Need advice on unfair uni charges.
Hi, looking for advice on what me and my house mate deem highly unfair charges which our accommodation office are proposing.
So here's the story, we are both house wardens of a uni-managed student accommodation with around 24 students living in it. Apparently, one of the internet routers has been faulty and so the university accommodation arranged for a BT engineer to come and fix it (our internet provider is BT).
I was informed of the day the engineer would be coming and an approximate time. I waited all morning for the engineer and thought I'd put my morning to use and so went downstairs to put some clothes in the washing machine -I was not gone for longer than 5 minutes. When I arrived back to the front door, there was a note from the engineer saying he called but there was no answer so he left.
Now other than the bad luck of them arriving as I was away washing clothes, there are 23 other people in the house and I informed them that the engineer was coming and he needed letting in, obviously nobody listened.
Now I have received an email from my accommodation office saying me and my housemate (the other warden) are getting charged £122.40 for the call-out charge.
Now there is no way I am paying this fee for various reasons:
1. I was waiting all morning and was only away for no longer than 5 minutes - the engineer should have waited a bit longer - it is a large accommodation so it takes time to arrive at the front door.
2. There were over 20 other students who could have let the engineer in if I wasn't available.
3. There is no contract between myself (and my housemate) and BT - the BT contract is with the university.
4. Such a call out fee is ridiculous anyway, especially since no work was completed.
So here I am looking for advice on how to waive these charges as they are ridiculously high, unfair and I suspect I'm not legally liable anyway.
So here's the story, we are both house wardens of a uni-managed student accommodation with around 24 students living in it. Apparently, one of the internet routers has been faulty and so the university accommodation arranged for a BT engineer to come and fix it (our internet provider is BT).
I was informed of the day the engineer would be coming and an approximate time. I waited all morning for the engineer and thought I'd put my morning to use and so went downstairs to put some clothes in the washing machine -I was not gone for longer than 5 minutes. When I arrived back to the front door, there was a note from the engineer saying he called but there was no answer so he left.
Now other than the bad luck of them arriving as I was away washing clothes, there are 23 other people in the house and I informed them that the engineer was coming and he needed letting in, obviously nobody listened.
Now I have received an email from my accommodation office saying me and my housemate (the other warden) are getting charged £122.40 for the call-out charge.
Now there is no way I am paying this fee for various reasons:
1. I was waiting all morning and was only away for no longer than 5 minutes - the engineer should have waited a bit longer - it is a large accommodation so it takes time to arrive at the front door.
2. There were over 20 other students who could have let the engineer in if I wasn't available.
3. There is no contract between myself (and my housemate) and BT - the BT contract is with the university.
4. Such a call out fee is ridiculous anyway, especially since no work was completed.
So here I am looking for advice on how to waive these charges as they are ridiculously high, unfair and I suspect I'm not legally liable anyway.
Did you agree to wait in for the engineer? Or were you just informed of the day and time?
If you agreed then you've formed a contract with the Uni and they could claim consequential losses.
The fact there there were 20 other people in is irrelevant. Did any of them specifically agree to receive the engineer?
The amount can be debated but is ultimately debated between the uni and BT. You then debate the consequential losses that the uni are trying to charge for.
Advise them that you won't be paying as you did not agree to specifically receive the engineer and you'll see them in court.
If you agreed then you've formed a contract with the Uni and they could claim consequential losses.
The fact there there were 20 other people in is irrelevant. Did any of them specifically agree to receive the engineer?
The amount can be debated but is ultimately debated between the uni and BT. You then debate the consequential losses that the uni are trying to charge for.
Advise them that you won't be paying as you did not agree to specifically receive the engineer and you'll see them in court.
Original post by Reue
Did you agree to wait in for the engineer? Or were you just informed of the day and time?
If you agreed then you've formed a contract with the Uni and they could claim consequential losses.
The fact there there were 20 other people in is irrelevant. Did any of them specifically agree to receive the engineer?
The amount can be debated but is ultimately debated between the uni and BT. You then debate the consequential losses that the uni are trying to charge for.
Advise them that you won't be paying as you did not agree to specifically receive the engineer and you'll see them in court.
If you agreed then you've formed a contract with the Uni and they could claim consequential losses.
The fact there there were 20 other people in is irrelevant. Did any of them specifically agree to receive the engineer?
The amount can be debated but is ultimately debated between the uni and BT. You then debate the consequential losses that the uni are trying to charge for.
Advise them that you won't be paying as you did not agree to specifically receive the engineer and you'll see them in court.
I told the uni I would stay home to let the engineer in the house, which I did.
I actually received an email today from another housemate who says the doorbell is broken so that may work in my favour. I feel like telling them i'll take it to court but I can't deal with the time, effort and money for that route...it's more of the principle. Especially since I am a final year student, that kind of pressure can affect my study.
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