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 … [Read more...]
Affordability & other refunds
Most of the articles here look at how affordability complaints can be made for different sorts of borrowing. They have a template letter you can use.
The regulator says that a loan is "unaffordable" if you couldn't make the repayments without borrowing.
This could be borrowing again from the same lender, from another lender, using more of a credit limit, getting deeper into your overdraft or by not paying a bill.
So even if you always paid your loans on time, they could still have been unaffordable if paying them made your finances worse.
Problem overdraft? How to ask your bank for a refund of interest
Have you had big overdraft problems for a long period? You can make an affordability complaint and ask for a refund of overdraft charges if: your overdraft limit was set too high at the start or increased to a level you are unable to clear; or your overdraft usage showed you were in long-term financial distress. For example, being in the overdraft all the time, or using an unauthorised … [Read more...]
How to get refunds from catalogues and credit cards
Have you had a catalogue, credit card or store card where your credit limit was too high? So high that the monthly repayments were hard to manage and you got into more debt? Many people were originally given an OK limit, but the lender kept increasing it too high. You may have a good complaint that the lender was irresponsible in allowing you to borrow so much that the debt was … [Read more...]
How to get a payday loan refund
Have you had problems with payday loans? You can get a refund of the interest you paid on "unaffordable" loans. It’s easy to ask for a payday loan refund using the free template here. This works if your payday loans were repaid or you still owe money. What are “unaffordable” loans? The regulator says: “the borrower should be able to make the required repayments without undue difficulty, … [Read more...]
Car finance commission – can you get a refund?
There are now two different types of car finance commission complaints, "discretionary commission" and "undisclosed commission". In January 2024, the FCA allowed car finance firms to "pause" their handling of discretionary commission complaints. Then in October, a major appeal court case covered a completely different reason for asking for a refund of car commission - it was not fully explained … [Read more...]
Will an affordability claim hurt my credit record, and other questions
People often ask what happens to their credit score if they make a complaint. And what happens if they still owe a balance on the account. Here are some typical questions: " Lloyds increased my overdraft limit several times a few years ago when I had a gambling problem. But I have recovered and am hoping to get a mortgage soon. I don't want to complain if it will it harm my credit score, which is … [Read more...]
Were you sold a car on unaffordable finance?
Was your car finance unaffordable? The FCA, who regulates car finance lenders. and the Financial Ombudsman (FOS) say: a loan is only affordable if you can make the repayments on time, without hardship and still meeting your other commitments. That means you need to be able to pay all your other debts, your normal household bills and expenses as well as the new car loan payments. You may … [Read more...]
Gambling – get refunds from loans, credit cards & overdrafts
Many people with a gambling problem have been given unaffordable credit. This fueled their gambling and they got deeper into debt. Credit is affordable if you can repay it and still pay your other debts, bills and expenses. If it is unaffordable, then you can ask for a refund of interest and charges and take a complaint the lender declines to the Financial Ombudsman (FOS). But gambling … [Read more...]
Doorstep lending – a template letter to ask for a refund
UPDATE: The Morses Scheme has failed. See Morses - what is happening to loans and refunds UPDATE: in March 2022, Loans At Home went into administration. There is no money to pay any refunds. Any remaining loans have been written off and you should not make any payments to them. UPDATE: The Provident Scheme has now closed and it is too late to make any Provident complaints.Doorstep lending - … [Read more...]
How the borrower of a guarantor loan can complain
UPDATES: Do not use the template on this page for Amigo, Buddy, George Banco, Trust Two, Glo. It is now too late to complain about them. For TFS see TFS Loans goes into administration. Guarantor loans are very expensive. Often the lender didn’t check properly that you will be able to manage the loan repayments without having to borrow more. If proper checks would have shown that you … [Read more...]