Potential college graud

neeraj89

First of all, I apologise if this is not the correct forum.

Hey Guys, I need your help with what I think is a fraud.

In April 2019 I enrolled for a Diploma course In Digital Marketing with XXX college based in Slough. The fee was £3500 which I couldn’t pay at once so the college introduced me to a financing company to whom I pay monthly installment (still ongoing).

The course had 4 modules and I was given a job guarantee on completion of the course (which was my main reason to enroll). Now after completing 2.5 modules, the college has declared insolvency and a liquidation company has stepped in to carry out the process.

My situation is that I have already paid £2500 to the financing company and still paying the balance in monthly installments.

I contacted the financing company and explained to them the situation and they said that they will investigate and get back to me. After a few chasers, they forwarded my details to an alternative college that provide similar services. My contact details were sent to a third party without my consent even after I explicitly told them in writing that I don’t consent to my details being shared with anyone. This is a reason I strongly believe that this is a fraud and the financing company is a co-conspirer.

In the background, other students (including me) have got together and approved them collectively but still awaiting a response.

One of the students (who I believe has taken legal help) wrote them a letter threatening about violation of various laws and apparently got a full refund of the fees paid till now. I have requested him if he could share the letter with the rest of us.

The above is just a brief and I can provide more details.

I believe if one student is refunded the whole fees there is scope for me to fight and get my money back as the provider failed to provide the service it promised.

Would really appreciate if anyone could guide me on how to go about it.

Thanks
xxx

Blatchford

I'd want to see evidence of how the other student actually got the money back - it sounds rather unlikely. Certainly it seems unlikely to be that easy. The finance company is a separate legal entity, and if you borrowed money from them (regardless of the purpose) then you would owe them that money. I can see no evidence in anything you have provided that this is fraud, and it would take much more than a belief to action such a claim.

The course itself - well in all honesty any course that guarantees a job at the end of it is dubious. But being dubious and acting illegally is not the same thing. Unfortunately a lot of these sorts of courses are around, and they are generally not illegal - dubious, dicey and generally a scam, but not actually illegal.

I don't suppose that you paid by credit card - that might have afforded you more protections.

Manxman_in_exile

For anybody other than the OP who reads this thread in the future, I would not touch with a bargepole any "college" that guarantees a job upon qualification.

Marcon

Has the student who claims he got a refund actually provided you with a copy of the letter which apparently generated a successful refund? If not, I'd be contacting him again and asking for sight of it - although whether that is really what happened, and whether your circumstances are identical, is another matter. Are you sure he used the financing company as you did?

neeraj89

Hi Guys thanks for your response. really appreciate it.

I have managed to get the letter from another student who was refunded all payments paid.
He wrote this letter to the financing company.
I am now reviewing my contract with the Supplier to see if I can find any important points.

A lot of points in his letter are common to mine. However, he had enrolled for a different course compared to mine.
I have been unemployed for more than 8 months now and borrowed money for my wife in the hope that I will pay her back on securing a job on completion of the course.

I am lost on how to go about this plus I am still paying every month to the financing company (balance left approx GBP 970.00.

letter attached

https://ibb.co/album/esXmTv

look forward to some positive response.
thanks

Marcon

Jsacker wrote: »

Might be worth chatting with the ICO first of all, as GDPR breaches are actionable in the civil courts. Also, any concerns you have about their conduct as a whole could be addressed to their governing body (FCA).

OP - don't get your hopes up. There's nothing to suggest you have suffered any financial loss as a consequence of any breach (and much depends on what you signed, when and with whom as to whether an actual breach occurred). If you try to claim compensation for distress, you'll need evidence to back this up. Just "I was really, really upset" doesn't cut it - and you could find yourself paying your own costs and possibly the costs incurred by the other side.

Voyager2002

Note that since you paid for the course with borrowed money, you are protected in precisely the same way as if you had paid by credit card. The finance company is liable for the college's failure to deliver the course, as promised.

Like the other posters, I cannot see why you believe that fraud occurred.