Unjust fees debt - need help dealing with University

anewloginapparently

Hi,

I am having a real issue at the moment with Sunderland University who I enrolled with in September for a part-time degree.

The degree should've taken 5 years with 4 modules a year of £200 each.

However on attending the University I realised the course was an absolute joke & not what I had been led to believe it was at all. The administration of the University was ridiculous too. I didn't exist on the libraries or IT systems and spent many hours queuing to see people & taking time off work to try and get it resolved but to no avail, instead getting passed from pilliar to post.

After a couple of weeks of seeing how chaotic the university was and how poor the course was going to be I decided it wasn't for me and so wrote to the course leader at the University in October to ask them to withdraw me from the course stating I would be happy to pay for the balance of tuition I had recieved if they wished to send me a bill.

I never used any of their facilities (I couldn't have used the library even if I wanted to!) or logged on to their systems again.

I never heard from them again, neither with a bill, or to ask why I was missing lectures so assumed that was the end of it.

However come mid-December I recieved a letter through the post stating I was overdue with my fees to the amount of £267 out of £800 and they were going to refer me to a credit collection agency.

I wrote back to both the credit control department and my course leader stating that I had left on October 6th after 2 weeks after the problems I had experienced and had only attended 2 lectures. I wrote I was happy to pay for the tuition I had recieved.

They wrote back via e-mail to the account I'd put on letter and stated they had never had the information I had left from my course leader so I would need to send in a withdrawl form and they would adjust my fees accordingly as below:

"Whatever date you left will be input against your record which will then mean a reduction in the amount of fees due. This will be calculated by our Student Records Team once your programme leader has informed them of the date."

So I printed this form, signed it and sent it in...

I still never heard anything until 2 weeks ago when I recieved another threatening letter saying they were referring my debt to a debt collection agency.

So I replied via e-mail and said that I sent my withdrawl form in 2 months previously. To which they replied they had never been passed it by the course leader again!

So I printed another & sent it to them....

Hurrah they recieved it! In their letter they state they are pleased to announce my debt has been adjusted to "£400"!

Their letter again says they are going to refer my debt onto a collection agency if I don't pay it immediately.

So basically they're charging me for the whole modules, even though I attended for just 2 weeks!

OK some of you might think that is fair, after all I did sign up... However the Universities own regulations say if you withdraw before December 1st you aren't liable to pay any fees!

https://docushare.sunderland.ac.uk/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-398/Fees+regs04.doc

I did write to them in October... however I'm being punished yet again because their administration is a joke... The whole reason I realised the Uni wasn't for me anyway...

I had previously offered to pay the pro-rata cost of the lectures I attended but now they want the full modules even though I attended 2 weeks!

To add insult to injury, you know how I said I hadn't recieved any letters from the University asking why I hadn't attended lectures etc? Well I got one this week from the same women who has been dealing with this asking me why I hadn't been attending lectures and could they do anything to support me! 5 months later!!! It reeks to me of covering her back. The whole thing to me reeks of them stalling it so that they get their money to be honest.

How should I approach this situation?

I am happy to pay the cost of the lectures I attended but when I have fufilled my obligations & written to them to withdraw in good time, why should I be punished for their poor administration? Especcially when I've just been laid off from my job and money is very tight... To pay £400 for a service I never even recieved is just not on.

Apologies for the length of this post... Just wanted to make sure I got all the relevent information in.

DarkConvict

If your still living up by sunderland or nearby, book an appointment to see them in person. Bring copies of letters & emails with you. Also bring in the university terms that state if you withdraw before 1st December you are not liable for fees.

I do not know which department you would need to speak to, recruitment might be a starting point as they should be able to direct you to those responsible for dealing with current/ex students.
Present this proof to them in the meeting, that you submitted withdrawal well before this date and according to there own conditions that you agreed to as not liable for any payment.

It maybe worth contacting your local LEA (where you live now) as they might provide assistance.

Madison

Provided you can prove you submitted the withdrawal form on 6/10 then you're not liable for any fees.

anewloginapparently

Madison wrote: »

Provided you can prove you submitted the withdrawal form on 6/10 then you're not liable for any fees.

How would I do that though since I didn't send it special delivery? I have the letter saved on my harddrive (presumebly with the date it was last modified etc on there), but how would I prove something like that?

Like I said, I'm being punished because the uni administration is ineffective & they're not passing on letters to each other.

DarkConvict

In law sending a letter it is assumed to have arrived, i do not believe you need proof of delivery however it does help.
For the amount of money, £400 it is not worth getting a legal letter written as they will charge £100-200 an hour, so probably £200 and not get you anywhere if they don't deal with it.

This is the reason why i recommend you go and see them in person, telling them you are not paying because you signed up to university on the terms that if you withdraw before 1st December you are not liable to any fees. You withdrew before that date and gave written notice, further more gave notice 2 further times as they had lost previous letters. Since you are not liable they should stop using the debt collection company as it is in breach of OFT guidelines on debt collection to pursue funds when a debt that is in dispute.
File a complaint with the university as well, they are a business so should have a complaints procedure.

Could also try your union.

Students' Union
Ground Floor
Edinburgh Building
City Campus
Chester Road
Sunderland
SR1 3SD
Tel: 0191 515 3030

anewloginapparently

DarkConvict wrote: »

In law sending a letter it is assumed to have arrived, i do not believe you need proof of delivery however it does help.
For the amount of money, £400 it is not worth getting a legal letter written as they will charge £100-200 an hour, so probably £200 and not get you anywhere if they don't deal with it.

This is the reason why i recommend you go and see them in person, telling them you are not paying because you signed up to university on the terms that if you withdraw before 1st December you are not liable to any fees. You withdrew before that date and gave written notice, further more gave notice 2 further times as they had lost previous letters. Since you are not liable they should stop using the debt collection company as it is in breach of OFT guidelines on debt collection to pursue funds when a debt that is in dispute.
File a complaint with the university as well, they are a business so should have a complaints procedure.

Could also try your union.

Students' Union
Ground Floor
Edinburgh Building
City Campus
Chester Road
Sunderland
SR1 3SD
Tel: 0191 515 3030

That's brilliant, thanks dark convict; I'll give it a go.