I really should know better but it was only after applying for a loan and paying their £29 fee that I found numerous postings on them. It was then that I realized so here's how it went down for me.

Friday 11th April applied for a £1000 via Best4loans.com website, received a call back that loan application would be processed and I would need to give my card details to pay the £29 processing fee, which I did!

Today (Wednesday 16th April) I thought this is suspicious, I called yesterday and got put on hold I called again today and was told that rather than call the Best4loans 0800 number I would need to call the WH Loans 0870 number, smell a rat?!

I then discover no end of postings saying how people had been stung and charged the fee and then the loan company went cold and decided not to process the loan, in other words this is very clever for everyone of me, do the maths! Money for nothing.

So here is what I did, I called up Best4Loans and advised them that I was recording the call and that I would also involve a solicitor or the BBC Watchdog (which puts the fear of god in most companies and by the way I am going to write to them and anyone else that has experienced this I suggest you do the same). Low and behold all supervisors were in a meeting, I took the operators name and advised if there was no call back I would go ahead with the solicitor/watchdog route, well it worked, Peter the Customer Service Manager from WH Loans called me back within 20 minutes, which is interesting as I had called Best4loans chasing my application - so what does that tell you?

Again I told Peter I was recording the call, and that as a result of not hearing from anyone and also the negative information found on the net I wanted to cancel my application and under my statutory rights (like I knew what that meant! - it's just something I read on the back of a crisp packet!) I wanted a full refund immediately.

So my application is being cancelled I will be receiving a full refund and I wouldn't go near these guys at all.

Hope this helps others, I cannot believe how businesses like this are allowed to prey on the vulnerable - oh and by the way I have no means to record the call - but they didn't need to know that! Good luck. Caroline

Note: This post has been moderated for legality. Please read the moneysupermarket.com User Community Standards and Terms of Service. Cheers.

brilliant !!!! i've met someone like me, tho. i usually threaten them with trading standards. i wish more people would follow your example it usually works as they can't afford the hassle if you carry out your threats.

Hi there

I must admit I have a poor credit history as I applied for a loan with Yes Loans as broker and Welcome Finance as lender (paid £49.99) so that after 3 months I got so angry and told them to give me a refund, or else...

I applied for WH loan of £500. Same thing, I paid the £29.99 fee, but it's been a month now, and nothing. I was told to stay put, someone (A lender) will call me and it will all be done within 5 working days. If I were to depend on this money, hunger would have defeated the possibility to write this e-mail. Luckily I need it for furniture. Reading your experience, I think I will do the same. Tell them I want my money back as they are not for real. What is this solicitor/watch dog route? :) I have no idea what that is.

But anyhow... I am really grateful for what you guys wrote! It sort of opened my eyes :))

Thanks a lot!

Hi Dorina,

In terms of the solicitor/watchdog route, as a consumer you have rights, a full description of these can be found on the trading standards website:

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0043-1011.txt

This includes your right to a full refund.

What you need to do is go back to them, and demand to speak with a supervisor, advise them you are aware of your consumer rights, you are recording the call (if you can even better but don't worry if you can't) and that you require a full refund, if they ask why advise you have decided you no longer wish to purchase their products and services and as you have not signed anything you expect the refund within 3-5 working days, they advised me it would take this time.

I would also advise them that you are fully prepared to involve a solicitor (a warning letter (shot) from solicitors can work wonders but you don't have to go that far just telling them you will involve one normally does the trick) and that you will also involve the BBC Watchdog, if you haven't heard of them they are a consumer watch group, but they pack a punch as they also run a programme on BBC1 and name and shame any underhand business practice and the last thing these companies want is that kind of publicity, their website is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/

If you do want to email Watchdog with your experience I would, because the more people that do the more the programme is likely to pick up on the story and prevent vulnerable people being taken advantage of:

Email is: watchdog AT bbc.co.uk

If you still need furniture rather than going the loan approach try either ebay for second hand or cheaper than new or there is a great website called freecycle:

http://www.freecycle.org/

The way it works you put in what you are looking for and if anyone within a set distance has one you can contact them, the real beauty is that all the goods on offer are free, it's an opportunity for people to get rid of things and find a new home, so long as the new owner is prepared to pick them up - kind of like ebay but free.

Good luck I hope this helps :-) caroline

Hi

I'm currently receiving the same difficulties i applied for the loan got a text message then an e-mail confirming my application had been pre-approved, i have tried the loan tracker on the web page for WH loans it says the net is down and to ring for the last 2 days i've been ringing and have been put on hold for 20 minutes each time and yet still no answers. Unfortunalty i paid the fee........

Im with anyone wanting to approach watchdog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning all, well this morning I checked my account and I have received a full £29 refund, my advice to everyone is follow a similar path to my first posting, do not take being put on hold ask to speak with a supervisor demand your full refund under the terms of your consumer rights and be sure to email the details to bbc watchdog, again details in my second posting, I would relish seeing these guys squirm on watchdog - we english are great at complaining but doing is a whole other thing - power of the consumer and all that - feeling vindicated this morning - good luck :-)

Hiya Caroline

Thanks so very much for your advice. I will do that.

Also thats for the website of freecycle. That can save me a lot of money and will help me get rid of my old furniture as well.

You are a life saver! :)

Cheers

Dorina

Hi

I have been a fool too and brought into they're crap of we need this to process your fee. I was only trying to get us out the mess we are in due to unemployment, and have been scammed.

I read all the adivce on here thanks to the postings by Caroline and then researched the consumer rights and the fsa and statory rights but I have just phoned them and spoke to a girl who I am imagining (the company on a whole) are getting lots of calls about this because I asked to speak to a manager/supervisory she said he had left, so i quoted that I have worked in a call centre and know legally they must have a supervisor on site. She said that they have to follw procedure.

i said that I have not heard anything they then said they had sent me a email which they havent and there has been a problem with my application, so I said that I am withdrawing from they're service and and no longer want them to act on my behalf and want a FULL refund, she quoted some consumer rights that I am not entitled to a full refund and that I will only get a partcial refund and thats it and she is sending a refund form in the post and I have to detail my complaint on there- if that ever comes which I said I that I better not have to wait another half hour waiting to get through.

She then said they will only send me a cheque refund- they have my payment details for the 39.99 fee, and that they do not do card refunds which is not what has been said on this forum. I am writting to watchdog about them.

But I doubt any of what I said got through because the girl just spoke over me all the time and was confrontational from the beginning- furthering my thoughts that they have had a lot of these calls and its turned into a scripted call where they are prepared for the calls.

Are they allowed to only give me a partcial refund? Thats only £20 as opposed to the £39.99 I have given them for doing nothing??????

I am so so cross!!!!!!!

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

My understanding is that the refund should be full (but I am not a legal eagle and trying to get quick and free advice on this is like looking for a 4 leaf clover!), my reasoning that it should be free is this:

You have not yet entered into a contract, i.e. you have not signed anything and additionally they say they have had a problem with the application, which to my mind means they have not processed it or more importantly completed the application, I would really go back to them, btw who is them in this instance, i.e is this best4loans or W&H, not that it really matters, as one is the lender and the other the broker and judging by the fact that I rang best4loans and W&H called me back (and the fact that I read another posting on here that said both companies sit opposite each other in a building). I digress...

So again I would go back and demand to speak with a supervisor, advise them you are recording the call (even better if you can) and that you will involve watchdog, if you want also tell them that there is a group of consumers on the moneysupermarket site that are joining together and forwarding all these incidents onto watchdog (which by the way also do, really the more people that do the more companies like this will be named and shamed).

Also just as an aside I think if you pay by card your refund should be by card, just by what the chap I dealt with said, and also thinking about it whenever you ask a store for a refund they always give it back in the same way that you paid i.e. cash for cash or card for card.

I think they are trying their luck on you Charlie, because it's like that faulty car analogy, i.e. do you pull the entire line or settle the occasional law suit, this loan company is relying on the fact that you will think oh its only £20 or £30 or £40 quid I can't be bothered, The thing is if I had that £20 from each applicant that had walked away from getting a refund I bet you and I could take the rest of the year off work, it's just morally wrong what these people do, so don't take any of their blagging it's your money you have not completed the transaction, there was no deposit payable, my understanding was the money was to process the application, well if they've had a problem or not processed it they don't need the money and have no right to it!

Good luck, I hope my ramblings help I feel like Martin's money tips lol :-)

CJJess:Hi Charlie, My understanding is that the refund should be full (but I am not a legal eagle and trying to get quick and free advice on this is like looking for a 4 leaf clover!), my reasoning that it should be free is this: You have not yet entered into a contract, i.e. you have not signed anything and additionally they say they have had a problem with the application, which to my mind means they have not processed it or more importantly completed the application, I would really go back to them, btw who is them in this instance, i.e is this best4loans or W&H, not that it really matters, as one is the lender and the other the broker and judging by the fact that I rang best4loans and W&H called me back (and the fact that I read another posting on here that said both companies sit opposite each other in a building). I digress... So again I would go back and demand to speak with a supervisor, advise them you are recording the call (even better if you can) and that you will involve watchdog, if you want also tell them that there is a group of consumers on the moneysupermarket site that are joining together and forwarding all these incidents onto watchdog (which by the way also do, really the more people that do the more companies like this will be named and shamed). Also just as an aside I think if you pay by card your refund should be by card, just by what the chap I dealt with said, and also thinking about it whenever you ask a store for a refund they always give it back in the same way that you paid i.e. cash for cash or card for card. I think they are trying their luck on you Charlie, because it's like that faulty car analogy, i.e. do you pull the entire line or settle the occasional law suit, this loan company is relying on the fact that you will think oh its only £20 or £30 or £40 quid I can't be bothered, The thing is if I had that £20 from each applicant that had walked away from getting a refund I bet you and I could take the rest of the year off work, it's just morally wrong what these people do, so don't take any of their blagging it's your money you have not completed the transaction, there was no deposit payable, my understanding was the money was to process the application, well if they've had a problem or not processed it they don't need the money and have no right to it! Good luck, I hope my ramblings help I feel like Martin's money tips lol :-)

I work in finance for a company that investigates companies like this and have done for the past ten years. I work closely with brokers on a day to day basis and in regards to a refund with them, they are entitled to give back a partial refund under the consumer credit act. This is to cover costs that they company will have incurred during the application. The only time you would get a full refund is if you didnt agree to the terms and conditions with them and also if you cancel the application straight away. If you leave it for a few days then the company will be able to issue a partial refund.

Also involving watchdog is great if you are having problems getting your money returned but if they have offered a refund then watchdog wont act on this as they have done what you requested.

I have looked into this company and you can agree to their T&Cs either by post on an application form or online on their website which is www.whloan.co.uk. You can view T&Cs on this site if you have applied to them.

Please make sure that before signing into ANY agreement that you read the terms and conditions carefully. It does state quite clearly:

"By agreeing to these terms and conditions you understand WHLoan are an independnt finance broker and not a lender. You also understand we (W&H) cannot be held liable in any way for a lenders refusal or the non-provision of a loan or finance however, based on the information provided by you WHLoan feel that we should be in a position to secure a loan or finance for you. This agreement does not however guarantee the provision of a loan as the lender grants the final approval. If there is more than one borrower then you are both jointly liable for all obligations under any agreement. The loan details set out on this agreement is a typical example of the loan that will be offered to you based on the information you have provided us and is for illustration purposes only. The specific loan offered to you may vary according to your personal circumstances and the lenders interest rates at the time of acceptance."

This is what i found on the brokers website and as you can see it doesn't guarentee a loan but is approved in principle with them meaning that the people they place you with do have the final say.

Hope this has helped anyone thats unsure. If you need any more advice i will check regularly on here.

Hi and thank you for this, exactly as I thought, they are trying their luck I appreciate the whole lender versus broker scenario but suffice to say these guys are still in my opinion underhand, as for watchdog regardless of whether you get your refund (which I have and in full) I think people need to build a case against these guys, all you have to do is look at the quantity of postings on here and the fact that they do not seem to apply to the one rule for everyone or else I would not have got a full refund. They give the refund to some, they answer some calls and they just leave others in limbo never go back to them and still take their money - it's wrong and it makes me sick

What still makes no sense to me is how under the consumer credit act they can decide to give a partial refund if they have had a "problem" processing your application or have not yet completed the application, it makes no sense as they have not completed the sale - again it is money for nothing and hiding behind legal jargon - it's wrong. I wish I could get part payment every time someone re-negged on a sale - I could retire without selling anything!

Hi Thegirl,

Thanks for posting on here, and I am grateful that a person with your knowledge has taken the time to do this, but I must say I'm with Caroline on this one- and not because I want a full refund- its not all about the money its about these companies being rogue. Its - and its a cline, the principle of what they are doing and the lanugae they use to make you think what they want you to think and the fact that they are saying my application has gone nowhere as Caroline pointed out shows is gone nowhere (though I doubt it ever would) the admin fee's keep changing by the looks of things which isnt normal, must be a test to see how much they can ask for before people say no. The website I clicked on and ticked the box of the Terms and conditions I read is still there!!- as if I have never clicked on it, which leads me to think that it didnt work or that they have somehow built in there that it never completes thus keeping the paying applicant waiting in limbo thinking 'oh my fault i'll try again' which I havent as I knew the 2nd time I visted the website that something was wrong

I just feel so stupid and taken for a joke by them!! I hate companies like this.

And by the way Caroline- sorry by 'them' I meant Walker and Hammond, i wouldnt be surprised if they are watching sites like this to find out whats going on and how to deal with customers that are ringing up so they can prepare.

The girl- you dont work for them do you??? Explaining that partial is good enough. If you dont- forgive my suspicion.

Charlie

good morning !

i have been conned by walker and hammond to , i was at work and had registered with yes loans for a loan (£49) and was told there would shop around , a few days later a girl called to say they could help me but needed to pay admin fee of £39 and the money would be with me in five days , because i was at work and had no bank details on me i asked them to call back when i got home, which she duly did , it was only the following day i checked them out on the internet and found this forum, now i realise i wont be getting any money so im now £88 pound out of pocket .

Hi The Gardner,

Please don't don't don't don't DON'T take it as a given that they have your money and you won't get it back.

That is EXACTLY what they are banking (no pun intended!) on.

Charlie I am in complete agreement with your comments and The Gardners' experience is a case in point £88, not just £20 or £30 but £88 they are making this up as they go along and they have to be stopped it's criminal.

The Gardner PLEASE try the approach I laid out in my first posting on how to handle them and be sure to email BBC Watchdog, their email address is watchdog AT bbc.co.uk - I can't stress how important it is to do this, not just for you but for every other person who cannot afford £20-£90 it's wrong!

Please don't take this lying down, it's exactly what they are hoping you do, take another 5 minutes and post your experience to Watchdog we will get them on that programme - It's morally and ethically corrupt and it is hiding behind jargon and banking on people being intimidated, desperate and victimized, don't be one of them get angry and get even, seriously what have you got to lose, someone else has your much needed money now go after it.

This is exactly the same thing that happened with consumers getting hurt and angry by the banks over their charges and this week they won the first round of that battle in courts, and that was against so called ethical not to mention powerful multi billion pound banks (which are monitored by the FSA!), we can win this but only if enough people actually do something and don't take this lying down - good luck and let us know how you got on :-)

HI EVERYONE

I APPLIED FOR A LOAN ON TUESDAY HAVE TRIED TO PHONE THEM AT LEAST 5 TIMES A DAY AND GETTING NO WHERE . MY PARTNER HAS JUST FOUND ALL THESE COMENTS ON HERE AND I CANT BELIEVE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME .

I HAVE NOW BEEN IN TOUCH WITH WATCH DOG OVER THIS AND THINK THAT EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD DO THE SAME . EVERY TIME I TRY TO PHONE I AM PUT ON HOLD FOR LIKE 25 MINUTES AT A TIME . HAVE INFORMED THE COMPANY THAT I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH WATCH DOG AND THEY DIDNT WANT TO KNOW . JUST KEPT ME ON HOLD OK I MAY HAVE LOST THE MONEY I PAID BUT THEY SHOULDNT BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH THIS .

FROM A VERY ANNOYED PERSON