Advent Computer Training (Barclays Partner Finance)Info and discussion thread

[Savarok]

hi guys just spoke to computeach the msca and mcse costs £1679 for a year contrcta. Thats way less than advent.... surely thats not right ??how can they put us on a course thats cheaper and expect us to pay more

 

This is for a year though - my MCSE route was for 3 years so 3 x 1679 = 5037 which is more like the advent figure

[Mustard2243]

yes but now you end up paying anything over £1679 so your argument is null.

[Savarok]

Some post back someone wrote they had a start and end date on their enrolment form.. I posted mine it was different to his.. bigger.. with more sections on it.. but I had no start or end date on it.

 

But the guy at advent did mention that what we were paying for was 2 years worth of training and support from them.. but I have not seen this in writing unlike the other poster

 

I unfortunately do have a time scale on my enrolment form and I was told support would end once this date is reached.

 

"Luckily" I was on track at the time of them collapsing. Now well, I dont think I will go back into home studying untill I get a job - practical experience rules all.

[Savarok]

yes but now you end up paying anything over £1679 so your argument is null.

 

I paid the full amount up within a year though - and I wasn't trying to argue, just raise a speculative point that Advent and Computeach are offering different timescales for the courses and as such the prices are scaled to them.

 

If Advent offered MSCE for one year at £5950 I would understand the point raised.

 

I just want to add as well that we shouldn't even consider venting energy at each other we need to save the anger and passion for fighting BPF for our money back.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Savarok

[Bluedo]

Bluedo did you say that you were from Scotland? I remember someone saying that anyway! If that's the case we surely have an excellent get-out clause for the not being like-for-like. I was told by my salesman that the exams were all local and the workshops, although very beneficial, were entirely optional. If this had not been the case there is just no way that I could have contemplated travelling the 730 mile round trip more than once or twice a year. How many trips of this length would CT be expecting me to do in year??? Impossible when I work full-time!

 

Incidentally Thanks to everyone on this site for help and advise - especially site team (percentage of my refund will definately be coming your way!) I have just sent my first letter of complaint to BPF (thanks to all whose suggested content made it so much easier) and made an enquiry via Consumer Direct. Do I need to do anything else other than wait patiently for Martin's expert advise?

 

 

Hi GillyBee,

Aye I'm from Bonnie Scotland You're quite right about the distance. I could sit exams in Glasgow and the workshops were ok too cos my friends live in Kidderminster and I could have stayed there. Sorted!!

If I think about it everyone has been" Sorted" by the salesyappers, whatever their circumstances were.

So that should cut it clear for us and any one who will now have a distance to travel to Dudley. cos Trading Standards have already told me to wait see who the new provider is and if they're not same or too much distance then contest it on grounds of not like for like but also there's quite a few points they're not the same.

Think Martin's been snowed under maybe hear something soon

[johnwoods]

Hi GillyBee,

Aye I'm from Bonnie Scotland You're quite right about the distance. I could sit exams in Glasgow and the workshops were ok too cos my friends live in Kidderminster and I could have stayed there. Sorted!!

If I think about it everyone has been" Sorted" by the salesyappers, whatever their circumstances were.

So that should cut it clear for us and any one who will now have a distance to travel to Dudley. cos Trading Standards have already told me to wait see who the new provider is and if they're not same or too much distance then contest it on grounds of not like for like but also there's quite a few points they're not the same.

Think Martin's been snowed under maybe hear something soon

Thats great news - I'm from Northern Ireland so that'd be a fair few miles i'd have to travel too!!

[Skinnypinz]

Long time reader first time poster, firstly a big thanks to all of you for the correspondence on this forum it has been a massive help. I will not go over old ground as it has been well documented in here over the past couple of months, but for the record I 'purchased' the database administrator course and paid the course off (£4950) within the 12 months through the government approved 'career development loan' and received all the correspondence and other appalling customer care from all those organisations involved in this debarkle.

Can the CAG team include myself in the course of action

[DonnieB]

What address have people been using for BPF please that has actually prompted a response, however dismissive? Gotta send my letter asap as they wanna reactivate my account next week and just wanna be sure Im sending it to the right place so they cant dispute whether they've received it or not. I'll be sending it recorded delivery.

 

Sorry, I know it was posted sometime back im just not sure where!!

[Mustard2243]

Savarok:Sorry if i came across as aggressive i didn't mean to be like that.

 

This whole thing has got me real down in the dumps i not going to pay them that is for sure. What really gets me is how they are allowed to levy distress on people who were only trying to better themselves. I imagine that they only read the contracts after they terminated advent's finance and they subsequently collapsed. So that must have been a real Doh! moment for them i don't understand why these people do not listen to us. I know they are all foot soldiers etc. but i just cannot imagine how they can sit on the phone and lie to people knowing it will cause them emotional and sometimes physical distress.

 

How can these people sleep at night?

[chris379NE]

hi all, just to say i finally posted my BPF complaint letter on tues morning (i'd spent hours on it - so it's very lenghty and thorough - i'd post it on here but it's ground basically been covered by lots of you now) to the customer relations manager: REFUSING to accept CT as alternative provider and REFUSING to re-commence monthly DD, and reasons why ie - poor reputation; current students taking legal action; not the agreement with advent; restricted time to complete course; exams can't be taken locally; investigated by FO and trading standards; no student support for 8 weeks after advent collapse then further 2 weeks for CT (i just dispose of and ignore CT email/letter) re-sits not paid for; finance company on verge of collapse; course and structure delivery different, far inferior company/ facebook student complaints gallore; no careers service/ local job recruitment; CCA sect 75/ enterprise act etc etc, just to say a HUGE THANKS to all that continue to post and offer sound advice, any further action i can take or support CAG team and members i will, fight on people!! get them complaint letters to BPF in their thousands demaning no further payments and refusing to accept thier pathetic attempts to fob us all off on CT!! good luck to us all;-)

[THE ROADIE]

My second letter was delivered to BPF, got the electronic proof of delivery. Lets see if they ignore this letter. Nothing special in it, just refusing Computeach and complaining about getting the contract cancelled and interest free period extended as I'm not receiving any service that I should be getting. Also complaining that they did not respond or even acknowledge my first letter to them. That also had electronic proof of delivery!

[Savarok]

Savarok:Sorry if i came across as aggressive i didn't mean to be like that.

 

Dont worry about it - I was gambling on the MCSE to help my family emigrate to New Zealand. The sales rep told me that Advent would help me find a job over there and now I have £6000 worth of debt instead so trust me I completley understand the frustrations you and the other posters on here are feeling.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Savarok

[DonnieB]

Just thought i'd share this.

 

just spoke to Barclays about which correspondence address to use for my complaint and enquired about the hold on my account and they said that it should remain on hold for this month as they're planning on sending letters to everyone to advise them when the hold will be lifted (most likely in may). She did say however that once the hold was lifted then even if there was an ongoing dispute that payments would still need to be be made but that if the account was cancelled then obviously all payments will need be returned (whether she was referring to ALL payments or just those since the hold was lifted i'm not sure).

I appreciate it was a phone conversation and that everyone seems to be getting different answers on the phones but thought it was quite interesting.

[Mustard2243]

Yeah it is.....didn't they say a while back if no alternative had been found by the next payment date they would refund everyone as well?

[DonnieB]

Yeah it is.....didn't they say a while back if no alternative had been found by the next payment date they would refund everyone as well?

 

Thats not something I've heard but it'd be sweet if it was the case. Maybe they're hoping that the majority of people will accept computeach, get themselves registered there and bound to them and that there wont be many people like us left that they'll have to deal with!!

 

Here's hoping.

[Mustard2243]

I am inclined to agree they made such a screw up with this whole thing they are going to keep quiet until the last moment then be all hugs.

[johnwoods]

Hi GillyBee,

Aye I'm from Bonnie Scotland You're quite right about the distance. I could sit exams in Glasgow and the workshops were ok too cos my friends live in Kidderminster and I could have stayed there. Sorted!!

If I think about it everyone has been" Sorted" by the salesyappers, whatever their circumstances were.

So that should cut it clear for us and any one who will now have a distance to travel to Dudley. cos Trading Standards have already told me to wait see who the new provider is and if they're not same or too much distance then contest it on grounds of not like for like but also there's quite a few points they're not the same.

Think Martin's been snowed under maybe hear something soon

Rang up computeach pretending to be an interested customer... they said you can do the exams locally!!

 

does that mean we cant use this reason to get out of this?!?

[Mustard2243]

They say you can take them locally but you only get one shot if you go that way, with advent it was as many as you needed!

[DjOneel]

Hi,

 

Just joined this forum to fight and hopefully get some help.

 

I signed a contract for a 1 year differed loan with Advent/BPF and begin making payments on the 16th April.

 

I have sent a letter to BPF requesting for my contracted to be cancled which was actaully given to me by a member of this forum, written by a solicitor.

 

I have received a reply to this letter from BPF today stating they have not breached the contract!

 

This whole mess has put me under a massive amount of stress, I had made specific arrangments with advent who adpated my training becuase of personal circimstances and was also in the process of changing course.

 

I will not be moved to anouther provider becuase a bank are trying to make money and will choose my own training provider which will probably be a college or university after this experiance!

 

I have the money saved to pay for the course which i would have paid happily if Advent where still my provider but now, I'm willing to go bankrupt just to ensure that barclays receive £0!

 

I have read that CAG are helping with this situation which i think is outstanding, so any advice from you guys will be much apprecaited.

 

 

Thank you!

[johnwoods]

They say you can take them locally but you only get one shot if you go that way, with advent it was as many as you needed!

They never mentioned that!

 

Thats good to know!

 

Thanks

[alf man]

how do I sign up for legal help from CAG ?

[Turfs75]

They say you can take them locally but you only get one shot if you go that way, with advent it was as many as you needed!

 

Also the mock exam pass was lower with Advent.

[DonnieB]

Rang up computeach pretending to be an interested customer... they said you can do the exams locally!!

 

does that mean we cant use this reason to get out of this?!?

 

 

That was one of my main arguments......so thats annoying that they're saying that.

 

Im sure I read in some of the literature, either the email or on their site, that exams would be 'carried out at their dedicated testing centre' or something. I cant find it now though.

[wasabi project]

hi all,

 

just spoke to bpf...didnt give me any useful information, just that i would have to pay the money back as soon as the interest free year is up, which for me is may 1st i really dont want to have to pay this back as i hadnt used advent since december 2009. i was considering ringing computeach, but didnt in case they take this as me accepting them as a provider. WHAT DO I DO NEXT ?

[Yasmin89]

Rang up computeach pretending to be an interested customer... they said you can do the exams locally!!

 

does that mean we cant use this reason to get out of this?!?

 

i rang them to, i was told if you did the exams locally then you miss out on the workshops... as they do the workshops and then the exams straight after