Hi all

I've tried to sort a repayment plan with Wonga over a pdl she took out. We have run into money problems and can not meet the repayment of just under £550.33

I have sent them an email to their assessment email address and their customer care with an I+E attached from national debt line. Showing no spare cash but making a £30pm offer as we could pay some things late etc.

They have replied saying they "can not sort a payment arrangement by email and this can only be done by using their I+E online or by phone"

I've told them in the original email that this debt will not be discussed on the phone at all and all matters are to be discussed in writing.

Any advice.

Stick to your guns, ignore their attempts to get you to contact them via phone.

There is a budget sheet on here OR national debtline, you can either send them that, or just write to them telling them that you are in financial difficulty and as a gesture of goodwill you will maintain a payment of £1 or however much you can afford, per month, and as a reciprocal GOGW they are to stop interest and fees/charges for the time being until your financial situation improves.

Suggest that they are refusing to accept a genuine offer of repayment (which is against OFT guidelines) that the Common financial statement provided by NDL would be acceptable in court, so you fail to see why the PDL is refusing to accept it.

You could also remind them that they are also breaching OFT guidelines by insisting that you telephone them when your chosen communication method is email or letter. That you require your communication with the PDL to be in some form of written record in order to protect yourself should they choose to litigate !

Hi all.

I've been in email contact more since my last post.

I sent this in reply to their email I roughly typed above -

Dear customer care.

 

As explained in my email which had an income and expenditure attached. I will not discuss this over the phone due to reasons of privacy and proof of what is said.

I have made my offer and will not enter further into telephone conversation relating to this.

 

If your company will not assist me I will report this to the FCA as under your license you must help people in financial difficulty

 

Lastly. I have notified you I CAN NOT make the payment on the agreed date in ample time. Therefore any extra interest beyond what was the original loan amount will be disputed as will any charges.

 

Thanks for getting in touch.

If a debt management company is proposing a repayment schedule on your behalf, please ask them to send any correspondence to our specialist debt management team who’ll assess the proposal.

We need to understand details of your income plus a breakdown of your expenditure.

Your debt management company can email correspondence to [email protected] or post it to:

Wonga.com Hardship Team

Sheffield

S95 1AR

We’ll freeze interest and charges on your account for 38 days from the date of this email. We’ll also stop sending any collections related correspondence during this time. If we haven’t received an acceptable payment proposal from your debt management company in this time, our collections activity will restart and interest will begin to accrue on your balance. Up to 60 days of interest and charges may be applied after the agreed repayment date, but we hope to put a sensible and affordable repayment arrangement in place before that happens.

Best wishes,

Collections Team

I've sent -

Dear Wonga.

 

I am not using a debt management company. I am more than capable of dealing with this matter and know my rights.

 

I have sent you a detailed income and expenditure already with a £30 per month payment offer each month until the original amount is paid in full.

I will pay this by standing order so require your bank details and a reference number to ensure the payment is recognised.

 

Regards

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to us.

We’ve used the information you gave us to evaluate your circumstances.

We really do appreciate the customer’s current financial difficulties. However, we’ve reviewed their income and expenditure form and unfortunately the offer of repayment has been declined due to over spending on the items listed below :

1. Other (please outline what in particular)

2. House keeping costs

The common financial statement sets maximum amounts for spending on certain expenses. The figures in your form for the item(s) above exceed the maximum amount allowed.

The payment value you suggested is too low. To help get yourself out of debt in a reasonable timeframe, we urge you to reconsider this amount and get back to us with an improved offer.

We’re here to help, so please call us asap on 0844 842 9110, email [email protected] or write to:

Wonga.com Hardship Team

Sheffield

S95 1AR

We’re available between 9am-6pm, Monday-Friday, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

So I've sent -

Hi Wonga.

 

I have made my offer which is far in excess of what any court would demand.

My costs are what I spend. You have no right to dictate to me what we spend our income on. My partner is seriously ill thus we have a higher household spend on items to prevent dust and keep the home as sterile as possible.

 

As per my previous email. I will refer all our communication to the FCA should you continue to be obstructive. You can clearly see my income is less than my outgoings.

Your payments are not considered a priority debt !

 

£30 per month or £1 per month for life. You decide.

I have the written proof I have made a reasonable offer and that you are trying to push me into a repayment that is beyond my ability.

Can you edit your post to use quote tags instead of code please?

Also, they are NOT entitled to any of that info they ask for. Especially silly stuff like housekeeping costs and they want a detailed explanation of "other".

I also like this:

To help get yourself out of debt in a reasonable timeframe, we urge you to reconsider this amount and get back to us with an improved offer.

Sorry wonga, it is not up to you to decide what gets paid. The debtors financial circumstances dictate it.

Personally i would have a bit of fun. Tell them this:

Dear muppets, it is not your job or responsibility to decide to get me 'out of debt in a reasonable timeframe'. As you know, i can and will only pay you what my financial circumstances dictate i can afford, without neglecting my other debts.

 

However, i thank you for asking me to re-evaluate my offer to you, and after careful checking of my finances, it appears that my initial offer of repayment to you was too high. Therefore, my new and final offer of repayment is £xx per week/month. However, i am willing to re-evaluate my circumstances every 3-6 months in order to show cooperation.

 

Should you decline this, i will have no other option but to create a standing order to you for the amount, in order to force you to accept my repayments. This will happen with no further communication to you. As you know, you cannot refuse these payments and you will be in contravention of official guidance on debt collection should you persist in harassing me for money i cannot afford to give you. You will then be the subject of a formal complaint to the FCA and FOS regarding your conduct.

 

Therefore i request you accept my offer so repayments can begin immediately.

Play these idiots at their own game.

Can you edit your post to use quote tags instead of code please?

I can in bit. can't use advanced thingy on phone an not near laptop now.

Just had another reply to my last email -

Thanks for letting us know about your current financial position.

We can see you’re experiencing serious financial difficulties so we’ve placed your account on hold for 38 days and stopped all collection activities. This means we’ve frozen interest and charges, stopped trying to collect payment and we won’t send you any collections communications.

In light of your current circumstances, we suggest you contact these organisations if you feel you’ll benefit from free, independent money advice:

Once you’ve received independent advice from one of these organisations, please call us on 0800 107 8140 to discuss your options. If you don’t contact us within 38 days, collections activity will restart on your account.

We look forward to your call.

Best wishes,

Hardship Team

Now are these really really thick !! How many times do they have be told NOT DISCUSSING OVER THE PHONE.

I+E below. TV license should be 30 every quarter

Replied with ~

 

Dear Wonga,

 

 

We seem to be going around in circles here. I have already specified numerous times I WILL NOT be speaking to you on the phone, this is to protect myself and your selfs should you instigate litigation in the future as keeping communications in writing is absolute proof of what is agreed and said. I am sure you do not need reminding that you are in breach of the OFT guidelines in keep insisting that I phone you when I have already defined my desired contact method is in writing only.

 

 

I do not need to nor wish to seek advice, I have made my offer and am more than capable of dealing with my own finances.

 

However, I thank you for asking me to re-evaluate my offer to you, and after careful checking of my finances, it appears that my initial offer of repayment to you was too high. Therefore, my new and final offer of repayment is £20 per month. However, i am willing to re-evaluate my circumstances every 3-6 months in order to show cooperation.

 

Should you decline this, i will have no other option but to create a standing order to you for the amount, in order to force you to accept my repayments. This will happen with no further communication to you.

As you know, you cannot refuse these payments and you will be in contravention of official guidance on debt collection should you persist in harassing me for money i cannot afford to give you. You will then be the subject of a formal complaint to the FCA and fos regarding your conduct.

 

Therefore i request you accept my offer so repayments can begin immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On logging into the account it shows a message saying I have until 28th May 2014 to arrange a payment arrangement or they will add interest and charges.

I am sure they look at this forum and will know who I am from the emails, TBH I dont care. They will also deduce from working that out that I wont give in or go away and fold to their bullying. Take whats offered or get £1 for life, I dont mind either way.

I think its time you got a formal complaint in, so they cant keep threatening interest and charges as a form of blackmail. basically atm, what they are saying is " Do what we say and pay us what we say, or else we will add on more and more costs. " Sadly, this threat works with a lot of wongas customers, which is why its owner is a multi millionaire. He is profiting off other peoples misfortune.

I think its time you got a formal complaint in, so they cant keep threatening interest and charges as a form of blackmail. basically atm, what they are saying is " Do what we say and pay us what we say, or else we will add on more and more costs. " Sadly, this threat works with a lot of wongas customers, which is why its owner is a multi millionaire. He is profiting off other peoples misfortune.

Where do I direct this too ?

They can threaten all they want too. Not one to get scared by their threats.

Formal complaint goes direct to wonga. They have 56 days to rectify the complaint you have, then you can get the FOS involved. A copy also goes to the FCA.

I'd remind it of it's customer charter.

How many days was the term and what was the principal sum borrowed?

I'd remind it of it's customer charter.

 

How many days was the term and what was the principal sum borrowed?

I will have to check.

I know she was approved for upto 500 I think and took 200 then added extra over the month to make the final balance. So some of the loan was not for the full term so I'm insure how would work out term etc

You should have an agreement for each drawdown showing its effect on the previous. Wonga apparently suspend all interest and (recoverable) charges at day 60 so it would be interesting to see if the original term + the 38 day grace period extends you beyond the 60 days

I'll ask my partner to check the dates and the amounts

1st payout 24/3/14 - £100

2nd payout 26/03/14 -£150

3rd payout 7/4/13 - £190

Total - £440

Amount due today's due date - £550.33

IMO, because all the funds were taken within the month, then at the end of the contract ( when they call in the debt), then they should stop adding interest on the account. Otherwise they could get away with adding it on indefinitley.

Had another reply

Thanks for completing the income and expenditure form.

We’d like to discuss it in more detail so we can try to arrange a suitable repayment arrangement for you.

Alternatively, you can call us on 0800 107 8140 between 9am-6pm, Monday-Friday.

Best wishes,

Hardship Team

0800 107 8140

To which I've sent.

Wonga.

I have made my offer of what I can afford. This is no discussion to be done.

I have told you more than three times all communication is to be in writing or email only. Yet you persist In trying to get me to call you !

I am now going to raise a formal complaint which will be copied to the FCA to prove you are not following your customer charter or helping those in need.

Not going to look good for your license is it ?

I wouldn't jump down it's throat every time you get a response, the reply indicated it will discuss via email...... bear in mind these are template generated as the desk jockeys at Wonga probably don't have much say in the matter beyond following company procedures in line with the latest cfs.

To be frank, I don't have any time for payday loan companies and can see no place for them in a modern society but.......... you are asking it for assistance so if it means biting your tongue it makes sense to agree an affordable payment plan with no encumbrance of interest or arguable charges.

Ask it what the latest common financial statement figures are and why it disagrees with your interpretation of necessary spend per month given your families individual requirements.

Just posted a Formal Complaint after waiting for a sensible resolution by email, all they still keep sending is "please call us". Maybe they can not read ?

Shall have to wait and see, letter of formal complaint sent signed for to their Crawford Street Address.

Still no reply to the formal complaint as yet. Also no payment plan agreed. In fact heard nothing at all.

Log in and account still shows that charges and interest will be added if not resolved by 10th July. Which hasn't happened either.

How long do we have to give them to reply before FCA letter ?

As you have made a formal complaint, they have 8 weeks in which to respond - after which time you can escalate your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman (not the FCA)

As you have made a formal complaint, they have 8 weeks in which to respond - after which time you can escalate your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman (not the FCA)

Ah okay thank you. shall we send the FCA information anyway ?

Yes. They wont do anything for one case, but all complaints are collated, and the FCA is watching wonga very closely.