OnStride not taking payments (CashEuroNet)

Koalah

Anyone else at their wit's end with OnStride?  I've tried everything to sort this out for months and now they've put me in default.  I had to take a second PayDayLoan in July 2019, which paid off the final amount of the previous one (last year was a bad year for me).  I'd never not made the payments though, mostly by their direct payment on pay day, although there were a couple where they took payment the day before agreed and before my pay when in by BACS, and so I'd have to ring them and manually pay on the day - but I then changed my day with them to 1st of the month so I'd know it would come out after pay, but then they still would bring it forward (like sometimes 1 payment on 1st month and then another on 30th month which annoyed me greatly but I swallowed it.

When I heard they were in administration, loads of people said not to pay, but I didn't agree with that, and made every attempt to pay even quicker.  I rang several times to make extra payments to reduce the interest and was told they couldn't take payments over the phone unless I was in arrears (stupid system designed to get more out of you) and there was no online payments.  So I just carried on.  When January payment came, I didn't realise they didn't take it, nor February's payment.  So when I realised, I rang them to try to pay, even agreeing to their stupid extra interest and charges, but again they said they couldn't take payment over the phone and would have to set up two more direct debits.  I agreed, and details and payment was set up for two payments of £243.95.  The direct debit instruction appeared on my online banking and thought all was fine.  Three days later I got an email from them confirming the direct debit but for two payments - one of £560 and another of £180.  I immediately disputed their email and two days later they confirmed in writing that it was their mistake and the £243.95 still stood.

31 March comes and no DD was taken.  Ring bank, confirm no instruction received.  Rang OnStride who stated they had requested it but it may be delayed.  Tried to pay over the phone but they said to hold off as the DD still was to come through.  I kept in this cycle for two weeks all amongst the start of lockdown, and could never get through to them.  Then the April date came and again no DD was taken.  HSBC confirmed no attempt was made to take it, despite funds being there.  Rang them again and all they did was said I failed to meet my contractual obligations and the amount was much higher and I had the choice to pay £600 there an then on the phone giving out my credit card details to an American, or set up another payment plan on DD.  I said I'd pay, but then they said 'card declined'.

For months I've struggled to get hold of them and sort this out, and the DD instruction was still sitting on my account with no claims against it.

On Friday I discovered that, without notice, they'd put a default of my credit record with TransUnion (I get MyCreditFile notifications) and my credit score plummeted by 250 points.  I logged on to OnStride and their statement showed continuous defaults, even ones that I'd paid and had bank statements to prove.  I disputed with them and got their standard response that I was lying.  They now had online payments in their portal, so I logged on and immediately paid £507.90 on Friday last week (which was the amount missing on the DDs) and it immediately suddenly appeared on my OnStride statement as 'Payment Missing, In Default' and by Monday was showing on my credit file as another defaulted payment, even though it was me putting my card details in correctly.  Contacted HSBC and they confirmed that no transaction had come through to them, that there were funds and that there was no block on my card.  So on Saturday I did a test payment of £2 on OnStride and again, within seconds it came up as another default and declined.  Tried again on Monday and same thing.

I challenged all of this in writing and on the phone with OnStride and they are adamant they are correctly and sent quite an offensive email saying I was lying and that their investigations showed I continually was refusing to make payments.  The Financial Ombudsman won't deal with them because of the administration and won't take new complaints.  MoneyAdvice & Citizens Advice said legal action is pointless and would cost me, as even though I had plenty of evidence (including a note from HSBC), OnStride is in administration so wouldn't pay up when I won the case and I'd be stuck with legal costs.  Financial Conduct Authority are investigating and I pointed them to TrustPilot where a few people are commenting the same thing about payments.

I am so stressed this week about it - although I don't want to apply for credit, I got knocked back to switch to cheaper electricity/gas by NPower due to the default, and defaults last for 6 years and I was hoping to buy a house now I'm getting back sorted again.  OnStride have declared even if I pay the now £685 they are claiming is due, that they will not remove the default as I breached the contract.  But how can I breach it if I've been trying to pay them the monthly payments on time as agreed and they keep failing to take the money from me?

Please no snarky comments on pay day loans - I was seriously ill at the time and needed food and a way to get to my new job, and knew I could make the payments.  I have been able to afford all of them - the stupid corrupt company just has failed to take them.  I've contacted the Administrators, the FCA, the Credit Reference Agencies to put a Notice of Dispute, the ICO for incorrect information on my file (under GDPR this is considered incorrect processing of information since the defaults they are recording for the latest transactions were never defaults or failed payments by anyone's standard except for OnStrides).
Does anyone have any other suggestion, or should I just wait this out and hope the Administrators sort it, or if they try to come after me with a CCJ, that I get my day in court?

sourcrates

Hi,

What a mess, all i can suggest is talking a step back, annoying as it is, this is how some PDL companies still operate, FCA won`t investigate individual complaints, FOS can`t now as they are in administration.

I would stop trying to pay them, accept that the damage is done now, and you will not be able to satisfactualy remedy this matter, see what the ICO come back with, but they do take forever on occasion.

It boils down to your word against theirs, untruths and lack of general good buisness practice come naturally to these kind of lenders, take it as a lesson learned, and try and put it behind you.

Your outstanding debt will be sold at some point, you may be able to reach a settlement deal with the new owner.