Me and my courses - Advent Computer Training (Barclays Partner Finance)

[TheMeq]

Hello, sorry for reviving an old thread. I just need some advise.

 

I started my course with Advent Computer Training a few years back and I got my loan via Barclays Partnership Finance.

When the company went into administration, it got taken over by CompuTeach.

 

After I got my A+ certification I managed to get a job in IT (which I am still in) and things where good. I didn't have a lot of time to work on my course as things where getting bigger the more I started to work.

 

When stuff had settled down I think the beginning of last year, I logged into the CompuTeach website to continue my course. It wouldn't allow me to.

 

I called up CompuTeach and they said that my contract with them had expired 2 or 3 months before. For me to continue my course, they wanted £1800 per year to continue it.

 

I'm still paying for my Barclays Partnership Finance loan off (I think I still have about 2 years left before it will finally be over), but at this current moment in time, I feel like i've paid £6000 just for my A+,

 

Do I have any legal rights? or should I be given compensation? Or have I just been robbed of my money?

 

I need some advise as I feel very upset by this.

[blade325]

Hi TheMeq,

 

although the other thread is an old thread people do go to it from time to time to check on other peoples progress.

 

A simple answer to your question is that since you switched over to Computeach

it is highly unlikely that you will see any of your money again.

 

And for your information Advent was never taken over by Computeach.

 

Advent went into administration and was closed as a company, I do not know what you were told,

but had they been taken over by Computeach then many of us fighting BPF and Computeach would not have had a leg to stand on.

 

Computeach bought (allegedly) Advents database from BPF which is completely different from taking over a company.

 

If you had read the small print on the original Advent form you will see some of the terms in relation to them going out of business.

 

I hope that this answers some of your questions.

[dx100uk]

moved to megs thread

 

dx

[C-Revenge]

Not sure if this is in the right place. If anyone signed up for the MCSE with Advent this could be useful, I have question BPF on this matter asking for further clarification, I think it implies the course is completable within 2 years at around 8 hours per week. if you look at the Advent brochure and terms on Enrolment Form. Advent's brochure quotes a time of 860 hours. CT however their brochure quotes 1670 hours. Basically at 8 hours per week, it would take about 13 months. However with CT course materials and going by their own indications it would take 4 years!!! Not sure if this has been mentioned before but I have been going through this again and again, for a long time

[leonlion]

You need to check your Advent enrolment form

if it had no course end date you can make a complaint to FOS,

 

a former student who paid in full just before the collapse of Advent

and had no course end date on your enrolment form you may well,

based upon recent experience,

get at least a 60% refund from the FOS.

 

Computeach have said they did not offer ‘open ended’ course dates,

so to that extent the fact that the two courses differed in that respect has been accepted by the FOS.

 

It may be possible that those who have not paid off their loan yet will also get a favourable FOS decision

if they have no end date (or no dates at all) on the Advent agreement,

as this would prove the course was sold as open-ended

and therefore not like-for-like to the Computeach substitute.

 

We won't know until someone tries however.

 

Please contact your FOS adjudicator and make this new ruling known to them,

pointing out it was in circumstances similar to yourself.

 

They will have to take this into account, and advise you accordingly.

 

If they have already given you a decision you may have to put in a new complaint

- they should tell you what you need to do.

 

For those who have NOT yet put in a complaint to FOS our lawyer advises you to do so now

and make this date issue clear in your complaint.

 

For an example of the dates box and back of the 2 different Advent contacts used, see here...

 

Pre summer 2009 front & back with terms and conditions (blue/green copy)

 

Post summer 2009 front & back with terms and conditions (yellow)