Anyone Still Waiting for their loan?

flake_2

4-6 weeks?! I think i would dispute that...

Well i phoned up the people today, oh yes your application is all done, just 'awaiting approval'...well you told me that a month ago
Hang on, i'll just check...

Oh no, it's because your Local Authority hasn't BOTHERED to update your account with the information your parents sent in JULY!!!

I am phoning them tomorrow and if they tell me i have 4-6 weeks to wait they will get a ?!@#*!?! thankyou very much!

Saying that they will probably get that anyway:D

emsywoo123

Er.........I was told 4-6 weeks as well..nearer 6..........

flake_2

I phoned them up today and they say the money should come through sometime next week.

Guess they could be lying but if you are in need of the loan i think it's worth phoning and just being 'the difficult customer'...i just cannot see why it would take 6 weeks!!

isualive

I hope so flake, it's such a joke! Student finance are in total chaos, and it's not fair on the students struggling to survive!!!!

EthelBloggs

Just checked and mine still says awaiting assessement. Problem is you phone SLC and they say there's nothing they can do cos they have to wait for the LEA. Phone the LEA and because they're part of this stupid pilot scheme thing you leave your details and they call you back.. last time they took 10 days to return the call and I got someone who sounded like a temp or something because they were very uncertain who said that they were experiencing delays and to call back in 4 weeks but it would most likely be 6 weeks before it was done.

Meanwhile I have 2 children to feed/clothe and a roof to keep over our heads. My university can't help because they need some documentation from the loan people which I don't have because they haven't processed my application yet :mad: it's catch22. If it goes on much longer I think I'll have to jack it in because I just can't afford to spend the money on fares and things :eek:

roxalana

Just want everyone to know that people (like me!) who work for Local Authorities DO care and also hate how long everything takes. All of us at the student support department at my LEA have been students too and know what it is like!

It takes 6-8 weeks to process an application due to the large queue of applications to be processed. We have experienced large staff cuts this year even though the Student Loans Company are yet to take over the processing of our applications. This has left us with the equivalent (as we have part time staff and seasonal workers) of just 5 full time members of staff to process around 4,500 applications this Summer - eek!

If you are worried about what is happening to your application then do give your LEA a ring (I don't know what is happening in 'pilot areas' I'm afraid) and ask if they are waiting for anything else with your application or if it is just in the queue -that might help you to guesstimate how long it will be til yours is processed.

And again - I PROMISE I am doing all I can to do as many applications as possible! Hope you all get your £ soon

Best Wishes

roxalana

flake_2

Hey roxalana, yeh i am sure you do care, i feel sorry for you guys being overstretched, and probably being yelled at quite a lot, if you are doing your job well.

It is not your fault it is the fault of whoever made the decision to hire so few people! Your phones are overloaded with calls, yet my LEA finishes early on a friday and is not open on weekends to call. No offence but if you can't answer your phone extend your calling hours! If it really does take you 3 months to update information that is sent in july onto my account then hire more people!
Mind you that does just seem like they completely forgot about it.

flake_2

EthelBloggs wrote: »

Meanwhile I have 2 children to feed/clothe and a roof to keep over our heads. My university can't help because they need some documentation from the loan people which I don't have because they haven't processed my application yet :mad: it's catch22. If it goes on much longer I think I'll have to jack it in because I just can't afford to spend the money on fares and things :eek:

That is terrible!! And so annoying when you can't actually get through to someone....try to hang on in there though, would be such a shame if you quit just because of this!

I am already eating well into my student overdraft, must look so good to my bank! Soon it will get to its limit and then i really don't know what i'll do....large accomodation fee going out in 3 days...and if i have to pay out my tuition fees aswell....well that i just can't do!

One thing you could do is take out a 0% credit card...i considered. Then pay it off when you get the loan?

I know it's hard because of this pilot thing, but i would just hassle hassle hassle...email, call constantly, even if it's just the student finance direct people, yell, say you want to make an official complaint, you want it in your account by next week etc, how can it take 6 weeks etc....till they bring you to the front of queue just for being difficult. Because it doesn't ACTUALLY take 6 weeks to process, it's just because you are 100th in the queue or whatever. And sounds like you need it more than alot of people!

rubiales

Hi. Been reading this thread with increasing unease! My son is a fresher who applied for his loan in June and it, too, still shows as awaiting assessment. He is not applying for any means-tested funding and they have all the paperwork so i really don't see how it can take so long to assess him!!

He has been trying to get through to LEA/SLC and the one time he managed to speak to a person (on Sunday- SLC) he was told they couldn't help as their computer system was down for essential maintenance! Trying to ring back since has been a joke!

Looks like we will be scraping the bottom of our overdraft to pay his accomodation fees in the short term. Will he also get a bill for his tuition fees?

Seems to me that so many students are in the same boat and through no fault of their own in many cases. Surely the universities must be able to do something to help. They must realise that there are big problems with SLC this year and not expect these fees to be paid upfront by students who will surely qualify to have them paid from a loan, mustn't they?!!!

jollyanna

I've been tracking down son number2's loan today. Managed to speak to a bloke(sounded totally cheesed off) at SLC. Inspite of the loan being approved and having had a notification of loan, there still isn't a payment . SLC blame my LEA who in turn blame the SLc and their online application system. Woman at LEA said she was putting the loan request through again as we spoke and to expect the money in7/10 days. Meanwhile, son number 1 who applied precisely the same time, had his loan nearly a month ago !