Home learning direct. Could anyone give me some advice. ?

[Anyaaa]

Hi guys

 

My Son started a computer course with Home Learning Direct about 15 months ago, he pays £40 per month the course still has 15 months to go. He is being made redundant after 10 years with the same company and feels now that he cannot afford to continue the course as he has a mortgage and is worried how they will manage if he doesn't find another job soon. His redundancy

money only works out at about £1,600 which just about covers 2 months mortgage .. apparently from the age of 16 to 22 you only get half a weeks wage for each year you are there and then a full week for each year after that.

 

Is there anyway he could cancel this course ? Any help would be gratefully recieved

[tomterm8]

Well... what does the contract say? Has he talked to his tutor?

[Anyaaa]

My Son has been in contact with his tutor and was told he had to keep the payments up, he was sorry for his predicament but as the course is payed for on finance he can't cancel it.

 

Is there any way out of this. ?

Thanks in advance for for a suggestions as what his next step might be.

[Anyaaa]

Sorry, I should have pointed out that Home learn direct nows goes under the name of Home learning college.

[dorisfluffy]

Hi

I had a problem with these people and they put me on a payment arrangement for an amount I could afford. I was taking a bookkeeping course at the time and wanted to cancel as I couldn't afford to keep paying. I'm pleased I carried on with the course because I'm now a qualified bookkeeper earning much more than I would have if I'd sat on my butt and felt sorry for myself which is what I had intended doing! The finance company was Aequs Study Finance in London. Tel 0208 6769477. I believe they passed it on to another company but not sure as I paid by standing order every month. My advice is contact them and keep on to them until they help your son out. And make sure he keeps doing the course, things can get better if he does, they did for me!

Best wishes

Dorisfluffy

[tomterm8]

What were the terms of the finance? i.e. was it interest free?

[dorisfluffy]

My finance was interest free and remained interest free after I told them about my circumstances. Looking back on my case at the time I took out the agreement I was offered a choice of payment terms and chose the one which was more money each month but paid it off sooner, maybe this is why they were able to reduce my payments and allow me to pay over a longer period. Still worth a try to get the payments down and continue with the course. At the end of the day the course would have been taken on to better oneself so if a payment arrangement could be made I'd say carry on with the course.

 

Dorisfluffy

[Anyaaa]

What were the terms of the finance? i.e. was it interest free?

 

It is interest free.

 

Not sure what his next step is, he obviously can't afford the £40 per month now and they have refused to take a reduction in his monthly payments.

 

Thanks for your help though

[life_goes_on]

Take a look at this Home Learning Direct - Page 2 - CertForums

 

Let me guess, the course is from home learning college, the finance is from Aequs study finance, and maybe your qualification will be from ACITP, if so all the companies are connected, the directors are all the same, and if you do a search on the companies you will see the directors change evry couple of months to cover their tracks. Oh, and the qualification isn't worth anything, sorry. I too have paid for a course from home learning college and I'm having a lot of trouble from Aequs finance, I won't ruin your thread by telling you all the hassle I'm having unless you want me to, but the best advice I can give is to go the the citizens advice bureau, I am, and it seems this is like a legal con. Search the search engines for Aequs finance and you'll find loads of complaints about them on various forums, they are unhelpful, unproffesional and underhand, and I heard that one of the early directors went to jail for fraud, not sure how true that is but with my experience I can beleive it.

Anyway, hope you manage to resolve your matter.

[elliesnan]

subscribing to this thread as l took a study course with them and when l got into financial difficulties and could'nt pay it was passed on to a DCA name of Red Castle

[dpm21]

I am helping someone from overseas living here who was conned into a course. They were not provided with information on when they could cancel. Aequs Finance are very aggressive when I've spoken to them on the phone, and do not reply to any written correspondence. Since there was nothing in writing stating the cancellation period, it is possible that my friend could win, should it end up in court. In the meantime, all information is being forwarded to Trading Standards. I'd advise anyone else having the same problem to do the same. This is definitely not a one off, given the forums I've looked at, so the more people that contact Trading Standards, the greater the liklihood that there will be action taken.

 

Good luck!

[hinney]

Home Learning College, Home Learning Direct, The Learning Library, Oak House College. These are some of the names that this company has used over recent years. They are not a college, but a marketing company. Search The Guardian's web site for some stories about these companies ( the Capital Letters feature)Capital letters | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

Capital letters | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

The finace company regulary changes its name as well, Empress, Aquos etc. They are the same company. The awards at the end of the course come from the AFCPD. This too is the same company. The awards are useless. The clue is in the advertising, they claim that every one passes. What kind of course is that? surely some one must fail.

They claim to be Microsoft Certified, they are not.

By the very nature of these companies, the learning materials are out of date.

The "tutors" are not trained teachers but "experts" who work from home at the end of the phone.

The salespersons who give the hard sell on the courses are the people who advise customers to use their in-house finance company. They are not Licensed Credit Brokers however and should not be selling finance. Let your legal advisor, or Citizen's Advice or Trading Standards office know about this in order to have the finace annulled.

Home learning is about teaching yourself, so why pay vast sums for it. Get some good books, read up yourself, study hard, then find out where you can sit exams which carry a real and valid qualification. Many examaning bodies allow this. Check the net.

Hope this helps.

Genney

[tattootroy]

any info on this as i have a mate who is in the same boat

[sezhevo]

Does anyone have a number for Aequs study finance?

I started the MCDST course about 3 months ago, i was sent out of date books an a phone number for a tutor who i cannot get hold of, i do not even no where to start!!

I have spoken to HLC over the phone and tried to cancel this, they advised me to put it in writing, so i did this and called again, they say they do not have my letter and it is to late to cancel, but i have never recieved any documents or any advice on how to cancel there was no cooling off period set and no other details given.

I have now written to aequs study finance and have not heard anything back from them either, i find it hard to believe that 2 letters have been 'lost' in the post:???: ! i have also just recieved a letter thismornin demanding payment within 7 days to them!

does anyone have any advice or a number to help me get this sorted out??

[mrsfoot]

I would suggest to anyone who has taken finance out with these people for you to send a CCA request whici will cost you £1.00 (do not sign the letter or send a cheque with your signature on) If they cant send you a signed copy of your agreement then they have no reason to chase you for the debt, as even a court will not enforce an agreement that does not have your signature on.

[tattootroy]

sorry to jack your thread.

i am in the same bout . i requested a copy of the terms condition that i signed

and they send me one that is totally different.

 

and it has no baring of my signature . i want to take these people to court

and need some good info that i can use on them in court.

 

and i would be grateful if you guys write to bbc ,the telegraph and any other news parties . about these thieves

regards

[elliepoo]

Hi Fellow Home Learning College victims,

After waiting for over a month for the software to arrive for a web design course from these people, I decided to cancel the course. I paid £100 deposit. After umpteen phone calls to the customer service line, trying to track the promised software, I was forced to contact the course advisor, who originally sold us this course, to ask him what was going on. I informed him I wasn't interested in doing business with such an inept, incompetent company. His sympathies were firmly with me and he advised me to put it in writing to Home Learning. The software finally arrived and is still wrapped up. I have written to Home Learning to advise them of my decision and they are refusing to accept my cancellation. They have offered me £150 for the lateness of the software but will not accept cancellation. I do not want to do business with these charlatans - especially so after reading all your horror stories. It is vital that this company is brought to book.

[Mrspanther]

Hi All

 

i too have been one of there victims, I set up the account with them and they never took a payment los the deposit three times and have now put a default notice against by credit rating. I have been trying to sort this with them since november last year, no one rings you back, letters get mysteriously lost.

 

today though i have taken a stand, i have a solicitor starting legal prceedings for breach of contract, i have sent details to the FSA and Watchdog and would encourage you all to do the same. These people can not get away with it.

 

By the way the Home Learning College and Aequs Finance are the same company and have the same board of directors! Please take a stand against them as otherwise it will only get worse.

[glynn1976]

Hi All

 

i too have been one of there victims, I set up the account with them and they never took a payment los the deposit three times and have now put a default notice against by credit rating. I have been trying to sort this with them since november last year, no one rings you back, letters get mysteriously lost.

 

today though i have taken a stand, i have a solicitor starting legal prceedings for breach of contract, i have sent details to the FSA and Watchdog and would encourage you all to do the same. These people can not get away with it.

 

By the way the Home Learning College and Aequs Finance are the same company and have the same board of directors! Please take a stand against them as otherwise it will only get worse.

 

 

hi i just noticed you had probs with the home learning college i am having the same but in a different way so ime looking to take action aswell who is the fsa because its prob worth me doing that aswell trade and standard ive done already they have breached there contracted with me aswell so hopefuly can get something done

[Mrspanther]

Hi Glynn

 

The FSA are the financial services authority, everyone who deals with credit has to have a licence with these people. They monitor the dealings and complaint handling, if they are in breach of the contract it becomes a licencing issue as well. If they get enough complaints they can revoke the licence and close them donw. They can also help you with your complaint and act as a mediator who are on your side.

 

Good Luck

[nice eyes]

hi, ive just been reading through some of the problems about DCA. I myself am going through the same issues with them such as not being able to carry on with the course due to the fees. i enrolled on to a psychology course with them which costs 500 but not being able to carry on with it due to financial reasons opted to drop out. I sent them an email explaining my situation but didnt get a reply back. A month later i recieved numerous letters off them informing me that if i didnt pay what i owed then they have no other option but to pass my debt over to debt collectors. the last letter i recieved from them was dec 07 and i havent heard anything since. im not sure whether to get in touch with them or to just leave it and wait and see if anything comes from it. has anybody experienced anything similer or has any advice to share with me?

[notamused]

Well... what does the contract say? Has he talked to his tutor?

hi i started the home learning about 4 year ago i was promised all the equipment study books etc but never got anything from them im now still stuck with the repayments and no way of getting them stopped i dont think this is fair on the home learning center im now over 1079 in debt im unempled classed disabled and can not afford the repayment im now told that baliefs will enter my home and take what is owed

i wouldnt of mine but i didnt get nothing from this computer course and have rung the company over 100 times and they say its tough and i still have to pay the repayments

[tattootroy]

I beat them in 2008. I wrote letters to them stating I cancelled the course and if they want the money they must take me to court. they wrote back a few times they also send letters from there numerous solicitors.

I wort back to there solicitors stating this case is admin and if they want money they will have to take me to court.

i report them to ombudsman,

in the end they wrote backing saying they are sorry and the case is now close

i also send them links to some information i found about there company founder who was Jailed for [causing problems] some old folks with similar [problem]

 

all i can say is find all the junk you can find on them on the web, then write to them and state web links so they know what you are about.

report them to umbudsman.

and state it that they will not get a cent form you. if they want it tell them to take you court.

 

 

good luck