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Alleged university debt - your advice?
limetwig
Posts: 1 Newbie
Hi,
If anyone can help with the following I'd be really grateful! (Sorry, it's a bit long...).
I enrolled on a university course for a very brief period in 2007. I left because they cancelled the main class I was attending for and they wouldn't let me change courses. At the time they told me no fees were due, so I signed a form (plus complained!) and left.
Out of the blue last year the university contacted me saying I owed them money for part of 2007. I disputed this and asked them to provide me with some evidence and explain why they were suddenly demanding money years later. They said they'd need to get some forms out of storage and would get back to me. They never did.
But this week (over a year after the last communication) I received an e-mail saying that, because they hadn't heard from me, if I didn't pay the supposed debt in the next 5 days they would pass my details to a debt collection agency. This was part of an e-mail chain which missed off the last communication (i.e. them saying they would send me the information I asked for) so it could look to an external party like I had everything I'd asked for (but later e-mails show this not to be the case).
So, I went back to them - making it clear I still dispute this alleged debt - and asked for the information I requested over a year ago. They've now sent me some of this (but not all) and are again asking me to pay.
The information I have so far is very confusing (e.g. they seem to contradict themselves in terms of how much I supposedly owe). They have sent me one bit of the form which I signed to withdraw - it transpires that they added information to this after I signed it (without my knowledge) but they now say it's a legally binding document.
Because it was so long ago and they told me that I didn't owe anything (needless to say, I unfortunately don't have this in writing), I don't have very many records. I'm not particularly confident just believing what they say since the information so far doesn't tally and since (I feel) they've tried to 'scare' me into paying by threatening to pass my information on. I don't understand how this is allowed when I was waiting for information from them to prove the supposed debt even exists.
If anyone can give me any advice on what to do next or what my rights are, I'd really appreciate it!
If anyone can help with the following I'd be really grateful! (Sorry, it's a bit long...).
I enrolled on a university course for a very brief period in 2007. I left because they cancelled the main class I was attending for and they wouldn't let me change courses. At the time they told me no fees were due, so I signed a form (plus complained!) and left.
Out of the blue last year the university contacted me saying I owed them money for part of 2007. I disputed this and asked them to provide me with some evidence and explain why they were suddenly demanding money years later. They said they'd need to get some forms out of storage and would get back to me. They never did.
But this week (over a year after the last communication) I received an e-mail saying that, because they hadn't heard from me, if I didn't pay the supposed debt in the next 5 days they would pass my details to a debt collection agency. This was part of an e-mail chain which missed off the last communication (i.e. them saying they would send me the information I asked for) so it could look to an external party like I had everything I'd asked for (but later e-mails show this not to be the case).
So, I went back to them - making it clear I still dispute this alleged debt - and asked for the information I requested over a year ago. They've now sent me some of this (but not all) and are again asking me to pay.
The information I have so far is very confusing (e.g. they seem to contradict themselves in terms of how much I supposedly owe). They have sent me one bit of the form which I signed to withdraw - it transpires that they added information to this after I signed it (without my knowledge) but they now say it's a legally binding document.
Because it was so long ago and they told me that I didn't owe anything (needless to say, I unfortunately don't have this in writing), I don't have very many records. I'm not particularly confident just believing what they say since the information so far doesn't tally and since (I feel) they've tried to 'scare' me into paying by threatening to pass my information on. I don't understand how this is allowed when I was waiting for information from them to prove the supposed debt even exists.
If anyone can give me any advice on what to do next or what my rights are, I'd really appreciate it!
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