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ASA bans Wonga TV advert following Citizens Advice complaint

7 Hydref 2014

A Wonga TV advert has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority following a complaint from Citizens Advice.

The ASA has ruled that a payday loan advert from Wonga should not appear again in its current form.  Citizens Advice raised concerns that the advert did not show the Representative Annual Percentage Rate (RAPR) when it said "you can even pay back early and save money."   

This is one of five payday loan adverts that have since been banned after Citizens Advice reported seven ads to the ASA in March 2014. Adverts from Peachy, Loan Monarch, Spends4u and Pounds to Pocket were banned in July.

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“Payday loan adverts that break the rules should be taken off the air.  Adverts must be clear about what taking out a loan means and how much it will cost.  The consequences are really serious when payday lending goes wrong.  High interest rates and fees can mean that a small loan balloons into a huge debt.

“The ASA is right to take these steps to ban ads that are not up to scratch.  With five out of the seven adverts we reported to the ASA now banned, both the advertising and payday loan industries need to look at why so many adverts are not meeting the grade and change their ways.

“Anyone concerned about the content of a payday advert can report it to Citizens Advice or the ASA directly.”

Notes to editors

  1. This year the Citizens Advice service celebrates its 75th anniversary. We’ve planned a year of activity running from January to December 2014.  Contact the press office to find out more.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. To find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk. You can also get advice online at www.adviceguide.org.uk
  5. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers
  6. Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales advised 2.1 million clients on 6.6 million problems from April 2012 to March 2013. For full 2012/2013 service statistics see our quarterly publication