Forced to pay £150 for replacement certificates due to college negligence

lateandlive

*Bangs head on desk*

Okay. I've just finished my degree and I graduate in February. I've currently got an interim certificate as proof of my qualification and I get the full certificate when I attend my graduation or when I collect it from the school office.

I know this information because they emailed it to me. They didn't fire it from a cannon, take out a billboard ad per student or send it to me as a singing telegram; they emailed me once and once only. I received the email and I know have that information in my head. I know when and where to pick it up (as coincidentally I can't attend my graduation).

Why should the establishment you studied at contact you in various different ways? If I book tickets to a concert, i get an email confirmation of the booking - I don't have a written and telephone confirmation too?!

Optimist

gvw121 wrote: »

However I’ve exhausted my attempts to put this matter to bed peacefully and have now decided to go down the legal route and possibly contact my local borough newspaper to vent my frustration.

Could somebody please advise me what steps to take legally before I start any legal proceedings.


I have all copies of all emails sent between the College and myself and I would appreciate any comments greatly!

You should write a letter before action then issue proceedings in the small claims court. However as far as I can see the college have done everything they would reasonably be expected to do.

They have even offered you £75 which in my opinion they had no obligation to do.

If this goes to court and the case is defended then there is very good chance the judge will find for the college.

Impartial advice take the £75 and get on with your life.

gvw121

Can't believe how low some people are on this forum. I came here to get help and I'm being mocked constantly. I can take criticism which I haven't got a problem with but when people are constantly taking a stab at me out of bitterness it just shows you society lacks decent people.

gvw121

Corpsebride86 wrote: »

I work in a college, and just to clarify it is NOT the college that sets the price for reissued certificates it is the exam board.

Where I work we send certificates out recorded delivery, and the number we get returned is shocking, mostly just because students will not go to the PO to collect them. when we got a returned certificate we call the students to query the failed delivery and agree with the student to resend them.

If we get them back we send a letter (not recorded delivery) to inform them that the certificates are avaliable for collection, after six months they go to archives and after four years are destroyed

Thats the thing, I strongly feel they could have called me which is exactly what your college did and mine didn't...

Bennifred

OP - if schools/colleges were to write to/email/text/call every student who needed to collect a certificate they would need a lot more administrative staff (and money) than they actually have. And it really should not be necessary. Students are informed when the certificates arrive in school to be collected, and the vast majority are responsible enough to collect them.
How come all those thousands manage and you didn't? Stop making excuses and trying to put the blame on your college. It was YOUR responsibility to collect YOUR certificate(s). Your failure to do so within a reasonable time frame means that YOU are responsible for paying the exam boards for the replacements. The college bears no responsibility, and has been more than reasonable in their dealings with you. Move on!

Harry_Flashman

gvw121 wrote: »

Can't believe how low some people are on this forum. I came here to get help and I'm being mocked constantly. I can take criticism which I haven't got a problem with but when people are constantly taking a stab at me out of bitterness it just shows you society lacks decent people.

You got the answer in post 2.

Why continue?

BargainMad_3

So we are not "decent people" because we are not telling you what you want to hear.

I'm afraid it's not that we don't understand the situation.

Rather it's because we understand the situation only too well.


And it is wise to hear these opinions before you contact the local rag and embark on legal action because you will only hear them again when you do.

Forewarned is forearmed I suppose.....

gvw121

I'm done with the forum it's fine I have nothing to prove to you all. Guess it was a mistake to seek advice on here. Thanks to the people that actually gave some positive input and to the others I understand you get pleasure from people's misery.

Harry_Flashman

(Listens for the thud of flung teddies landing)

Esoog

I have a similar issue;

my school/6th form wanted to charge us to go a presentation event where they would give us our certificates. I declined to pay for this nonsense.

They then said anyone not going would have to pick them up at a later date.

I didn't.

So now I have no GCSE/A-level certificates (uni just seemed to believe me? I found that a bit strange, should have stretched my results a bit and gone for a flasher degree!)

This is my fault. At some point I will need to pay. This is fine, I was young and silly.