Advent Training Gone bust... what now??

greighughes22

this is completely unbelieveable.... i signed up to do a gas plumbing course with these guys.... 11k, its horrible feeling like such a mug.... people like this are scum and lightsp33d shoud be barred from the forums, what disgusting hate mail.....i really wish everyone the best of luck with this and that we all get what we want and a helping hand with our still fledgling new careers! much love and peace x

piglet25

Just to let you all know that am thinking of you all, this is a really sh*t thing to happen, the amounts of money lost are incredible and you don't deserve this for trying to better yourselves.

mcsmik

I don't quite understand this last message on their web site. Should we wait for a letter before going to the bank? I have paid out the loan in december. But I took another one out with better interest rate to pay barclays out. Now I don't know what I can do...

andyturner21

The latest message on the website is basically advising all Advent students to contact the loan providers and even cites Section 75 of the CCA as legislation to be able to claim our money back.

I started with Advent in 2008 and have just started the MCSA section of the course (luckily I have the books for the 270 and the 290 exams already so i'm only one book short for the MCSA) and to be honest the training was good (if expensive) so i'm a bit gutted that I don't have the mentor support.

If anyone is looking to carry on the course, be it with another training provider or even buying the books and paying for the exams themselves, PM me for the Advent unofficial student website link. Everyone over there is gutted about losing the training resource, which despite the opinion of many outsiders being that Advent were in it for some kind of scam was actually useful. There are a few members on the forum that have got as far as the MSCE and there are topics on the forum with advice and help for all modules from A+ up to MSCE.

I was one of the lucky ones that got as far as MCDST and then got a job in IT that I have held for the last 6 months. However, I met people from all walks of life in the workshops who now have a very very slim chance of working in the industry unless the pay for even more training on top of this. However, a lot of this is down to how the courses are sold. I signed up for the course at the age of 25 with no mortgage, no kids and a salary of 18k in a job that I didn't like. I was promised the world and that I could be earning 30k within 18 months, however this wasn't the factor behind me taking the course.. I just wanted to work in IT and get a job that I enjoyed, it's not hard to do a bit of research and find that the average starting salary in IT on a helpdesk role is 15-18K so I accepted the terms. However, someone on 25k who wanted a career change but still has to pay his mortgage couldn't afford to take a drop of 7k per year to start afresh, and its also obvious from the state of the industry that people over a certain age aren't going to be considered for 1st Line roles with no experience.

Sure, you may say that part of this is down to naivety or even greed, and you may be right in some cases... I don't know. All I know is that I took the course to better myself and now i've got the industry equivalent of a GCSE when I paid for a degree.

Nur

i got a letter from barclays today telling me that they are arranging for a new training provider. i want my money back and am not interested in continuing this course. any ideas peeps, wat can we do do get our money back?

andyturner21

I'm no legal expert, but I would think that as the contract is with Advent and Barclays Partner Finance then any other alternative product being offered would still be a breach of the terms of the agreement unless the alternative was accepted? If I bought a BMW but it was faulty and the garage offered me a Mercedes (or maybe even a car of lesser value than the BMW) that I didn't want surely I wouldn't be obliged to accept under a credit agreement??

I think that Barclays know any legal challenge will show a breach of the terms so alternative training providers is a way of damage limitation.

It is a pity though, as I think that a few people that are looking for refunds and not alternative training just want a way out of a course that they signed up and paid for but don't want/can't be bothered to do...

andyturner21

I've just called Barclays Partner Finance and spoke to some poor girl who had obviously been give a script to tell people who called about this.

Apparently Barclays Partner Finance ARE looking for an alternative training provider and we will NOT be entitled to a refund under our credit agreements. Is it me, or does that not seem right? I signed up for a deal with Advent, and one of the selling points for me was the proximity to home and therefore no overnight stays for workshops. How do I know that the new training scheme will be of the same quality? Why should I be forced to accept the product that I didn't originally fork out for? The only loophole I can think of is that maybe the finance agreement says "ANS with CCNA" and THAT is the product, not a service directly with Advent.

They also said that as Advent "have just ceased to trade with BPF and not gone into administration, we are all still liable for the agreements".

marcyn_mc

:mad: Hello everyone,
I have got this same problem, i got a letter from barclays today that they are arranging for a new training provider. what can we do now?

matte1983

marcyn_mc wrote: »

:mad: Hello everyone,
I have got this same problem, i got a letter from barclays today that they are arranging for a new training provider. what can we do now?

Hi

Forgive me for being dense, but as I've said I paid with a CDL from the Coop. Should I be getting a letter too? I really want to press on with my course. I only had another 2 exams to do! Worst comes to worst I'll just buy them direct, but I feel I should be getting something for the money I've paid (and am continuing to pay as things stand).

I'll try calling the Coop on Monday if I don't hear anything, but all and any advice in the meantime would be appreciated!

aron80

I have recieved a letter from Barclays saying they are looking for an alternative course for me, but nowhere on the loan does it state that as part of the agreement if the company goes bust they will look for other courses, so they are just trying to wriggle their way out of it. I have written a letter to Barclays, you can use it if you want;

Dear Sir or Madam,

Account number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ref: Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974

I am writing to request that you cancel the contract of the Fixed-Sum Loan Agreement of £xxxx,00 taken out in July 2009 for a training course provided by Access2Trade Careers.

My claim is made on the grounds that the company has gone into administration and you are jointly and severally liable for any misrepresentation or breach of contract with the above supplier under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, which states;

• If you received unsatisfactory goods or services paid for under this agreement you may have the right to sue the supplier, us or both.

• If the contract is not fulfilled, perhaps because the supplier has gone out of business, you may still be able to sue us.

If any payments are taken out from 20/07/10 then these payments will be MADE IN PROTEST.

You have 14 days to reply and if you do not then the Financial Ombudsman will need to be contacted for the next course of action.

I look forward to a full and prompt response to this letter within 14 days.

Yours faithfully,
(print name and sign)

I hope they take notice of this and realise I am not going to take their bull.shi.t. And anyway I have found another course myself which I do not need funding for, but they do not need to know this as it does not make any difference.