Consumer Credit Awards 2017

How to choose a lender

Product reviews can be a perfect way to compare loans, giving you an unbiased idea of how a company treats its customers. ChooseWisely.co.uk is a great place to go, as we pull together reviews from Trustpilot, Smart Money People and our own customers, all in one place. In fact, we not only work with Smart Money People to provide you with reviews, but also to shine a light on companies which are working hard to provide a great customer experience.

Consumer Credit Awards 2017

In 2016, Smart Money People introduced the Consumer Credit Awards, which celebrate the best of the lending industry. The awards are voted for not by ‘industry experts’, but by you, the consumer. In fact, 27,000 of you voted in this year's awards! This makes them a great way to work out which companies to take seriously when you’re looking for a loan. The biggest winner in 2017 was the not-for-profit Fair For You, getting both the Consumer Credit Champion and Best Newcomer awards. This year, Smart Money People collaborated with Choose Wisely to introduce a new award which encourages companies to treat their customers fairly. Choose Wisely has always been on the side of the customer, providing a fair and free service and now we’re sponsoring the Treating Customers Fairly Champion award.

Treating Customers Fairly Champion

This year, the nominees for Treating Customers Fairly Champion were:

Some information above from Smart Money People. All data retrieved on 18/07/17.

While we feature several of these companies on our website, Choose Wisely has no say in who becomes the 2017 Treating Customers Fairly Champion. It’s entirely up to you, the voting public, to choose the winner. Choose Wisely is all about unbiased results - we keep our comparison tables clean and clear, as it’s easier to choose the best option when you aren’t distracted by adverts and sponsored listings.

Award winner

There was an enthusiastic response to the nominations for 2017 Treating Customers Fairly Champion and the eventual winner was (drumroll please)…

Sunny Loans

Sunny pride themselves on a fair approach to lending, with no fees at all on their products. They also offer a five day money back guarantee, with no interest charged on your loan if it’s paid back within the first five days.

Nominees

Congratulations to Sunny for getting customers on their side and doing a good job at providing a fair service. But we don’t want to leave it there - all of the nominees were selected by Smart Money People for their great customers service, so here’s a rundown of the other companies worth taking a second look at when you’re applying for credit:

Bamboo Loans

Bamboo have an amazing 4.9 out of 5 stars for their customer service - it’s worth having a look at some of their reviews! Customers are keen on the easy application process and the great support.

A recent customer commented:

Mr Lender

Like Bamboo, Mr Lender have an excellent series of review, with an average score of 4.8 out of 5, putting them in the top tier of lenders forcustomer service. They provide simple short term loans and pride themselveson their excellent record of customer satisfaction.

A recent customer commented:

TFS Loans (Runner Up)

TFS are an inclusive company, considering applications from people with a variety of backgrounds, so they’re worth considering if you have a poor credit history. Like the other nominees on this list, TFS have a great reputation, with 4.8 out of 5 on SmartMoneyPeople.

A recent customer commented:

Full list of winners

Congratulations to all those companies who won in this year's Consumer Credit Awards. Here's the full list of winners:

• Best Newcomer: Fair For You
• Innovation of the Year: Drafty
• Consumer Credit Champion: Fair For You
• Customer Service Champion: Mr Lender
• Treating Customers Fairly Champion: Sunny
• Best Finance App: Barclaycard
• Best Personal Loan Provider: Bamboo
• Best Consumer Credit Broker: Freedom Finance
• Best Guarantor Loan Provider: Amigo
• Best Short Term Loan Provider: WageDayAdvance
• Best Credit Score Provider: ClearScore
• Best Car Finance Provider: MotoNovo
• Best Logbook Loan Provider: Varooma
• Best Pawnbroker: H&T
• Runner-up: Treating Customers Fairly Champion: TFS Loans

Which companies will lend to me?

The Consumer Credit Awards 2017 represent the best of lending in the UK, so if you're looking for a loan, it's a great idea to read up on the winners. Your next step should be to find out which lenders are likely to lend to you. The Choose Wisely Eligibility Checker is an easy way to work that out without having to go through a credit check.