Student Finance England Troubles

[Starfighter]

13 Weeks ago i seny my 08/09 application in, and still heard nothing. Rang today, and found out it will be minimum 2 weeks, closer to 4-6 weeks longer.

 

So that could total 19 weeks, which is an absolute joke in my mind?

 

I was wondering if any-one knows who i can complain to about this, and really push the issue?

 

I know the local council deal with applications, but they have made no contact to tell me the progress and i have had to ring them and get little and useless information and thats about that.

 

Thanks

[EYEBALLS01]

I am a parent of a student starting in September and have had to assessed on current year as my wife and I are now disabled. We started the process about the same time as you and were sent forms to fill and had to prove our income (benefits). I spoke 2 or 3 times to Student Finance England and they were always helpful. We got her loan through today but werenot anxious about it.

Why are you so upset about the wait given the thousands of applications that have to be processed?

By the way I hope you mean 2009/10!

[Sol]

If you're applying for 08/09, you're application will not be seen as a priority as 09/10 applications are now being processed and there's thousands more to be dealt with.

[Starfighter]

The application was for last year (this year 08/09)

 

My issue is that i applied in November, then they sent back saying that i filled the continue student form in, which i am, but because i transfered uni i should fill in the new student one.

 

This was around January (late)

 

I sent it back off again, and in March they wrote back saying that they need more info, not an issue, but i advised i was moving to a new Authority within the month.

 

They sent back saying i should not apply to my new authority and my application is now ended.

 

I then start a new application with the new authority that say its will be 4-6 weeks, and it will be dealt with A.S.A.P as its not a busey time.

 

This was March, and now its coming close to end of July and still no payments, so i have a right to be upset as i have had to live off nothing, support a family, pay rent/bills and be refused exams due to fee failure.

 

So really all is not too well, i have had to live of credit cards, finance and what little work i can get.

 

On-top of that, i have already been told that i wont get any grant, which is strange as my partner who lives with me gets full grant, strange to say the least.

 

Funny thing is, my partner got her loan in just 4 weeks, all things been the same as we live and have lived together since we've been teenagers and parents.

 

They are in the wrong, as each time i ring up i get a load of sorrys and excuses that some-one is on holiday and when they return i will be sorted within a few weeks, but a few weeks to them is 4-6 weeks.

 

I too have had no issues in the past 2 years, always been paid on time, i just feel messed around this time and some one needs to be accountable, and i dont know who that is.

[EYEBALLS01]

Sorry about that. Yes I can see why you are annoyed. I must have been lucky or do you think they may deal with new applications first to hit some sort of service level agreement?

[Starfighter]

I think i have just been unlucky.

 

Like i say, i have had zero issues the last 3 years, and my partner has had no issues either.

 

But, i think they have pushed me too far, and the whole thing, and i want them to realise this.

 

I was thinking of sending a letter to the local counciler and ask for some advice.

 

I think sending it to student finance england will get a reply telling me to take it up with the local authority. And if i sent a letter to the local authority they will just fob me off like they have been doing.

 

They bodged up my claim 07/08 as they said they would pay my fees, then didnt. But after an appeal they did in the end pay my fees, but it was 14 months later and i had already paid them to the uni so i could still study, and i am still waiting for the university to repay my fees as they have been paid twice.

 

Maybe i am just not a lucky person.

 

But like i say, previous years, they have paid and sent letters in a very fast way, and only messed up once with my fees and once with a grant.

 

You however may be right, and seems to happen in all areas. They treat the new customer better than the current...

[EYEBALLS01]

You could try your MP`s surgery( if he has one!) or email him/her. I think they may react quicker from an enquiry from him/her. Or would they?

[Starfighter]

Well you would hope so.

 

Got a little further today, spoke to some-one at the top at the LEA and they are rushing it for me. They told me over the phone what i am going to get, but i said i think its wrong, so i guess yet another letter to them.

 

I know they have got it wrong, as they have got it wrong in the past and i have always been right and always got the extra that i knew i was entitled too, so i dont know why every year they cut me short =).

 

Will try mp's surgery, if i can find one, sure they must be easy to find.

 

My university are going to help complain like they helped yesterday to get a response as they say is very, very wrong for any application to take 14 weeks at this stage in the year.

 

I found out there is an government office that i can write to too.

[km1988]

Hey Starfighter,

 

Nice to know I'm not the only one in this same, rapidly sinking boat.

 

I started Uni last year on an extended degree (with a foundation year), the application for that year went smoothly, and I was all intent on staying at that uni until I got my final results for my foundation which, I thought justified a move to somewhere with a bit of a better reputation (damn those league tables). Lo and behold, I was right, and a last minute UCAS application worked wonders.

 

Anyway, I had already put in an application for my 09/10 year at the previous university, which I now wanted to change. I had not signed the final declaration, I had agreed to nothing whatsoever. I telephoned the Student F@*& ups England (or is that finance?) who told me it was as simple as filling in a change of circumstances form, just to tell them which uni I would be going to and which course I would be doing. WAHOO! easy peasy, I rather naively thought to myself.

 

Yeah...It wasn't. I sent off the change of circustances form in early June. I recieved it back a fortnight later, with a new PN1 form, telling me that, for some banal and beaureaucratic reason I would have to register as a new student (more on that later!). I telephoned and asked whether I would have to send all financial evidence etc. etc. again and was told not to worry as they had all they needed, they just needed a new application. This was sent early August and recieved on the 19th August (because their mail rooms are in slow motion apparently). From this point I was in constant contact with them; August "We've recieved your application, it's just waiting to be processed" September "It's in processing now; but you have a previous application that you will have to get the LEA to delete." October "We've cleared your previous application, your new one is still in processing due to the large number of applications (read: cock ups) we've recieved (read: made)." November "Erm...sorry...we seem to have deleted your new application; you'll have to send in a whole new form and new evidence!"

 

Erm...WHAT!? I'll be honest, I'm not proud but I swore at these people...wait...I'll be honest again, I am proud. They deserved it.

Oh but it gets better.

 

I sent in a new application, new evidence, etc. etc. and called up to enquire about it, "We've recieved your new application, but the LEA has reinstated an old one..."

 

WHAT!?

 

Well it turns out this was, kinda, the best thing. It took two weeks to sort it out from there but, the whole process took from about 05/06/2009 to 14/12/2009 to get sorted...TO THAT POINT!

 

Now, my issue is that not only am I not recieving the full entitlement; but they are trying to claim back £715 from last year saying that I quit my course!!!!!

 

I DID NOT QUIT MY COURSE, I TRANSFERRED AFTER A FOUNDATION YEAR. THE REASON IT LOOKS LIKE I QUIT MY COURSE IS BECAUSE YOU BLOODY DELETED ALL MY APPLICATIONS!!!!!! I QUIT NOTHING! I AM ENTITLED TO EVERYTHING!

 

It seems like they randomly choose one in every one hundred applications to see who they can irritate to the point of suicide.

I'm going to stick with complaining about this but, it's affected my studies stupidly over the last year, it has strained my relationship to breaking point as my partner has been paying my way for half a year, and I feel I've been taken for a ride; and still am, the saga is not over yet. I've still got the mystery of my missing entitlement and this magic £715 they summoned from nowhere.

 

So good luck Starfighter; I hope you get it sorted out.

[Woody99]

For whatever reason, the delay in student finance costs money. Either parents or universities are subsidising people.

 

Should not the SFC pay substantial interest on the at least 3 months delay? My son is at uni as an independent student because he has lived away for some years and supported himself. He had an unconditional place and applied last June but has not had a penny since and it is Xmas already.

 

This delay is costing in overdraft or other payments. The SFC should pay those for its incompetence. Is anyone doing anything about this?

[Haddy]

Dear All,

 

Is it possible to take Student Finance England to court or maybe an Ombudsman? I made an application online on the 20th September 2009 sent all the required evidence, all the evidence was returned in December 2009 then drama kicked off... Please send so and so evidence we cannot locate it on the system, sent it again this happened over and over until April 2010. I still haven't received any funding which means I won't be able to view or get my results or enrol for the 2nd year.