Getting refund from college – Help –Where to start? Feeling ripped off

[Deleted User]

Perhaps 'the student room' would be a better forum for your enquiry?
The opportunity to speak to students who have completed similar courses and might be able to offer more qualified opinions?

What evidence do you have that alternative providers are delivering a higher standard of education, proving that your course was so poor that it warrants a refund of your course fees?

In my opinion, you received enough tuition to pass the course, on that basis, how do you prove that it was insufficient?

If you had failed you might have a good case but as things stand....

silvercar

Here are some articles that seem to support refunds for poorly taught courses.

https://refundstudents.org/
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jan/22/students-in-england-refund-if-unsatisfied-with-course-michelle-donelan
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/poor_standard_of_teaching_compla
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1352008/university-news-education-tuition-fee-refund

I think your problem is that an HE access course's primary purpose is to give you the qualification in order to be able to access Higher Education. If it has done this it has fulfilled it's main purpose. To show it had failed you would need to demonstrate that it hasn't prepared you well enough. I would guess that the only way of assessing that would be to see how you fared in HE.

Concerned227

Thank you to the helpful people and I mean that, all the best.

MalMonroe

Hi, the information in the following link may be helpful -

https://www.gov.uk/complain-further-education-apprenticeship

When I did a full time university course a few years ago each year was £3k and that was towards a proper university degree, so I can understand your frustration.

I hope the government advice is helpful and that you can get a full refund because I agree with you, receiving a certificate when you don't feel fulfilled - or that you got anything out of a course is really not on because you do feel helpless. You want to feel that you've achieved something as well as having a piece of paper to prove it.

This - “It’s not our fault it’s the first time the course was run” - is no excuse at all. Many colleges must have new courses running from time to time without falling below expected standards.

Good luck - in your place I would definitely raise an official complaint. No matter whether anyone else on the course does or not. 

All the best. 

elsien

MalMonroe said:

Hi, the information in the following link may be helpful -

https://www.gov.uk/complain-further-education-apprenticeship

When I did a full time university course a few years ago each year was £3k and that was towards a proper university degree, so I can understand your frustration.

I hope the government advice is helpful and that you can get a full refund because I agree with you, receiving a certificate when you don't feel fulfilled - or that you got anything out of a course is really not on because you do feel helpless. You want to feel that you've achieved something as well as having a piece of paper to prove it.

This - “It’s not our fault it’s the first time the course was run” - is no excuse at all. Many colleges must have new courses running from time to time without falling below expected standards.

Good luck - in your place I would definitely raise an official complaint. No matter whether anyone else on the course does or not. 

All the best. 

I’ve completed my degree, got my certificate, but I still don’t feel fulfilled, can I have my money back please? 

Don’t think it works like that. 

Concerned227

The point is you're not paying for a certificate. You're paying to be taught. Who cares if you pass and get a certificate if there is nothing to it. Any moron even you can do that.