Have you been harassed by Student Finance?

freelancepuddle · 24 May 2018 at 7:53PM

I have this last month and wondered if anyone else has dealt with this.

Here's my story...In the last 30 days I have received 8 pieces of correspondence from SFE. Urging me to update my details, sending me a fine letter (£1800) and sending several letters in the post and several emails. All because I am going traveling for 3 months with friends (not working).

I sent the information in full and more on April the 20th (3 months worth of bank statements, my flight itinerary to prove when I am back in the country and the overseas assessment form highlighting that I'm not working abroad. They also have a 3rd party declaration from my mum from a year or so ago and a note on my account explaining some backdated payments I received that show on my bank statements). I phoned them & they received all this on the 23rd of April and scanned it in on May the 3rd. They still haven't processed it. I naively assumed sending it registered 45 days in advance to my flight date would be more than enough time, but unfortunately not.

I go abroad in 11 days. They sent a letter stating that If they don't have my information by the day I fly, they will fine me £200 a month until March 2019. That's also the day they said they would 'probably get around to looking at it' and will then let me know if they need more evidence from me (when I'm literally on the plane out of the country).

I'm not sure whether to laugh (at the insanity of this) or cry (at feeling harassed).

I wanted to share my story to see if others have dealt with this and as a small warning to future graduates, that even if you're not earning very much or even anything at all, if you decide to go away on an extended holiday, you could deal with this sort of treatment. :eek:

agrinnall · 25 May 2018 at 9:27AM

How many threads are you planning to start on the same subject?

freelancepuddle · 27 May 2018 at 1:48PM

agrinnall wrote: »

How many threads are you planning to start on the same subject?

Thanks for being polite. It's for anyone who is being harassed unnecessarily by Student Finance - they never used to send out correspondence constantly like this until recently.

Angelina_Soprano · 1 September 2018 at 8:45PM

My son was harrased and has started paying £5 per month as HE IS STILL AN UNDERGRAD.
He went to a Scottish University - passed first year - MERIT - but second year - collapsed and went down to 7 stone in November - our GP thinks he got glandular fever -
came home was suspended while he got well - no payments made by SFE after Christmas - I nursed him better as he is 6ft 6 and I could see every rib - he got NO BENEFITS as he was classed a STUDENT STILL - I GOT NO FINANCIAL HELP - HEAR THIS MPS - NO FINANCIAL HELP WHATSOEVER - AS HE was classed independant - we had help from food banks for a while - my income being a fantastic 5 k per annum - student finance people attrocious and uncaring - then my son went back to uni to attempt year 2 second time and collapsed again in November - took to Edinburgh infirmary with pericarditis - inflammation of heart membranes and he came home in that terrible flood weather - from Carlisle that winter - he had to finish uni - he was too ill - the uni were terrible - they asked for money owed - the SFE were awful - gave him a debt because he came home in November and they paid for first term - the accommodation people wanted their pound of flesh because he gave the key in in first term, my son recovered but qualified for NO BENEFIT - and SFE pursued him until recently when he finally gave in and started paying - he got a place at an English University. so paying through nose for something the Scots pay a reduced price for and the Welsh pay nothing - NIL for - why english blood has to pay for a degree at 9.5 k when others in UK have greatly reduced or nil payments beats me - so there you have it - my son was harrassed by SFE. They dont give a toss if he had died that time - just want money back from an ill student and NO ONE wanted to help - no one - cared - The council tax people refused to allow me the expenses of feeding him and I paid council tax because he was classed as being a student and my money was classed as just my income for one person household but I still had to feed him - I only had my income and they did not give me any reduction in council tax. so all rround vultures took their pound of flesh from us. I hope he gets a job outside UK and the SFE is cancelled. By the way my daughter is paying off her SFE and says as much as she pays it off a third goes back on - fruitless - hammering too much interest on when people are struggling. and the scots in her years have a fraction of costs to pay back - she was charged the max because SHE WAS ENGLISH the SFE policy for loans is RACIST and I earn so little that I do not pay any tax but this government only gives LOANS to my kids - not GRANTS ....

Have you been harassed by Student Finance?

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