Student Halls stinging me with unreasonable charges.

The_Palmist

If you think it was unfair, direct your complain through appropriate channels.

mynameisclare

real1314 wrote: »

A private landlord charging £35 for a job that cost £5 would readily be challenged, as should this.

Hmmm, you might get lucky with a single landlord, but I doubt anyone that goes through a letting agency would be able to get a replacement lost key for just the actual cost.

harz99

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

The OP said he had already been charged once for losing a card earlier in the year.



Still think it is reasonable - admin staff have to be paid, systems have to be maintained and the incompetents have to understand that they need to take care of the assets of others or face the consequences.

And the OP paid that charge because it was his/her mistake to lose the original card - no issue with that.

However, the OP has now raised a hypothetical question regarding the worn out card that was handed in. Not lost, not vandalised just worn out, because such things in daily use do not last forever.

In such circumstances a £35 charge would, if levied, be far in excess of a reasonable amount.

And please, "take care of the assets of others" - its a flimsy plastic card not a damaged wooden door or window.

Really, you have me doing something I as a silver haired moaning old pensioner wouldn't have believed possible; me defending a student!!

princeofpounds

Same for speeding fines, or are you going to try and challenge those too on the basis that they are unfair?

Speeding is a CRIMINAL offence, if you didn't realise. For good reason too. If you can't see the difference between that and petty charges then I despair for your sense of proportion.

Lifes_Grand_Plan

princeofpounds wrote: »

Speeding is a CRIMINAL offence, if you didn't realise. For good reason too. If you can't see the difference between that and petty charges then I despair for your sense of proportion.

Errr... please do not twist my words...

You asked if a charge/fine for exceeding your overdraft, and likewise a charge for putting rubbish into the incorrect bin is a deterrent from doing these things.

I said yes it was, as is a charge/fine for speeding a deterrent from doing so...

As is a charge for replacing a key card a deterrent from losing / breaking it, both of which the OP has done.

Asking a question, getting the answer you didn't want because it exposes your awful argument, and then twisting things around.... is just digging yourself even deeper. :rotfl:

abby1234519

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

Errr... please do not twist my words...

You asked if a charge/fine for exceeding your overdraft, and likewise a charge for putting rubbish into the incorrect bin is a deterrent from doing these things.

I said yes it was, as is a charge/fine for speeding a deterrent from doing so...

As is a charge for replacing a key card a deterrent from losing / breaking it, both of which the OP has done.

Asking a question, getting the answer you didn't want because it exposes your awful argument, and then twisting things around.... is just digging yourself even deeper. :rotfl:

I do agree, I haven't gone over my overdraft limit once in at least 6 months because of the dreaded charges!! Its like a horrible bark collar that stings a dog :S

Kierz

Tiddlywinks wrote:

Still think it is reasonable - admin staff have to be paid, systems have to be maintained and the incompetents have to understand that they need to take care of the assets of others or face the consequences.

Are you on this thread solely to seek reactions? Because your opinion is very far-fetched.

Admin staff have to be paid? Is it not clear that the time admin staff spend on issuing key cards must take up less than 1% of their overall time?

Systems have to be maintained No maintenance will take place on the system if you lose your card, UNLESS you had your address or other personal details lost with the card, which would let someone identify your room from the other 3000 in the building and gain access. (Which wasn't the case).

Incompetents have to understand they need to take care of assets Of course they do, thats what the high charge is for, so idiot students don't get drunk and lose their card every week. HOWEVER, I have seem numerous people in my block with sellotaped/broken cards, I did try to stress just how cheap they were..

The cards are obviously ordered in bulk, the most simplistic white plastic with a magnetic strip. I can't see them paying more than 30p per piece. (Source: http://www.digitalid.co.uk/products/125/Pack-of-100-White-Hi-Co-Mag-Stripe-Cards/)

All of the students room data is stored on the computer from the first day, to activate a new card one must place it in a card reader, open the correct room file and store it to the card. From experience, I saw the admin guy perform this task in less than 1minute, so labour costs must have also cost < 50p (unless admin earn over £30/hr.)

A lost/broken card is not making the halls go out of their way because it is already necessary for the halls to stock blank cards, and have a room database on the computer.

Therefore, the total cost incurred to the halls cannot exceed £1 to change a key, so why do students get charged 35x this amount?

Even some of the most effective profit maximising companies would fail to sell their product for a 3500% markup.

churchrat

My ds1 had one of these cards . It had a little hole at the side that was used to attach it to a key chain, and so was designed not to be kept in a wallet. He kept his all yr, although it did get a bit chipped and battered. At the end of the yr the Halls just chucked all the cards away and issued new ones. So I think £35 is a bit steep.

I know that in hotels where this system is used you are not charged £35 ( although I must admit to only knowing about Hilton)

mynameisdave

Kierz wrote: »

Admin staff have to be paid? Is it not clear that the time admin staff spend on issuing key cards must take up less than 1% of their overall time?

So then there cant be the huge number of people losing them netting the university thousands as you made out earlier.

Kierz wrote: »

Systems have to be maintained No maintenance will take place on the system if you lose your card, UNLESS you had your address or other personal details lost with the card, which would let someone identify your room from the other 3000 in the building and gain access. (Which wasn't the case).

False, they need a system to issue and update cards. Therefore the IT team must work on it. The system takes up IT resources. Therefore admin and IT staff are involved, in addition to the hardware required.

Kierz wrote: »

A lost/broken card is not making the halls go out of their way because it is already necessary for the halls to stock blank cards, and have a room database on the computer.

So pre ordering excess stock and storing in in advance and taking time out of their normal duties is not going out of their way?

Kierz

mynameisdave wrote: »

So then there cant be the huge number of people losing them netting the university thousands as you made out earlier.



False, they need a system to issue and update cards. Therefore the IT team must work on it. The system takes up IT resources. Therefore admin and IT staff are involved, in addition to the hardware required.




So pre ordering excess stock and storing in in advance and taking time out of their normal duties is not going out of their way?

You're clearly arguing just for the sake of arguing now, you've made it more than clear you have no understanding of any of this situation.