Loan Zoo
Complaint 316595 Details

I applied for a payday loan via a google search sometime in January 2014. I completed the information requested until it came to the part where they wanted my card details to pay a brokerage fee. I immediately cancelled the application as I have always refused to pay this fee. As this appeared to be the only option open to me I decided not to proceed in any shape way or form.
to my dismay when checking my bank statement on 10th March I came across a name I had never heard of before... LoanZoo who had deducted 39.99 from my account. I rang them straight away and stated I had not authorised this payment and they sent a refund form via email which I completed and returned the same day via email. I received an email from them a few days later confirming my refund had been accepted and would be processed and released in 30 days stating 10th April 2014 The process could then take between 1 - 5 days to be credited into my account. The 30 day delay was due to them needing to check with lenders that I had not taken a loan out. I had not takn a loan. On 10th April 2014 I contacted LoanZoo on 01625503022 and a gentleman confirmed my refund was being released on that day and would take between 1 and 5 days to reach my account. On Wednesday 16th April 2014, the 5 working day, there was no refund in my bank account. I contacted their customer service department again and was told by a male representative that the payment would be released today and be in my account anytime upto midnight of today. I checked my bank account several times during the day and at 5pm rang them again. It took 17 minutes on hold to get thru to an advisor who asked my postcode, first line of address and full name. As soon as I answered the final question, the phone line went dead. I immediately called back only for a recorded message to tell me the office was now closed, hours of business 9.30 am to 5.30 pm and it was only 5.17 pm. I have now seen that numerous people have also been caught out by Loanzoo and I will be making a complaint to the police. What concerns me most is that they took the card details for the brokerage fee from my application and not from the section at the end of the application where it specifies there is a brokers fee. I categorically deny completing any bank details on the broker fee section and cancelled the application immediately. Therefore, I consider this to be theft.