The administration of WDFC, the legal company who operated the Wonga brand, was completed in August 2020.
The company was finally dissolved in December 2020.
See Companies House records for details.
Background to the administration – rising complaint numbers
A payday loan is “unaffordable” if repaying left you short so you had to get into more debt, by borrowing again or getting behind on bills or other debts. So you may have repaid all your loans but still have a good claim for a refund of the interest you paid.
When Wonga went under there were over 200,000 people with current loans from Wonga – many of them had a good case for the interest to be removed from their balance so they only repay what they borrowed.
The Administrators’ proposals set out the reasons why Wonga went into administration. These were the increasing number of affordability complaints, especially from Claims Companies, and the decision by the Financial Ombudsman that FOS could look at loans over 6 years old, going back to 2007.
There were 24,000 affordability complaints awaiting a decision by Wonga and 9,500 complaints against Wonga with the Financial Ombudsman when Wonga ceased trading on 30 August 2018.
Details on the Administration
The Administrators have made various progress reports (available from Companies House) and statements during 2018-20:
- in October 2018, the Administrators published their Proposals, detailing how they planned to handle the administration. Creditors voted to approve these Proposals.
- progress report to end February 2019;
- Witness Statement in April 2019;
- progress report to end August 2019.
An online claim page was set up in April 2019 for Wonga customers to submit claims for refunds. The deadline for sending in a claim was 30 September 2019.
The Administrators assessed all claims using an automated tool. This took account of:
- all loans, including those over 6 years old
- how large a loan was compared to a customer’s income;
- how often someone borrowed without significant gaps;
- whether there were indications of hardship such as missed payments;
- if there is a balance outstanding for the right of set-off.
Where it decided one or more loans were unaffordable, it calculated how much interest should be refunded and added statutory interest at 8%.
In August 2019 the Administrators starting sending emails to people saying whether their claims have been successful or rejected.
In September, the Administrators sent an update on progress up to end August 2019. Key points include:
- at end August, 389,621 claims for unaffordable payday lending have been accepted by the administrators;
- the total value of these claims is c £460million – an average of c £1,200 a claim.
- £23m of outstanding loans have been collected. The Administrators say that outstanding loans are being taken into account and given the right of set-off where the customer has a claim for unaffordable loans.
- The remaining loan book will not be sold to a debt collector.
At this point the Administrators were saying that payments would be made by 30 January 2020.
In October, many people with a balance still owed to Wonga received an offer to settle the debt for 25% of its value. This included some people who had made a Claim and had that upheld – the administrators withdrew these offers as they didn’t take account of the refunds owed.
29 January 2020 – administrators announce 4.3p in the pound
On 29 January 2020, the Wonga administrators announced that they will be paying 4.3p in the pound to unsecured creditors. This includes all the 400,000 people who are owed a refund for unaffordable lending.
The administrators have now given the final numbers:
- they assessed 401,202 claims as being valid;
- of these 358,129 are being paid 4.3% of their assessed compensation value;
- the remaining 43,073 also owed a balance on a loan to wonga, so their compensation has been used to clear or reduce that balance.
What happens next:
- the money should be paid within the next 4 weeks. This has come as a surprise as people had been told it would be paid by the end of January;
- loans that are being refunded should be removed from your credit record in the next 6 weeks.
My comment – ripped off by Wonga and now let down by the regulators
The administrators told people they would get “significantly less” than that amount as there would not be enough money to pay the claims in full.
But many people will have been hoping for more than 4.3% and are very upset.
It is not the administrators’ fault there is so little money to be divided between so many people. It is the fault of the regulators – first the OFT and then the FCA – that they allowed Wonga to break the rules saying that affordability should be checked
And now the regulators have failed to ensure that these Wonga victims get the compensation they should have. When a PPI firm went under, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme stepped in and people with PPI claims got paid in full. But the FCA has not extended the FSCS to cover payday lenders.
This isn’t just a problem for the hundreds of thousands of Wonga victims. Borrowers from many payday lenders have been unable to get proper compensation after the lender has had to close. This will apply to QuickQuid, the money shop, Payday UK and Payday Express borrowers as well.
The FCA needs to rethink this and provide a safety net for people who were mis-sold unaffordable loans.
Readers comments – Shock and disappointment
This a brief overview of the hundreds of comments below this article.
Some people are happy to be getting anything:
- “I am only getting just shy of £25 but for the sake of completing a 30 second form it’s not too bad.”
- “I will be getting £79.93 of the £1854.17 I was owed. Better than nothing!”
- “£35 out of a possible £800. I wasn’t expecting much anyway. I’m more interested in having the 25 wonga loans removed from my credit file.”
The administrators had said people would get “significantly less” than the claim, but many people were hoping for at least 10%:
- “I got mine £88.67 – claim was £2057.05 – I was expecting at least a couple hundred.”
- “Claim was 3034, getting 130. By considerably less I didn’t think it would be over 95% of it. That is ridiculous.”
- “To receive £44.10 from a claim of £1023.00 is insulting to be honest.”
- “Owed £1499, getting £63…what an absolute joke!”
- “4.3% is an absolute disgrace. Although people are trying to be positive they shouldn’t have to. The people who made all the profit here would spend the biggest payout anyone has received on an evening out and not think twice about it.”
- “Gutted…. was hoping for at least the 10% speculated.”
This reader blamed not just Wonga but the regulators:
- “Over £11k accepted reduced down to £480 – my job, my marriage and 4 years of desperation followed by years of rebuilding my life – that’s what the regulators consider that to be worth! Shame on everyone involved in Wonga and the lack of regulation of lenders like them !”
Some are just delighted that Wonga has gone under:
- “Heads up everyone…We have won in the end! They can no longer be a hindrance to any of us any more!”
- “Mines going to charity. Best thing to have happened is for them to have gone bust”
- ”Thank you Wonga you paid me to continue gambling, I lost everything. Good riddance.”
Many people are also disappointed and shocked that they aren’t being paid by the end of January. Some people getting these refunds are still in difficult financial circumstances and had planned to use the money to pay a bill or some debts.
February 2020 – some clarifications from the administrators
The remaining loans
The administrators have confirmed that no further payments are being accepted and the debts will not be sold to a debt collector. So you don’t have to worry about being taken to court or bailiffs.
But the debts are not technically being written off. They will remain on your credit record for 6 years from the default date on your credit record. If you don’t know what this date is, I suggest you check it now.
In practice, now the company in liquidation, if you contact a credit reference agency and say your Wonga debt is incorrect, you can ask the credit reference agency to “suppress” the record as Wonga can no longer say what the right entry should be. See How to correct credit records if the lender has gone under for details.
No deductions are being made for tax
The Administrators have said:
“the Joint Administrators have agreed with HMRC that the payment may be treated for tax purposes as set wholly against the interest and fees element first, and statutory interest second. As a result, where the distribution paid by the administrators to each customer does not exceed the interest and fees claimed by them, no withholding tax will be required to be deducted at source from payments made by the administrators in such cases.”
The simple version of this is:
- the administrators are not taking off any tax.
- there will, therefore, be no tax to have to reclaim.
- the vast majority of people will not have to pay any tax on any part of of the refund even if you are a higher rate taxpayer. The amounts don’t have to be declared if you complete an annual tax return eg if you are self-employed.
A small number of extra payments
A small number of customers were owed money by Wonga for a different reason, for example they may have overpaid on a loan. These extra amounts are also being paid out and you will get 4.3% of them too.
If you were not using a claims company, you should have received a single email at the end of January which mentions both amounts.
If you were using a claims company you should have received two emails, each about one of the amounts. If you have only received one email and it mentions a claim which is smaller than the amount you expected, you can contact the administrators, it may be this is the “extra” payment.
Bank account issues
I asked the Administrators why some people are still getting emails asking them to update their bank details. They say:
These emails will be in response to customers’ requests received by the Customer Care team prior to 29 January 2020 providing a secure method by which customers can update their bank account details. Customers should respond to these emails.
I asked the Administrators what will happen if they make a payment and it bounces back to them because the account is no longer open. They say:
Where updated information is available from customers we will attempt to reprocess bounced dividend payments via electronic transfer. Alternatively, we will issue a cheque to the address held on file.
A blogger contacted the Administrators on the 14th February to ask why she hadn’t been paid and was told:
“I can confirm that the joint administrators have commenced distribution of dividend payments to unsecured creditors, including those with redress claims. Given the volume of transactions that need to now take place, the administrators cannot guarantee an exact date when individuals will receive payment but are aiming to complete transactions within the next two weeks.”
February and March – payments started but with problems
I was told by the Administrators on Friday 28th February that 90%+ of payments have been made and they expect to make the rest of payments over the next two weeks by BACS. About 22,000 the following week, about 13,000 the week after. It looks as though the 22,000 group got their money. It’s not clear to me how many of the 13,000 group have.
Many people in the comments below this article were reporting probems. These included people whose bank accounts had never changes. Problems included:
- confusion over whether a claims company has been paid or they will be;
- Wongasaid payment was sent to a claims firm that hadn’t been used;
- Wonga said a cheque was sent to a house you no longer live it;
- Wonga said a payment has been made to your bank account but it hasn’t arrived ;
- Wonga has said a payment was sent to an old bank account despite new bank account details having been given and co0nfirmed as having been received.
On 2 March the Administrators said the payment process was taking longer than expected and payments would continue to about 40,000 people over the next 2 weeks:
The Joint Administrators have now attempted to make dividend payments to over 410,000 creditors… In addition to the payments that were not made we have had approximately 40,000 payments returned to us due to incorrect customer bank details recorded on file with Wonga. We will now begin contacting these customers whose payments were returned, by email, to obtain correct and up-to-date bank account details.
The dividend payment process is taking longer than anticipated and payments will continue to be paid during the next two weeks.
On 19 March the Admistrator’s announced:
The Joint Administrators have now attempted to make dividend payments to over 443,000 creditors representing 98% of the creditor population. This includes payments to creditors whose payments were briefly held back from the initial payment phase whilst additional validation checks were completed to new bank account and/or address details that were provided. The Joint Administrators now continue to focus on the remaining small population of unpaid dividends in order to complete the payment process.
From here on progress was very slow, impeded by lockdown.
End August 2020 – administration ends – do you still have a problem?
Have you not been paid?
The Administrators final report blames the payment problems of Wonga’s poor systems and on creditors who did not update their bank details when requested to. But as many comments below detail, people who had never changed their bank account or who had updated their bank details several times and had each confirmed also experienced prolonged delays.
At 28 Auguest when the administration ended, there were still c 49,000 payments with a total value of £632,000 that had not been made – an average about of £13 per payment. About 70% of these were for amounts owed before the administration, so not affordability complaints.
The Administrators have passed the £632,000 to the Insolvency Service. If any creditors want to claim an unpaid amount, they should email CustomerServicesEAS@Insolvency.gov.uk.
A problem with your credit record
If there is a problem with your credit record then you now need to contact the Credit Reference Agency where the problem is showing – Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. Say you can no longer get an answer from the administrators as the firm has been dissolved so you would like the CRA to “suppress” the credit records (list them) as they are inaccurate.
This problem could have been an error by the administrators, who failed to delete the record. It could be an error by Wonga before the administration: the loan date or balance or default date is wrong – you want the default date to be as early as possible so it drops off sooner – or Wonga may have failed to add a default date.
If the CRA refuses, send the CRA a formal complaint and this can be sent to the Financial Ombudsman. In practice people are getting these sorted with the CRAs without having to go to the ombudsman.
Refunds from large loans & car finance
Is your credit card limit too high?
Gilly says
Edit to my previous post: Please ignore my reference to a Freedom of Information request, FOI requests can only be made to public authorities not private companies like GT.
Gary says
I’m in the same boat – they finally acknowledged they made an error in attempting payment to my old, closed account and said the new details were passed to the relevant team to process payment. This was on the 6th of May and I’ve chased it every week since. The last correspondence I had was on the 6th of June stating they were waiting for the original payment to be recalled and have ignored me since. It’s very frustrating to not even get so much as a reply.
Gilly says
Try a subject access request Gary. By law they have to respond within one calendar month. I’ve directed mine to the CEO because he should be aware of the firm’s obligations in relation to SARs. If I don’t get a satisfactory response within a calendar month, I’ll be referring it to the ICO. I’m completely fed up with the misleading information, the general nonsense and incompetence we have experienced from Grant Thornton and I’m not putting up with it anymore.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Good idea! Other people may like to try this too.
Gary says
I’ll give it a go, nothing to lose at this point. Thank you!
Chris Anderson says
That’s exactly were I’m at Gary, it never takes this long to recall a payment, no way!
Gilly says
You’re right Chris, it doesn’t. I had a fairly chaotic banking history when I was using Wonga (thankfully out of that now) but last Friday (19 June) I went in person to every bank where I ever held an account and every single one of them said a payment to a closed account would be bounced back to the payee within 48 hours. We’re being lied to by Grant Thornton. I really don’t need £73.25 anymore but I’m so angry that a company like Grant Thornton (and please use the full name so it gets picked up by their internal media searches) can be so incompetent at dealing with an administration like Wonga to the extent that financially vulnerable people are being cheated out of the redress they are owed.
Chris Anderson says
I’ll be doing this in the morning, there is no way I’m letting them get away with treating us like this, it may spear them on to pay us what we are entitled to, there is no way on Earth it takes this long to chase up money what’s supposedly been paid to a closed account (I fully believe the redress hasn’t been paid to my closed account at all) surely contacting the bank with the date, redress amount and who they are is enough to ensure there has been an error made to get the refund, I saw someone said on here that they (Grant Thornton) are in regular contact with the banks, what does that mean? Surely one phone call is enough, it’s glaringly obvious were the errors been made so why are we still here waiting for our redress? Something isn’t right here, I haven’t had no response to recent sent emails to Grant Thornton now when before they responded.
Chris Anderson says
This is the generic response my claims management company received this morning from Grant Thornton
We have received a response this morning from Grant Thornton, I quote:
In order to re-issue these payments we are required to recall these funds back from the bank, which has caused the delay in receiving Mr ———- payment.
Please be assured that we have taken the necessary steps in order to recall the funds from the bank, and once these are received we will be able to re-issue the payment. In addition, we are in regular contact with the bank to seek updates in relation to the recall. This process has unfortunately taken considerably longer than we had expected.
Please let us know if we can assist you with any further queries.
Grant Thornton have taken over from Wonga since 20/04/2020 there is no way it takes 9 weeks to recall payment, I still don’t know why they’ve had to recall payment when it’s been guaranteed Any bank that payment would have bounced back to them within 48hrs when it was “supposedly” paid to this closed account on 12/03/2020
Someone is lying here
Gilly says
Well I’ve received a response from Grant Thornton’s data protection department saying my data subject access request has been received and I will receive a full response within one calendar month. It’s crazy, it’ll probably cost them more to process my subject access request than it would to just pay the £73.25 they owe me. Definitely worth a try guys if you are being ignored by Grant Thornton or being told a load of nonsense.
Claire says
***I hope this may help some of you***
I was in the same boat as most of you, with wonga telling me they paid my red dress to an old account.
I chased and chased and till now recieved nothing but emails telling me I need to wait for the payment to bounce back…… so I did.
The other day I recieved a letter in the post from a company called Calbot financial and I remember that I had a payment plan set up with them years ago on the same closed HSBc account that wonga said they sent my money to.
This letter told me I had made an over payment of £392…. took a few minutes to click on and realise what had happend.
Calbot had bought my old account and my old outstanding loan debt from the hsbc years ago when I was in financial problems.
I guess when wonga paid my Redress it somehow was re directed to the last known owner Calbot.
Anyway after a phone conversation with Calbot I recieved the money back so its finally over.
So people please think hard on these old accounts, are you sure you had no outstanding debt or financial arrangements that have swallowed it up somehow.
If calbot did not contact me about the ” overpayment” I would of been none the wiser and still persude grant Thornton.
Hope this helps :)
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is weird… but I’m glad you have got your money!
Sarah says
That’s very odd.
In my case Wonga contacted me and gave me the account number the redress would be paid into (my bank account that hasn’t changed) they told me I didn’t need to do anything if it was correct (it was so I didn’t)
Didn’t get my redress so contacted them to find out why and they emailed me to say it had gone to a completely different bank account that was nothing to do with me. I told them this and I was asked to provide my correct bank account. I did this via their secure portal at the start of May and I am still waiting and we are nearly in July. They keep fobbing us off by saying they have to contact the bank it went to and get them to send the money back. Trouble is I don’t know whose bank account it is and if they have had my money and it’s gone and they can’t get it back what do I do? It’s not my fault. They had the right details for me and they messed it up. I don’t understand why they can’t just admit that. They would/ should have had a response From the bank by now. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long to fix.
Chris Anderson says
Exactly Sarah, it would never take this long to recall payment, Grant Thornton are telling us they are regularly keeping in touch with the bank, how many times does it take to find the missing money? It’s basic stuff, money paid into a wrong account (error on their part) Grant Thornton ring bank and explain circumstances, bank confirmed money got bounced back so why does it take this long? We are being lied to, my bank confirmed Wonga would have had the money back in middle of March, even if the money didn’t get bounced back (which I very highly doubt) it would be easy to find payment, Grant Thornton have all the relevant details so why do they need to regularly keep in touch with bank, they must think we are stupid, it’s just unbelievable really that we are being treat like this, this is our money what they have, it’s their fault we haven’t been paid, I’ve followed all the correct procedures through this situation (since June 2019) updating details when requested etc etc.
Iain123 says
Does anyone know the best email to see about getting Wonga transactions lifted from my credit file?
Thanks
Phil says
Hi, Have you had any luck with your above question as I am trying to find this information out also. thank you
Tracy says
I hope you’ve had the same as me, they only upheld 27 of the 33 I had however last month all 33 were wiped from my credit file. So glad to see the back of them
Dave L says
I had a email today from the IPA stating my complaint against Chris Laverty was not upheld as any mistakes made were isolated. It feels like a cover up to me. The whole administration came across as amateur unprofessional and incompetent. I have appealed their decision.
Jamie Peters says
I had that email this morning. I too will be appealing their decision. It seems a bit too convenient that they’re all siding with Grant Thornton and especially Chris Laverty. Even though I have received my redress payout, they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it. I have recently found out tgat Chris Laverty is the IP for QuickQuid. We’ll see how that one turns out.
Chris Anderson says
I’ve just had a lengthy discussion (again) but this time with a senior advisor at the bank I bank with, I fully explained all the circumstances to her she said that 99.9% of the time a payment attempted to be paid to a closed account would be bounced back within 48 hours, I’ve been told this many times by my bank and other banks, I also told her that Grant Thornton claim that they are in regular contact with the banks for updates etc etc, the advisor said that is false because one phone call would solve the problem, the advisor said the bank would need the date, the amount and who attempted to pay the money into a closed account, once that information was given they’d be able to find the money immediately (if it hadn’t bounced back to them that is) which she said is very very unlikely, so Grant Thornton are lying just like Wonga were, we are being fobbed off here.
Gilly says
Chris, make a subject access request to Grant Thornton asking for all the personal information they hold on you, including the sort code and account number where they say the payment was sent. By law they must respond within 1 calendar month. I used a template letter from the Information Commissioner’s Office. I sent my SAR request to the Chief Executive at Grant Thornton and the following day I had an email from one of their Data Protection officers acknowledging receipt and confirming I would receive the information within one calendar month, subject to any exclusions. This would give an appeal right to the ICO and they seem to be quite a robust organisation. It’s worth a try as I wasn’t getting anywhere with Grant Thornton until I made the SAR request. I’m sure Sara will guide you if you need more info on how to make the SAR request, but it is literally just one email.
Lynda lawson says
Hi I know I’ve missed everything with wonga but is there anyway to get the default removed from my credit file now? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
YES – see the bottom section of the article above.
Steve says
How can I go about getting adverse markers removed from credit file? They said would do this but haven’t.
CZ says
i raised disputes with equifax etc, attached all the evidence – they were removed by the next month
Claire says
Hi Sara
I am hoping you can help me.
I still have Wonga Loans on my Equifax credit report that should have been removed, so I contacted Grant Thornton and they advised they had be removed from Experian and Transunion but Equifax was delayed and I should contact them directly. I have now contacted Equifax several times stating that they were mis-sold loans and should be removed, attaching the Wonga email with all the loan numbers as well as highlighting them all on the Equifax report. I am having no luck at getting these removed as Equifax just keep replying with the same thing as below:
We understand your concern about your accounts from WDFC Uk Limited T/A Wonga.Com(I) and WDFC Uk Limited T/A Wonga.Com 2 (I) still showing on your credit report. We would like to inform you that your credit agreement information remains on your credit report for six years from the date that the account was settled or defaulted, whichever comes first.
Am I correct that these should be removed immediately as they were mis-sold and the 6 years does not apply? I am really not sure what to do next.
Thanks Claire
Derek says
I would also be interested to know this as I am in the same situation with the loans still showing on my Equifax report. Have emailed GT and they have responded with…
“Your loans have been placed on a spreadsheet which Equifax will use to review and amend. We can’t do anything more we are working as a middle man between yourself and Equifax so there may be a delay in dealing with this, it might be advised to contact Equifax directly”
Has anyone had success contacting Equifax directly???
Derek
Sean says
Hi, I emailed Grant Thornton who sent me the same response as Dereks above, and the same as Claire they have also said they had submitted a ‘spreadsheet’ to Equifax but were a aware there was a delay. I called Equifax but it was quite difficult to explain. I had very limited information as to what GT have given and the advisor didnt seem to know anything about it so I didnt get anywhere. I emailed GT again last week to ask if they could provide me any info on what they have sent etc with the hope I could then ask Equifax to look at. They have not replied to my two requests for info.
I did receive a confirmation from Wonga in Sept 19 about the accepted loans and that they would be removed from credit reports. My understanding was that any accepted claims should be removed but must be instructed from the data provider/loan company. From the very limited response from GT, they seem to just be saying its Equifax, but its not helping that they are not providing any help with the query. Its been hard to know how to query with Equifax. From Claires post, it seems submitting the customer service letter from Wonga detailing the loans were being removed hasnt worked. Seems they may be few people in the same position. Having managed to get on top on my finances this is the final thing to sort. Would be great to hear if anyone gets anywhere or if anyone has any advice that could help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you put in a complaint to Equifax saying your loans should be removed, see the customer service letter from Wonga listing the loans. The Wonga administrators say the details have been supplied to the CRAs and your loans have already been removed from TransUnion (if that is right?). So you now want the loans removed from Equifax.
then you send the complaint to the Finacial Ombudsman if this isn’t sorted in 8 weeks.
Claire says
Ok, so I have emailed Equifax yet again with a much more stern approach .. will let you know once I get a reply!
Harrison says
Does anyone know if my loans being removed from my credit file will have a positive impact on my credit history/ score? They are all still listed on my credit file, however they were all paid. Do I raise a dispute & get these removed or would that have a negative impact? Wonga accepted my claim for all loans (over 20)
Thanks
Chris Anderson says
It’s the 7th July and still nothing, they are not replying to us now, to not reply tells me there is something fishy going on here, my messages are very reasonable but no reply, Sara if Grant Thornton don’t reply and don’t pay us our money then what can we actually do? I’ve emailed all the above names and made a complaint to the insolvency gateway (no reply from them) I’ve done the same procedure as gilly too, what are our rights if we don’t get any joy from this now, this is 7 months now and we haven’t been paid still, what can we do from here? Thank you
Sarah says
Nothing here either. The last response I got was ‘we are waiting for the bank to get back to us’ how long does that take?!? It’s ridiculous
Gilly says
Chris, have you had a reply to your subject access request? I know I keep banging on about this but by law they must provide the information you request within 1 month. Once I get the sort code and account information where they say they made my alleged payment, I can get confirmation from whichever bank it is that it’s not an account in my name. After that I’ll start chasing Grant Thornton for the payment I never received. I think you and I are the only ones who haven’t been paid now! You’d think they’d pay up just to get shot of us :)
Chris Anderson says
Gilly I have done this yes, I’m now waiting on a response, Wonga did supply the details to me (were they supposedly paid the redress) back in April, this was provided to my CMC who then passed the info onto me, they have supposedly paid the redress into my old bank account which has been closed over 6 years, the strange thing is I’d changed my bank details when requested by Wonga and my CMC through the portal/email and verbally With Wonga in 2019, they knew my details had changed it was all verified, they then chose to pay my redress into the closed account and as far as they was concerned it was paid and that was that, when I rang my bank up they said the payment would have bounced back but they couldn’t give me any info on the old account because it’d been closed over 6 years, the advisor did confirm that payment would have bounced back guaranteed and that the money would be back with Wonga, Wonga attempted to pay me mid March so that was 16 weeks ago, GT state they are in regular contact with banks, I just don’t believe this to be true, they are lying to us, the senior advisor at my bank I spoke to a week or two ago said one call from GT would sort it, so what does regular contact with bank mean what GT are stating ? We are being lied too.
Amy says
Does anybody know if I defaulted on one of the loans that was accepted for redress should the default be removed from my credit report? It’s still showing on Equifax as a default and I was under the impression it would be removed.
Chris Anderson says
Latest
I have just been paid my redress into the correct account, I messaged my CMC and GT this morning explaining I’d been into my bank and told them what the advisor said (as above) and within 2 hours it’s been paid in, it maybe worth contacting GT Sarah and Gilly to explain what the advisor said (it could be sorted with one phone call) hope you both get sorted today.
Chris
Gilly says
Chris, that’s great! Really pleased for you! Sarah and I seem to be the only two left having to deal with the incompetence of Grant Thornton.
Amy says
Anybody? Lol
Julie says
I’m still waiting iv had the same messages too. If there are so few of us I dont know how it can take so long. Surely being there mistake the company should take ownership and pay us out.
Gilly says
I agree Julie, Grant Thornton won’t even provide me with the sort code and account number where they allege the payment was made in February, only the last four digits of the account. I have no record of an account ending in those numbers so can’t identify which bank it was to get confirmation from the bank that it’s not my account. I’ve had to make a subject access request to get the bank account details and I’m still waiting for that. Although they told me it was paid in February, someone else in Grant Thornton told me on 01 May it was showing on her screen as unpaid and it would be paid in 2-3 weeks which just isn’t consistent with them telling me in June that it had been paid in February to an account they won’t disclose to me. I’m not whether Grant Thornton are a bunch of liars, thoroughly incompetent, or both. I had to make a complaint about one of the Grant Thornton staff for an unprofessional email she sent, referring to me ‘slating’ her in this forum, no follow up received on that. Either way, there will be a complaint from me to the Insolvency Gateway, once I know how this is going to end. It’s just been disgraceful.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
send that complaint to the Insolvency Service Gateway now!
Sarah says
I’ve sent one this morning. I also fired off another email to them to ask where on earth my money is. It cannot take over 8 weeks to get a response from a bank about payment.
It should be really straight forward. I don’t understand how it could have gotten so messed up for me. Wonga had my correct bank account details and told me payment would go into the correct account. That should have been the end of it. Instead they pay it into some random bank account and then can’t give me an explanation as to where it has gone. How is any of that my fault? Why am I the one chasing and making complaints just to get what I am owed. It is so frustrating and ridiculous now. Like has been said before, there can’t be many of us left so why is it taking so long to sort out.
Chris Anderson says
Sarah when I asked the senior advisor at my bank she told me that it would and could be sorted with one phone call (confusion with a closed account) she told me all what would be needed (Obviously after a security check with Grant Thornton) proof of payment (Amount) , account and sort code it was supposedly paid in to, who paid it in and on what date, she said once that had all been verified in one telephone call it could be found (The supposed redress payment) and sorted instantly so there is no way it takes this long, 99.9% of cases were payment is attempted to be paid to a closed account it is bounced back within 48hrs, apparently that’s the procedure with all banks, this has come from a senior advisor at the bank I bank with, why would she lie? I think we know were the incompetence had come from here, hope you get sorted soon Sarah and Gilly
Chris
John D says
hi can anyone please help me? Still know redress and every email ignored over last 2 months? Who can I contact ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have you sent a complaint to the Insolvency Service Gateway? Details in the article above.
Jamie Peters says
I Wouldn’t bother with the ISG as they seem to favour Grant Thornton and Chris Laverty despite their incompetence. I am appealing their decision as they don’t care about the people that Wonga and Grant Thornton who have ripped off with the measly payouts.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the ISG is the only realistic option unfortunately
Amy says
Does anybody know if I defaulted on one of the loans that was accepted for redress should the default be removed from my credit report? It’s still showing on Equifax as a default and I was under the impression it would be removed.
Pc says
If it was accepted it should have been removed, I’m having issues with non defaulted, just paid records with equifax nothing has been removed where as all other reports removed them in March!. Check out Sam’s post further down. Could be an ombudsman complaint if equifax wont sort it
ian kirwan says
Well after sending email after email after email after email I finally got a reply from gt:
Good afternoon Ian
Thank you for your patience.
I have looked into your claim and while you had an assessment which upheld loan(s) as unaffordable, your claim in the administration is nil for one of the following reasons:
(1) Your open loan value was equal to or higher than your accepted claim value
(2) Your claim value was nil due to write-offs that benefitted yourself
(3) You did not pay any interest and fees for the loan(s) that were upheld as unaffordable
Due to this, you are not due any refund.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Now I have no idea how they figured I am not due anything as my claim for £633 was upheld and then the amount should have been around 28 quid, not a lot of money I know but its a lot to me, i have replied asking for an explanation on exactly why I am not due anything but looks like I’m out of luck
Sarah says
Had this land in my inbox this morning
Thank you for your e-mail.
Please accept our apologies in the delay in your payment. It is my understanding that we are in regular contact with the banks to get this money recalled so we can then process it into your correct bank account, however, I’m afraid I’m not sure where we are at in the process after that so I will chase this for you today and as soon as I receive an update, I will let you know.
Thank you for your patience and apologies again, we are doing our best to get your payment to you as quickly as we can.
How can they not be sure where they are with it? It’s been nearly 9 weeks 🙈
I give up, I really do!
Sam says
Update on removal of adverse information from my Equifax credit report. I have spoken to Equifax at length today. They said they have not received information from Wonga or Grant Thornton about removing the loans. I told them others had been told that the details of customers had been sent in bulk but Equifax said any changes would have been made monthly. They have said that they will send a dispute to the company despite me saying Wonga not longer exist. Not sure where to go now!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you reply that if the loans are not removed within a month you will sending a complaint about Equifax to the Financial Ombudsman.
Sam says
Thanks Sara. I have raised a complaint and will now wait for contact from the complaints team and make this clear to them.
PC says
I didn’t know I could return to the ombudsman about such an issue! I’ve been waiting since March and all my equifax cases were closed and nothing happened!
I have emailed in to equifax myself, no doubt it will go to the ombudsman.
Thanks Sarah!
Thanks for raising the query Sam!
Gilly says
I have today chased up my subject access request to the Grant Thornton, sending my email to David Dunckley (CEO), Jonathan Riley (Quality) and the Data Protection Officer:
‘I write to remind you that the information I have requested must, by law, be provided by next Friday 24 July 2020. Please be aware that if it is not, I shall immediately refer the matter to the ICO with no further notice to yourselves.
‘It is utterly ludicrous that I have had to make a SAR to obtain details of a bank account allegedly in my name where money I am owed has allegedly been paid. I reiterate: I have not received the redress payment owed to me.
‘I can also confirm that I have now made a lengthy and detailed complaint to the Insolvency Service, alleging incompetence, dishonesty and negligence against the three IPs and those working for them in the Wonga administration’.
Thanks Sara for your information on making a complaint through the insolvency gateway.
Ian kirwan says
Well finally got another response from gt, they have looked into my account again and have admitted they do actually owe me the money after insisting they didn’t 🤣 its only 27 quid but that will help a lot with everything going on in the world atm, fingers crossed they sort it soon! Im so glad I didn’t give up, all thanks to you!
Gilly says
Got a response to my Subject Access Request from Grant Thornton today. They paid my redress payment to someone with the same name as me, completely unrelated and unknown to me. Which is inexcusable really as I have a relatively unusual name. They have also disclosed to me this person’s name, address, email, date of birth and bank account details. That’s a massive data breach. Perhaps I may now get the £73.24 owed to me.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
oh boy…
Gilly says
And it seems David Dunckley (CEO) and Jonathan Riley (Quality) at Grant Thornton have now blocked my email address as my email to them today, informing them of their error and the data breach, has bounced back as undelivered. So now it seems I just have to wait for a response to my complaint via the Insolvency Service, which I’m told has been passed to the IPA.
Sarah says
How do you do this subject access thing. I’ve still not heard anything from GT. this is nearly 11 weeks now ☹️
Gilly says
Sarah, I just used the template letter on the Information Commissioner’s Office website:
By law they must respond within 1 month. I asked for all the personal information they held on me in relation to the Wonga administration and the payment they alleged was made to me in the period 13-22 Feb 2020.
Btw, it seems I may not be blocked by DD and JR at Grant Thornton, their emails just didn’t like their own attachments….
Doug says
I think we all need to be clear about the credit file element of this with; re: Equifax etc, having tried to raise a complaint I hit a wall, put simply when they refer it to Wonga it is NOT the case that if there is no reply From Womga it is removed – as suggested several times on here. It simply stays until they hear from the company which they claim they have not, so it goes nowhere. Equifax say no file has been sent to them by Wonga, or anyone else, effectively saying go away.
Gilly says
Finally received my redress payment yesterday and an apology!
Thanks Sara for this forum, it’s been a great support.
Sarah says
Nice one, still nothing here.
I have just sent the SAR to GT. Thanks Gilly for the information.
Nearly 10 weeks now since they supposedly asked the bank for information. I am beyond annoyed that I am having to waste my time with this. I feel like giving up, wondering if it is worth it? Maybe I should just accept they are incompetent and forget about it?
Then it irritates me again and I can’t let it go. I just want my money. Surely it isn’t that difficult to find out where it went! Let’s see what happens
Gilly says
Don’t give up Sarah, they owe you that money, why should they get to keep it as a reward for their incompetence? Making the SAR was the best thing I could have done. I have asked them to compensate me for the stress and inconvenience caused by their incompetence, and also an update on the complaint I made against one of their employees who sent me a very unprofessional email about me ‘slating’ her on this forum. Apparently I should have a response next week.
Keep posting Sarah, and if I can do anything to help, I will.
Dan says
Still not had my money. They asked for my bank details in may !!! Giving up hope now. It’s not even the money just the principle these loans nearly made me lose everything
Gilly says
Don’t give up Dan, Grant Thornton’s handling of my redress claim has shown them to be completely incompetent in the Wonga administration. I hope the three IPs: Christine Laverty, Daniel Smith and Andrew Charters get disciplinary action as a result. Dan, make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to Grant Thornton and also a complaint through the Insolvency Gateway (ISG) too. The SAR might give you some useful information, as it did with me. The more of us who complain through the ISG the less plausible any finding of an ‘isolated incident’ becomes. My complaint has been referred on to the IPA, I should get an acknowledgement in 10 days.
Sarah says
Ok, it seems the SAR has done the trick. I know where my money went to. Part error on my part, part on the Wonga administrators. I don’t think I can say much more as the email says it is meant to be confidential. Long story short is they are re issuing my money and it should be with me next week. Will see if it happens! Thank you Gilly for the advice. Seems to have got things moving! If you are still waiting, keep pushing them!
Sarah xx
Gilly says
That’s fantastic, really thrilled for you Sarah!
Ian kirwan says
Well after many months of messing about and about 3 different instances of them insisting I was not owed anything at all I got an email this morning after sending my details:
Thanks so much for sending those across – I can confirm receipt. I will get you set up on this week’s payment run which should hopefully appear in your bank next week.
Thank you for your patience and I hope you have a great week.
Kind regards
Harriet
Assistant Manager
Grant Thornton UK LLP
So finally a bit of light at the end of the tunnel! Thank you for everything you have done for all of us Sara, I cant express my gratitude enough!
Chris Anderson says
It’s great that everyone now seems to be getting sorted (about time too!) it’s been a long slog and let’s hope lessons aren’t learned from this administration.
Thank you everyone
Chris
Tina says
As a straw poll: has anyone managed to successfully get their loans removed from their credit record? I have tried everything and I’m at the point of giving up (I’ve raised it with each credit file company. Wonga, as they don’t exist can’t confirm it’s true to the credit reference firms. I’ve raised it with the GT who say there is nothing less to do on their part. I feel like this is far more valuable to everyone than the payout, long term, and we’re all in the same boat but not moving – they have effectively lied in stating we’d have these loans removed and we’re all stuck. They have not been removed from files.
Sam says
I am only waiting on Equifax. I have raised a complaint with them which they are yet to respond to and sent over all the correspondence confirming what loans should be removed. GT have told me the same about information being sent to them in January and the delay being on the part of Equifax. Very frustrating as having the loans removed is definitely the most important aspect!
Di8 says
Can anyone advise how I view and access on my credit report where I can see if the old loans still remain. I have no idea how to do this.
I completely agree, the loans are more of a pressing matter than the payout!
Would anyone be willing to help out to put a petition out there of nothing comes to fruition with the loan removals?
Di
Steven Burkett says
Hi, I was under the assumption my loans had been removed the end of last year, they had not. I was made aware of the data still being on my file on the 18 July as I am with Experian, not Equifax.
I have been arguing with Equifax for over a month, unfortunately complaints are being dealt with in the Philippines, which is where the call centres are. I have threatened Equifax with Breach of the General Data Protection Regulation, also stating I would realise my complaint with the ICO and potentially take them to court over the adverse information on my credit file. Equifax had no response from Wonga, so that stated that these files will be temporarily removed from my file.
My complaints have now been forwarded on to their UK complaints department as I have a similar problem with data from three other payday lenders.
I informed Grant and Thornton, whio said that its not out of tyheir hands, that this amounts to ‘Breach of Contract’.
Jack says
You could try Credit Karma or Clesr Score?
Di8 says
Thanks Jack. Just logged into Clearscore now. Where do I find the entries for past loans from many years ago? Apologies If this is simple! 😂
Ian kirwan says
Well after a long and annoying journey gt finally paid my redress, was supposed to be £625 so I ended up with £27, not a lot but its better than nothing! I am so glad this saga is finally over. Thank you Sara for everything you have done for all of us, dont think any of us would have seen anything if it wasn’t for you! Signing off for the last time!
Sarah says
That’s great!
Sadly, despite the promise of it being here this week, it still hasn’t dropped into my account. Will give it until Monday and then I will emailing them again. Sick and tired of this now!
Gilly says
That’s great news Ian! Sarah, keep trying.
I’ve had my decision letter back from the Insolvency Practitioners Association. No surprise that it was not upheld, because of that old chestnut several of us have heard before – it was an ‘isolated incident’.
The letter is badly written, factually incorrect and says that because GT have taken action to put things right then everything is hunky dory. Completely ignoring the fact that I was complaining about the conduct BEFORE it was put right and not their subsequent actions.
I will be appealing, but the IPA seems to lack any independence and will presumably look after the interests of their members. I have no faith my appeal will be taken seriously.
PC says
I just wanted to say to anyone having issues with their credit report not updating I had communication today that this will be done in the next few days, mine has actually been done today!
Equifax was driving me mad, so I had to threaten them with referring to the ombudsman, but at the same time Grant Thornton announced this on an email to me.
Deffo worth having a refresh of your report and a chase if not!
Stay positive! Hope this helps!
Jade says
Honestly, they said I was owed back £300 but I’m only getting £15 and yet someone I’m still waiting for it? We should be compensated for the time it’s taken to get us paid.
I’ve had my whole amount offered from lending stream back in return and that was close to £3000. I don’t understand the logic. Luckily I’m in a better place than I was when I got these loans.
Derek says
Hello. I raised a query with Equifax around a month ago and they have now removed all loans from my credit file as of today… hopefully everybody hears soon about theirs. This means I can finally get serious about a mortgage. Thanks Sara and everyone for their help on this thread.
Sarah Harper says
So, no payment from GT despite being told in my email it would be sent this week. Not going to lie I had got my hopes up that it would be done and over with. Never mind, the battle goes on!
I hadn’t thought about the loans on my credit score. To be fair I just thought, its a mess so I will ignore it. Until last month when I thought I would see what my score actually was. Logged into Clear Score today and there are 8 of the payday loans that will be removed from my credit file in the next 3 days. So that is a positive I guess.
Back to fighting for my payment next week again! *sigh* When it lands I think I will buy myself some new running trainers for all the running around I have had to do to get the payment.
Claire W says
Hi there I had a claim for Wonga refund my claim was for nearly 6 thousand i was told i would recieve a check for £250 quid .ive emailed all the three people who suppose to be dealing with the payouts and get no reply back .august and still not received my check.so today I’ve got in touch with uk gov solvency offices has I want my money what I am owed .
Ruby says
Still no payment for me but credit report is showing the removal of all wonga loans for the next report! I had no contact with them regarding this. Was waiting until/if i got payment (which i was told should of been last week) but thankfully they have been removed. Thanks sara
Jim says
Great news this week, all Wonga loans off my Equifax report, I’ll assume they drop off clearscore in a month as it’s based on Equifax. Brilliant, I did nothing and it came through, good luck everyone.
Sarah says
Emailed them again. No response so far. No payment still despite being promised it would be paid last week. Getting ridiculous now
Sarah says
Didn’t get a response to my email but my redress has now gone in 🎉🎉🎉 Thank you everyone for your support. If you’re still fighting, keep going xxxx
Gilly says
That’s brilliant Sarah, really pleased for you. Definitely keep fighting!
Di8 says
Having no luck with loan removals on my report. Getting nowhere with Equifax. In fact they closed my case as resolved telling me the following…
Thanks for getting in touch about the information on your credit report.
The information on your credit report includes any accounts you may have had over the past six years. This includes accounts from companies who may no longer be trading.
WDFC UK Limited (trading as Wonga) entered into administration on 31 August 2018 and ceased all
collection activity on 20th December 2019. Equifax’s view is that this data should remain on your credit report as it is historical information which should be taken into consideration during future credit applications.
It’s important that any company you apply for credit with is able to view your complete credit history. This enables them to make a responsible lending decision.
Any idea where I can go from here? They just seem to keep shutting this down.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
did you put in a formal complaint to Equifax?
did they say you had the right to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman as they had rejected it?
Di8 says
Yep. Full complaint. They sent a couple of generic messages back and forth then marked the case as resolved with that final outcome. Baffled!
No further options given! Just closed the case. I am seeing others have a more positive outcome? I have responded again to the case feed demanding to proceed with the case and I shall link the administration team with this response, but I do seem to be getting nowhere 🙄
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, so go back and ask if that is their Final Response as you will be taking it to the Finacial Ombudsman.
Di8 says
Done! 😊 I’ll comment back if no joy Sara, thank you.
Has anyone else has a similar reply from Equifax?
Tim Harding says
The last communication I recieved was in October telling me I’d be paid into bank account ending xxxx in January – the bank details were correct and I forgot about it. It only occured to me today after my brother had news about quickquid, so I checked emails and I’ve had no further communication and obviously no payment. I’ve trawled through these comments but there’s quite a lot to get through so I thought I’d ask anyone’s advice about where I got from here. The Wonga website is no longer useful as I’m sure everyone here already knows.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
David Poulsen says
Hey guys,
After the threat of FOS and Social media action, as well as emails to every single GT email I could find.
Finally got some where and it turns out they made it to a claims company, who I must have had 1 call from. No emails. Nothing. Because I’d never heard of them.
Fast track law received the payment IN February on my behalf.
Having spoken to fast track law, I’ve been told and lied to that payment will be made when the finance manager is back, then it takes 3-5days for BACS payments as well, this was 2weeks ago!
Just emailed them a ultimatum for a Tuesday deadline. If it’s not in my bank its going to the FOS and social media?
Am I in the wrong?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If GT sent your payment to a claims company you never used, and it has taken them months to explain what happened, clearly they are in the wrong.
And so are the Claims company for not working out that you were not a customer of theirs.
Claire Worthington says
I made a claim with wonga.com they sent me my claim form of all the loans I had .my claim total was nearly six grand .out of that was told would only recieve 256 pounds. I phoned them to say my bank details have changed. they said not to worry they will send me a check out .still haven’t received my check now .I’ve made loads of complaints to wonga. com plus all the other email addresses what are showed on here and have not had no reply back or my check .
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you sent a complaint to the IPs and then to the Insolvency Service gateway as the article above suggests?
Jamie says
Just recieved final decision from the IPA’S. Surprise Surprise, they’ve gone in favour of Grant Thornton. Feel we’ve been shafted good and proper by Wonga and Grant Thornton. Don’t know if anyone else has had anything back from the IPA’S.
Gilly498 says
I didn’t even bother appealing my decision Jamie. It was badly written, didn’t make sense in parts and was so obviously biased in favour of Laverty et al that I decided not to waste any more time. I was told I was confused when actually my name was confused with another borrower and their personal details disclosed to me! The writer actually said that one of the points I complained about had been put right as a result of my complaint – surely that should have been upheld??? It was never going to be an independent decision because the practitioners we complain about are funding the IPA, so it was always going be decided in favour of Laverty et al. We all know they were incompetent though, and Chris Laverty, Daniel Smith and Andrew Charters should be ashamed of themselves.
K5728 says
Has anyone had any issues with updating credit report? Wonga agreed to remove all accepted closed loans from my credit report but they failed to do this. Applyinh for a mortgage and closed payday loans are not helping (i have about 70 from 2015-2019 with last one paid in Jan 19).been finally free from these for 12 months.
I emailed the Administrator today abd got an automated reaponse saying we cant help u now.
Any help would be appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See this relevant comment left yesterday: https://debtcamel.co.uk/500000-sunny-customers-tiny-refunds/comment-page-1/#comment-403473
I am not sure the term “unaffordable dispute” is a recognised one. But that suggests it is worth putting in a complaint to the CRAs where these Wonga loans are still reported. Be clear in your complaint that Wonga told you these loans would removed and attache the evidence (email probably) of this. But say this has not been done and now the administration has ended it is impossible to get an answer from the administrators about this so you want the CRA to delete these records.
let us know how this goes?
Ant-1 says
Let me know if you get accepted for mortgage as I’m in a similar position.
Ricky Revell says
Hi Sarah, if the administration have ended, dose this mean there will be no further redress payments?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you haven’t yet been paid there is now a different procedure – see the End August 2020 – administration ends section in the article above.
Paul says
I had an DRO taken out in April 2020 naming wonga debt for £299 this is still saying in default on my credit report I would like this to be removed
Sara (Debt Camel) says
yes, that should have been marked as “satisfied or partially satisfied” in April 2021. But now no-one exists to do this… so you can ask the credit reference agencies to “suppress” this record – see https://debtcamel.co.uk/correct-credit-records-lender-administration/
Paul says
Is there an active email address to contact regarding Wonga ?
I’ve had no contact from Wonga, Ombudsman or Grant Thornton regarding my complaint.
Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The company has been dissolved. What complaint was this?
Paul says
The complaint was submitted back in 2017. The complaint was sent to an Ombudsman specialist group as there were 2 email addresses connected to my Wonga account.
I’ve had no contact with anyone since.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You never made a claim to the administrators? Or got in touch with them?
Paul says
The Ombudsman passed the case to the administrators as it was with a specialist group.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
And you never contacted the administrators? Why not?
I have no idea what happened and now you may find it hard to find anything at all out. I suggest you email one of the administrators and ask Chris.M.Laverty@uk.gt.com