Welcome Financial Services (WFS) > Reviews (14)

My own personal experience with Welcome Finance was horrible. I used them because I was new to the UK and just had no credit, not bad credit. I took out a loan with them for £2000 in June of 2007. After being made to take the payment protection and told I could just take it off if I didn't want it later. The interest on the loan was something astronomical like 54%. I ended up out of employment, and then my 15yr old died which left me unable to even think. I had been trying to work with Welcome by offering token payments, but all such offers were refused. They began to tell me they were going to take me to court, and that I had to pay them. I ended up selling any personal belongings I had to pay them to make them stop calling me. Yet that didn't work they just continued to ring and ring and ring. NOTHING was ever put in writing with this company. I wrote to them, they refused to write back, they would only do dealings over the phone, and they called me from their mobile phones. Finally in August of this year I had had all I could take and a friend was willing to loan me the money to pay them off to get them out of my life. I rang through to their "LMB" which is in the Dewsbury office, and spoke with a gentleman. I told him I needed a settlement figure. He called me back 5 days later and told me the amt was 4500£, but they would take it down to 3400£. I asked him if he would please put that in writing and I would pay it. He said he would and post it to me, but as it was the 11th of August I might not be able to settle the loan in full, and that if it wasn't settled in full or a rewrite done I would be taken to court. I stupidly believed them once again. So on August 15th the gentleman was coming to my house to collect a payment and said he would bring a written settlement to me. He failed. So on the 20th another man showed up at my house to have me do a rewrite. I had a mate over for a witness. The gentleman swore to me doing a rewrite wouldn't affect the settlement figure I had been given. He rang the first gentleman and was told that was correct and he would make sure the figure was good until the 15th of Sept. I went to pick up the settlement figure and the first gentleman told me he had just posted it to my house. That was 4 days ago. I have yet to see it. The head office sent me a settlement figure off the rewrite loan, which came to 4380£. They then informed me unless I had anything in writing saying I was offered a 3400£ settlement I was just out of luck. I rang my mate who had been here with me, and we went to the Dewsbury office to talk to these people. While talking to them my friend was told if he didn't stop making notes of what was being said, he would be asked to leave. When he said he just wanted to have notes so he could remember things clearly, he was told that he would stop then or he would be escorted off the premises. Now why do Welcome want nothing in writing? I wonder. In the end , because I was smart enough to have my friend here when they lied so badly I did finally get the written settlement of 3400£. I paid them off the next day. I know they still over charged me, but to get them out of my life it was well worth it. If you do not have bad credit, just no credit, try to deal with your bank, or just wait until you start building credit. Do not go with this company. They do nothing in writing. There is no paper trail, they lie very badly. I have read 100's of horror stories about this company AFTER I took the loan, and sadly these stories are true.