The Student Room Group

Student Finance Overpayment... £££

I owe Student Finance £4414 because they messed up and gave me grants that I shouldn't of got, as a newbie i was none the wiser.

Now i've graduated I really wish I could tell them to go **** themselves as they are not hassling me as soon as my course is finished.

Does anyone else wish they could just let their anger out at this student company?

(I know it won't get me anywhere but i'll feel better):biggrin:
(edited 10 years ago)

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Original post by newgrad101
I owe Student Finance £4414 because they messed up and gave me grants that I shouldn't of got, as a newbie i was none the wiser.

Now i've graduated I really wish I could tell them to go **** themselves as they are not hassling me as soon as my course is finished.

Does anyone else wish they could just let their anger out at this student company?

(I know it won't get me anywhere but i'll feel better):biggrin:


You signed a contract stating that if overpayment was made by mistake you would pay up.

Pay up. Stop complaining.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 2
I didn't sign anything about overpayment
Reply 3
Just move house. I owed Santander £1300 from a long time ago, moved house, never heard from them again.
Reply 4
Original post by peter12345
Just move house. I owed Santander £1300 from a long time ago, moved house, never heard from them again.


lol i bet you can't get credit on anything though?
Original post by newgrad101
I owe Student Finance £4414 because they messed up and gave me grants that I shouldn't of got, as a newbie i was none the wiser.

Now i've graduated I really wish I could tell them to go **** themselves as they are not hassling me as soon as my course is finished.

Does anyone else wish they could just let their anger out at this student company?

(I know it won't get me anywhere but i'll feel better):biggrin:


Are you sure all the overpayment is accurate? What kind of grants were they?
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by newgrad101
lol i bet you can't get credit on anything though?

Haven't checked. Never had a reason to. I'm a pay as you go guy.
Original post by newgrad101
I didn't sign anything about overpayment


Yes you did. After you send off the application form. They send you a declaration form with a prepaid envelope telling you to sign in and send it back before they can send you any money. It states on that form that you have to pay overpayments back. If you didn't bother reading it properly that is your fault. And I'm certain you did sign it because if you didn't you would have got any payment.
Reply 8
At least wait till they issue a final demand, I'm sure it can't count against your credit rating until that's happened. They might see it as too much trouble to pursue that far.
Reply 9
Original post by peter12345
Just move house. I owed Santander £1300 from a long time ago, moved house, never heard from them again.


I would suggest this but they have his NI number just in case of runners. Call them up and say you're broke they have to (since this is a contractual money agreement) give you some leeway in terms of how much of the money and at what rate the money is paid back.

Also see if they made the mistake. My friend got nothing in grant (even though she had an unemployed single mum) she appealed and it turned out that they were wrong.
Reply 10
Original post by WhatDoIWrite
Yes you did. After you send off the application form. They send you a declaration form with a prepaid envelope telling you to sign in and send it back before they can send you any money. It states on that form that you have to pay overpayments back. If you didn't bother reading it properly that is your fault. And I'm certain you did sign it because if you didn't you would have got any payment.


How do you know what I did and didnt do? I wrote a lovely letter to student finance stating my situation and attached it to my application now that's not my fault someone didn't bother reading it, and sent me unaccurate funding.
Reply 11
Original post by randomd_love
I would suggest this but they have his NI number just in case of runners. Call them up and say you're broke they have to (since this is a contractual money agreement) give you some leeway in terms of how much of the money and at what rate the money is paid back.

Also see if they made the mistake. My friend got nothing in grant (even though she had an unemployed single mum) she appealed and it turned out that they were wrong.


I sent a letter to this Pauline Curran who sends out all these letters stating my situation i have no job yet and certainly don't have £4k+ to hand over. I got a lovely letter in return saying Pay up we accept postal orders lol SF is a complete joke and needs restructuring, I know how badly its run from friends that work in the education sector and they say the same thing, Student Finance is a poorly run company. In my eyes they are just as bad as those quick quid companies.
God wish I was over paid the asseholes aren't going to pay my tuition fees for next year :-(


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by newgrad101
How do you know what I did and didnt do? I wrote a lovely letter to student finance stating my situation and attached it to my application now that's not my fault someone didn't bother reading it, and sent me unaccurate funding.


Like I said you have to sign the form to receive the funding and it's obvious that you did receive funding from SF therefore you did sign it and therefore agree to the terms. The form states the terms of contract and one of the terms states you have to pay back any overpayments.

Ideally you should have sent the money back as soon as you were overpaid. You can't spend their money and when they ask for it back because they obviously made a mistake say you don't have it.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by newgrad101
I sent a letter to this Pauline Curran who sends out all these letters stating my situation i have no job yet and certainly don't have £4k+ to hand over. I got a lovely letter in return saying Pay up we accept postal orders lol SF is a complete joke and needs restructuring, I know how badly its run from friends that work in the education sector and they say the same thing, Student Finance is a poorly run company. In my eyes they are just as bad as those quick quid companies.


What kind of grants were they? Just Maintenance Grant? Or PLA/ADG/etc?

Have you only called the collections department or have you called the SFE line to see where the overpayment comes from exactly?
Reply 15
I Rang SF today to sort it all out agreed £10 a month as they won't accept £5 a month as I'm not in work (but seeking) even asked if it could be joined to my overall debt. Basically they said you can pay £10 a month for a period of 4 months then we will review it and maybe up it... Pah yeah like hell you will! How do they expect people to pay back over payments if they aren't in work? (I'm not the only one I know that has an overpayment but can't pay it back - although not as much as mine)

I find it a joke that they jump on students backs as soon as they finish Uni, and demand this kinda money back. I wouldn't of minded so much if it was a few hundred but if your a new student totally alien to this whole loan, grants bursary stuff and then find out they miscalculated your entitlement and want it all back asap even if they aren't in work with some still having to support themselves.

This stuff kinda stuff really annoys me about this country among other things, makes me want to jump ship to Australia!

#rantover
Reply 16
Original post by newgrad101
This stuff kinda stuff really annoys me about this country among other things, makes me want to jump ship to Australia!

Why? you found that in the same situation in Australia, you wouldn't have to pay it back?

I suspect you probably would - if you'd even qualified for their equivalent of SF in the first place, that is.
Reply 17
Because if you move abroad you don't have to payback loans as you won't be living in the UK
Reply 18
Original post by newgrad101
I Rang SF today to sort it all out agreed £10 a month as they won't accept £5 a month as I'm not in work (but seeking) even asked if it could be joined to my overall debt. Basically they said you can pay £10 a month for a period of 4 months then we will review it and maybe up it... Pah yeah like hell you will! How do they expect people to pay back over payments if they aren't in work? (I'm not the only one I know that has an overpayment but can't pay it back - although not as much as mine)

I find it a joke that they jump on students backs as soon as they finish Uni, and demand this kinda money back. I wouldn't of minded so much if it was a few hundred but if your a new student totally alien to this whole loan, grants bursary stuff and then find out they miscalculated your entitlement and want it all back asap even if they aren't in work with some still having to support themselves.

This stuff kinda stuff really annoys me about this country among other things, makes me want to jump ship to Australia!

#rantover


Then call them again and see if they will accept evidence of your financial situation. As well as this go to the citizens advice bureau because they have procedures they can put in place when you are unemployed and owe money because they know benefits isn't enough. They can make you and student finance abide by terms you both agree with - like you can only pay when you start to earn.

Or like others have said: student finance take their money through your salary because they have your NI number, so to get around this you can emigrate.
Reply 19
Original post by newgrad101
Because if you move abroad you don't have to payback loans as you won't be living in the UK

Not true. Sadly, you do still have to pay back your SF loan if you move abroad:

"If you go abroad for more than 3 months you need to fill in an overseas income assessment form. Student Finance England will then work out your repayments"

https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/repayments