My uncle has learning disabilities and has worked for a major supermarket for over 20 years. The company has now introduced minimum service levels and say he is not reaching these. One problem is getting cages out and the other is customer service. A mystery visitor gave a damning report of his interaction with my uncle who apparently blanked him. The manager says that he does know what to do but doesn't always do it. The company have offered my uncle a different job doing the trolleys but our family doesn't want him to take it. The company have also brought in an in work support advisor from a charity to help support him and given extra training. My question is can they change his hours and duties as they say he is not achieving these new criteria? There are not as many hours available to all staff as there were last year due to the supermarket not taking as much money as they did. Is it discrimination if they change his job? Thank you for any help.

Hi Can any one help I enrolled in home learning college september 2015, and have been trying to get rid ever since. It was a combine 2 and 3 year course which they advised and then promised tablet with course material which was around £5 from china and had no material. I received no eat package no student card and all arrived after the cooling off period . I am now in debt to them over £2000 and have never done any of the course . Can any one advise what to do?

Hello I enrolled onto a Marketing course in February this year with Home Learning College but can't afford to pay for and feeling a little frustrated with the course. I'm on Job seekers and can't get any funding to support continuing this course (Job Centre has scrapped funding. Useless). I now want to cancel the course as it has become more a luxury than a necessity. Does anyone have any ideas how I can do this? Thank you.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/enhanced-learning-credits-further-and-higher-education-scheme-changes More information on the Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme is here: http://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/

hi, my 9 year old has learning difficulties, the school do an IEP but 3 years ago a request was made for a educational physic report, still not been done, as the head sees nothing wrong. But yet he is still on level 1 for work, only just starting to work on year 3 work. He cant be in a crowd or he will get lost as he tends to run off and with having 3 other children and another child with global development delay and hyper mobility, it a constant on the go. My son tends to get over worked on the slightest thing making him cry an awful lot, I'm waiting for him to be referred to a paediatrician. Speech say he has mautriy issues and needs to be reassured constantly over things and any instructions to be given simple, and any work given to repeated or helped with on a one to one basis. My dilemma is a few, 1. it his birthday soon and we want to keep him of the day before to take the children to a attraction where it is going to be at its quietest so it easy for us to get around, (but the school say they need exceptional circumstances) 2, how do i get the school to understand his needs, I'm sick of going to the head and explaining how things have been at home, and then the head teacher say well he is good in school and i see no problems, I have to do a triple p course just to get the nurse to refer him to a paediatrician. I've got a CAF team in place for my youngest and when i went to put my eldest on the head teacher rolled him eyes

just wondering if anyone can advise me, my son is 20 years old and has been diagnosed since an early age with autism and has recently been diagnosed with moderate learning disabilities, he was at a school for special needs up until he left school at 16. he is currently receiving DLA but he has no real idea of money and always wants to spend it as soon as he gets it. The problem is because he wants to be more independant we allowed him to sign up for a phone contract and have sky installed in his room both come out on a monthly basis on the understanding that the money would always be in the bank. recently he was getting parcels delivered to the door, we found out that he had set up 2 catalogue accounts online and had been getting things from there, also buying many items from other online stores. also we have just found out that he has also been purchasing tickets to concerts all over the country without discussing it with us, he has purchased over a dozen tickets for events in just the last few months. it seems like he has been spending just for the sake of it. here is where the problem is, because he has been spending all his money he has been taking out payday loans in order to subsidize this habit, we had no idea of this, only finding out about this today. each time he was borrowing more and more in order to pay of the previous one and has he has no idea when it comes to money it seems to have spiralled. he is due to get his DLA friday and has just decided to tell us that he is unable to pay his phone and sky because there is over 800 pound due to come out of his account from payday loans... 3 different ones in total! and he is not making the payments to the catalogues because the funds aren't there. i now need to contact all the catalogue companies and payday loan companies on his behalf. i have already gone into his bank with him to cancel the payday loans from coming out but i still need to contact the companies. could anyone point me in the direction of a letter or advise me what to write that will highlight this situation he has gotten himself into. any help would be greatly appreciated thank you

Hi, I recently received a letter from student loan company claiming that I owed them x amount on a student loan etc. I last deferred the loans at the beginning of 2006 so thought it was now statute barred. Just to be sure I sent them the 'prove it' letter to see what they would come back with. I waited a couple of weeks and heard nothing but then received a phone call from Link Financial Outsourcing claiming they were now dealing with the debt and could I confirm details etc. I just asked them if they could send any information through the post which they agreed to. Yesterday I received a demand for payment from them with the usual DCA threats on it and was all set to send them another prove it letter and then the statute barred on if necessary but decided to read up on Link. I've now discovered that the debt doesn't become statute barred until six years after the end of the last deferment which means it won't be SB until the beginning of next year. I've never made a payment on the loan and the last written contact was my deferment in '06. Any advice on my next move would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

does anybody know if there are any ways to get grants to study distance learning courses? i am currently on ESA, and am absolutely desperate to get off it, i know what i want to do, and working for myself could well be manageable. i have found the course i want to do, and it is level 4 fully accredited, and could well be my ticket off the god awful benefits system. only problem, there is no way i can afford it! the course does not accept installments either, though i still doubt i would have been able to afford paying that way either. is there any help out there?and if not then surely this is the sort of stuff the government should really be spending money on helping people with instead of that bloody work programme garbage. many thanks in advance

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooo.... Back again for some encouragement advice. As you will know from previous posts I am not Au Fait with benefit solutions This time it for me no friends involved My little munchkin will be 3 next month. She has been attending a child development center for nearly 1 year and attending under 3 nursery ( only given to kids who really need it in this area) for a few month. We have been granted funding and has a "play-friend" at nursery to "encourage" her. We have been doing a round of mini appointments and assessments recently as she is being formally assessed for Autism next month and a group of health professionals will decided if she is on the Autism spectrum or has other learning difficulties etc etc etc Now out of the 4 appointments this week 3 of the "professionals" asked if we were already claiming DLA.... we are not ...did not even cross my mind.....but have been advised to look at this..... any advice on similar situations or applications please......would we be able to? Is it something we should be doing?...both me and Mr Ida work part-time and get tax credits. I thank you

So after reading previous threads regarding the company ICS I can see I am not the only one with a problem. I thought it was about time to start a new thread. I am currently in the process of what you could call a complaints battle with ICS. I signed up to do an English Literature A-level with them in January and have had many problems. I think they are unprofessional, unhelpful and definitely not worth the £400 I spent on my course. The problem I am currently having is trying to get my complaints answered to a satisfying degree. After a number of previous issues with them and my course which I tried to address and deal with (with very little help from them I might add) I have requested a full refund. They have told me I am not eligible for one as it is past the 10 days cancellation period. Although I understand their policies and reasons for having such a policy, they do not seem to understand that I am not attempting to cancel with them because I have suddenly had a change of heart, I am trying to get a refund based on the fact that due to their staff's incompetence and their inability to provide vital information with regards to the course I no longer feel confident enough to do my english a-level particularly not with them. I would really appreciate any support or advice anyone can offer with regards to this issue and how to proceed. I do not want to let this go as I have paid them almost £400 for services that they have not fulfilled. Thank you.

I've read and seen so much about people ripped off, or their Qualification not being worth anything! Does anyone know a Good Home learning Place thatd give me a proper qualification, and what PI course is also above board? thanks in advance.

My daughters' Child Tax Credit for her son, 17 September 2012, has been discontinued. We understand he is not old enough to claim Job Seekers, so is there anything elso he can claim. He was at College but found the theory (written work) too hard.

A friend was tempted to attend a presentation hosted by "Homes Under the Hammer" late last year regarding how to buy property for buy-to-let. She was interested enough to sign up (£999.00) for a more detailed 3-day seminar with Tigrent Learning (who say they have no direct affiliation with HUTH) at a hotel in Yorkshire and asked me if I would join her as her guest and share the fee to some extent. I was intrigued enough to accept her offer and contributed £300 to her directly. Let me say from the outset that we are good friends and I in no way wish to burden her in this matter. We attended the 3-day course which was pretty intensive with early morning starts and long sessions but, to be honest, I learned precious little that I did not know before. The material presented was pretty basic and mostly plausible although, in retrospect, overly optimistic in terms of how easy it would be to raise deposits on credit cards, obtain mortgages, select buy and refurbish properties, then rent them out allowing us to remortgage, pull our capital out and start the cycle again. I know this stacks up on paper but feel that, in real life, things are never that easy. Looking back, the course was not only designed to impart just basic information and a 'magic' plan for buy-to-letters, but also followed a carefully planned script to psychologically wind us up with American style ra-ra-ra in order to sell us further training at an 'Advanced University' course. The courses offered looked very expensive but, in the true style of double glazing sales, we were offered discounts to sign up on the day. I don't know why I fell for it, I must have been mad, but was sufficiently caught up in the moment to agree to sign up for their most basic 'advanced' training package course jointly with my friend. I had told the lecturers all along that, although I had an interest in property, the timing was not right for me (neither was it for my friend who was going on holiday abroad over Christmas) and I would like time to think about it and maybe get back to them. But, of course, we were then put under yet more pressure in very subtle ways. To cut a long story short, my friend and I discussed it and, goodness knows what possessed me, I agreed to jointly sign up for the most basic joint package at £9192 inc vat, the earliest course we could provisionally attend being scheduled for mid February 2013. It was agreed verbally that we could each give a deposit of £2000 on credit cards, so long as the balance was paid before the training date. My friend was the signatory, my details were added as a guest (but no signature) and I paid my £2K on a hand written credit card form and I presume she did the same. My friend received a copy of the contract (I would attach but I don't know how!) but I did not see it or get a copy at the time. This was on a Sunday evening. We both left thinking 'what have we done?' but had been told we had made a positive, life-changing decision (!) and, for the moment, that was that. Maybe I should have done it beforehand but I decided to do some Googling on Tigrent and was disturbed by much of what I read. My friend had already gone on holiday and so it was difficult to discuss matters with her apart from a brief email until she returned in early January when I told her of my worries. She emailed me a copy of the agreement a couple of days ago which seems quite official and on the face of it legally well constucted, although there may be some loopholes. But basically, I have decided that I now have no interest in attending the further training (which I now think is massively over-expensive for what it is) and would dearly like to draw a line under this whole business. I certainly baulk at the thought of paying another £2600 odd + travelling and hotel fees. I have certain quite serious health issues now arising which make it impossible for me to be available in February in any case but it appears that we would have to attend together as part of their rules. And, now I have seen the contract, it seems we might be subject to not getting the discount because we did not pay the balance within 15 days - I was not aware of this. This was not what was agreed verbally. There is no mention of the full price on the agreement by the way, just the discounted figure and only three days right to cancel which I am not sure is legal in UK. (I have cancelled my credit card transferred the balance to a zero % card, just in case they try to put through any further charge. My bank (FD) didn't acknowledge any reason to refund me - this was 2 days after the contract.) My friend is resigned to going ahead with the training (whilst sympathetic to my reluctance) but does not want to be landed with paying my extra £2596. I really don't want to cause her any problems. I am resigned to writing off my £2K deposit and chalk it up to experience. But, ideally, I do not want to proceed or have to pay any more. She has suggested one possibility is for her to team up with someone else (there were a couple of guys she met on the course who were thinking of signing up singlely - there is a discount for pairs). Or maybe Tigrent would agree to put my £2K towards a single fee for her - I just don't know how reasonable they would be. Whatever, we have to contact Tigrent to accept or adjust our attendance dates by Friday 25th January, at which time I am sure they will press for the balance - so not much time to think. I am obviously in a bit of a quandry and feel a very foolish old man. Anyone have any thoughts please?

Just a word of advices to any one looking to start the AAT. Whatever you do NOT USE HOME LEARNING COLLEGE. They mislead you and are conniving. I was sold Module one Basic accounting the old qualification at the cost of £895.00. I was told by the guy who came to my home I was signing on to the Full level certificate in accounting at that price. However in the middle of module one I called to ask for the next module because I felt I could study for two modules being out of work. I was told that the cost £895 only covered module one. I had paid £400.00 via installment, when I refuse to pay the remaining £495.00 My details were sold to A credit collecting agency called Gothia's. After more than 5yr Gothia'e then sold it to MMF: National Doorstep & Legai Collection Specialists. I wrote to AAT 5yr or more ago, they did nothing besides all the complains for students. I also wrote to HOME LEARNING COLLEGE they could not care. All they were concern with was destroying my credit history and after more than 5 yr still doing so. PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE. ITS IS COSTLY, DEPRESSING AND SOUL DESTROYING..

I took out a Home Learning College course in Computer Repair in Oct 2006, mostly due to A) youthful naivety believing the Course Advisors/Salesmans pitch about "having a recognised qualification most people in PC World Repair Department don't even have" and B) desperation from spending almost 15 years working life going from job to job and not getting anywhere due to learning difficulties giving me sucky grades and jobs prospects, apart from basic manual labour and machine operation. Now, all was well and good until after further research into the course itself I discovered that it was a total waste of time, giving me at the end a sheet of paper that looks impressive to someone walking in my shop (should I have owned one) but would leave even the junior members of the PC Worlds Repair Department rolling around on the floor with laughter. But I bought HLC's crap thinking at the end of the day at least I'll have a grounding in something I can turn from hobby to job at some point maybe. But the problems started in Dec 2006 when I couldn't make the 3rd monthly payment of £133 after being laid off from an agency contract. After going backwards and forwards for a few weeks discussing repayments of £10 per month while on JSA it finally came to the crunch and my health visitor on my behalf sent a letter asking to cancel the course. Didn't happen. We got a letter back saying the course is cancellable but the payments are non-cancellable even on the grounds of pregnancy, unemployment, illness or death(????!!!!???). As it stand over the last few years I've received the occasional demand from one agency and another here and there for the last few place I've rented, mostly just threatening action that never happened. I've heard nothing about this since moving to my current address of 2 years until 2 weeks ago. Now they're asking for the full £1290. So I'm told, previously a debt of under £2000 for an unsecured debt of this nature (Aequs went bust a couple of years ago, so it was hardly worth their while to chase up) the new owner of the debt has nothing to lose since the debt will be statute barred in Dec 2012. Now my circumstances have changed and 1) I don't have £1290 to give even if I wanted but also 2) I'd like to avoid a CCJ if at all possible now I have a child to support. Wouldn't they have taken me to court if they could have already? I've heard a lot about DCA's making claims for money they can't enforce through the courts, so I'd like to avoid paying this (not in a malicious sense, I do take responsibility for my debts and have always done so, but more out of the fact that 2007 til today has sometimes been almost unbearable when dealing with HLC and this debt) Any advice would be great. Sorry if that went on a bit, or if the info was to sparse. I can elaborate on points if you need me to.

Hello, in Feb 2010 I had just come out of a really bad and abusive relationship and I was working, but I wanted something new. I saw an ad for HLC and took a look at their website. I saw that they offered courses for webdesign and I sent away some details to request more information. Instead I got a sales woman coming over and being in the state that I was back then I foolishly signed up for CIW 1 & 2 at the total sum of £2300. I wanted to sign up for one course but the woman said that they offered a package for both courses at a "cheaper" price. by August 2011 I had moved to a new city, worked at a new job for a year and was making plans to move to Canada. By that point I had already paid £1734 - well above the price for the one course I HAD received all the material for (they only send you the materials and books for the second course when you pass the first). I sent an e-mail to HLC saying that I was moving away to Canada and seeing as I had already paid for the one course I'd taken I would like to cancel the second course. I was told that I had to pay for the second course (apparently even if I haven't received the material for it). I (foolishly) cancelled the direct debit as by that time I had done all the Google research and seen what kind of company HLC really are and was frankly discusted that I had let myself get tricked into paying that kind of money when I could have saved it instead. My plans to move to Canada fell through due to various reasons and instead I received another job and moved to another city. I get paid more, but this city is expensive and I often have trouble making ends meet throughout the month. Last week I received a letter from Clarity with a reference number stating that I need to call them as soon as possible. I know that it's about HLC, because I pay my other bills just fine. Problem is: 1. I am a coward and often have issues with facing these kind of problems. 2. Despite working full-time I have trouble making ends meet every month and that in itself is depressing since I have a student loan from my birth country to start paying off. 3. I guess it's my pride speaking but can they really demand money for nothing? I have not taken the second course, I have not received material for the second course. It feels a bit like paying for milk but walking out of the store with nothing. Can I argue against this debt, or is it a lost cause? Thanks and sorry for the long post. This has just added to the depression I already have due to finances. Edit: I would assume that they've added some insane interest as well for the months I haven't paid, which just depresses me more.