Student Loans threatening to fine me £200 a month for going on holiday

agrinnall

Start by checking your arithmetic - £200 a month for 3 months is £600 not £1800.

I suspect the letter may be an automated one that wasn't stopped from being sent when they told you your form had been found. Rather than being distraught, why not just ring them up and explain again?

freelancepuddle

agrinnall wrote: »

Start by checking your arithmetic - £200 a month for 3 months is £600 not £1800.

I suspect the letter may be an automated one that wasn't stopped from being sent when they told you your form had been found. Rather than being distraught, why not just ring them up and explain again?

Read it through. The fine is for 12 months.

agrinnall

freelancepuddle wrote: »

Read it through. The fine is for 12 months.

Is it your mind I'm supposed to be reading, because nothing in your post refers to 12 months (and if it did the amount would be £2,400).

I'm out now.

Spendless

Why do you get fined for going on holiday? Sorry, can someone explain.

freelancepuddle

Spendless wrote: »

Why do you get fined for going on holiday? Sorry, can someone explain.

If you go abroad after you graduate and are in debt with student finance England you have to tell them you're going abroad, especially if it's for 3 months or more. You have to tell them if you're working abroad, send them copies of your bank statements and travel itinerary. If you don't provide this evidence you can be fined over £2000 (at £200 a month for almost a year) which isn't included in the repayments, it's a heavy fine for leaving the country without keeping them in the loop essentially.

unforeseen

TBH they are very good at swearing blind that they haven't got your form and then it miraculously turns up when you start chasing them

Similar happened with my daughter when they sent a letter stating that they would take the max £196 per month because she had not sent in the overseas form.

After a phone call they found her overseas form that had been sent in a month and a half previously and did the calculation

SLC or their front line people are a waste of space. They contradict themselves, don't even understand their own rules and make things up as they go along.

Example

Yes your daughter can send her Spanish contract in as proof but we probably won't translate it and read it. !!!!!!! you aren't going to read the evidence that you say she needs to send in? Even though your website says it is not one of the languages that need to be translated for you?

freelancepuddle

unforeseen wrote: »

TBH they are very good at swearing blind that they haven't got your form and then it miraculously turns up when you start chasing them

Similar happened with my daughter when they sent a letter stating that they would take the max £196 per month because she had not sent in the overseas form.

After a phone call they found her overseas form that had been sent in a month and a half previously and did the calculation

SLC or their front line people are a waste of space. They contradict themselves, don't even understand their own rules and make things up as they go along.

Example

Yes your daughter can send her Spanish contract in as proof but we probably won't translate it and read it. !!!!!!! you aren't going to read the evidence that you say she needs to send in? Even though your website says it is not one of the languages that need to be translated for you?

I've found after this experience that they don't prioritize the oversea forms much at all. Whenever I sent them evidence to receive my loan, no matter what time of the year, they picked it up and put it into their system within 2 weeks. However it's been sat waiting to be processed for 3 weeks now and they still cannot give me an estimated day when it will be finalized. The only decent answer I got out of them was - yes, we have received you form, so I shouldn't be fined & We see that you have sent flight details and 3 months worth of bank statements, so everything we asked for, so it should be fine but phone back sometime next week to see if it's been processed. Keep in mind that I'm not working abroad, I'm going away for a long summer vacation. I never dreamed they would require so much.

What stood out to me that when I was said I was scared of being fined, both people I spoke to had a little laugh to themselves. Like it was an inside joke about these fine letters being handed out. I have to call back Monday to see if they have processed it yet, they're in no rush. They also told me those fine letters are to get people from overseas to call in to confirm they have sent their evidence, and are sent out automatically regardless if you send it or not.

freelancepuddle

Herzlos wrote: »

Is it a fine or a fixed repayment for the debt?

It's a fine.

silvercar

I have merged two threads started with the same opening post. It is easier if you post just one thread to avoid advice being repeated.

freelancepuddle

Deleted_User wrote: »

Stop being distressed.

If you've returned the form and they've acknowledged it, you'd done your bit.

I thought I would give you a follow up. I called them (a dozen times to get a straight answer) and they said that the fine letter was automated. They have yet to process my overseas assessment form, despite receiving it well over a month ago. I received a letter stating that if they don't have that information by the 4th of June (the day I fly) I will be fined. Ironically, that's the day they said they would probably get around to looking at it and see if I need to send more evidence. Pointed out I can't send more evidence when I'm in another country. They said 'Oh get someone from home to send it'. I don't have someone to do that for me. I seriously regret telling them, I thought in hindsight I was doing the right thing, but 6 letters through the post threatening me later, I'm feeling like I'm dealing with an actual loan's company with powers to send the baliff's round. Or at least dump a gigantic year-long fine on me despite doing exactly as they asked. I've been penalized for their slow admin.

Funnily enough I spoke to someone today as I received yet another email demanding my whereabouts (still in the UK, just trying to go on a holiday) and they admitted it's ridiculous how much the system has freaked out and sent copious amounts of correspondence to me.

If they need more evidence, I can't give it to them, so I'll have to face dealing with the fact I may have a £600 outstanding fine on my account when I return from my summer holiday. Wow student finance.