Payday loan customers urged to complain But consumers can fight back. If you are struggling to pay back the loan Citizens Advice can help you sort out a reasonable repayment plan and if you make a successful complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service you could find you get a refund for an unauthorised payment or compensation for unfair treatment. By making your voice heard you will expose the bad behaviour of lenders and put pressure on them to clean up their act which could help stop similar problems happening to other people. The ombudsman service, which resolves disputes between consumers and financial bodies, can order firms to put the situation right if it finds in the customer's favour. This means a borrower could get a refund and compensation. The chances are also high that the ombudsman will uphold a payday loan complaint in the consumer's favour. Of 160 complaints made to the ombudsman between April and June this year about payday loans, 72pc were upheld. A spokesman for the ombudsman service said its own research into why payday loan customers do not tend to come forward to it more often suggests that people appear reluctant to admit that they have used a payday lender. He said: "The big message is: Nobody is here to judge you. We understand that times are hard, the important thing is to ask for help. The spokesman said that the ombudsman service would expect a firm which has been told that a customer is struggling financially to help the consumer to come up with a solution, regardless of whether or not the firm has made a mistake. Giving advice to struggling borrowers, Citizens Advice said lenders should accept a repayment plan which is reasonable and should not be contacting the borrower's employer for money or ringing during the night. Consumers should initially make their complaint directly to the lender but if it cannot be resolved they can ask the ombudsman to step in. Payday lenders have come under heavy scrutiny in recent months following an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which referred the industry to the Competition Commission after finding "deep-rooted" problems. Issues it raised included lenders not carrying out proper affordability checks, meaning the borrower cannot afford to pay their loan back on time and is forced to roll the loan over, meaning the cost of the debt balloons. Fifteen out of 50 lenders which were given a deadline by the OFT to prove their business practices were up to scratch have since said they do not plan to continue operating in the payday sector. Payday lenders have said they have been working to improve standards and make sure loans are only given to those that can afford them. They have said that rogue lenders which have tarnished the whole industry should ship out. Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Consumer Finance Association, which represents short-term lenders, said: "We encourage customers of CFA members to make direct contact with their lender if they feel that they have been treated unfairly or to arrange a payment plan to help them through a difficult financial period. Working closely with Citizens Advice and their bureau network, we have recently implemented a hotline service for CAB advisers in two pilot regions so that they can speak directly with hardship teams within our members' businesses to resolve complex debt problems on behalf of their clients swiftly. Complaints can be made to the Financial Ombudsman Service consumer helpline on 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 023 4567 or emailed to complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk.