This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Student Finance England - What a Joke!

Scroll to see replies

May 2010: "Dear Mr Jez, you are eligible for both tuition fees and a maintenance grant, totalling £6400."

July 2010: "Dear Mr Jez, actually you are not entitled to tuition fees, but can still get the maintenance grant."

August 2010: "Actually we got that wrong. You are not entitled to anything this year."

September 2010: £1500 mysteriously appears in my bank account, courtesy of Student Finance England.

I believe the expression is WTF???

Be careful with that one ... they did that to me in my second year ... I didn't think anything of it, other than total confusion. Then halfway through the year they sent me a letter saying they had overpaid me by £1600 (the maintenance grant) and demanded it back.
Stupid as it was their error ... and they had all the details of my parents income etc!

Reply 41

Jez RR

Original post by sai000

Oh I fully intend to pay it back. However, as a student in circumstances of financial hardship I think a rate of, say, £2 a week would be appropriate.

Reply 42

hypocriticaljap

Original post by Jez RR

Oh I fully intend to pay it back. However, as a student in circumstances of financial hardship I think a rate of, say, £2 a week would be appropriate.

...until they make payment in full a condition of any future funding.

Reply 43

Jez RR

Original post by hypocriticaljap

...until they make payment in full a condition of any future funding.

I suppose I could still approach them for a loan to do a PhD, but after this year (1 year Masters degree) I reckon I'm just about done with Student Finance, tbh.

Reason I think £2 a week is acceptable is that that was the figure set by the court for a repayment of a fine when I was on a similarly low income some years ago. Damn, there goes my Monday morning latte.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 44

hypocriticaljap

You would be wasting your time approaching them for any post graduate funding. They do not provide any at all and if you are doing a masters you aren't entitled to a penny.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 45

Jez RR

Original post by hypocriticaljap

You would be wasting your time approaching them for any post graduate funding. They do not provide any at all and if you are doing a masters you aren't entitled to a penny.

Bonus.

Just to clarify, I applied for a BA, but after two weeks decided it wasn't advanced enough and switched to a Masters, which is only one year. Naturally I have informed Student Finance of this in writing, but perhaps they've 'lost the evidence' :wink:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 46

hypocriticaljap

In which case I hope they take you to court on behalf of the taxpayer.

Reply 47

sarsi

Shocking story. I don't have problems with those guys (phew) but I do have a fair few with HSBC.

Reply 48

Jez RR

Original post by hypocriticaljap

In which case I hope they take you to court on behalf of the taxpayer.

Charged with what, exactly? Receiving funds to which they say I am entitled, in one of their many contradictory letters? Changing course to postgrad and informing SFE within 48 hours in writing?

Not studying law, are you. (That's not a question.) :wink:

Reply 49

hypocriticaljap

There are many people who stupidly think a mistake by a financial institution on their behalf somehow exonerates them from any responsibility. It doesn't. You have had money paid to you to which you are not, and never were, entitled. The fact an error was made does not detract from the fact that you are required to pay it back and I don't see why any lee way should be given to you as you must have known you weren't entitled to it unless you are stupid and as far as I am aware that is not a defence in law.
You don't need to be charged with anything. You make your fraudulent attempt to claim you can't pay it back, they reject it and take you to court for immediate repayment.

Reply 50

Jez RR

Original post by hypocriticaljap

There are many people who stupidly think a mistake by a financial institution on their behalf somehow exonerates them from any responsibility. It doesn't.

There may well be. I wouldn't know, not being one.

You have had money paid to you to which you are not, and never were, entitled.

Wrong. To reiterate, I applied for funding for a BA, which I then commenced. If SFE originally told me I was entitled to it using their own guidelines, then later changed their mind about entitlement to half of it, then changed it again about all of it, then paid half of it anyway, it would appear that they themselves don't know whether I am entitled to it or not.

The fact an error was made does not detract from the fact that you are required to pay it back and I don't see why any lee way should be given to you as you must have known you weren't entitled to it unless you are stupid and as far as I am aware that is not a defence in law.

Wrong again. As above - I assumed I was entitled to it since that was what they told me. Now that I have changed to a postgrad course, I may not be entitled to it according to you, but I will await their response, since they carry marginally more credibility. Just.

You don't need to be charged with anything. You make your fraudulent attempt to claim you can't pay it back, they reject it and take you to court for immediate repayment.

There's nothing fraudulent about it. A loan was given on an understanding of commencement of a course and was then used for, say, course fees paid in full. That those fees now apply to a different course doesn't alter the fact that the university is in receipt of them, and therefore that they are not available for immediate repayment. A fact which a court is likely to grasp, even if you do not.

Reply 51

Little Wolf Taima

Thought I'd just bump this thread instead of yet another Student Finance thread...

Anyone else filled I and mailed the declaration form like 3 times already and they're saying they haven't got it? I kind of need that money for travel costs and some private blood tests. It's suspected I have LADA (diabetes)

Reply 52

CelticSymphony67

Original post by Little Wolf Taima

I have to admit, having read all the horror stories on TSR with regards to Student Finance, every time I have needed to send them anything, it went recorded delivery.

Reply 53

fxyz

Original post by CelticSymphony67

I have to admit, having read all the horror stories on TSR with regards to Student Finance, every time I have needed to send them anything, it went recorded delivery.

I sent my declaration through Royal Mail 1st class Signed for and its been 3 days and the Track and Trace on the RM site says its still in the RM system being processed -.- as if Sfe wasn't difficult enough, the RM have gotta mess around with my application too.