De Montfort Uni - Accommodation Reservation

BarryW

I have just had to reserve accommodation for my son at De Montfort where he has a conditional offer. Accommodation is running out fast and there are number of things that stink about the booking system.

1) The website is poor - very badly done.
2) To reserve accommodation it is £250 - £50 of which is a non-returnable "admin fee". This seems close to a scam. The reservation is done online through their poors website. You have to reserve accommodation based on a conditional offer. If you get in you lose £50, if you don't get in you lose £50 (I have no idea how we would get the £200 back yet). Basically if you want student accommodation you pay them £50 what ever - a nice little earner.
3) When - under duress - you do get around to making the payment, you have to agree to invisible terms and conditions and worst of all the website is insecure - it is just a bog standard http address. You have to enter card and address details on an insecure website.

Because the accommodation is going fast if you want somewhere to stay you have to cough up. If you can't pay - and there will be many for £250 upfront on an unconditional offer is unaffordable - then their view appears to be "tough".

I have contacted them about this and I am not very impressed.

skater_kat

classic case of a captive market.

patchwork_cat

Accomodation is not allocated until results are in. My son has DMU as his conditional, not his firm and has been told that he can't apply as it isn't his firm. His firm Manchester has not allocated any yet, although has had his application for a few months now.

ultimatedingbat

If this helps at all I just graduated from DMU and yes their site is awful for this.

To let you know, even with DMU not as a firm, if he ends up there they will find him accomadation. I can't say anything against the university with how helpful they were when I started university, along with other students over the past three years. I've been a freshers rep for the university for the past two years and everyones rated the service for accom excellent even if they had DMU as their second choice.

Any questions please message me and i'llt ry to help.