Please Help. Regarding 'The Training Room'

MG_97

Hi Everyone,
I really hope you can help me or advise me on a course of action.

Last year I enrolled with The Training Room for a software development course which I fully intended to complete. I suffer from MDD, Anxiety and ADHD and I was concerned that this would affect my course in some way. Therefore, I requested information regarding extending my course from The Training Room, to which I received no response. I didn’t pursue it because I had a job, was making the payments and things were going well. Then, the pandemic struck and I lost my job and was refused furlough because I had started after the government cut off date. My mental state suffered with my financial one and even though I managed to get onto Universal Credit, I was struggling.

I rang The Training Room and eventually I was told it would cost an initial £200 and then £15 per month until I finished the course. As time went on, my mental health slowly improved with the help of my psychiatrist and psychologist.  However, when my course deadline hit, The Training Room told me, for the first time, that I wasn't eligible to extend my deadline because I hadn't completed enough of the course. This shocked me, as nothing had been said about this before this point. I explained my financial and mental situation and was given a ‘generous’ offer which allowed me to stay on the course for a maximum of four months after my deadline for a fee of £350. If I had been able to afford that option, I would have taken it, however, as I informed them both in writing and over the phone, I was struggling to complete the course within the deadline because of my financial and health issues – charging me more and giving me minimal time to complete the course merely exacerbated the problem.

After a great deal of thought, I realized that the pandemic had scuppered my original plan of working full time and gaining qualifications on the side. I decided to take the plunge and enrol in university, which is what I am doing currently. The Training Room is threatening me with legal action if I do not pay the full course fees of over £2000 and I simply do not have the money. They have not listened to me, nor have they been honest with me. I wanted to work with them and complete the course but they have taken all of my course materials away and left me with nothing but a hefty bill.

I would be very grateful for any advice you could give me about my legal standing in this situation.

[Deleted User]

You just need to check your contract. It will explain in there whether the fees are correct or not.

In the likelihood they are, don't bury your head in the sand, and come to a repayment arrangement with them.

sourcrates

MG_97 said:

. The Training Room is threatening me with legal action if I do not pay the full course fees of over £2000 and I simply do not have the money. They have not listened to me, nor have they been honest with me. I wanted to work with them and complete the course but they have taken all of my course materials away and left me with nothing but a hefty bill.

I would be very grateful for any advice you could give me about my legal standing in this situation.

Should legal action be taken, and you lose, it does not mean you have to find the full amount, straight away.

Depending what you put as your income/expenditure in your defence form, the judgement will either be forthwith, that means its due straight away, or an installment order, paid over time.

Forthwith judgements can be changed on application to an installment order, so basically the threat of legal action should be taken as an opportunity to repay what you owe, at an affordable rate, so not really a threat of anything is it.

Of course its better, and cheaper for you to come to an agreement with them that does not involve bothering the courts.

J9932

I had to make an account just to post on this,
I too have been scammed by them. They offered me unlimited resits, a cancellation and even a laptop to sign up, none of which were given to me.  
Scammed me over £3000

[Deleted User]

They won't have scammed you. 

Check the terms of what you signed versus what they delivere and go from there.  

J9932

They ARE scammers, anyone else reading this or happen to stumble upon this, NEVER sign up to this company

[Deleted User]

Or sign up but understand what you're signing up to.

Scam doesn't mean what you think it does.

J9932

I'm not going to argue but I agree with OP on TTR's review site, hence why I posted here
It IS a scam; 
Being told you would receive unlimited resits paid for by THEM, then them refusing to provide what they offered - that is a scam,misleading
Offering to provide a laptop - then refusing to provide this
Being told you're entitled to a 14 day cooling off period - then stalling this and refusing to cancel - is a scam,misleading

DCFC79

J9932 said:

I'm not going to argue but I agree with OP on TTR's review site, hence why I posted here
It IS a scam; 
Being told you would receive unlimited resits paid for by THEM, then them refusing to provide what they offered - that is a scam,misleading
Offering to provide a laptop - then refusing to provide this
Being told you're entitled to a 14 day cooling off period - then stalling this and refusing to cancel - is a scam,misleading

Did you read the contract before you signed ?