My flat mates don't trust me anymore

I don't really know what I'm asking for here - just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to cope?

I can see why your friends might feel this way, because as you said, it does look suspicious. Surely when the letter comes through explaining that it wasn't your fault, they will sort themselves out and trust you again. But I also think, are they really true friends if they refuse to believe your side of the story? If they're accusing you of things you haven't done; of being dishonest?
I would recommend that once you move again you ensure that you are extremely organised with everything to do with money, to prove to your friends that you are responsible with money and would never leave them to pay everything, to show that whats happened in the past was a mix up that was not your fault.

All you can do is talk to them really. Chase the company a lot to get them to apologise to your flatmates. Write complaint letters, etc.

Maybe treat your housemates in some way (buy them a takeaway or something) and explain that you really had paid the rent and that you just wanted to say a thank you for dealing with all the BS while you got it sorted.

Show your friends your statements showing you've paid?

Don't know how they can't believe you then

Man that sounds pretty ****, really sorry you had to go through that. Bureaucracy can absoloutley suck and students really don't need that with all the pressures they have already. All I can say is at least it's being sorted out in the end. That's what I always have to think whenever I get stressed out by bureucratic processes that make mistakes like that - you just have to think, the truth will come out in the end and my finances will be sorted. I know that's really difficult when its all so stressful and you're getting so worried, though. But it is only a difficult phase and you just have to think to yourself 'this too will pass' so let's not get so stressed about it.

But that's only so far as the financial issue goes. As for the flatmates not trusting you, totally get how crippling that would be. For some people, their friends are their life when they're staying at university. I mean you live with them, but you also depend on them to be like a family. That's why it's really sad whenthey don't trust you. I was in that position myself when first at uni - people thought I was stealing food, and they just thought that because they judged me. Everyone from my block went to public school and they were sort of fake kind of girls, I was the only one from state +grammar and they were all sinking in money, whereas I came from a very simple background and was a pauper compared to the kind of lavish lifestyles they led. Naturally tehre waas a class difference. So they would audibly bitch about me and alienate me which hurt a lot but eventually the realised it wasn't me because I had to leave halfway through the year and the food-stealing was continuing even after that, so eventually they knew it wasn't me. But I would have liked them to believe me without proof as it really hurt that they were pre-judging me when I'd done abosloutely nothing. I had no real friends because a real friend would believe me even without seeing I guess. They would have faith in you. But people are just too quick to pre-judge and make others feel bad. I guess it's a similar situation for you, as soon as they get the letter confirming that it was all just a huge mix-up they will know how wrong they were. BUt I doubt they will apologise, no one ever apologised to me. Its just most people in life are too quick to judge and be bitchy - particularly girls, I learnt that the hard way. I'm sorry but there's not much you can do here, I totally know how you feel as it would have been nicer if people believed in you without proof. That's just life I guess. Sorry not a very uplifting post but I can empathise

Gosh that sounds terrible. I'm sorry you had a rubbish first year. I can emphasise with the state school thing too - I am from a working class family and all my flat mates are middle class and although I don't think that made them less likely to believe me it did add to the drama of the situation. They couldn't understand why my parents couldn't just pay off the debt I "owed" to make the situation go away when my parents have very little extra income as I have four younger siblings.

Yes, I agree with the prejudging thing. I think one of them started to doubt my story and then they all kind of followed in a sort of herd mentality. It's just annoying because I perceive myself to be a very loyal, trustworthy person and I certainly haven't ever given them any reason to doubt my trustworthiness. I know my friends from my hometown would have believed me if this had happened there so I guess they're not my real friends.

Thank you for your reply, I appreciate you taking the time to write that.