a good friend paid a firm to get a loan low and behold he got nothing

Yes, credit unions are certainly worth a look.

Thanks very much, maxsteam. I had thought about credit unions, but didn't manage to get through to one in my actual area. I shall try that route again though.

Most (perhaps all?) of the people who charge an application fee will not find a loan. It's a con. If you have a poor record of paying back loans, you will find credit harder to find today than, say, six months ago. Unfortunately the people who will actually lend to people with a poor credit record tend to charge very high interest rates (like payday loans, doorstep lenders, pawnbrokers, etc., etc.) and these are most definitely best avoided under any circumstances. You should, however, look into whether there are any credit unions in your area.

Hi, this is my first post on the thread. I am looking for a relatively decent unsecured loan. Have been contacted by Advantage Loans in relation to my application for £500 and £1000. Due to my rather adverse credit history I have difficulty in getting any half-decent loan, but there must be some around!

Not sure whether to go through with the application to Advantage Loans as I think they take a fee of £49.50, or whatever it is, and from reading other posts it will be difficult to get it back if a suitable loan is not found. I have also gone through Phone-a-Loan at Jodrell Loans, where you have to pay a very high premium phone call to even apply. All they could find were UCC, FLM Loans, or First Stop Finance. FLM loans accepted me, but *only with a guarantor*. I simply do not have anyone I could ask as a guarantor. I think UCC could be ok, but they are not an actual lender to my knowledge.

Does anyone have any suggestions of small loans (NOT payday loans with *extortionately* high interest) for those with not good credit, but ones where a guarantor is NOT needed and the broker will not take money from my debit card upfront? Many thanks :-)