ERUDIO student loans help

Jonez

Ridiculous. have you thought about contacting the solicitor who posts on here and is looking at compiling a case against them?

crapola

kieranders wrote: »

I sent this to Erudio today... (fingers crossed!) but I'm not too hopeful it will be acknowledged, let alone acted upon.......

Make sure you send this to the FOS and the FCA too. I'm on my mobile, and unable to add links, but there are some earlier posts with contact info (sorry, I cant add it here).

Good luck.

dizzybuff

Well ive received a deferment form by email. I need to fl the bits I can in and cross bits out. I have a feeling they will tell me to !!!!!! off because of the benefits o receive. However I have a few complaint formulating.

I know I'm going to get rejected but my financial circumstances are due to change three times in the next nine months. Let's see if I can keep them on their toes and how many complaints I can generate in that time.

aloadoflatchikos

kieranders wrote: »

I sent this to Erudio today... (fingers crossed!) but I'm not too hopeful it will be acknowledged, let alone acted upon.


Following my email dated 11th December, to which I have received no reply or acknowledgement.


I am emailing as I have still had no response to my application for deferment...


I am so frustrated with the service received from Erudio Student Loans.


I applied for deferment in plenty of time, (it was may i think before I had any details or conatact from Erudio, although when I called in March to ask about why I hadn't been sent deferment forms I was told it would be sent soon. I sent in all information requested immediately. I was then asked to send in bank statements, which I did immediately. This was all done by June this year. I was then contacted to be told I had sent the wrong bank statements, so I immediately sent the correct information. the information I have sent took months to be logged on your systems ( I was told this over the phone, the statements I had sent in june hadn't been processed until October, and the second set hadn't been processed in November.), and I was eventually told I was in arrears and had to pay. I spoke to someone on the phone who assured me if I sent the information (again!) by email the deferment would prevent the need for paying the arrears. I sent this info, and last month received a letter to inform me of the amounts you were to take by direct debit. I immediately (again!) called and spoke to a gentleman who had no grasp of what I was saying, that refused to listen to my point that I had sent all information in within the three months and was insistent that I pay the arrears. When I told him I couldn't pay the arrears, and that I felt I shouldn't be made to pay them as I had complied totally with the deferment procedure, he said he would send me a finances form. I made the point that I don't need a finances form as I shouldn't be paying for an Erudio mistake. he sent the forms anyway, and the direct debit bounced this month. I felt I wasn't listened to, and that there were no other avenues for this gentleman to explore. I asked to speak to a manager, but was unsuccessful in that.


I can't make the payments, and can aptly demonstrate this, but with the amount of time it takes Erudio to do anything, it may be next years deferment that I need to complete. I in no way contest the amount I have outstanding on my student loans, but the whole deferment process this time has been an absolute nightmare. There were never these problems with SLC. I was hoping that it would be teething problems after Erudio bought my loan from SLC, but it appears that your systems have not improved.


I ask that any arrears be reattached to the loan, that my deferment be confirmed (its now 7 months since I applied and sent in evidence) and no direct debits be taken from my account.


Please, as a matter of interest, can you confirm that the system you use to log incoming mail has been taking a long time, as I was told on the phone, and that you now have everything that I have sent (2 sets of bank statements by mail and screen shots of online bank statements by email.)


I really hope to have this matter dealt with efficiently and satisfactorily as soon as possible.

Under no circumstances communicate with these den of snakes by phone. Write to them and send all mail by recorded delivery. Make a duplicate of all correspondence with them, send in an official complaint to them, simultaneously complain to F.O.B, obtain a reference number from them. Simultaneously, write and complain to your local M.P about their disgraceful methods. Remember you are dealing with a professional debt collecting agency, who have no: scruples, morals, ethics and probably cannot lie straight in bed at night.

chiefdave

Quick recap first, I'm self employed and do a self assessment tax return. SLC have always accepted that total income minus allowable expenses is the equivalent of a salaried persons gross income, which is correct, HMRC work on the same basis.

Of course Erudio don't agree and rejected my deferment application saying my income was above the threshold. So I put in an appeal which was rejected and then i referred to the financial ombudsman.

Haven't heard back from the ombudsman but I have had another letter from Erudio. Not sure if this is a result of contacting the ombudsman or because I emailed them and asked them to explain how they had reached their decision enclosing a copy of the SLC deferment guide that was posted earlier in this thread. The letter says they got it wrong, I am now deferred, have no arrears and will be getting compensation!

Seems to be a few people starting to get a positive response to their complaints, maybe someone who has some power has had words with Erudio about the volume of valid complaints being received.

fermi

Well done.

We know they are deliberately twisting (or just breaking) the definitions and conditions for deferment in a cynical fashion, but it's nice to see it can be fought.

eroneo

@ChiefDave
So glad to hear your result!

Jonez

chiefdave wrote: »

Quick recap first, I'm self employed and do a self assessment tax return. SLC have always accepted that total income minus allowable expenses is the equivalent of a salaried persons gross income, which is correct, HMRC work on the same basis.

Of course Erudio don't agree and rejected my deferment application saying my income was above the threshold. So I put in an appeal which was rejected and then i referred to the financial ombudsman.

Haven't heard back from the ombudsman but I have had another letter from Erudio. Not sure if this is a result of contacting the ombudsman or because I emailed them and asked them to explain how they had reached their decision enclosing a copy of the SLC deferment guide that was posted earlier in this thread. The letter says they got it wrong, I am now deferred, have no arrears and will be getting compensation!

Seems to be a few people starting to get a positive response to their complaints, maybe someone who has some power has had words with Erudio about the volume of valid complaints being received.

Gordon bleedin' Bennett - can they not even understand the difference between turnover and gross income and that by using the turnover figure they are counting expenditure as income?

gardenia101

No exciting deferral news to report here, although delighted to hear that others are finally getting their loans correctly deferred & written off :T

I have sent back my DAF, along with a comment that I can't actually read the bumf at the end & all the proof of income needed (again) & a covering letter. Not heard anything yet, but they haven't yet set up a d/d on my account (I'm checking daily ).

So far there is still lots of outstanding paperwork from them, like a statement etc., & they have yet to reply to my comments about all the questions they ignored in their final response to my official complaint - well, that's not quite true as they have replied saying they are still considering the points raised. Since this last letter wasn't in large print I can only assume that they haven't yet read any of my correspondence telling them I need large print :mad: I don't know why it is taking them so long - the regulations are clear aren't they? Or is it just me.....

Had my SAR from SLC - sadly only the covering letter was in large print so it was all pretty useless as I can't see the figures well enough to check them until a friend comes round to help me (not like its personal info or anything, is it?). Even the evidence I submitted to them in large print has come back as standard, so that's another letter going back. I'm so fed up with fighting to have my correspondence in large print - ditched a bank a while ago who suggested that as I have children at home then they could read all my statements etc. to me. Not sure how that would have panned out with them having to read my PIN to me :rotfl: HMRC have finally sent my large print tax credits award notice after 15 weeks of waiting.

Nothing from FOS yet even though its now been over 6 weeks.

fermi wrote: »

You can be deferred while there are arrears, and yes ordinarily deferment can only be backdeted by up to 3 months.

So if you were say 6 or 7 months in arrears, then backdating 3 would leave 3 or 4 months of arrears that would still be owed and payable immediately now, even though you are currently deferred on future payments for the next year.

But in this case I presume the only reason you got into 6 or 7 months worth of arrears was due to Erudio's own awkwardness, mistakes, poor communication etc. i.e their fault?

If so then you need to complain about that, and demand that they put things right by backdating the deferment fully so there are no arrears. telling them that if they do not you will take them to the FOS and may consider taking legal action.

I'll be months in arrears if they do now grant deferment, so I'll be going to FOS to get the additional arrears wiped & a payment refunded. Hopefully it'll all be sorted out before my next deferment application although I'm seriously thinking that it wont be.

chiefdave

Jonez wrote: »

Gordon bleedin' Bennett - can they not even understand the difference between turnover and gross income and that by using the turnover figure they are counting expenditure as income?

I would be amazed if they genuinely can't. Surely there would have been a handover and SLC would have given them documentation such as the manual on how to process deferment?

Be interesting to see what the first response is to new deferment applications in similar circumstances, if they still respond the same way then it will be very clear they are trying to obtain payment when it isn't due.