Help - Problems at private college + Debt

BazZzy

Hi guys, hope all is going well!

I have a slight issue with a private college which i attended during this year!

Basically i attended for a full year, payed my fees on time and i was a good student. Despite this, the college failed to deliver what they promised! I complained on many occasions but my complaints wernt taken seriously.

In November i was taken ill into hospital and missed a few weeks, i have been out since then but now i have decided not to go back as they failed to deliver what they promised, leaving me with no alternative but to choose a different college.

Other information:

> I stayed at a rented accomodation whilst i was studying, now i have moved out of there. I was never registered living there though.
> I have different phone number and email address compared to the ones they have on their record.
> There is no signed agreement.

Will they still be able to track me down? And if they do, will this affect my credit rating on that address? or my main address?

dmg24

Yes, they will pass the debt to an agency who will track you down. How did they fail to deliver?

BazZzy

The quality of the courses were not as they promised.

When they sold the course to me, it was more like a sales pitch! They promised that all students will get help they request, they promised a job at the end of the course (many who have completed the course before are still waiting for a job 6 months down the line).

They failed to deliver that, most people are disapointed with them.

How can they track me down when they only have an address where i was not registered as living?

Taiko

Nobody can guarantee a job at the end, so maybe your expectations were too high?

As a side note, it's paid, not payed.

BazZzy

Thanks for the corrections.

Yes we were promised a job at the end of the course. It comes with a full job guarantee. But thats all false anyways so realistically no, they can't promise me a job, but they did so to lure me in.

Taiko

And you fell for it because you lacked the maturity to research? Maybe you weren't cut out for higher education.

welshmoneylover

BazZzy wrote: »

Hi guys, hope all is going well!

I have a slight issue with a private college which i attended during this year!

Basically i attended for a full year, payed my fees on time and i was a good student. Despite this, the college failed to deliver what they promised! I complained on many occasions but my complaints wernt taken seriously.

In November i was taken ill into hospital and missed a few weeks, i have been out since then but now i have decided not to go back as they failed to deliver what they promised, leaving me with no alternative but to choose a different college.

Other information:

> I stayed at a rented accomodation whilst i was studying, now i have moved out of there. I was never registered living there though.
> I have different phone number and email address compared to the ones they have on their record.
> There is no signed agreement.

Will they still be able to track me down? And if they do, will this affect my credit rating on that address? or my main address?

Yes, they'll track you down.

Come on name and shame them. :rotfl:

Voyager2002

I cannot understand how a private college (which is, after all, a business) allowed you to take the course without paying in advance for everything. Above all, if they expected you to pay them then surely they would have made you sign some kind of contact or agreement. If they have no evidence of a contract, it would be very difficult for them to force you to pay anything.
Do you in fact owe them money? If not, why are you concerned about them finding you?

rev_henry

Wouldn't the sale of goods and services act apply here? You did not receive the service you were promised so are witholding some of the money?

BazZzy

Voyager - I got into the college through someone i know. Because i was present at the time when i enrolled i signed nothing, on the following week the course started, so hence i never signed anything about terms and conditions or price. All agreements were made verbally.

Rev_Henry - I think i may need to look in to that further. How would that work in this instance though? If lets just say they have broken the Sales of Goods / Services act will i need to file a case against them for that?

Voyager2002

OK: so there was a course fee. You agreed to pay the fee, but did so verbally rather than in writing. Presuming that there were witnesses who heard you agree, and can confirm that you knew the amount, then you are bound by a contract just the same as if it were written. However, it would not be easy for the "College" to sell the debt on to debt collectors if they don't have any paperwork to prove that the debt really exists. Furthermore, if debt collectors come knocking then usually the first step is to demand that they prove that the money is really owed: if they don't have the paperwork to do so then usually they just go away again.

Rev_Henry makes an interesting point.

I am still astonished that they did not collect the money before letting you begin the course.