Private College Invoiced Wrong Amount

[Budecah]

Hi

I’m a student at a private college in UK. I have fallen behind on my tuition fees and was sent an invoice for an amount a few months ago. I have now received another invoice for a different amount (increased by £3000!) with no explanation for the increase.

Of course I immediately enquiried about the sudden increase and I have been told the original invoiced amount was incorrect because the college had duplicated a payment I made .

The thing is, if I duplicate any of the payments I’ve made, none equate to the increased amount or go anywhere near! What the hell are they playing at here? The original amount was quoted as far back as last Autumn! So they’ve just noticed now?!

I must add, I signed a payment contract to pay the original smaller amount but not the higher amount.

What Can I do here? I’ve put a plan in place to pay the original amount but they’ve now just dropped another £3000 on top and it’s not adding up.

[SandyDenny]

If you haven't already done so you need to ask then for a full statement showing all the amounts they have invoiced you and the payments you've made.

Check each one to your own copies and bank statements.

What you do after that will depend on whether they are asking for the correct amount

[PurpleWithRed]

Go back to them and ask for a detailed account of fees and payments made. Check the payments against your bank statements.

[Budecah]

Thank you.

I asked for a summary of payments and invoiced amounts. This is the thing though- the invoiced amounts on their summary don’t match the original invoices. The invoiced amounts on the summary are higher, some by over a grand! Have they fiddled around with the summary figures to match the increased figure? It seems that way to me.

[prh47bridge]

It could be a deliberate attempt to fiddle you but it is more likely to be some kind of system error. Give them copies of any original invoices you have and ask them why the summary doesn't match.

[SandyDenny]

Are the invoices numbered? If so are they the same as the copies you have?

Next step is to ask for copies of the invoices showing exactly what they cover i.e. number of lessons/lectures per week, number of weeks in the term if the cost is per lecture.

Did you sign an agreement before you started that covered the fees? Do you still have it, do you have any written confirmation of the fees you would be paying? Is that info available online anywhere?

[Budecah]

The original invoices are numbered and in order of terms. I’m comparing the original invoices to the amounts on their recent summary and they don’t match.

I signed a payment agreement, saying I would pay the original amount. This figure has been quoted, discussed in meetings and in writing since Autumn 2016 and the last time I was invoiced with the original amount was a few months ago just before they sent out an new invoice for this new increased figure

They have specifically stated that the increase is correct and the original figure (which adds up!) is due to a duplication of a payment I made as I stated before, this doesn’t make sense when I go over the amounts paid and when I compare the summary they’ve since sent me, the invoice amounts have been tweaked up compared with the original invoices. There’s over £1000 added to one term which simply cannot be correct.

The original invoices have the breakdown of fees detailed. And they make sense.

I don’t trust them at all now. I’ve heard many complaints about the college office from other students. I’m started to see why!

Where do I stand in law? As I signed to pay the original amount?

[Budecah]

Just to confirm, I have signed invoices and emails with written confirmation of original amount agreed.

[SandyDenny]

Have you asked them to explain why the amounts are different?

[Budecah]

Yes Sandy, I’m waiting for a reply about the term amounts increasing. The answer will be interesting to say the least.

The reason for the increased total amount due was that it was correct as they had accidentally duplicated a payment I made last year and deducted the duplicated payment which makes the new higher amount owed.

But for reasons I’ve stated, that doesn’t make sense at all, as if I duplicate any payment made, it still doesn’t add up.
And then I noticed they have sneakily increased the amount invoiced for each term, which obviously increases the total amount to the new one and makes it seem as though I owe more than I do.

[Budecah]

Update: I still haven’t heard a reply from college so will have to wait till Monday. I’m also having my friends accountant look over everything first thing Monday.

[CotswoldStrife]

But you must have known that the invoice was incorrect when they issued it, why didn't you raise it at the time? You are trying to claim that you signed for a certain amount but you must have known that you hadn't paid that amount anyway.

[wheresmyphone]

This is ridiculous. Keep copies of everything. You have s signed contract: they should stick to that.

Get a spreadsheet: in one column put all the payments you should make according to your contract. Add it up and get a total.

In another column put all the payments you have made to
Date. Add it up and get s total.

The difference between the two columns is what you owe!

Out of interest what are you studying?

[prh47bridge]

Where do I stand in law

You owe them whatever you are contracted to pay. If the summary is wrong that does not change the amount you owe.

[BrokenBattleDroid]

Do you have evidence for all the payments you made from your end (not just their invoices)? Actual receipts, bank transfers?

[Budecah]

CotswoldStrife but that’s just it, the original invoices aren’t wrong. They sent me a summary of payments and also term amounts but they have increased the term amounts on the summary as they don’t match the original invoices.

[Budecah]

Basically from what I’ve seen, they have dishonestly increased the total to pay. I’m really shocked at this, as they are supposedly a professional institution. Surely this is illegal?

[SandyDenny]

I think you need to give them the benefit of the doubt first, it might be a genuine mistake or misunderstanding.

I'd wait and see what they say on Monday but get all your evidence ready just in case.

Is there any reason why the contract you signed originally wouoldn't be binding?

[Budecah]

I have an email going back to last year from the staff member I pay the fees to, stating how much was now owed but they’re now saying they duplicated a payment last year but only noticed just now? that doesn’t even explain the new figure. And even though numerous invoices and a new payment plan have been written up and sent out and discussed in person with senior staff it’s a complete, flat out lie.

I can’t understand what they’re playing at.

[Budecah]

I’m happy to pay the original and correct amount that I’ve signed to pay and agreed to for over a year.

[Budecah]

I have evidence, yes.

[Budecah]

prh47bridge ‘contracted to pay’ is that the amount I’ve signed to pay?

[prh47bridge]

It is the tuition fees for the course you are attending plus any interest that is being added on due to late payment. However, this may have been modified by the payment agreement. If, for example, it contains a clause saying that it is in full settlement of all your tuition fees it would replace the amount you originally owed.

[Budecah]

Thanks. Late payment fees weren’t added (it even states this on the summary) and if they were, it still doesn’t come to the new figure.

I received a settlement letter stating the total amount now owed is (the original figure), however they then sent me a new letter with the total amount being £3000 more.

Can I just confirm that I have queried this new figure and I was told it was because they had duplicated a payment I made, which made the original figure incorrect. This doesn’t add up after I’ve gone over payments and correspondence with the college. The original figure adds up when checked against term invoices and when I check emails and payments I’ve made.

They will have to recheck and correct this and I hope to hear they have done this on Monday.

[CotswoldStrife]

Student loan? Did you tell them you would get one and then it either didn't come through or you haven't given them proof?

If they thought you had paid twice as much as you should at an earlier stage, did you not receive fewer/reduced invoices for that period?

It is hard to get a picture of the situation from what you have said so far tbh - not that I expect you to splash personal financial information over t'internet but there was apparently

a) an original figure agreed
b) at some early point the college though you had paid more than you had and it's not clear if this affected the invoices they sent you
c) you got behind with the payments
d) there was some kind of plan to make up the missing payments
e) the invoices are now stating higher amounts due than you've paid previously and that represents a higher overall cost of the course.

Does your institution have a student's union or welfare officer? They may be able to help.

[Budecah]

Hi and thanks. No student loan. They’re aware I didn’t pay twice as much as I did, because they’re lying. They have literally just added on a few grand for no reason and are now tweaking amounts of previous terms fees even though they’re aware I have the original invoices and throwing me silly reasons as to why. It’s actually insulting.

Or they have been massively incompetent with their accounts in the last few weeks and it’s an accident? The thing is, why then make up a lie about duplicating a payment? no payments were duplicated, I’ve checked.

It’s a small college so not much in terms of union. The head of the college is aware and the accounts manager so I have nowhere else to go in terms of the college. I’m having my friends accountant look over this on Monday and I’ll definitely take this further if I have to.