college fees

gar50

hi all,
I need some advice on college fees please. I am 36 and just started the 1st year of 3 to learn to be an electrician.

Ive paid half the fee and have a receipt off the college, with a DD agreement signed by me and them to say I will pay the other half of the fee in another 2 installments before the end of the year.

my problem,
yesterday (two weeks into the course) they said its gone up by £40 and I now have a new receipt and DD to sign, which I have not done yet.

is the original DD signed by us both legally binding for the original course fee price?

I dont want to bicker with them but if its legally in the bag then I want to flatly refuse this additional cost.

cheers, hope you can help

Gareth

somethingcorporate

The DD is merely the method of payment so just because you have signed one saying one figure if the cost goes up then it will change (think of your line rental as an example).

What does matter is what the contract that you signed says. Can you dig this out / get a copy from the training provider? If you have agreed a fixed price (which I thought would be the logical case in terms of providing training) then they should not be able to vary it without your express agreement. They cannot unilaterally alter the details in a contract which has been signed.

You should be able to reject their changes and just pay what you have already agreed. However, you do need to scrutinise carefully what is in the contract, it may have some provision relating to price rises although I could not think what would be driving it in the case of providing tuition!

gar50

hi,
thanks for the reply.

its just a college DD sheet, i've got one copy they got the other.
theres no small print on it, its just been hand written by the receptionist and has the sum paid, and the future fees I am to pay. it has a receipt stapled to it with what ive paid but no other small print.

somethingcorporate

Is there nothing with the full cost on it?

gar50

well ive got the enrolment form , il check that when i get in. (im at work now)
but other than that, just the hand written receipt for what ive paid and agreed to pay in 2 more installments.

heres the advert, w w w bridgend.ac.uk/level-2-diploma-in-electrical-and-electronic-eng-technology/

shows £476 now, but was always £431, and my receipt shows im due to pay £431

somethingcorporate

If you have got a dated enrolment form and corresponding signed receipt with the £431 visible then I don't think they have a leg to stand on. Check that is the case, if it is then write back providing a copy of both saying as you had agreed the price at the time you will not be paying the difference as you have agreed the amount at £431.

Otherwise what is to stop them adding on a 0 and billing you for that!? If you do not have a contract saying that they can alter the price (which I mentioned before was unlikely) then they cannot simply charge you more for an agreed and signed for service - whether or not it has taken place yet.

wealdroam

Surprisingly, I can't find anything like T&Cs on their website.

mikey72

It's in the prospectus

"The course fees are calculated each academic year. Therefore, if your course is for more than one year there will be course fees to pay in each additional year of study. A nominal increase in part-time course fees is applicable each year.
We reserve the right to make further adjustments when there have been changes out of our control, for example to registration and exam fees. All course prices are correct at the time of printing, please refer online for the very latest course details and financial information."

Ask them why the fees are more than they originally agreed.