Honours Student Loans

[goldiea]

Hi All,

 

I have spent a few days on here reading everything I can now. I am helping my husband to claim back charges from the bank (Halifax) but I have also been getting 6-7 calls from Honours Student Loans for charges and arrears that have 'accrued' over the past couple of years. In short I can avoid any charges and arrears if I am deferred. To do this I have to request a deferment form and send it back - herein lies my problem, I request them and they does not arrive - it took seven months to get the one for 2004-2005. I initially requested it in November 2004 and eventually got one in June 2005. In the meantime I have been charged hundreds in letter charges, call charges and administration charges. I am now going through the same procedure this year.

 

In the meantime I am called so many times a day it is rediculous, I have even been forced to agree to pay a monthly figure or threatened with court action.

 

I know this is not a bank issue but I cant find anyone else who has had a problem with Honours Students Loans and wondered can anyone tell me if I can get the charges removed and stop the calls!! I am at my wits end (Mother diagnosed with cancer last year and now terminal - hellish hard to keep focused) I dont know if the procedures for banks apply to this too.

 

Oh in addition to that lot, the staff their keep saying that the forms are being sent out, so effectively do not believe I have not received them, but I am entitled to defer so why would I not return it and why would I keep ringing and asking for one!!! Help if anyone can

[Rich44]

My partner does this each year she was made redundant last year and is now self employed so earns under their threshold for paying back the loan so each year she defers payment. Each year they have been very good at sending the forms out so I dont understand why they are dragging their feet with yours.

 

Just a thought but have you confirmed they have your address exactly right including the post code?

[goldiea]

Hi thanks for the reply. Yes I have checked (everytime they phone or I phone them that is the first question they ask!) I am not sure why or what is happening and getting a bit of a conspiracy complex that this is just a ploy to be able to charge like this, but that aside. I need to know really if there is anything I can do about it - I have accepted they are right in the past and that I cant do anything about it, but I am fed up being passive and just allowing this to continue.

 

Once upon a time my finances were great (well better than ok is probably more accurate), not anymore. If I can take some action on this I will as I have just had enough now.

 

If you or anyone else knows whether I can apply the same principles to these charges I would appreciate the help. I just need to know if and how I can proceed....

[Michael Browne]

Exactly the same principle applies . You can claim back charges using the same method as claiming from a bank.

 

A search for 'student loans' returns several threads.

[goldiea]

Thank you for the help, I did see the loans thread but I still wasnt sure if it applied to this situation because the debt is not with a DCA (although it was).

 

Am I right in thinking then that I can send a letter to request that the charges to be removed from the account on the basis they are "unfair"/"unlawful"?

 

Also can I request they remove a default? (I think they served this a while ago, but as one of the other members said I have had my head in the sand for a while, so not sure).

 

Sorry to sound a bit stupid but I just want to make sure before I do anything

 

Kind Regards and again thanks for the help

 

xx

 

PS I too will make donation when banking thing is concluded - this site needs to be helped to keep going...and by those it helps

[goldiea]

Oh I forgot - the calls I have been receiving are so many a day and they will not listen to me. After seeing a thread on the subject of mass calling to collect debt, I told one of the callers from Honours Students that I needed to make her aware that I was disputing the charges and that they must refrain from any further action until the dispute was resolved - she said sorry, she cant do that and needed to make an arrangement. I was unsure of my legal footing here and just said it again, told her I was writing a letter to confirm and took her name etc. Was this right?

 

It seems from other threads that this level of calls would contravine the trading standards as harassment, I am right to go down this path?

 

Thanks Again - I need to sort this out and get back on track, sick of feeling like a "second class citixen" through financial difficulties!

 

xx

[goldiea]

What no one with any advise?

 

xx

[Michael Browne]

Look at this thread:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11379&highlight=telephone+calls

and post 2 by jonnibad should help

[goldiea]

Thank you Michael Browne - that is along the threads I have viewed. I will go ahead and send my letter.

 

I will keep updating as and when...

 

Cheers

 

xx

[dolly]

I have a similar problem with Student Loans but mine is that they don't get them back from me apparently! Sent them Recorded and Special Delivery but as they are signed for by a squiggle, no-one can identify who they are.

 

Mine has actually been passed onto a DCA.....who you have just reminded me to send a letter to

[hunkydory]

Hi. I have had Honours chase me - I don't get paid until the end of the month & they want paying on the 22nd but tough. I told them this week that I wanted a full breakdown of what the £15 admin fee covers on my account as penalty charges are illegal. Was told that that they would look into this as I started quoting case law at them so perhaps they want to get me off the phone.

 

I stopped the calls by telling them that I would not give callers my personal details over the phone for security reasons and that I needed them to verify who they were so the calls stopped. Magic!

[goldiea]

At Last!!!!! Thank god I am not on my own with these people..... I am sorry you are both struggling with this lot too though. Not really something you would wish on even an enemy, is it?.

 

I know I am to blame for some of the confusion just because they did elicit an agreement out of me under threat of bad credit and court but they are too much.... I have written a letter stolen from a few on this site, such as the one recommended by Michael Browne above.

 

Also I did the same thing - told them I did not know who they were and how could they prove to me that they were in fact Honours Students!! I did get rid of that person quickly but only stopped ringing on Thursday after I told them that I was writing a letter to dispute the charges and that as such they must refrain from any other action until the dispute is resolved....no more calls after that (I even got an apology from the person on the other end!)

 

Lets see how we do...

 

Has anyone got a reply from them yet?

 

XX

[goldiea]

Hi,

 

Just an update - got a reply from Honours (inapt name for the company I think?!)....they simply sent to me a standard letter saying that they are aware I have made a data subject request and enclosed their own DSR form. I have completed and sent this back advising payment and request already made under seperate cover. I also received a deferment form (same day), it is strange that two years in a row the only 2x deferment forms I have received have been

'manual' ones? but anyway at least I have received it (sent back today with the DSR form they sent).

 

Can I take it that no-one else has received a reply from them as yet? Please update on your progress.

 

xx

[goldiea]

Hi just an update,

 

I rang Honours Students today to check if they have received the DSR form they sent to me and just generally check if the DSR letter I sent to them is being actioned. I checked with bank and the chq was cashed today so i really just wanted to check that they had not allocated it to my account (as i have read credit cards have done in other threads).. I was initially told by the chap on the other end that they will be sending back my chq and another of their DSR forms, as I had not sent their own form and the chq together?!... After asking him how they will send my chq back (as they have cashed it) he stated that they will send a chq for £10 to replace the one cashed and I had to re-request the DSR and send it back with the chq in the same envelope. (this he says is what has confused things!!??..)

 

After some wraggling with him, he then spoke to a supervisor (whom he would not let me talk to) and came back and said ok we will accept your chq and your information will be with you in 10 working days....

 

I can feel it - this is going to be tedious and lengthy (just as well I have all the time and determination in the world:cool: ).

 

I am going to have a look at others who are fighting these vultures are getting on... another update when any further progress made

 

xx

[Giveitback]

They have driven me mad. Honours have been better than the SLC though. And this after they took forever to give me the loan in the first place.

 

They're currently chasing me with automated messages. I'll keep you posted, but I should say this.

 

I had charges applied to an amount for 'immediate repayment' which was transferred from SLC to honours, now honours removed all of their charges the last time I asked, but couldn't remove the charges applied by SLC. (because obviously they had bought them believing that to be the value of the debt they bought). Not sure how I'll be approaching this, but be aware that if your account has been transferred then you may have 'hidden' charges.

 

Good luck everyone.

 

They're next on my hitlist. BoS first.

[goldiea]

Hello Giveitback (and I hope that is what the BoS do!)

 

Good to know they removed charges when asked! hope that happens for me - I dont know but it seems a bit dubious that the charges in this situation are purely down to them applying their own procedures that THEY say you have not followed. I hope they accept that the people working for them make mistakes because at the moment it seems they will not accept anything other than I have not returned the deferment form (they have not accepted that maybe they have not sent it!?)...

 

Anyway I will you updated - do you have your own thread that I can read?

 

 

and Good Luck with BoS.

xx

[rob_s]

i had £700 charges for SLC due to non-immediate payment having sent all the forms and backup docs 7 months previous to this.

my MP sorted it out for me very quickly with a letter to the CEO. figured that was the best way and it worked, but i did have the backup and all dates etc available to include and all charges were wiped.

this year went without a hitch surprisingly lol

[goldiea]

Hi Rob S,

 

Good to know and thanks for the info... by saying you had the backup, are you talking about registering the post you returned to them? I had not done this but they have noted me calling on more than a few occasions logged on their system. They have also acknowledged my Data Subject Request.

 

Lets see how we go anyway. MP might be a good Plan B if I fail to persuade them they have been a little bit haphazard in sending forms... but I intend to follow the procedure to the letter so maybe that will not be necessary. Good Luck to us all..

 

xx

[Giveitback]

Thanks fot that plan B idea too.

 

Honours say they can't take off the charges that were applied by the other loans company that they bought the debt off. I don't care what they say, they've riled me know, and they ain't getting nuffink!

[goldiea]

Hi Giveitback,

 

Does tha not mean then that you can apply to "the other student loans company" for the charges they applied.. how long ago was it?

 

xx

[rob_s]

i didnt send the letter etc recorded that year (i never learn) but i had the copy of the letter from my current supervisor, same one i redate every year, and dates of conversations and letters, but my MP was great and his letter obviously worked well.

not at home for another few weeks, but i will try to remember to dig it out just to see if it said anything other than 'the info was sent in, call off the dogs'

[goldiea]

Much appreciated Rob S i will wait with baited breath;)

 

xx

[Giveitback]

Just an update.

 

Honours told me the other day that since my repayments are due to start again, and they hadn't recieved a deferment (I'm eligible) I'm due to pay, so could I pay, and then they'll give it back once deferment comes through.

 

That'll be shining.

 

 

SLC seem to have got themselves organised, or maybe the snotty letter made them jumpy.

 

Approaching this from a new angle too, and once I find out how things go, I'll post back.

[Giveitback]

Another update. for the record, my loan was taken out with the scottish 'Student Loans Company', then sold to Honours later. SLC applied charges, then Honours did, Honours removed theirs but not SLC's. SLC are 100x worse than HSL. Really. No matter. Plan A (new) is in action.

 

Today honours called me. I had another interesting conversation. Seems they've forgotten the last conversation. (pay us now and we'll pay you back if yu get a deferment. Promise.)

 

From today I learned:

1. Their phone system is automatic, and anyone with arrears is called by the automatic system. If you answer, you get put through to someone who then gets your details flashed up on screen.

2. If there's a note on screen about a dispute or anything, you still get called, as it's automatic (although from earlier posts, this must be disable-able)

3. I was told today that if I do nothing now, I will get called "continually and at any time" by the automatic system. Interesting word choice, er, harassment.

4. Statements on the account are produced and sent out once a year, at the end of August/start of September. If you ask for them at any other time, you will only get the one prepared up until that September. (Applying now I'll only get last year's statement.)

5. Oh, "If a payment is missed, you might get a call or a letter and we will charge you" - so that sounds like a charge regardless then? lovely.

 

of course, I know I can just Data Protection Act them, but that would interfere with my first plan. Either way, lucky me, I have lots of interesting info. And now you do too.