University Fees Demand - My Rights?

ricepenguins

(Please move this if I've posted in the wrong place)

I started my course September 2010, paid the final installment of my fees last February and then finished my course September 2011.

But now my university says they made a mistake and charged me the wrong fees 15 months ago, and are demanding over £700 in payment immediately - holding my graduation and certificate to ransom in the process.

Does anyone know my legal rights, or how I can find out?

To my mind if a shop charges you a certain price for an item, and you agree to purchase - and budget for the year - based on that price, they can't chase you down the road 15 months later threatening to take it back off you because they made a mistake?

verityboo

Surely when you started at the university it was outlined what the fees would be. Did they undercharge you as I thought you would have noticed a £700 error? If the fees were agreed in advance and you have not paid them then you owe them the money

vax2002

They will have sent you some kind of invoice and paper work, which you should have safe in a very strong file.
Get your paper work out and see if what you paid Talley with what they requested.
Demands for extra than what they invoiced for are rarely enforceable.

Hintza

Have to agree with the above what fees were advertised, written on brochure, were you advise of etc.... find proof. Or have they just made an admin error.

If the former you will have a case. If not they have 6 year to pursue you.

So did they misprice or have they made an admin error?

One other thing did you run up a bill for extras?

squeaky

Hi

If you're still struggling after chasing up your paperwork - let me know and I'll move your query across to our Student's Board

ricepenguins

Thanks for the comments. In response:

This course was a continuation from a previous one so I didn't see a brochure or fees list as a new student might, and the university does everything online so I received no letter.

But, since I knew my fee amount would be advertised to me on my online account before enrolment that didn't worry me.

And so online, before enrolment, that's the first place and only place I saw a fee amount. I didn't know what the amount should be, but I assumed something in the normal £4K to £5K range, and that's what it was.

So I have a copy of that online invoice on enrolment, and all the evidence that I paid that full amount. I had no idea there was a shortfall, nor did I assume that there would be any reason as to why the figure quoted would be wrong.

I even went to the fees office to check the amount due when I was there for a separate issue and it was indeed confirmed to me (I assume by checking my account, rather than a published list of costs).

So the questions are:

If the only place I encounter the amount due is when I'm invoiced - which I have a copy of - is it my responsibility to assume they've made a mistake?

Is it my responsibilty to have actively sought out their brochure even though I knew the fee would shown before enrolment?

And does it matter that the university has raised the issue AFTER I've agreed to enrol and paid the fees, not before or on enrolment? In that sense, they've robbed me of the opportunity to make an informed decision based on the correct amount. Because that sounds like an old-school con.

nzmegs

I think you will be able to fight this. For example if you bought something online and was subsequently invoiced for it. You would rightly assume that the invoice was correct and pay the amount. You have no other contract in place which states the amount you owed them. What else were you expected to go on. I don't feel they can make you pay for their own administration error.

Holding your certificates is just wrong.

Can you contact a student representative to help you?

Hintza

ricepenguins wrote: »

If the only place I encounter the amount due is when I'm invoiced - which I have a copy of - .

So you have a copy of the invoice. What is the University's argument?

Can you also check they haven't charged you for extras (eg if art course, certain materials etc).

The other thing yo probably want to sart doing is logging your complaint in writing so at least you can prove what actions have been taken and a time line if you can't get it sorted out.

Might want to send it to he admissions office and CC to Principal and course tutor etc.