MSE News: Students promised loans and grants on time this year

star69_2

I sent all my evidence at the start of June, they asked for more evidence at the start of July. I sent it and they got it on the 13th of July, post office tracked and confirmed. I'm supposed to start on the 20th Of September, as it stands i can not start as they have not confirmed that i can have tuition fee's/maintainace grant for the first year. I can not afford to pay these fee's, I currently work full time and have a house and mortgage to pay for, so unless they confirm i have the fee's paid i can't start. So frustrated as every time i ring you get nowhere, in fact sometimes it's like you are going backwards. There are no methods of recourse, no escalation process and no one can give you a straight answer!!! I emailed a complaint, and got an email back saying it will take 10 days to look at, that was 12 days ago, still no reply….. so mad I could explode.. :mad::mad::mad:

ciderwithrosie_2

Rang again today and amazingly got straight through. Apparently they have scanned our P60s on 27th August and they don't need anything else. I said 'so when will he hear anything?' Oh, it'll be before his term starts (27th) but then she said 'we're working on the 12th August at the moment', so I think she was being a tad optimistic. What annoys me though, everyone keeps saying apply in January but the deadline was the end of May, which we were at least a month inside of. If they can't cope with that deadline then why don't they bring it forward. Rest assured I will be applying in January next year and sending our P60s straight away.

crystyl

Ok here's the rant. Last year I sent my childrens birth certificates SIX times to confirm them as dependants, it was eventually sorted out and I was paid on time.

This year however, I applied (renewed) as soon as possible - february time(?) and since then I cannot access my account, only for the payment schedule and to 'see' what correspondance has been sent, although I cannot 'view' the correspondance sent.

Now everything was fine until a month ago when I received my award notice, which is when they asked me to confirm mortgage payments etc. This was duly sent recorded. A week later I phoned to ask if the award had changed (which it should have) and was told no it hadn't. Then I receive an income/expenditure form to complete (Tuesday of this week) which I returned thursday with all necessary evidence. With me so far??

So I check my account on Thurday and find that another letter had been sent saying that I am ineligible for some of my grant, even though they cannot have processed the information that I sent :mad:. Right so I phone them yesterday (the forth telephone call of the week) and have been advised that there is conflicting information on my account which states that I do receive all the grant and then in another part that I don't. The upshot is that I have to phone back this morning to speak to head office, as advised by SFE.

This system is a joke, although the advisors are extremely sympathtetic - one of which actually told me to complain which I have done. I have constantly phoned them at least once a week and now no-one can access my account properly - the advisors at SFE, me or SLC!!!:eek:

I will be so glad to finish my degree and not have to rely on this crazy system.

Rant over