Student Halls stinging me with unreasonable charges.

Brallaqueen

You may not be charged.

In my HOR they charge if you lose a key, but if the key breaks through use, they don't charge (wear and tear I guess).

We don't use key cards but the principle may be the same.

Devils-Advocate_3

Take responsibility for your actions and stop moaning. Be an adult and look after things.

poppysarah

Where do you keep your credit card? Does that bounce along in your jeans pocket too? Have you ever lost a credit card?

Guitar

You may find the University will refuse to let you graduate or move onto the next year until you pay the fine.

During my time in student halls I was stung for:

'Causing a fire hazard' by riding my bike up to my front door one time = £20
Cost to repair damage of two cigarette burns to my room carpet = £70 (I don't smoke, nobody ever smoked in the room, there were no cigeratte burns when I moved out)
Some joker left a stolen street sign near the flat = £20 fine for all residents.
If someone sets the fire alarm off = £20 fine for all residents unless someone admits fault.

At xmas the cleaners would go around the flats in a gang demanding money from residents ("Are you gonna giz a bung?") I refused so that may be where the cig burns came from.

Kierz

Devils-Advocate wrote: »

Take responsibility for your actions and stop moaning. Be an adult and look after things.

I could take this advice, but then I'd just be another sheep that does as he is told, like you.

Yes, companies get greedy and try to swindle people out of more money, but that doesnt mean that we as consumers have to put up with it. Especially with companies whose services we have been paying for all year.

Its not just about "being an adult", its about standing up for whats right.

But then again, if you're happy being a pushover and accepting anything thats thrown at you then fair enough.

olias

Kierz wrote: »

I could take this advice, but then I'd just be another sheep that does as he is told, like you.

Yes, companies get greedy and try to swindle people out of more money, but that doesnt mean that we as consumers have to put up with it. Especially with companies whose services we have been paying for all year.

Its not just about "being an adult", its about standing up for whats right.

But then again, if you're happy being a pushover and accepting anything thats thrown at you then fair enough.

Kierz, although I agree with the gist of what you are saying, the time for thoughts and actions like your's above were when you initially took a place in the halls and were given the contract with the relevant penalty clause in it. You could have chosen to either argue the point then, or refuse to sign and take up residence elsewhere. You didn't, you accepted the contract, signed it, and took up residence. It is no good now saying, 'oh I'm going to be fined, I actually now think that clause that I signed and agreed to and was happy to accept 12 months ago is unreasonable.

Nobody forced you to sign the contract. Now that you did, it is quite right that people are saying you need to accept responsibility for breaking something in your care that you had ample opportunity to look after in a safer manner, and pay up.

As I said earlier, by all means argue the point about the punched hole giving a false idea of what is a safe method for carrying the card, and even write suggesting this be changed in the future, but for now, deal with the consequences of your actions, then move on, hopefully wiser.

Olias

taxsaver

I have to say that a number of the replies appear to have been rather patronising toward the OP; that hardly sets a good example now does it people?

OP, they appear to have not yet charged you for the broken card and so may never do. Personally I wouldn't worry about it until they notify you that they DO intend to charge for it, at which point I would appeal on the grounds that you have stated... the card is flimsy, it comes on a ring attached to other keys thus that is how it is intended to be be held and used, the keys cannot help but cause damage whilst in the user's pocket which is where any 'reasonable' person (male - females might use a bag) would be expected to keep them..... thus it can be argued that it is not suitable for its purpose and/or breakage is simply fair wear and tear in the circumstances.

Nicki

If the cards are so flimsy, then it is to be expected that most of the students would break them over the course of the year. Is this the case? How many of your friends also in halls have broken their keys? If you don't know of anyone else, I think it would be hard to argue that it was fair wear and tear, or a design flaw, particularly as yours is newer than anyone else's because it is a replacement for one you lost. I am fairly confident that is the answer you will be met with if you try to run this argument.

As others have said, you may not be charged, but if you are the universities are fairly good at extracting money owed, by as others have said not allowing graduation or access to the next year of study until all bills are paid. All students are broke, and none of them want to pay for this kind of thing, so the institutions get to become quite ruthless in extracting the money in the end.

Devils-Advocate_3

Kierz wrote: »

I could take this advice, but then I'd just be another sheep that does as he is told, like you.

Yes, companies get greedy and try to swindle people out of more money, but that doesnt mean that we as consumers have to put up with it. Especially with companies whose services we have been paying for all year.

Its not just about "being an adult", its about standing up for whats right.

But then again, if you're happy being a pushover and accepting anything thats thrown at you then fair enough.

What a load of crock. It's called accepting responsibility and looking after possessions. Numpty.

suited-aces

Go to your students union, ours got the card charge down from £30 to £5, and made changes elsewhere too. Guitar, if those charges you say were levied, then you truly had a useless Students Union.