Did my uni knowing lie about accommodation price?

I was recently made an accommodation offer by a uni in London, which cost more per week than the advertised price on their website (The advertised price was around 147 GBP and the offer came out to 155 GBP). I called the uni's accommodation team, and they all assured me that 147 GDP was the final weekly price, but that there had been an error with the system.

They all encouraged me to accept the offer before it expired, and said that their manager had assured them that the error would soon be fixed. I called multiple times to get an update on the situation and each time they told me the same thing, took my contact details so that they could get in touch with me, but no one ever did.

I called again today to learn that 2 weeks after I started calling (and now that the accommodation offers made had been either accepted or rejected) that they miraculously just found out that the real price for the room is 155 GDP and that no one knew anything about that until recently.

Do I have any legal recourse in the sense that they misadvertised the price and then swindled me into accepting the offer under the promise that the error would be correct later?

I feel really stupid for having believed them. Any help would be appreciated.

Reply 1

Jenx301

Did you sign a contract?

Reply 2

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by Hampton Dennis

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Do you have any written evidence of the lower price? A snapshot of the webpage, or an email? If so, then you can ask for them to honour that information, stating that you accepted the offer in good faith, based on that price. However, if it is all verbal, then you may have trouble convincing them, unless you kept a record of who you spoke to and when you called them.

Reply 3

Hampton Dennis

I remember the names of all the associates I spoke to, and I have the dates and conversation lengths from my calls because I dialed internationally through Skype.

My idea was to ask them to honor what they had originally told me, but the associate I spoke to today told me he could only offer his apologies, and then when I asked to speak to the manager I was told that he was nowhere to be found. This was immediately after the associate had put me on hold to go talk to his manager in person.

And yes I signed the contract for fear of not having an accommodation option if I refused it.

Reply 4

SMEGGGY

£8 will bankrupt you will it?? :rolleyes:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 5

Jenx301

Original post by Hampton Dennis

What was the price on your contract? if you signed a contract for the more expensive amount then you will probably have to pay it. I would probably insist on speaking to the manager though and kicking up a fuss about it.*

Reply 6

Katarvi

Original post by SMEGGGY

£8 will bankrupt you will it?? :rolleyes:

Posted from TSR Mobile

£8 per week can make a big difference. That's around £30 a month which is as much as a phone contract. Also besides the point, OP was quoted a price and they should get that price.

Reply 7

Hampton Dennis

Considering the fact that my mom has to work overtime to send me to uni It'd be nice to cut my budget as much as possible so she can still enjoy her life for the next 4 years. I plan on working as well but due to Visa restrictions I'm capped at 20 hours a week.

What bothers me more than the money is the fact that they seemed to have blatantly lied about the price online and over the phone to make sure students would be trapped in a contract.

I'm going to keep calling until they put me on with the manager. Everyone at the accommodation office verbally confirms that the price was incorrect on the website, but I don't know if I'm legally allowed to record them as evidence, and I really don't feel like running afoul of UK law before I even arrive in London.

Reply 8

doodle_333

if you've signed the contract you will have to pay it, whether or not it was a mistake you have now legally agreed to pay so why would they change it?

it's probably still worth arguing with them, ask for the number of head office and give them the names and details of everything but if you don't even have a copy of an email etc then it's unlikely to go anywhere

Reply 9

Rorschach II

Original post by Hampton Dennis

I don't know the laws, I admit, but I'd say of course record them in case you wish to claim some sort of reduction, or in case you wish to take this to court.