Good to know: We are a Claims Management Company (CMC). You do not need to use a CMC to make your complaint to your lender. If your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service yourself for free.
If you’ve had a credit account with JD Williams, you might be able to get money back for unfair lending. This article will explain what unfair lending is, how it affects JD Williams, and what you can do if you think you have a case. We’ll also look at the company’s other brands and how to make a claim.
Unfair lending happens when a company gives you credit without checking if you can pay it back. This can cause money problems for people who can’t keep up with payments. It’s a big deal that can affect your finances for a long time.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has rules about fair lending. Companies should:
If a lender doesn’t do these checks properly, they might be unfair lending. This can lead to people taking on debt they can’t handle, causing stress and long-term money problems.
JD Williams, a popular UK catalogue company, has had complaints about unfair lending. The FOS has agreed with some of these complaints, finding that JD Williams didn’t always check properly if people could afford the credit. This has made people look more closely at how the company lends money.
For example, in one case, the FOS found that JD Williams unfairly increased a customer’s credit limit without checking if they could afford it. This led to the customer getting into debt they couldn’t manage. These cases show why it’s important for companies to lend responsibly and what can happen when they don’t.
Catalogue credit claims like these can result in money back for customers who were given credit they couldn’t afford. The money back can include a refund of interest and charges, and fixing any bad marks on credit reports related to the unfair lending.
JD Williams offers a ‘JD Williams Pay’ Credit Account with a 39.96% interest rate. This high interest rate can make money problems worse for customers who are given credit they can’t afford to pay back.
JD Williams has several other brands, which could also be involved in unfair lending claims. These brands sell different things but are all part of the same company and might lend money in similar ways:
If you’ve had credit with any of these brands, you might be able to make a claim if the lending was unfair. It’s important to check your money history with each brand separately, as they might lend money in different ways.
If you think JD Williams or its other brands lent you money unfairly, you can make a claim. Here’s how to do it:
You can make a claim yourself, or use a claims management company to help you (fees apply).
Unfair lending by catalogue companies like JD Williams has affected many customers, potentially causing big money problems. If you’ve struggled to pay back a JD Williams credit account or any of its other brands, you might be able to get money back. The high success rate of claims suggests that many customers have been affected by these practices.
Remember, you can make a claim yourself or get help from a claims management company. There are also free tools online that can help you with the process. The most important thing is to do something if you think you’ve been affected by unfair lending. By doing this, you might not only get money back but also help make sure companies lend money responsibly in the future.
The recurring themes in these decisions include:
These examples demonstrate that the FOS takes the issue of irresponsible lending seriously and will uphold complaints against catalogue credit account providers like J D Williams when they fail to lend responsibly and affordably.
Citations:
[1] https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-3274795.pdf
[2] https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-3259600.pdf
[3] https://debtcamel.co.uk/affordability-complaints-2-cards-lender/
[4] https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-catalogue-credit-card/comment-page-7/
We realise that claiming against your lender can seem daunting. We aim to make the claiming process as simple as possible. We specialise in affordability claims. Our experienced team will communicate with the lender (and where required, the Ombudsman service) on your behalf. We use bespoke technology to ensure efficient claims handling. Throughout the process, we inform you of claim progress using a “stage process”, so you can track your progress easily. Please remember though, that you do not need to use a claims management company to make your complaint to your lender, and if your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service yourself for free.
Pre complaint investigation and analysis
Formal unaffordable lending complaint made
Lender responds with a Final Response Letter
If appropriate resolution cannot be reached with the lender, referral to Financial Ombudsman Service.
Our success fee is due only if your lender makes a compensation payout, and is calculated on the amount of the compensation payout. We do not charge you for any part of a settlement that results in the lender reducing your outstanding balance – that is on the house!
The success fee amount is calculated using a band charging system. There are five charging bands. Each band has a maximum amount that we will charge.
Success Fee Charging Table
Band | Compensation Payout | Percentage rate the Success Fee is calculated on (including VAT) | Maximum Success Fee in band (including VAT) |
1 | £1 to £1,499 | 36% | £504 |
2 | £1,500 to £9,999 | 33.60% | £3,000 |
3 | £10,000 to £24,999 | 30% | £6,000 |
4 | £25,000 to £49,999 | 24% | £,9000 |
5 | £50,000 or more | 18% | £12,000 |
Below are examples of how this would work in practice.
Lower example | Higher example | |||
Band | Compensation Payout | Success Fee | Compensation Payout | Success Fee |
1 | £100 | £36 | £1,499 | £504 |
2 | £1,600 | £537.60 | £9,999 | £3,000 |
3 | £12,000 | £3,600 | £24,999 | £6,000 |
4 | £30,350 | £7,284 | £49,999 | £9,000 |
5 | £55,000 | £9,900 | £100,000 | £12,000 |
If you want to see how much we would charge for a specific amount, please visit our online fee calculator at https://allegiant.co.uk/unaffordable-lending-claim-fees.
Please note that the examples in the tables are for illustration purposes only. They are not an estimate of the likely outcome or success fee.
You can cancel for free at any time within 14-days without giving any reason and without incurring any liability. You can communicate your cancellation by telephone, post, email or online.
You can cancel this agreement at any time after the 14-day cancellation period. However, if a complaint submitted by us is successful, the Success Fee will apply in the usual way.
You can cancel by post: Allegiant Finance Services Limited, Freepost RTYU–XUTZ–YKJC, 400 Chadwick House, Warrington Road, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6AE; (b) by email: helpdesk@allegiant-finance.co.uk; (c) by telephone: 0345 544 1563; or (d) online at https://allegiant.co.uk/compliance/cancellation.
Allegiant Finance Services is widely regarded as a pioneer in the high cost loan claims management market.
Contactable by email, phone, or post, whichever you prefer
We will only correspond with you and keep your details secure. We’ll never sell your data.
Much more than a contact form. With our full online application process you will receive an instant automated decision on whether we can take on your claim
We are proud to have recovered over £67m for unaffordable lending claims since 2013
We’ve been claiming high cost loan refunds since 2013
Good to know: We are a Claims Management Company (CMC). You do not need to use a CMC to make your complaint to your lender. If your complaint is not successful you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service yourself for free.