Scam loan companies

[Oakey]

My idiot girlfriend applied for a £2k loan (for a new car) with some dodgy company about a month ago. I told her quite clearly not to. I told her it's bks, they're a fking scam and if she wanted a loan take finance at a dealer. I fking warned her these companies don't actually give out loans they just rinse the mug applying for them. But no, she didn't listen, because she knows best of course and her car was dying and she had to get a replacement RIGHT NOW DAMNIT!.

She filled in the details and submitted them to this company, and then her grandfather (on hearing about this) kindly loaned her the required money. The company then actually sent the forms back because the dozy bh had forgotten to sign them in her haste. So she contacted them and told her she no longer required their services, ripped up the documents, binned them and, mistakenly, thought that was the end of it.

So you can imagine my (lack of) surprise this morning when she checks her bank account and sees they've taken £80 out of it.

Unsurpsingly the dodgy company are refusing to refund it, despite the fact at no point did she ever agree to such a payment or authorise them to take money from her account. Nor did they ever state they'd take a payment.

The bank simply do not want to know. The money actually hasn't gone out, it's 'earmarked' and can take up to 4 days but they won't / can't / refuse to stop it. Their answer is that she should contact Trading Standards.

I was somewhat confused by all this and when I pointed out to the bank manager that when I ran my own business, if a customer complained about a payment we had taken that they insisted they hadn't authorised the bank would immediately (no questions asked) reverse the payment leaving us to chase the customer through Small Claims. We had one bank (Barclays) actually close our business account from such claims from an entire three (out of hundreds) customers.

"Oh, it's all changed now" he tells me

I'm sorry, what? Changed? To favour fraudtsers? Is that what you're saying?

"yeah it used to be we'd just refund the customers money but it's not like that any more"

Oh really? Then maybe I should setup a fraudulent business if you clearly don't give a st.

Am I missing something here? Dodgy company solicits bank details from idiot, then uses said details to remove monies from said idiots bank account. This is still classed as fraud right? It's still 'obtaining money by deception'?

[Eric Mc]

Is there not a two week cooling off period for any such financial dealings?

Even if she HAD agreed to the loan and SIGNED the paperwork she could STILL cancel the whole deal within two weeks.

[Oakey]

I'm looking into it now. This payment is for the 'fee', the 'fee' which she insisted there wasn't when I said this is how she'd get screwed. She says she specifically asked if there was an admin fee and was told "no". She's adamant they never mentioned any sort of payment but I've told her why would they, they're fraudsters, they're not going to be fking honest, are they?

I'm fuming, simply because this could have been avoided if only she'd listened to me. Why don't people ever listen? It's like they think I make this st up.

"Oh, you think it's a scam do you? Well I'll prove you wrong!"

ETA: This is what she's been charged for, their 'premium service', this is what their T&Cs say;

Arsewipes said:

You have a cooling off in relation to Your Premium Service
order during which You have the right to cancel Your order.
The cooling off period ends on the expiry of the period of
seven working days beginning with the day after the day on
which You receive Your Premium Service pack. If you agree
for us to provide our Premium Service to you immediately
and you then exercise your right to cancel, we reserve the
right to make a charge for the service we have provided
up to your cancellation, This will vary dependent on the
amount of work we have done for you.

Their 'Premium Service' is supposed to come with a load of ste that she clearly doesn't need and she's clearly never received any of this nor their 'Premium Service Pack' so I'm not entirely sure how they're justifying the payment.

Edited by Oakey on Monday 13th February 17:46

[Magic919]

She's lucky you are so supportive.

[Oakey]

It's hard to be supportive of people when they constantly refuse to listen to a word you say because they believe they know better. I saw this coming, despite my advice she went steaming ahead anyway and now she's £80 out of pocket. This isn't the first time she's ignored my advice and paid for it. You'd think people would learn. Frankly I'm fed up of it.

[Eric Mc]

I hope you aren't ranting at her.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Was she working in a cocktail bar when you met her?

[Eric Mc]

Has she told him she doesn't want him (baby)?

[Steffan]

Eric Mc said:

Is there not a two week cooling off period for any such financial dealings?

Even if she HAD agreed to the loan and SIGNED the paperwork she could STILL cancel the whole deal within two weeks.

You need to make an effective complaint. The bank know this is illegal under the distance selling rules. They just ignore the law. Eric as right.

Write a formal letter of complaint to the individual you spoke to. Demand a full immediate refund. Send it by recorded delivered to the named individual at the named branch.

Go into the Bank.

Ask for the complaints officers name and address and the Area Directors name and address. Explain in detail why you want those details.

Write by recorded delivery to those two individuals. Demand a full immediate refund. Advise these individuals this is a formal complaint.

You will receive an immediate reaction and refund.

Conversations are no good here.

By invoking the formal complaints procedure the Bank have no choice but to deal with this properly.

If you have not got a refund in seven days write by recorded delivery to the FSA and copy the letter to the three individuals at the Bank. That will put the Cat amongst the Pigeons.

You will get the refund. Bureaucracy defeats Bureaucracy. Very effectively

In all of this you will need to send all letters using your partners details.

[Oakey]

No, just ranting on here!

ETA: It's not her day though, we were in town at lunch time and a seagull st on her head

Edited by Oakey on Monday 13th February 18:15

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Eric Mc said:

Has she told him she doesn't want him (baby)?

Wo wo wo

[Steffan]

Oakey said:

No, just ranting on here!

ETA: It's not her day though, we were in town at lunch time and a seagull st on her head

Edited by Oakey on Monday 13th February 18:15

That is supposed to be lucky. I believe.

[Oakey]

Steffan, just to make sure we're on the same page it's a third party that's taken the money (not the bank), does your advice still remain the same?

Steffan said:

That is supposed to be lucky. I believe.

That's what I told her!

[Steffan]

Oakey said:

Steffan, just to make sure we're on the same page it's a third party that's taken the money (not the bank), does your advice still remain the same?

Identical. The Bank are covered by the distance selling regulations. And they know it.

Follow the procedure. You will get the refund.

[zcacogp]

Oakey said:

ETA: It's not her day though, we were in town at lunch time and a seagull st on her head

London cabbies view this as a sign of being lucky.

Maybe things will change for her.


Oli.

ETA: Drat, too late!

[Oakey]

Yes, maybe buy that lottery ticket this week?

[Steffan]

Oakey said:

Yes, maybe buy that lottery ticket this week?

I would definitely make efforts to sooth her troubled waters. As I appreciate you are doing. These fraudsters are appalling in their greed. She ought to have been able to rely on their integrity. Not her fault.

I found from experience if five marriages that being a smart arse can be expensive and lonely.

Ho Hum.

[Oakey]

Steffan said:

Identical. The Bank are covered by the distance selling regulations. And they know it.

Follow the procedure. You will get the refund.

I don't get why the bank is so blasé about it all. Out of all the customers payments we used to process, the few who complained and argued they'd never authorised them always caused us endless hassle with our banks. We even went to huge lengths to ensure there could be no mistake. The standing orders would have 'STANDING ORDER' in massive, bold font across the length of them. The payments were explained in the very first paragraph of the T&C's, we would send a copy of the contract, standing order and T&C's two weeks before the payment was due out and then another reminder a week before the payment was coming out and we still had a handful of people trying to argue we were fraudulently taking money from their account.

And the bank would refund them, immediately. Even if we provided them with copies of the contracts, copies of all the notifications, etc they said we'd have to take it up with the customer.

Now it seems the opposite is true.

[Steffan]

Unfortunately we have given Banks Carte Blanche. A fundamental mistake

[Deva Link]

Oakey said:

It's hard to be supportive of people when they constantly refuse to listen to a word you say because they believe they know better. I saw this coming, despite my advice she went steaming ahead anyway and now she's £80 out of pocket. This isn't the first time she's ignored my advice and paid for it. You'd think people would learn. Frankly I'm fed up of it.

It's all very well you getting upset but a bit pointless if your gf doesn't give a toss. Will she be arsed to pursue a complaint?

TBH I'm amazed the bank manager would even talk to you (I assume it's not a joint account).