Even though payday loans have been roundly criticised in recent times, some people still find this to be the best way for them to obtain money at short notice. However, it would seem as though this is changing and many people are turning against the use of payday loans, which is strongly impacting on the market.
The biggest payday loan company in the United Kingdom is Wonga and the firm doesn’t have its troubles to seek of late. The company has recently announced pre-tax losses of close to £65 for 2016, a figure that will make many people wince. However, the company is keen to say that it is on the up, claiming that the business has been transformed. It has certainly been a rough time in recent years for the company, with the payday loan firm previously admitting that they have lost their way. Wonga has also received a great deal of criticism in allegedly targeting vulnerable people.
The company has received huge criticism for these actions but they say are looking to provide loan products that are much more flexible these days and that they look to provide responsible lending to their clients. Given the public backlash the company, and payday loan firms, receive in general, it is no surprise to see that there has been a downturn in the firm’s fortune. Wonga seems to think that this is just a short term issue and they have announced that they expect to return to profit for the 2017 figures, which will be issued in 2018.
Wonga has struggled of late
That remains to be seen but there is no denying that the company has had to make a lot of changes in recent times. There is an almost universal disapproval of payday loans in the media, and this has changed the way that people think about this option. While it is fair to say that the loan rates associated with these companies aren’t as bad as they used to be, it is clear that things still aren’t as positive as they should be for the majority of people.
The company has also had to deal with the fact that the Financial Conduct Authority, the FCA, has brought much stricter rules regarding the payday loan sector into play. This means that Wonga and companies like them have not been able to act in the manner that they used to. A big change came with the number of times a client was able to roll their loans over, and with this having been removed it is a very different landscape in the payday loan sector.
Wonga has had to pay out a lot of money
Another issue that the company has had to deal with is a £2.6m payout. This had to be made to more than 45,000 customers and it was down to the fact that threatening letters were sent out to customers from law firms that didn’t exist. Wonga also had a compensation issue to deal when close to 200,000 people ended up overpaying down to system errors. It is not just in the UK that Wonga have struggled because the company has also had issues in South Africa. It is fair to say that Wonga has enjoyed much better times than they are enduring now and it remains to be seen what the future holds for them.
There is a stigma attached to the payday loan market that means many people are not willing to work with these organisations. Of course, if someone is looking to obtain a payday loan, they probably have a poor credit score and they need money in a hurry, which limits their options when it comes to finding a suitable loan. Thankfully though, there are still some options available to people and even people with a poor credit score will find that help is on offer to them.
An example of a loan option that will suit many people is a guarantor loan. This style of loan has received a much better level of praise and focus in the media and the presence of the guarantor makes a big difference. This is down to the fact that the guarantor offers the lender confidence which in turns helps to keep the APR to a more reasonable level. This is definitely something that people can benefit from, and it is no surprise that many people are looking for this option.
Wonga is definitely struggling but they’ll hope that the future brings better fortune for them.