Parents of adult children daring to start new relationships beware

I am parent of two students that had the misfortune to experience SfE at its finest. And trust me when I say I that I will need significant time to recover and re-gain trust in humanity. I have re-married (after my children started their university course) and moved away from the family home (adult children’s household) to my new husband’s home (complete different/separate household) . My husband is not responsible for my adult children and never lived with them. Even according to SfE guidelines he is classed as estranged (no contact, no relationship etc) yet he is supposed to provide financial information to assess the application of someone who he is not responsible for?!

For adults that live, and always lived, in separate household?! I will understand if we all lived in the same household but this is not the case. So now I have two options. Either I allow my children to withdraw from their course as they will not be able to afford to complete their course … My new husband is unfortunately not Bill Gates and definitely can’t support two separate households …or I will have to separate from my new husband. Absolutely brilliant options, nice one SfE. Complaint written, MP contacted, moving back to my children’s household tomorrow. What a choice you offered SfE, well done .

SfE please provide contact for your legal team as I definitely intend to take legal action. Be brave, provide the details, don’t hide behind the ‘please contact our unhelpline so we can dish out some more misinformation out’ speech line. You know very well that your helpline doesn’t provide any helpful info.

This forum, Facebook and other social media are full of posts from people sharing similar ‘delightful’ experiences describing your actions, and customer service that have/had negative impact on their lives.

Did I just say customer service? You call it customer service and your helpline employees advisors but trust me, that is not correct description of what you are actually delivering. I can not even able to describe it correctly because that will be very very impolite and I am not one to use rude words online.

Your guidelines are designed to complicate the lives of students and their families as much as possible. They are not fit for their purpose. The whole organisation needs complete overhaul

. I suggest that you will start by hiring advisors that are competent and willing to help. Appropriate training is also something you can think of. Then you can continue by employing line managers that are accessible to your advisors.

Believe it or not (I am certainly struggling to believe that) your advisors have no phone number for their line managers? The line managers are, apparently, not in the same office/floor easily accessible? Your advisors have no phone number for your complaint team either?!

How is your complaint rate? Definitely would not describe the real picture as your advisors are refusing to log-in complaints over the phone. I have to give you a point here for coming up with effective strategy how to limit the number of complaints. It will appear that no one has the contact number for your complaint team, are they even based on planet Earth? One can definitely not speak with your line managers or complaints team members - I am starting to believe that they don’t exist. Or if they do exist they are either unicorns or doing their best to hide. Or as I already mentioned they are based on a different planet. I am not sure which is worse. Either way, the outcome is the sa

me. Establishing any form of an effective communication with SfE is impossible and more painful than having all four wisdom teeth pulled out and giving birth to multiple children at the same time.

I will, for the sake of current and future student, start praying that someone…anyone …at least little bit competent with accept ownership/responsibility and sort the mess out. If there was an award for the worst customer service SfE will definitely end up as one of the lead contestant.
Your reviews on Trustpilot send out loud and clear message, you will struggle to find positive one. The most positive review I came across was that the student/customer managed to contact someone who did not hang up and delivered coherent sentence that seemed to somehow address the query. SfE please do not reply with some nonsense message.

You don’t care about the students and their families one little bit. The only reply I require is the contact details for your legal team. And to be honest based on my past experiences with yourself I am more likely to win Euromilion jackpot than you providing contact details for your legal team.

But the main purpose of this threat is to make parents aware. Parents please beware! If you dare to start new relationships be prepared for mighty rolecoster ride! Make your new partner aware that he/she will find herself/himself in position when he/she is expected to support strangers that live in separate household. I sincerely wish you strong nerves, shall the force be with you.

Hi Lucy, sorry to hear you are disappointed. We have to follow the government regulations and therefore we do require your partners details.

My husband is not responsible for my adult children and never lived with them. Even according to SfE guidelines he is classed as estranged (no contact, no relationship etc) yet he is supposed to provide financial information to assess the application of someone who he is not responsible for?

This is correct as per the government regulations https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1986/contents
We require his details even if he has nothing to do with your children.

For adults that live, and always lived, in separate household?! I will understand if we all lived in the same household but this is not the case. So now I have two options. Either I allow my children to withdraw from their course as they will not be able to afford to complete their course … My new husband is unfortunately not Bill Gates and definitely can’t support two separate households …or I will have to separate from my new husband. Absolutely brilliant options, nice one SfE. Complaint written, MP contacted, moving back to my children’s household tomorrow. What a choice you offered SfE, well done .

The regulations are set by the government. You can view our complaints procedure here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/student-loans-company/about/complaints-procedure

However if you have submitted a complaint with your MP then we will contact your MP directly.

SfE please provide contact for your legal team as I definitely intend to take legal action. Be brave, provide the details, don’t hide behind the ‘please contact our unhelpline so we can dish out some more misinformation out’ speech line. You know very well that your helpline doesn’t provide any helpful info.

Are you wanting to take legal action against the government who sets the regulations or take legal action against us (SFE) who follow the regulations set by the government? I'd advise following the complaints procedure first and if you wish to take legal action, your solicitor will provide you with guidance.

This forum, Facebook and other social media are full of posts from people sharing similar ‘delightful’ experiences describing your actions, and customer service that have/had negative impact on their lives.
I do not remember a time that I last saw negative feedback on The Student Room, I usually see a lot of positive feedback and experiences students have had on this forum(not to say that there is none, but I will always try my very best to provide a good experience and help all customers here). Every bit of negative feedback that I find such as this is passed by me to management.

Did I just say customer service? You call it customer service and your helpline employees advisors but trust me, that is not correct description of what you are actually delivering. I can not even able to describe it correctly because that will be very very impolite and I am not one to use rude words online.
Sorry to hear you have had a negative experience, could you share more? Was it an advisor you spoke to?

Your guidelines are designed to complicate the lives of students and their families as much as possible. They are not fit for their purpose. The whole organisation needs complete overhaul.

We follow the governments guidelines/regulations, when you talk with your MP, you can discuss your concerns regarding the government regulations and your MP will be able to escalate that to the relevant government departments.

I suggest that you will start by hiring advisors that are competent and willing to help. Appropriate training is also something you can think of.
All advisors should be willing to help and all advisors get several weeks of training before taking live calls (plus being buddied with experienced advisors)
If you have had a negative experience with an advisor that was not helpful, then I am very sorry about this. All of our calls and social media chats are recorded so if you can mention this in your complaint with the date then then complaints team will look into this.

Believe it or not (I am certainly struggling to believe that) your advisors have no phone number for their line managers? The line managers are, apparently, not in the same office/floor easily accessible? Your advisors have no phone number for your complaint team either?!
If a customer requires a call back then a referral can be made so that a manager can call the customer back.

Most advisors have been working from home due to the pandemic so there is no manager on the same floor/in the same house.

You can call 0300 100 0601 to speak to a specially trained complaints advisor.

It will appear that no one has the contact number for your complaint team, are they even based on planet Earth?

You can call 0300 100 0601 to speak to a specially trained complaints advisor.

How is your complaint rate? Definitely would not describe the real picture as your advisors are refusing to log-in complaints over the phone.
If you asked the advisor to submit a complaint on your behalf then this should of been actioned. Apologies if this has not been the case. Please mention the date of the call to your MP(who is submitting your complaint) and our complaints team will review the call.

Establishing any form of an effective communication with SfE is impossible and more painful than having all four wisdom teeth pulled out and giving birth to multiple children at the same time.
We usually respond to social media messages in under 24 hours and we are available on the phones. I do not think it's "impossible" to communicate with us Lucie but I understand your frustrations, especially since you have mentioned negative call experiences.

I will, for the sake of current and future student, start praying that someone…anyone …at least little bit competent with accept ownership/responsibility and sort the mess out. If there was an award for the worst customer service SfE will definitely end up as one of the lead contestant.

I'm sorry you think that and hopefully you give us a chance to change your perception of us.

Your reviews on Trustpilot send out loud and clear message, you will struggle to find positive one. The most positive review I came across was that the student/customer managed to contact someone who did not hang up and delivered coherent sentence that seemed to somehow address the query.
We do receive a lot of positive feedback from students which is always good to see. I'm aware that all companies including ourselves sometimes do get negative feedback. We do take onboard all feedback and learn from it, one of the ways we do this is through constant training and upskilling advisors with new information.


You don’t care about the students and their families one little bit.
We do care, and we love to help people.
I understand your negative feedback is mostly about the government regulations due to having to provide your husbands details. To be honest with you, it's not something I can change as it's the government that set this but I am hopeful your MP will pass these concerns on for you.


And to be honest based on my past experiences with yourself I am more likely to win Euromilion jackpot than you providing contact details for your legal team.
There are no details to pass on, we advise you to go through the complaints procedure and if you contact your solicitor they will provide further advice on the legal steps.
Again, I'm unsure if you are trying to start legal proceedings against the government who make the regulations or ourselves who follow the regulations.



Thanks, Isaac