Payday loan customers urged to make a stand against ‘appalling practices’
Citizens Advice highlights how payday loan customers don’t have to put up with harassment from lenders and other forms of ‘appalling treatment’ as the charity urges people to make a stand by making a complaint.
Last year Citizens Advice ran a campaign urging people to fight back against payday lenders by complaining to the Financial Ombudsman. Today the Financial Ombudsman revealed the number of complaints about payday loans has more than doubled.
Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said:
“Borrowers can make a stand against payday lenders' appalling practices. Nobody should have to put up with lenders harassing them with phones calls and texts, or taking more money than is owed and we’ve been encouraging people to make official complaints about this sort of behaviour. As many as three in four of the problems reported to Citizens Advice about payday loans could have grounds for complaint to the financial ombudsman.
“Today the Financial Ombudsman has reported that the number of complaints has now doubled. But there are still a lot of people out there who could challenge lenders around their unfair treatment.
“When people are heavily in debt, often their main concern is sorting out their money problems. Questioning whether the behaviour of lenders is fair and just isn’t at the forefront of their minds but is it important customers do fight back.”
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Notes to editors:
The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .
The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk . You can also get advice online at adviceguide.org.uk
You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.3 million clients on 5.4 million problems from October 2013 to September 2014. For full 2013/2014 service statistics see our quarterly publication Advice trends
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 3,000 service outlets across England and Wales.