Can Wonga.com DO this?

kingofherts

Afternoon

Have a loan with wonga.com, Please spare me the lectures about the dangers of payday loans.

Today was the due date and i'd already called them a couple of days ago to say i couldnt pay and wished to enter into a payment agreement, They said that cant happen until the due date

Called them this morning to find they had taken 75% of the loan balance from my wife's debit card, apparantly i had made a one off payment with it once so they had it on my account as a back up payment source. I've checked my account and there is no mention of her card on there. I've called them again and lo and behold no one can help me now they can just send messages to customer services

Surely they dont have authority to use the card without speaking to the card holder, called the wife's bank they don't want to know as we have had previous dealings with wonga.

Any positive advice would be appreciated

donna-c-86

sorry i cant offer any advice, just goes to show how sneaky these companys can be! thats awful of them

KingElvis

Yep, all perfectly legal and expect them to take the rest plus whatever charges they dream up when the cash becomes available.

kingofherts

KingElvis wrote: »

Yep, all perfectly legal and expect them to take the rest plus whatever charges they dream up when the cash becomes available.

But how is it legal to use a debit card without the card holders permission. When we used her card before she had to speak to them as they 'had to speak to the cardholder to get permission to use the card' but now they can use it without speaking to her

kingofherts

also the amount is odd, if they had tried for the full balance they would have got it, but they only chose to take 75%?

KingElvis

As soon as you used that card it was fair game, loads of people on here have been had like that.

As I said, expect them to come back for the rest if they haven't already.

Apples2

Yep, a well trodden path for PDL companies.
They did get permission the first time, It is fair of you to "assume" it was for a one off payment, but that isn't what it meant. The card is still on file so they are likely to try again for the rest, or yours again for the rest until they get the money you promised to give them.

If you batten the hatches and stubbornly refuse to give them their money (lots of ways), the charges will be piling up which will cost you dearly in due course.

They are quite open in trying to convince you NOT to take their loan if you will not repay them on time.

We urge you to think carefully before applying for a Wonga loan, because we expect it to be repaid when you promise to. We describe the potential consequences of failing to do so (How to Wonga or FAQs), plus offer tips for anyone already struggling with debt (including useful links to organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau).

None of these things are worth risking, so if you have doubts about whether you'll be able to comfortably repay a loan, please don't apply in the first place.

we have had previous dealings with wonga.

Does that mean you have had previous loans with them you didn't repay/late/defaulted?
If so, I am surprised they were daft enough to lend to you again.

kingofherts

I could afford to repay, however the engine blew on my car and its meant i've had to buy a new one using the money i had put aside for the loan repayment, i know i could extend the loan but its just shifting the problem onto next month,

I have had loans from them before which were all paid on time, there was one occasion i didnt have enough to pay so my wife made a part payment to ensure it was paid off on time, i'm not questioning the fact that i owe the money or have to repay it, what i am questioning is the legality of using a persons card who is not even named on the account,

surely there would be a case to raise a dispute as the cardholder was not informed at the time that their card details were going to be retained on file and may be used for future payments without the cardholders knowledge on an account that not theirs

MortgageChallenge2011

How they work:

If you phone up to say want to extend say 2 days before then no problem, they will charge you £xx and its sorted.

You call up 2 days before to say cant pay and want to make an arrangement. This to them is bad news so they tell everyone to call on the date of repayment, knowing full way the card transaction will be tried before you call up.

If it goes through... they are happy... you ring to complain what was said, they say we have our money... goodbye.

If it doesnt go through they will try for 75%, 50% then 25% of the balance as if 75% is accepted then they only have to chase 25%.

You can ring to say that money was for food/rent etc but will fall on deaf ears. What balance is left is increased by payment failure charge + interest which will spiral out of control.

So if you know the balance isnt going to be there then EXTEND. yes it will cost you extra but you will avoid having to cancel your bank account to stop then trying daily for their money!!

Spartacus_Mills

kingofherts wrote: »

I could afford to repay, however the engine blew on my car and its meant i've had to buy a new one using the money i had put aside for the loan repayment, i know i could extend the loan but its just shifting the problem onto next month,

That is your problem not theirs.

Perhaps I should refuse to pay my mortgage this month because I fancy a holiday.

fozmcfc

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

That is your problem not theirs.

Perhaps I should refuse to pay my mortgage this month because I fancy a holiday.

I think the OP knows they have to pay it, but are just disputing it coming off someone elses card and asking can they take it off someone elses card.


I'll assume that by registering a card for payment, that enters you into some sort of agreement with Wonga that they can take payment from that card, should payment fail from the original method of payment.


I think they were hoping that Wonga would not take any payment, then the OP could say to them, I'll pay it back with any fees over the next xx amount of months.