So within the past few months I had used a loan broker site in an attempt to get a loan. I don't know for sure which one so apologise on the unhelpful nature on this account. I was not accepted so thought nothing of it and moved along.

A bit later on I had a random debit for £29.50 from a site I hadn't recognised and again at the end of this month the same payment occurred.

I finally discovered who this was and it was a site called My Discount Codes, who offer a subscription service for some sort of discounts. Haven't a clue what they actually do since once I discovered this I demanded the account be closed and to be refunded for the money taken from me. They thought they were admirable in refunding me 25% of the funds and believe I signed up when seeking a loan - something I definitely would not have done and should surely require explicit permission - not signing up then hoping people lapse on the free trial they offer.

When trying to figure out who they were and in my dealings with them, I was able to access the Zendesk helpdesk and noticed that it redirects sometimes to 'Loans Direct' (and also 'Old Brands' from My Discount Codes. A quick search of this forum shows they are well known for this sort of thing if it is the same Loans Direct company.

Few questions;

What are the legalities of taking details to sign up for things like this when the details were used for a completely different purpose?

Who are the best bodies to address the issues I have here?

What is the best way for me to go about getting a refund? Will my bank still be able to do this 2months on?

They can't do it. You can complain to the FCA about this type of behaviour. The ICO deal with missuse of data issues,

Loans brokers are a con anyway. They charge fees on the basis of finding loans, but are then supposed to refund everything but a £5, if a loan is not set up within 6 months. You will see loads of complaints on this going back years.