Indeed, which is the only way many people can get a loan these days...

Hi I had the same problem with a company called Loan and Finance last year. They told me over the phone that they had matched me with a lender that could give me a low interest loan, needing NO guarantor and no accounts. I paid the £59.99 there and then, even though it seemed too good to be true, I was desperate. They basically lied through their teeth and it soon became obvious that I was being ripped off and this wretched company could find me no such loan or lender. I then had a nightmare trying to get my money back. It was more a battle over principles rather than amounts. £60 is neither here nor there really in the grand scale of things, but the fact that these scumbags were lying to my face and and ripping me and untold numbers of other people off on a daily basis really grated. I tried to contact them by phone - no answer, same voice message saying they were all busy handling other clients, then put on hold for 5 minutes, then cut off. I wrote to them several times. Had just one reply which was a general letter saying that they will not refund my money. I wrote to them adding that I will be reporting them to the police and involving a solicitor and I would be pursuing them for not only the initial £59 fee but also £200 I had spent on writing unanswered letters to them, stationary and making unanswered phone calls. Still nothing. In the end I used the financial Ombudsman site online to pursue my complaint. Finally six months later I had a response from them saying they had been in touch with the loan sharks and they had agreed to reimburse me with most of my initial fee - £54.99 I think it was, quoting some legal reason why they kept £5. I had to sign a form accepting this and post it off again. I seriously contemplated turning the offer down and pursuing the bastards for the other costa and wasted time they had caused me. However, I did feel like I had fought for and won a victory, however slight it may be. The truth is this country is full of these ****** companies who take the money from people who are in desperate need of it and give nothing in return. I would advise you to get in touch with the financial ombudsman to get your money back, but be warned, it took me over 6 months to get mine back. May I strongly suggest anyone reading this to LEAVE WELL ALONE if a company tries to charge you an upfront fee for getting you a loan. If you need to borrow a small amount and know you are getting funds soon go for a PAYDAY loan - but ONLY if you know you are getting funds again and when! I found these good: (Apologies for not being able to post the exact link but the site here is telling me I must have posted at least 10 times to be able to attach links! WTF? And these rules are supposed to help WHO exactly?) Quidquick I don't have a great credit rating but still managed to get small loans from these. There are several sites too which give you info on longer term loans for people with less than perfect credit etc. Here's such an example: Inter - financial I found that after applying for a couple of payday loans I was soon receiving quite a few emails and text messages offering similar loans. A nuisance? Not really, once in a while you receive a loan offer that is already accepted, which is nice, rather than having to go through all the usual crap only to be turned down for some unknown reason. The key is NEVER PAY UPFRONT FOR ANY LOAN. I hope you get your money back. Financial Ombudsman. Crugee