Families' anger at car finance holiday 'nightmare'

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Debt warning over car finance payment holidays

After the BBC contacted VFS this week, Tamara's payment holiday was approved, but she says the process has been a"nightmare".David Needham, 63, a salesman from West Sussex, had just signed a finance deal for a new Audi A6 on 2 March that costs £635 per month.David Needham got a new car for his job but now cannot afford the payments

"I travel a lot for work and have an allowance for my car. An awful lot of salespeople will be in the same position as me - they'll have got a new car at the start of the financial year which they can no longer afford. It said lenders should provide a three month payment freeze to people who are experiencing temporary difficulties meeting finance payments.

However, VFS said it only started offering payment holidays on Monday 27 April, after the regulator's guidance was finalised.VFS said it offers a range of options for customers in financial difficulty, the most recent being the option to apply for a three-month payment deferral. "This means that we are doing things a bit differently and we may take longer than normal getting back to customers. The best way to get in touch is by using our online services and we would recommend contact by phone only if online is not available.

Stuart Carmichael, chief executive of the Debt Support Trust, says a delay in agreeing payment holidays would be a huge concern for any driver during this time of"unprecedented financial uncertainty".

 

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