I'm a little confused. The previous loans were completely settled, an agent turned up, gave you a new loan and took the first payment on the same day? I can't remember the exact wording offhand but there is line within the agreement that states that the first repayment will not be taken for at least 7 days after the loan has been issued. I can probably dig a blank agreement out and put up a scan if you want the exact T&C's.

Perfect. Just sit on it now, this is a standard last-ditch line that is taught in the training when they're up the proverbial creek without a paddle. SP

Hi Gia, Self employed agents have a mandate to lend up to a certain amount and, unfortunately, there is not a lot the company can do to stop them issuing so long as the loan is within the agents mandate. The company can do plenty about it AFTER the loan has been issued but this is a bad flaw in the way the agency agreement is worded. I'd be willing to bet that the agent hasn't even made the company aware of the situation! Whilst the normal way to do things would be to get in touch with the HO you'll get a faster resolution talking directly to the branch for reasons I'd rather not explain here. Write to his local office, addressing the letter to the area manager; the complaint will still reach the right people but going through the branch will expediate the process. State that you will take the matter to the FOS should you not receive a satisfactory resolution. From personal experience I think the debt will be written off fairly rapidly after that. Best SP

Thanks. much appreciated

Forgive my ignorance, I was under the impression that in Scotland the debt would become statute barred after 5 years if I did not acknowledge it. If I am correct does that mean that accepting the compensation counts as me acknowledging the debt and, if so, does the clock start again? Thanks

Two separate loans at £500 will cost exactly the same as one at £1000 in interest charges, the reason they do this is to make refinancing easier further down the line. The terms have changed slightly since you took your loans so I'll use the new ones for my example as I find them easier to work with. This example isn't really helpful to your situation but it might serve as a warning for others looking to take out further credit with Provy. Say you borrow £1000 over 63 weeks the cost is £30pw or or £1890 over the term, a £500 over 63 weeks will cost £15pw or £945 over the term. If after 35 weeks you are looking for more credit (or the local office is in the middle of a sales drive) and you still owe £840 it makes it difficult to refinance you as the company would need to lend you at least £1600 (the minimum cash in hand percentage they must give without authorisation is 50%) If however you have 2 loans of £500 you still technically owe £840 but there is only £420 outstanding on either loan - the company can then refinance you with a loan of £850 thus putting up your rate less than if they'd refinanced you at £1600. My suggestion to you would be to SAR them. Get copies of all the CDF's that were completed at the time of issue. Your best hope is if the existing loans were not recorded in the "all other loan repayments" field on the form. Whilst I may have said that the agents acted autonomously of each other that wasn't because they had to, frankly it was because they could - the facilities have always been available for them to verify any amounts that you are already paying to the company regardless of what brand the loan is with. Should this be the case the company has not demonstrated responsible lending in my opinion and somebody more knowledgeable than myself can tell you how to proceed.

Oh, I should also mention that before this I took a couple of smaller loans out with Wonga and paid them back in full. Whether I met the lending criteria at this point or not is irrelevant, I'm not interested in these loans. I took them, paid them back, end of story. SP

Hi, I wonder if anybody can help me out here. I got a letter from Wonga yesterday and it's paraphrased below. I'm now working away from home over the weekend so can't post the full piece until Monday but I've included all the important parts below. Because of the letters I received I'm due compensation of either £195 or I can go for an individual assessment. Should I choose the assessment the offer then becomes null and void. My debt with them is now with a 3rd party and will become statute barred in about 14 months. I made some stupid decisions when I was a student and am now paying the price for it - as a result I'm fairly certain that I could argue the whole debt should be written off as I would not have met their new lending criteria. My question is twofold. 1. Should I accept the compensation and wait for the default to drop off my credit file? But if I accept the compensation am I then acknowledging the debt and risking it not being written off in 14 months. 2. If I ask for an individual assessment am I then still acknowledging the debt and potentially starting the cycle all over again. Going over some old bank statements I paid £790 towards this before allowing myself to default. So, basically, accept the £195 and be done with it or fight for more? Thanks SP

Hi Wilko, Sorry for the late reply. 2 questions for you. 1. Every time a new loan was issued the agent should also have completed a separate form with you called the customer details form. On that form is a (very very basic) income and expenditure statement that should have been completed to assess your financial situation at the time of issue. Do you remember doing this? When loans are being issued over such a short period I have seen agents not recording the repayments for previous issues on the form thus making your finances appear better than they actually are. Up until very recently the Provy and Greenwoods agents would act completely autonomously of each other so I would be interested to know if each agent recorded the repayments for the other brand? 2. I doubt it given the short period between the issues but can I assume that when you were given all these loans you were given the full value in your hand? i.e. the agent didn't use some of the balance to pay off a previous loan in an attempt to "manage" your weekly repayments. Cheers SP

Hi all, Long time lurker, first time poster. I have used this site for good solid advice in the past and thought it was time to give something back. Until last week I worked for Provident and this is an opportunity to ask a former employee anything. I left the company on good terms and am not using this as an excuse to throw mud at my former employer. I will not disclose company secrets and I won't tell you how to get out of paying back a loan that you've taken out. Beyond that I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Oh, and I realise that this might look a little suspicious as I'm new to the forum, if any mods want proof that I am who I say I am, I'll be more than happy to provide it.

Yep, looks like it. Is it naive of me to want to carry on ignoring these muppets?

Bazooka - there's nothing on my credit file. Renegadeimp - no, I've made no contact with them whatsoever.

Hi, I wonder if somebody can help me with this. I took out a payday loan early last year, rolled it over once,n repaid it completely and thought nothing more of it. Back in October I started to get a barrage of calls, texts and letters from MMF claiming that I still owed money and the debt had been passed on to them. I got a lot of reassurance from this site and the sort of text/voicemail I was receiving was in line with what others on this forum have been getting so I was content to ignore them completely. Today however I received the following email and a quick search of the forum hasn't revealed anything similar. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I should do now? Should I keep ignoring them or start fighting back? Thanks Dear ***, Reference: *** Debt Balance: £424.50 Debt: Mr Lender Debt Assigned to Motormile Finance Uk Ltd I am the Solicitor at MMF and have had your file passed to me, in relation to the outstanding balance on your account. I note that despite several attempts by my colleagues, this debt still remains unpaid. Please be advised I have received instructions from the Directors of this company to pursue this matter through the courts to recover the outstanding balance. However, as a matter of courtesy, in order to save time and legal costs, I am writing to you to request that you make contact within the next 5 working days. Could you therefore please make contact, without fail to come to an amicable arrangement, failing which I may have no alternative but to follow the legal route to recover the outstanding sums due. Please note that I am in a position to offer to you a significant reduction in the amount owed. We therefore look forward to hearing from you shortly. Kind regards, Neal Chatrath Solicitor Motormile Finance UK Ltd (MMF) Main: 0113 887 9888 Free Phone: 0800 996 1103 Web: E-mail: