Jump to content

Showing results for tags 'university'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • The Consumer Forums: The Mall
    • Welcome to the Consumer Forums
    • FAQs
    • Forum Rules - Please read before posting
    • Consumer Forums website - Post Your Questions & Suggestions about this site
    • Helpful Organisations
    • The Bear Garden – for off-topic chat
  • CAG Community centre
    • CAG Community Centre Subforums:-
  • Consumer TV/Radio Listings
    • Consumer TV and Radio Listings
  • CAG Library - Please register
    • CAG library Subforums
  • Banks, Loans & Credit
    • Bank and Finance Subforums:
    • Other Institutions
  • Retail and Non-retail Goods and Services
    • Non-Retail subforums
    • Retail Subforums
  • Work, Social and Community
    • Work, Social and Community Subforums:
  • Debt problems - including homes/ mortgages, PayDay Loans
    • Debt subforums:
    • PayDay loan and other Short Term Loans subforum:
  • Motoring
    • Motoring subforums
  • Legal Forums
    • Legal Issues subforums

Categories

  • News from the National Consumer Service
  • News from the Web

Blogs

  • A Say in the Life of .....
  • Debt Diaries

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


Location

  1. Hello, While I was at university, we were all given iPads on loan in our last year and I made the mistake of leaving mine in a classroom one day. I informed the university as soon as I realised and was pretty much told by at the time not to worry as they could likely locate it. Of course, it never turned up, or at least was not logged on their system to have done, and they started emailing me after my graduation (June 2016) asking me to return or pay for it. I informed them I didn’t have it to return and could not afford to pay them the sum of £500 for it. I ignored their invoices and eventually they passed it on to STA International to pursue from me. I am still receiving letters from STA every few months, big red capital letters telling me I have however long to pay before they escalate it. I just would like to know, are these safe to ignore? Of course all manner of things such as CCJ’s and whatnot has been threatened, but I’m not sure whether these are empty threats or whether they really have the power to do anything. It doesn’t seem to have escalated past the ‘URGENT’ letter stage for quite some time, and their most recent letter (received today) gives me 5 days to pay apparently. Yes, I did fail to take care of the iPad. But, I am also of the opinion that for the £9k a year I spent at that institution, I don’t deserve to be pursued like this. For that money I’d expect to be gifted an iPad, not bombarded with threatening debt collection letters. I am simply loathe to give them another penny of my money. If anyone has any insight to STA and whether this is likely to go any further please let me know!
  2. Hi, It's been a while since I've been on these forums, I used to give advice but I don't know how much has changed in the last few years. My girlfriend today got a "Parking Charge Notice". "Reason(s) for issue: Restricted Area". She parked over yellow crosshatches (aka graffiti). She has a permit but there were no spaces. University website advises people to follow the instructions on the "Parking Charge Notice". "Amount due: GBP 60.00". (30.00 if within 14 days). I know she should do nothing and wait for the NTD comes through, which they have 28 days to send. How enforceable is this? Have they ever taken anyone to court?
  3. Hi, I wonder if any one can give me any advice! I was enrolled into university September 2015 and was at university for around a week before I was involved in a serious car accident. The accident resulted in me having to withdraw from the course. The university provided absolutely no support to help me stay on the course as I was so reluctant to leave. I was told I had to pay £195 to them for 'Tuition fees' even though the first week I was there I didn't learn a thing! I've been paying £10 a month to STA International to clear this debt and have been for the last 6 months. Yesterday I got a letter from STA asking me to fill out a questionnaire where they're asking for all my financial details including my partners! i.e my salary and mortgage payments, car finance, gas & electric out goings. This is clearly an attempt from them to look at my finances and demand higher monthly payments from me. I contacted a STA adviser today who told me I agreed to the questionnaire when I set up the direct debit (this was over the phone), they have never had me sign anything to tie me into any sort of agreement! I told them I am not providing this information but will continue to pay my £10 a month until the debt is cleared. The adviser responded telling me they will phone, email and send letters until I send them this information back. My question is, do I have to respond with what they're asking for? will they be able to take legal action? I'm assuming not since I am paying them however I have never had any debt before and I am worried! Thanks G
  4. Hi there guys, my son decided that University was not for him and came home the second week of December 2016. He has just received a demand (request) for an overpayment of Maintenance Loan of £337.12 which is due immediately. They do however offer to discuss the matter and work out a repayment plan. This has been made by "Student Loans Company" slc.co.*k Unfortunately my son had already budgeted for what he needed for the rest of the term and had spent all of his remaining maintenance loan. As far as i was aware both the tuition fees and maintenance loan were not repayable until his earnings reached a certain threshold? If this is not the case due to him leaving early will he also be billed for his tuition fees for the rest of the term? There is also an added debt of his off campus university accommodation charges for the rest of the term (or maybe for a longer period depending on what the terms are for accommodation. This was arranged by the University) This is a bit of a mess so we need to deal with one thing at a time. + Maintenance Loan demand + 1. What can we do about this because my son has no income at all even though he has just applied for Universal Credits he will not get any income for quite a while because they do not count the first 2 weeks and then he will not be paid for a further 4 weeks after that. 2. Is there any way to get this debt sorted under the Student loan terms of only repaying when income reaches a certain threshold? I will tell him to not ring them yet until we get advice. Thank you in advance.
  5. Hi, I have just received a claimform from Hadfield & Co Solicitors on behalf of my old Uni. It is over an extra module that I had taken but didn't complete due to dropping out of Uni entirely due to personal reasons. I accept that I owe the module amount, which is £578 but they are claiming an amount of 726.11 plus a £60 court fee and £70 legal representative costs - £856.11. They had assigned a debt collector, who I was about to enter into an agreement with around September 2015. I can't remember the name of the company after one phone call, they sent me an income/ expenditure as I proposed £20 per month (I'm not earning much at all!) I filled in said I/E and sent it off but heard nothing thereafter. After a lot going on in my life, I have to say I didn't really give it too much thought until a Claim form came through the post. Surely they are supposed to send letters? Like I said I have had one phone call and I was happy to make an arrangement, I really can't afford a CCJ against me! The particulars are as follows; The Claimant claims £578.00 in respect of 1. University Tuition provided by the Claimant at the Defendants request, full particulars whereof having been supplied by way of Claimant's invoice dated 23 October 2012 to 23 October 2012. 2. The Claimant claims the further sum of £148.11 pursuant to S.69 of the County Court Acts 1984 at the rate of 8.00% from the date on which the invoice(s) were due to date. 3. The Claimant also claims statutory interest at the above daily rate of £0.13 from the date hereof to payment of Judgement, whichever is the sooner. 4. Costs I'm not sure if anyone can help me, but I have already acknowledged the claim online and I refuse to bury my head in the sand any more! I already have one CCJ registered against me, which I have been told from a friend that had I defended it, I could have had it dismissed! Thanks in advance!
  6. Hi all, I hope you are well. I have been in foster care since I was 3 until I was 21, and now I am 22. However social said they would keep supporting me until I was 25 as long as I am in full time education. I completed three years at university and got my degree, I then decided to do a masters. However when I was barely a month or so into the masters I had to come home because I was taken ill. I wasn’t in a fit state to continue with mental health problem, thus at this point so I decided to defer my masters. I was realised from hospital and came home, at this point social services were being fantastic about things. However, I relied on my social worker to sort things out as I was in no fit state to sort it myself. When I say thing like defer me from the masters, sort things out with the uni, accommodation etc. 3-4 months have gone by since coming home and I have recently discovered my social worker hasn’t done any of these things. I have had an e-mail from the university saying what’s going on, we know you are ill. Today, I discovered my accommodation contract hasn’t been sorted, in which they said I could get out if I provided substantial documentation from a GP. Obviously at the time I left things with my social worker and just assumed it was done, I now owe almost £1000. The thing is that in the summer we agreed social will pay for a certain amount and I pay roughly a £10 deficit each month, this was agreed verbally. I believe social have stopped paying the bill therefore I am lumbered with the whole amount. In addition, when a student usually comes out of university social usually help said student get on their feet. However, the contact has been scarce over time. I received a cheque for £1,900 which was because my masters was on a scholarship and the uni said I can keep it as I was still enrolled at the time the incident happened. I was honest with social which was all good. At the time I said I would put it to good use and have driving lesson, with the aim of increasing my employability. Contact has lessened and I feel in the lurch, as I am living with a relative and can’t stay here much longer, social haven’t helped in finding me a flat of my own, I found a flat on my own which was affordable, but I could get it as I had no guarantor and none of my family were in a position to help. Social then said they won’t help me because I have this cheque. However with various expenses including Christmas, I have spent a little of it, but now I am just using it to live essentially. I have had to go to the council and declare myself homeless. I am jobless at the moment and have been doing everything in my power such as updating my CV, applying for jobs and even been to a job interview today. I have applied for JSA in which I wasn't helped with, which can be trick given the circumstances. I spoke to my social worker last week and she only wanted to see if I had applied for JSA so she could stop paying me Independent living allowance which is fair, because that has been good deed from them to me. However I feel slightly overwhelmed at the minute as I am trying to find a flat, a job. And now I have discovered that nothing has been done since coming back from university and find out I have this £980 debt. I feel it wouldn’t have been this much if my social worker had got me out of the contract. And uni fees are still being charged I believe. Sorry, I don’t mean to paint social services in a bad light, I am only speaking from experience. And I haven’t ever had a problem with them before. But it’s agitating and everything is playing on my mind, which is not good for my mental health, as I have had to overcome a lot to get to this point. Any advice is welcome and thanks for reading. Many thanks, Abc12321
  7. Hi Son is at Leeds Trinity , he lives on site they have TPS covering their car parks, he has received parking the charge advice please. He has to put a ticket on at 8am on a Monday for the Week they charge him £10 a week to park, he didnt get up in time.Ticket has come to my house as this is the registered address for his car. Will this go to debt collection agency thks
  8. Not sure if I have in the correct part of the forum. A friend of mine has received a Claimform from Northampton/Salford for a course started and stopped at the end of 2012. Date of service tomorrow and received yesterday. The amount is for £1800. Interest being charged and added at 8% per year. Brief outline was, started course and explained he was applying for student finance - and signed paperwork. Student finance was declined after 2 months - he had been paying the monthly fee himself but explained he couldn't carry on as couldn't afford. also explained he was moving back to London due to personal reasons - he gave his new address. Heard nothing and then a brief exchange of emails end of of 2013 and beginning of 2014. He explained the situation and never received reply. First he heard was the county court summons. He has copies of emails sent. Can anyone advise how to move forward...
  9. Hi. I'm 24 and looking to go back into education in September (by which time I'll be 25) to study Animal Behaviour. I was told by a university this week that I would need either A Levels or an Access to HE course to allow me to apply. There seems to be plenty of funding available for university students, but I can't seem to find any for full time college students, as you can not apply for student living grants/loans until uni. I am living away from home and have been claiming ESA for a while now, but that will be ending soon. I know I can get a loan to cover the cost of any course and exam fees (from 24+ Advanced Learning Loan), but does anyone know of any help with living costs, or even any benefits I can claim whilst at college to pay for rent, food, bills etc? I don't know if this is the right place to post this thread, or even if anyone here can help, but I thought it was worth a shot as CAG has been very helpful in the past, and I'm struggling to work out what to do now after being turned down by the university. Thanks. Matt.
  10. I have 3 kids, all away at university although they return here during the holidays and still class this as their home address. Are any of them classed as still being dependents for benefits purposes? They are 24, 21 and 18.
  11. Hello everyone, i am currently in a very worried state. Today i was banned from asda for shoplifting. They took me to a quiet room on the side with CCTV which they said took my picture. No Police were called, they simply made me sign a form stating that i was banned from all ASDA stores. They took my student ID and i assume they wrote down some details from it, and told me that my university would be notified of what had happened. The goods were returned to the shop and i offered to pay for them anyways, which the manager declined. I remained very appologetic and cooperative during the whole ordeal. The total item value was £13. For which i only paid £0.70 at the self checkout by falsely weighing it as a different item. The £0.70 was obviously not refunded to me. I am now very worried of the following: -That i will be expelled from my university course. -That it will have an impact on future employment due to criminal record. -Will i be fined (by the RLP according to other articles here?). They asked me for my address but i only gave them a basic street of the student flats where i am living now. They said that it wasn't showing up, i then gave them the postcode for the area which i am unsure the lad even attempted to write down, and it is a pretty large area that the postcode covers. So overall, i am somewhat positive that they dont have my address. I have learnt my lesson and i will never again do anything like this in my life. I am absolutely terrified. I would appreciate any advice or counsel that anyone here could provide. Thank you. EDIT: I have just read that ASDA uses a company called Drydens for their civil recoveries, but i am still unsure if it will apply to me?
  12. Hello I am helping a friend who would like to go to university next year. She moved with her parents from Romania to England in Feb 2013 and is currently at school doing second year at sixth form and will take A levels next summer. Is she eligible for a student loan and maintenance grant if she starts at university in England in 2015, or does she have to have lived in England for 3 years? If there is a 3 year requirement then presumably she just needs to wait a year and go in 2016? Anyone know if Romania offers any financial support for its citizens going to University outside Romania? I imagine they dont. Thanks
  13. Have you just received your A-level results and are planning to start university this autumn? If so, you're likely to be one of the many students who will soon be moving into halls of residence or private rented accommodation for the first time. Moving away from home can be quite daunting, so it's useful to know what to expect before you move. Our student housing information can help you along the way: if you're thinking of moving into halls of residence if you're thinking of moving into private rented accommodation.
  14. I have been studying with the Open University for about 6 years now. I took out and OUSBA loan to cover module fees in January. I took the loan out on the understanding that I was eligible for transitional fee's. I withdrew from the module in march time because it just wasn't for me, on the phone the lady told me to just carry on paying OUSBA and register for my new module that starts in october and they will use my OUSBA credit to pay for it, so I wouldn't lose anything and my new module would be paid for. Now thay have decided that I am no longer eligible for transitional fees, they said I shouldnt have been anyway it was a mistake on their part and I must pay the outstanding OUSBA balance or they will take me to court and withhold my degree. If I want to add another module then I have to pay an extra £1827. I am furious, I would never have taken out the loan if I had known that I would not be entitled to transitional arrangements. Is there anything I can do? I really don't want to have to pay £735 for nothing. TIA
  15. Can the Open University increase its fees after a module has started. Student finance has just sent me a letter saying they have and my loan adjusted accordingly
  16. Good afternoon. Received letter from Lewis Debt Recovery on Friday 26/10/2013 demanding 46.73 to be paid by 30/10/2013. They give my University Reference number and then info that notice was issued on behalf of my University in Scotland. As far as I remember this is a notice issued by University for using their parking for one hour (similar to a parking fine) but this detail is not mentioned in the Lewis Debt Recovery Final Demand. Please let me know how should I proceed with this Final Demand. Should I pay this since it is originally from University? Best regards, Kros
  17. Hello Last year I was paid a bursary of £500 from university. 3 weeks later they asked for it back and said they had paid it in error. I am a student with a wife! who has a job. They told me as they had learnt my wifes salary (40000) I wasn't eligible. however this was my last year at university and I had recived bursarys every year without any problems. I explained the money was already gone and I was unable to pay. Anyway to cut a long story short via control account, who I ignored (consumer action reading and advice), And also some threatening emails from university, I have now received a claim form for the full amount. Due to still being at university (teacher training), and being threatened by them they will in effect ban me from carrying out my studies I am keen to pay the money back. However, I still cannot afford the whole amount at once.... What can I do? is it wise to visit the university and speak to someone? or is it too legal now?? Thanks in advance....
  18. I have been making some discrete inquiries with my local job centre over the last few weeks on claiming JSA. My redundancy payment balance is now looking rather small and any extra will help. I am in my third year with the Open University doing a Law Degree. The adviser at the benefits office has given me a form saying that if i wish to claim any sort of benefit then i have to give all details on my course. My understanding is that as long as i do not spend more than 16 hours a week studying, i am within the regulations My question is, considering the degree course is not full time education, but a part time study course, and in my own time, why do i need to declare it
  19. The loans, sometimes taken by student-parents to feed their children, lead to “desperate measures” as people get caught in a vicious cycle of debt, it is said. As a result companies which offer short term, unsecured loans at high interest rates have been banned from advertising anywhere on the University of East London campus, including in magazines, on posters, or online. UEL made the move as more students were turning to the firms to tide themselves over between grants and loans. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/loans/9898361/University-bans-payday-loan-companies.html
  20. Hi there, I have searched high and low for information on whether my DRO would be stopped if I got a maintenance loan and grant when I start university this year but to no avail. i've tried to get to the bottom of whether these loans and grants are classed as income and would it affect the dro but there is nothing. Basically just this month I got my DRO through and it has dawned on me about income in general (i'm still shaky on the idea of getting a part time job whilst i'm in my current study at college) and since i have had my offers to numerous universities that means without my loans/grants I can't move and study at my preferred choice of university as the the loans and grants would be helping me with rent and living expenses. anyone had a DRO and still got loans/grants from student finance? or anyone know anything about maintenance loans affecting someone's DRO? I don't want to find myself in a flat miles from home living on little and having my DRO stopped on top of that! Surely if it's for higher education means this should not affect it right?
  21. This issue involves Barclays bank/HDFC back (india) and a University. My brother has enrolled into a university which has fees of 16600 GBP (14,98,814(@90.29) INR). He issued a Demand Draft from the local bank in India (HDFC) and went to London. When he first Presented the Draft to the University, I was told that theres something wrong with the DD and so please arrange to pay by bank transfer. He contacted HDFC bank regarding this and they sent him a mail in 2-3 days saying the problem has been solved so kindly represent the DD back to the Univ. What was the problem and why the transfer didnt take place in the first place he had no idea neither did HDFC bank mention this in their mail. When he told the Univeristy that has been told to represent the DD again they said your DD has been lost but anyways it didnt get processed the first time so its his fault and as such you need to get a valid DD again or pay by bank transfer. That is when he thought he will do as the university wants him to do. But Now the problem is the earlier DD cost him 14,98,814(@90.29) INR, the Refund given to us by Barclays Bank is 14,05,688(@84.68). and When my mother enquired about bank transfer today it will cost me 14,59,638 (@87.93) as on 29/10/2012 incurring me a loss of 1,53,950 INR which is completely unfair to us because we have absolutely nothing to do with anything. Please help us out what action can we take against the Barclays bank Regards Sarin Kane
  22. Hi all, first post here so sorry if it's in the wrong place. I have been receiving phone calls and letters from a company called STA international claiming I owe £780 from a University Accommodation debt. According to the University it is because even though I moved out, I was still liable for the charges. I left university late 2008 and don't feel that this debt is mine. I stupidly made one payment to shut them up earlier this year (guessing it means I can't wait for it to become SB) What do I do? Thank you in advance for your assistance.
  23. More than 2,000 students potentially face deportation after a London university had its licence to teach and recruit overseas students revoked. London Metropolitan University has had its right to sponsor students from outside the EU revoked, and will no longer be allowed to authorise visas. Ministers say the university is not tracking course attendance and that many students have no right to be here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19419395
  24. Hi, My girlfriend took up a Uni course at Aston last summer but withdrew in October. We are aware of, and perfectly willing, to pay tuition fees of 1/3rd the total that would be due, as is outlined on their website for this situation. The catch is this - she was entitled to DSA (disabled students allowance) which should cut the yearly fees down from £9k to £3k. For a variety of reasons, internal communication breakdowns most likely, the DSA-adjusted fee was never actually applied and to this day her account is still at the non-DSA amount. Thus, we now have debt collectors asking for £3289 (a third of £9k give or take). We've been in touch with the Uni over this and have received confirmation from her disability advisor there, that they do have confirmation of her entitlement to DSA. For some reason this never made it over to the accounts department so I'm now fighting against time to get the account updated to the lower amount by trying to get the departments to speak to each other before the DCA starts knocking on the door. So, my question really is, does anyone have a template to send to the DCA which says "we're disputing the amount (but not that there is something owed), and we're trying to get proof, which we'll send as soon as we have it)" - I had a look through the templates but none really seemed to fit and I'm not entirely comfortable with drafting one from scratch in case I say something wrong. We could send the DCA a photocopy of her DLA (living allowance) but I'm not sure that'd really be enough, it's the DSA proof I'm trying to get. Thanks in advance for any replies, advice, tips
  25. My friend, a student at Canterbury Christ Church university, parked his car several times in one of the university car parks without incident, until one day he got a ticket - and then another. In line with advice I have seen on this site, I advised him to ignore them. In time letters arrived, increasing the penalty from £70 to £140 for each ticket. Again, I advised him to do nothing in response to letters from the security company. Eventually, a letter from the university itself arrived, which said that if the amounts remained unpaid then his diploma would be withheld when he graduated. Can they do this to him? They have no proof that he was driving on those days - it could easily have been me. I would be grateful for any advise on the legality of their proposed action.
×
×
  • Create New...