Sarah*, 38 is a shift worker in a fulfilment warehouse. The Sheffield resident approached Fair Finance in May 2022 to borrow £600 when two unexpected bills came in at once, straight after a month where her wages were lower than normal.
With a six year-old daughter, Sarah tries to work around school drop-off and pickup times. “I knew I would work less in April because of the Easter holidays and had budgeted ahead, but when the washing machine broke and we had a vet bill at the same time it was all too much,” she said.
“I don’t have an overdraft or much in savings, and lots of places won’t give me a loan because I don’t have a high credit score and I’m on low wages. I was really worried about what we’d do – we had to pay the vet and we needed to fix the washer but I couldn’t find all the money in one go, so I was happy to use Fair Finance.”
Sarah fixed her washing machine and paid the vet, and has managed to get extra shifts over autumn but says it’s frustrating to fight for shifts with other parents: “everyone wants a job that works around school times.”
She’s glad she heard about Fair Finance and didn’t turn to a more expensive lender. “It was much better than going to a loan shark. I could afford the repayments and I’ve nearly paid it off now. I’m just glad they were there when I needed them.”
* – name changed.
