

      Reply
  38. Tim says

    January 29, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    Hi all,
    and may I add a big thanks too Sara for all the work put into these threads, and off course all the posters,
    I’m in a fairly good financial place at the moment, with a proper loan from a bank
    But has anyone claimed against likely loans ?
    And if I do, will it affect my credit score ?
    As it’s quite good at the moment, above the national average,
    And I don’t want it to show on and a credit check, as I’m looking to gat a new van soon
    Many thanks, Tim

    Reply
    • Tony says

      February 4, 2020 at 7:27 pm

      Hi Tim I successfully claimed for a top up lian with Likely Loans in August of last year. Repaid all interest on top up loan.No need for FOS. They rejected the initial loan but I have passed that to FOS. still awaiting someone to pick this up despite having a reference number for the complaint. Good luck

      Reply
  39. John Spooner says

    January 29, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    Hi Sara.. A few years back I had car finance from moneybarn.. I think my loan was for £7190..Had a few missed payments but in the end I had a loan from my dad to pay the final settlement fee… The tottal of my loan was £13877 with interest
    The settlement figure was £6404
    Saving myself £2333

    Do you think there is any chance I’d be able to claim any of the interest back and possibly how much

    Many thanks

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 29, 2020 at 4:50 pm

      How many years back?

      Reply
      • John Spooner says

        January 29, 2020 at 4:55 pm

        My contract for finance started on the 26th of April 2017

        Reply
        • Sara (Debt Camel) says

          January 29, 2020 at 4:59 pm

          oh good, that’s very recent. You know if the payments were unaffordable for you. If they were (and missing some suggests it) then it’s worth a complaint. there is a template letter in the article above, change that so that it’s accurate for you.

          These complaints can take a while to go through, expect MB to reject and send it to the ombudsman. Get your bank statements for the three months before the application. i can’t predict what the outcome will be, but well worth a try, it’s just a few emails to send.

          Reply
          • John Spooner says

            January 29, 2020 at 5:04 pm

            Thank you very much sara

  40. Dave says

    January 29, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    Hi Sara,
    I appreciate you’ll be incredible busy today with all the wonga news but wanted to ask a quick question.

    What actions can 118 take regarding debt collection/ defaults/ CCJs whilst a case for irresponsible lending is with FOS?

    Kindest regards
    You do a great job
    Dave

    Reply
  41. Anonymous K says

    January 29, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    Hi Sara.

    I have been paying off 118 for the past 4 years (1 initial loan and around 3 top ups). I am trying to improve my financial situation and apply for a mortgage so therefore I want this gone ASAP. I contacted them for a settlement quotation. They said I can settle for 2.5k if I pay them by end of January. I did some calculations on my bank statements – in total I borrowed from them roughly 4K. I have paid them over 5k so far so therefore I have fully repaid the borrowed money and then some so I feel like the 2.5k settlement is excessive and highly unreasonable.

    I really do not want to go down the FCA route even though I believe I would have a really strong case due to success with other lenders. I have not got the time or energy to be honest and I just want the debt gone at this point.

    What do you think the chances are of them accepting a (much) lower settlement? I would be happy to pay £500 to have the account closed and gone forever and no further action required.

    Thank you for any help or advice.

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 29, 2020 at 11:01 pm

      I don’t know.

      If you want to do this, i think you should send them the standard affordability complaint email as in the article above BUT put on the end that you if they are prepared to accept a settlement offer of £500 from you and agree to mark the debt as settled, not partially settled, then you would accept that. But if they won’t you will be sending the complaint to the ombudsman and asking for a full refund of the interest you have paid.

      Reply
  42. Danielle says

    January 29, 2020 at 10:20 pm

    Hi everyone, does anyone know how I can get a free credit report please?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 29, 2020 at 10:39 pm

      See https://debtcamel.co.uk/best-way-to-check-credit-score/. If it is for FOS, Credit Karma is usually best,

      Reply
  43. Shelly says

    January 29, 2020 at 11:13 pm

    Wasn’t sure where to put this so apologies if I’m the wrong place!
    I was telling a friend about this page today and she explained that she was in a cycle of overdraft fees… paying about £200 a month in interest now and not seeming to be able to pay anything off.
    This sounds so much like the loans situation that many of us found ourselves in that I wondered has any one tried to pursue overdraft interest?
    It seems to tick all the boxes of being in a cycle with the banks not doing anything to notice this cycle and continuing to charge, I just wondered if there was any advice I could give her, other than hoping she finds someone sympathetic at a bank or asking advice from FOS?

    Reply
  44. Ben says

    January 29, 2020 at 11:24 pm

    Has anyone put an affordability complaint to motonovo finance all and if so how did you go about it ?

    Reply
    • N says

      February 5, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      I have i emailed them. They have 3 weeks left to give me a response. I have had 2 letters saying they need more time.

      Reply
  45. DS says

    January 30, 2020 at 10:52 am

    Morning all,
    I’ve been reading all your comments about struggling with repaying and I too am in the same situation robbing peter to pay paul.
    I put in an affordability complaint with sunny,118118,and my jar, this morning my jar have emailed asking for bank statements and pay slips.
    Advice please.

    Reply
  46. D S 74 says

    January 30, 2020 at 11:08 am

    Morning all,
    I’ve been reading all your comments about struggling with repaying and I too am in the same situation robbing peter to pay paul.
    I put in an affordability complaint with sunny,118118,and my jar, this morning my jar have emailed asking for bank statements and pay slips.
    Advice please.

    Reply
    • Matt says

      January 30, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      Hi

      I sent my emails off on 14th January, MyJar replied within 3 days asking for bank statements so I sent them off. Today, just 2 weeks later, I received an email upholding my complaint and asking for bank details for a refund of £133. Pretty quick!

      Just waiting on Loans2Go, Varooma and Peachy now…

      Thanks to Sarah and all contributors on here.

      Reply
  47. CM says

    January 30, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    Afternoon all.
    I put in a complaint to sunny a while back which was accepted. I received an email with the claim value in November. I then heard nothing from them so contacted them earlier this month. They emailed asking for my bank details for payment to be sent to. I am just wondering if anyone knows when this is likely to be done and payment made? I sent this to them two weeks ago and haven’t received a reply.

    Reply
    • EJ says

      January 30, 2020 at 2:24 pm

      Normally very quickly, should be within next 2 weeks !!

      Reply
  48. Ben says

    January 30, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    Hi Sara, ever had any dealings / feedback with Tesco bank? Had a loan from them, whilst having various others.

    Reply
  49. EJ says

    January 30, 2020 at 4:08 pm

    Afternoon,
    Just had a reply from Likely Loans saying the will refund £1000 as gesture of goodwill as that was what I still owed i.e. 5 payments. Decided to accept as just want it over. I should say they declined my application 3 times of affordability, but I sent bank statements showing gambling and they said although they do not need to check statements at time of application, they can now see that I was struggling and therefore will do as stated above.
    thanks to Sarah for all the great work she does on this site.

    Reply
  50. Marl says

    January 30, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    I’ve had a loan from118118 wanted documents just sent a copy of my dmp so will see how this pans out

    Reply
  51. Sharper says

    January 30, 2020 at 8:15 pm

    I just wanted to share some positive news… I had a loan with likely loans (£4000) and a top up loan a year later (£500). It really was a struggle to repay for years but eventually paid it all back. Anyway, I complained to likely loans last April, they didn’t uphold my complaint and I referred it to the ombudsman in June. The adjudicator picked it up yesterday and initially did not uphold my complaint either. I replied with some points (low income, defaults on credit report etc) and today the adjudicator changed their mind and upheld both loans. Now to wait for likely loans to respond!

    Reply
  52. Louise says

    January 31, 2020 at 9:14 am

    Hi. My monthly repayments to EDL are £317 a month. I’ve recently taken a second job to try and give myself a little bit of extra wage as I have £17 a month after bills to live on. I have made an affordability complaint to them and it is still being investigated. Is there anything I can do about the repayments?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 31, 2020 at 9:20 am

      You can ask them for a payment arrangement or, if you have other debts as well, it may be better to set up a debt management plan, see https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/debt-management-plan.aspx

      Reply
  53. Louise says

    January 31, 2020 at 9:38 am

    No other debts. I just live alone & my outgoings are high to general priority bills. Thank you!

    Reply
  54. Liz says

    January 31, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Hi Sara
    In 2007 I had a loan with log book loans. The agent met me at a cash converters shop. My car was guaranteed against the loan. This was a large loan. I had very poor credit history and I underestimated my expenses so they would give me the loan. I applied for top up loans. They didn’t ask to see my bank statements or ask if my income and expenses had changed. And they had. My weekly payments left me with nothing and eventually log book loans took my car away.
    Please can you advise me who I can email about refund of interest and charges ?
    With many thanks for all your help and advice.

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 31, 2020 at 12:40 pm

      If the loan was before April 2007, you can’t do anything.

      Even if was after, you are likely to find this case extremely difficult unless you have your bank statements for that time. The lender may well not have kept any records.

      Who was the lender?

      Reply
      • Liz says

        January 31, 2020 at 12:57 pm

        All I know it was a company called logbook loans and they advertised in cash Converters. The Agent worked out of an office in the cash Converters shop. My loans were after April 2007.
        Thank you

        Reply
  55. Gemma says

    January 31, 2020 at 9:45 pm

    Hi Sara,
    I’ve got complaint running with the FOS about Avant Credit. I’m currently 2 months in arrears and when I’ve tried to log in to my account it’s gone and a page has appeared stating if I would like to check if I’m eligible for a new loan. How likely after 2 months arrears that they would sell my loan to a debt collector? Can they do this while they no I have a complaint going through with the FOS plus the FOS this week have been in touch with Avant, could that be a good sign! Thanks

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      January 31, 2020 at 9:49 pm

      They can sell a debt if they want. I shouldn’t worry about it, FOS starting to look at the case is good as it is moving on.

      Reply
      • Gemma says

        January 31, 2020 at 10:03 pm

        Thanks Sara, I hope so. I’ll keep you posted!

        Reply
  56. Catherine says

    January 31, 2020 at 9:56 pm

    Hi Gemma when did you submit your complaint about AVant to the FOS?and has it been allocated to a investigator or have they just said they have asked the business for their file??
    I submitted my Avant complaint to FOS in December and they already have the business file but still not allocated to anyone,just wondering if they are starting to move quicker with cases.
    Two of my cases opened in the last week of December are already been investigated but others are stuck in queues with different teams.

    Reply
    • Gemma says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:02 pm

      My case has been with them since May! Unfortunately for me it was allocated to the wrong dept, then assigned twice in different codes, however this week I spoke to a lovely chap who informs me that they have asked Avant for my file in the last week and then I see my loan details have disappeared when I logged in!! I’m hoping it’s a positive sign! I complained to Avant on why my case was overlooked the first time and sent numerous emails confirming on why I thought it was wrong for them to lend to me with evidence I just Hope with the FOS now contacting them they’ve looked at my case again and it’s a positive outcome.

      Reply
    • Gemma says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:29 pm

      Are you still able to log in to your account?

      Reply
      • Catherine says

        January 31, 2020 at 10:37 pm

        Yes,I finished paying it last year.Still gives me option to request a new loan.

        Reply
        • Gemma says

          February 1, 2020 at 8:54 am

          Are you able to see your paid loan details? I’ve a new ID assigned and no previous loan details on my account.

          Reply
  57. chris c says

    February 2, 2020 at 9:08 am

    I made a complaint against Avant Credit for a loan had in 2015 and finished repaying in 2018. They acknowledged my complaint quite early on but around week 7 they started seriously stalling to the point on the last day of week 8 I emailed to say I still hadn’t had a final response to my complaint and the c/s wrote back they had another 4 hours to reply. I have messaged them a few times since and they say its with senior management etc its now week 12 and no joy can they legally drag this out past 8 weeks, also I keep getting the same person from the company answering all my messages Im beginning to think she is the only person who works there.

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      February 2, 2020 at 10:40 am

      Send the complaint to the Finacial Ombudsman straight away. Avant don’t often make good offers, it’s not worth delaying for this.

      Reply
      • chris c says

        February 2, 2020 at 12:08 pm

        Ok will do thanks

        Reply
    • Gemma says

      February 2, 2020 at 11:06 am

      Hi Chris, are you still able to see your loan paperwork on your account? Mine has disappeared along with my loan!

      Reply
      • chris c says

        February 2, 2020 at 3:09 pm

        Yes I still have access i just had a look and I can see my full agreement, if your looking for repayments dates etc and you can.t find them you can get dates etc from your clearscore or credit karma report. failing that banks go back 6 years check your statements if you know roughly when you had the loan hope this helps

        Reply
  58. Gemma says

    February 2, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    The question if anyone can answer is, if I no longer can see my loan agreement, and I have no monies showing I owe even though I have a remaining balance of just under 4K. Does anyone have any idea what that may mean? Sara you able to answer as I’m baffled and hoping they have cleared my loan by agreeing my affordability complaint. I’ve received no calls, letters or emails from them in the past 12 months?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      February 2, 2020 at 7:43 pm

      sorry, no idea.

      Reply
    • Stacy says

      February 2, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      Hi, they did the same with mine, but unfortunately didn’t agree with my complaint had to refere to Ombudsman. Hope maybe yours is different

      Reply
  59. Claire says

    February 2, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    Please help !! Can someone advise me if I am eligible to make a claim for refund of interest on a logbook loan I took out with Billing Finance if it is over six years ago? We took this out in March 2013 to April 2016 and the loan was for £8000 i ended up paying back over £14000 which I did settle, but I never realised until coming across this site that people are trying to claim back interest from companies who lent irresponsibly. Me and my partner both had various payday loans as well as various high interest credit cards etc at the time and I wondered if we have a case at all?

    Reply
    • Sara (Debt Camel) says

      February 2, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      The 6 years may not be a bar (whatever the firm says) but you may need some evidence eg bank statements showing how much financial trouble you were in when you took the loan out.

      Reply
      • Claire says

        February 2, 2020 at 8:32 pm

        Thank you so much for replying. I have my partners bank statements from that time with evidence of payday loans and credit report entries also confirming this, I will write to them and see what happens!

        Reply
  60. JoJo says

    February 2, 2020 at 9:43 pm

    I have a loan which I currently have with the FOS awaiting an adjudicator. The loan was with 118118. Since i put this into a DMP i have been making reduced payments and the debt currently sits with Moorcroft DCA. I have just been having a look at the current status of my credit reports (Trans, Exq and Exp) and the loan is no longer on any of them. Can you think of any reason why it would suddenly disappear?

    Success so far: SNC – Provident – Sunny
    Awaiting FOS – Likely – 118118 – Lending Stream – Drafty – Everyday Lending – Uncle Buck – P2P (been referred back to their administrators so dont hold out for much there)

    Reply
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