Honours Student Loans

OMG, the hassle I have had with these idiots.

It started when my loans got split. I have 5 loans, 1 is from a separate institution. The last 2 are with SLC, and the first 3 are with HSL.

To begin with, after they were all split up, I refused to pay out two lots of photocopying and two lots of postage for the same thing. So I put all my paperwork together in the envelope for all the loans. Only 2 got deferred, the rest I heard nothing. I queried this when they sent me letters about not paying - apparently, even though I sent it all together they would have only processed the first form they came to. How is it, that someone can take a pile of paperwork, have to go through that paperwork in order to review the evidence submitted, and not have the brains nor the common sense to see and process both forms and blatantly ignore one. Madness. But they transferred the info straight away.

The next problem came when they tried to set my repayments at 60months, even though I am entitled to pay over 84. Because they had just split them up, they fobbed me off saying the system doesn't recognise that I have 5 loans, and they do not have the systems in place to do so. What a load of !!!!.

Then they claimed that it wasn't valid because one was from a separate institution and therefore was taken out under a completely different contract and was not recognised as 1 of 5. What another load of !!!!.

Anyway - I've always been able to defer my loans because I earn less. The last few years I have earnt slightly over, but they've graned my deferment because the extra money is earned through unsocial hours, weekends, night shifts etc, which are not guaranteed salary. This year, despite this still being the case, they refused to defer, even when I sent a letter from my employer with it confirming my annual salary which is like 3k under the deferment level.

Basically, I can't afford to pay them - no way, impossible.

So I challenged the deferment and paid nothing.

I got a couple of letters from SLC - the first was dated the day after my first payment would be due (20th April) saying I was in arrears and to contact them within 10 days, which I ignored as I had since sent back the repeat deferment forms.

I then got a letter about 2 weeks later, saying my account was in arrears and to contact within 7 days. I emailed them saying I had returned the forms etc and evidence from my employer - so I left it. I went away for 5 days. When I returned I had a response to my email from SLC saying they only dealt with 2 of my loans, the other had recently been transferred to Thesis Servicing. Who the hell are they? I've never heard of Thesis Servicing. So I politely told the it would be grossly unprofessional if 2 of my loans had been transferred elsewhere without me being informed, and if they own 2, and Thesis who 2, who owns the remaining one?! They never responded! Surprise surprise.

The next day I had a letter this time from HSL saying it was a final notice and if I didn't pay they would take further action. The next day, I received a postcard style notice from HSL dated the same day as the letter, saying that attempts to contact me had been unsuccessful and as I had failed to pay they had arranged for a representative to call at my home, which would be in the next 3 days. If this was inconvenient I should call to arrange payment or an alternative time.

HSL attempts to contact me consisted of them ringing my parents phone number over and over and eventually she politely told them to sod off and that I didn't live there anymore and to remove the number. Apart from the first standard letter informing me of my monthly payment and when it was due, HSL had not written to me at all about arrears before the letter I received (only a day) before my threat of a personal appearance! Thankfully, no one showed up, and I wouldn't have let them in even if they had - what right do they have to pitch up on my doorstep??? That's nothing short of harassment.

I eventually rang them - I paid the arrears on my credit card, told them I could not afford to pay it and that I wanted to speak to someone about arranging a payment plan etc. SLC was quite reasonable - she told me they could only accept reduced payments if I could show I was doing the same with my other creditors etc, and that if I paid my arrears today she would cancel the charges which had been placed on my account for arrears letters, and as my next months was due the following day she gave me an extra week and change my payment date so I could sort things out.

HSL was hardly any help. When I told them, the SAME conversation over again (which is actually what I object to the most - having to repeat the same thing twice over), I was told they do not adjust repayments and if I can't afford/don't pay the monthly payment then my loan will go into arrears, it will take me longer to pay off and I will incur charges from arrears letters, plus it will go on my credit rating etc etc. So basically, I could pay less, but I couldn't actually arrange to pay less, it had to be my own decision and my own consequences. Very helpful.

I then, quite smugly at this point, raised the issue of 5 loans and how they were charging me too much anyway because my loan should be longer and therefore lower monthly repayments. He debated this for a bit, even told me my end date which I had to actually explain was only 5 years and therefore only 60 months. He put me on hold, came back to tell me this was an unusual situation etc (which I doubt as I am sure there are other people who have 5 which are now split), and that it would have to go through the IT department to restructure the loan and I would then get a new repayment schedule. I fobbed him off saying I could probably pay it with lower payments.

I had to pay the initial arrears to avoid calls, and he said my next payment was due the following day but he would put a note on it saying it was being restructured etc so I shouldn't get any calls but to refer them to him if I did.

I haven't had anything in the post with my new payment. Yesterday, my mum got 4x calls (2 in the space of 5 minutes!) from HSL. She did the same as before - I hope they have finally removed the number. But today, I got a voicemail on my mobile from them. I couldn't believe it. The last time I rang, and they were doing their security checks, they asked for my number - I started to give my mobile, but I stopped half way and told them I didn't want them having that number! How they have it, I do not know as I have NEVER given it to them and I would bet they have some kind of caller ID or something. I asked them to remove any phone numbers - they insisted I had to have a phone number on my contact details, but as I rightly pointed out they have my address, and my (junk mail) email address, so if they need to contact me they can do it in writing, and not phone me.

I can't believe how much stress they are causing. Miss just one payment and it goes to this extent - I mean, for goodness sake I've been a month behind on my rent for the last 6 months and they've not even approached me, yet some !!!!!! student loan company threaten to come to my house because they haven't received one payment. I swear, they're all a bunch of jackasses.

And I tried to get the HSL ones to be transferred back to SLC, but they can't be. HSL "bought" the loans from SLC for administration, and they are only still deferred through the SLC because they already had an established deferrment system in place.

One of my friends, who only had 4 and therefore paid over 5 years, only finished paying hers this year ... she had never deferred, but I pointed out that she'd been paying for 8 years! I am sure they have fleeced her out of money. It's all !!!!!!!!.