1 reviews | Active since May 2025
1-Star Review: Deeply Disappointed with Boodle’s Transparency & POPIA Compliance
I am extremely disappointed with Boodle and their complete lack of transparency. Nowhere on their website do they state that self-employed individuals are automatically declined for loans — regardless of how stable or substantial their monthly income may be. I earn well into the hundreds of thousands every month, yet my application was instantly rejected without any reason provided. Only after contacting them did I find out that they simply do not approve loans for anyone who is self-employed.
This is misleading, wastes applicants’ time, and leaves unnecessary credit inquiries on your profile.
What is even more concerning is their response when I requested that my account be closed and my personal information removed. I was told that they cannot delete my data and that it will remain on their system indefinitely. This is a direct violation of South Africa’s POPIA Act, which clearly states that consumers have the right to request deletion of their personal information when it is no longer required for its original purpose.
Boodle’s refusal to comply with POPIA raises serious concerns about how they handle personal data and whether customer rights are being respected at all.
Between the non-transparent lending criteria and their disregard for data privacy laws, I cannot recommend Boodle to anyone. Self-employed individuals especially should be warned — you will be declined automatically, and your information may be kept without your consent.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely apologise for the frustration and inconvenience you experienced during your loan application process.
We understand how disappointing it must have been to receive an immediate decline despite your strong income.
We also understand your concern regarding unnecessary enquiries on your credit profile. While our system does run a standard credit assessment to process any application, we regret that this led to an unsatisfactory experience for you. We are exploring ways to improve clarity around this step.
Regarding your request to have your account and data removed:
Boodle is required to retain certain personal information for specific periods to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. This means we cannot always delete data immediately upon request, but we want to assure you that your information is stored securely and used strictly for lawful, compliant purposes.
That said, we take POPIA obligations seriously, and we are happy to re-review your request to ensure that all information not legally required to be retained is handled appropriately.
Thank you for reaching out again. We understand how frustrating it must be to receive another decline after reapplying, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.
Please note that every application undergoes a fresh assessment based on our credit risk criteria, which include several factors required by the National Credit Act. Unfortunately, your most recent application did not meet the minimum credit-risk requirements at the time of assessment, and we were therefore unable to approve it.
Kind regards,
The Boodle Team
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely apologise for the frustration and inconvenience you experienced during your loan application process.
We understand how disappointing it must have been to receive an immediate decline despite your strong income.
We also understand your concern regarding unnecessary enquiries on your credit profile. While our system does run a standard credit assessment to process any application, we regret that this led to an unsatisfactory experience for you. We are exploring ways to improve clarity around this step.
Regarding your request to have your account and data removed:
Boodle is required to retain certain personal information for specific periods to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. This means we cannot always delete data immediately upon request, but we want to assure you that your information is stored securely and used strictly for lawful, compliant purposes.
That said, we take POPIA obligations seriously, and we are happy to re-review your request to ensure that all information not legally required to be retained is handled appropriately.
Thank you for reaching out again. We understand how frustrating it must be to receive another decline after reapplying, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.
Please note that every application undergoes a fresh assessment based on our credit risk criteria, which include several factors required by the National Credit Act. Unfortunately, your most recent application did not meet the minimum credit-risk requirements at the time of assessment, and we were therefore unable to approve it.
Kind regards,
The Boodle Team