STA International acting on University behalf for Lost iPad

[StudentCat]

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!

Edited January 28, 2019 by StudentCat

[BankFodder]

It is unlikely to be followed up – but you need to make sure that they are updated with your latest address so that in the event that they decide to start some proceedings – you will know about it and you can deal with it.

 

One of the big problems is where people move, don't update their addresses and then they find that their credit file has been wrecked by County Court judgements which they didn't know about.

 

When the iPad was given to you, was it new? How long did you have it? They are trying to claim the new value of it but actually they would only be entitled to recover a replacement value of an item of similar quality and age.

[dx100uk]

Simply inform the uni of your correct address

Ignore the powerless fca

They are not bailiffs

And have ZERO LEGAL powers

 

Moved to the student forum

 

Dx