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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be even more livid with student finance now than I was before

43 replies

FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 17:24

I am getting to breaking point now. (I had another thread about SF but I can't find it on my phone sorry!)
Basically being messed around by them so much. Accidentally had two account which needed to be merged before I get paid. On going 3 week battle with them.

So this is how today went:

Called SF to check my accounts are merged, told they were merged on 7th oct. got told to go tell me uni to confirm my place, should have money by Friday.

Uni emails me and tells me it won't let them, They have no info from SF for me, so they rang up SF and were told that I need to merge my accounts and reapply.

Uni phoned again (not even 20 mins later) and we're told I don't need to do anything and just wait for me to appear on their system (my accounts were merged 7days ago so I should be on there already right?)

I got home and phoned again and was told that my uni haven't confirmed my place, it's all on them now. I told them they had tried and I was then told that they need to phone their helpline and get me added manually, which I told them they had already done to which she replied 'well I'm not really sure what's going wrong'

I don't know what to do from here.

OP posts:
Jinsei · 14/10/2013 17:33

Does your students union have an advice centre? If so, go and see them, they'll be more than used to dealing with SFE. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Original poster
FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 17:36

That's who I've been talking to, they've basically told me to keep calling them.

OP posts:
SomethingProfound · 14/10/2013 17:40

Go to your union, lodge an official complaint with SF preferably in writing get someone to take ownership of this.

Phone: 0845 073 8908

Customer Relations Student Loans Company 100 Bothwell Street Glasgow G2 7JD
Original poster
FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 17:42

I'll do that.
I'm about 2 weeks away from having to drop out because I can't afford anything anymore, I've eaten through my savings. No one seems to care.

OP posts:
SomethingProfound · 14/10/2013 17:45

See what financial aid you can get directly from your Uni, most give emergency help in situations like this.

Keep a record of every time you contact them and of who you spoke to if you deal with them over the phone.

thebody · 14/10/2013 17:48

oh love, this has happened to my ds, they are a sack of unprofessional shit.

you need to lodge an official complaint. it's the only way. you arnt alone honestly.

Original poster
FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 17:50

The hardship loan they offer isn't enough to cover one months nursery fees so it would be pointless in taking it out.
I've been keeping a record, I've spoken to 16 different people, all telling me different things.
I'm in debt with my overdraft. I've used nearly a grand of my savings and my oh said he'd get out a loan to cover until my loan comes in (I won't let him though, because who knows when it'll get sorted and I can't keep getting loans and loans to cover me that's just silly)

OP posts:
pertempsnooo · 14/10/2013 17:57

Sorry to hear this, I had trouble with them 2008-11. The ONLY thing that got any result was contacting the Guardian money page. They rang a magic number (?!) and I suddenly got personal service. I have the number/ email of the person still but having just tried it, it has a dead ring-tone! Suggest emailing your MP ASAP as they can get similar results as mine did recently with a benefits problem.
Good luck, with these situations you need it and a lot of patience / determination.
The system seems almost designed to test us :( or maybe they won't pay for the staff......

SomethingProfound · 14/10/2013 17:58

Do they only offer a hardship loan? Are there any grants you could apply for?

Lodge the complaint today! Hope you get it sorted, SF where a nightmare when I started Uni it's like banging your head against a brick wall.

Original poster
FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 18:04

Hardship loan won't cover anything really so a bit pointless getting it.
I don't really know how to go about complaining, in my experience when I've complained I've just been told 'we've taken it on board' and that's it.

OP posts:
AnnaClaudia · 14/10/2013 22:27

The majority of people seem to be having trouble with SF it seems, a bunch of incompetents. My ds has had hugh stress from them for months, we've sent them the documents they asked for 3 times!!

Scholes34 · 14/10/2013 22:39

Go into your uni and sit with the people ringing Student Finance and sort it out altogether instead of being played off against each other. The uni will be able to get through quicker to Student Finance than you can on the numbers given out to students.

Original poster
FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 22:58

scholes34 I've done that twice. When I'm there they tell me I have to reapply then when I've phoned up to double check some things they've told me I don't need to. Try don't seem to know what they're talking about.
I've asked to speak to someone higher up and was told that they would be telling me the same thing, yet when I've spoken to someone else they've told me something else!

OP posts:
Original poster
FrenchRuby · 14/10/2013 22:59

*they

OP posts:
quoteunquote · 14/10/2013 23:32

It is the most useless company ever.

My son is having a hellish time, as are so many others, so please put in a complaint.

DrCoconut · 14/10/2013 23:44

It is never unreasonable to be annoyed with student loans.

Scholes34 · 15/10/2013 09:15

French - then you need to go back to your uni and get them to impress upon who they are talking to the problems you are experiencing and to tell them to sort it out. They will have contacts higher up the chain who should be able to step in. My experience with SF is that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and you as the poor (literally) student are caught up in the middle. Your uni needs to sort this one for you - and it won't be straightforward. Don't allow them to give up on you.

Original poster
FrenchRuby · 15/10/2013 11:32

They said they are going to give it until Friday to get me into the system and if I'm not there by then they are going to call
Someone higher up.
Not really sure why they can't do that now tbh.

OP posts:
TeWiSavesTheDay · 15/10/2013 11:44

I had this problem. To confirm the place the Uni scans a barcode on a letter right? Because of the merged accounts it wouldn't work, they had to do something else. The university and DD need to actually talk to each other, and I remember well the utter frustration of trying to get someone to pick up the bloody phone and do that.

(i'm sorry - I can't remember what had to be done to sort it exactly, it was 7yrs ago - depressing to read they've got the same bloody issues though)

Scholes34 · 15/10/2013 12:35

The uni may have another way of confirming attendance - you don't have to do it by scanning a bar code, but if your uni has no record from SD of your having made any loan applications, they can't confirm your attendance.

BB01 · 15/10/2013 13:37

Just an idea. You're probably sick of being passed to pillar to post but if you've already tried the uni but not the SU, try the latter. Sometimes union advisers know more about bits of the SF system than uni advisers

Original poster
FrenchRuby · 15/10/2013 16:38

I've literally been everywhere I can think of. They've tried confirming my attendance by doing it on the computer, on the phone, manually, through their helpline. Nothing is working. It's like I don't exist on their system, even though I have a confirmation letter and I can see all the details on my online account. I am at a loss about what to do now apart from wait.

OP posts:
Original poster
FrenchRuby · 18/10/2013 17:11

I am absolutely raging.
I got an email from my uni telling me that they messed up trying to fix my accounts.
So I ph

OP posts:
Original poster
FrenchRuby · 18/10/2013 17:13

Phoned up student finance and they told me that it will take a further 20 working days!!!
I'm having to get out a bank loan to cover me until my loan comes in.
I'm in the process of complaining too.
I want to cry. I'm sick of it all.

Sorry I posted too early on the last post.

OP posts:
showmethemoneyhoney · 20/10/2013 20:07

Sorry to hear of your troubles with SFE FrenchRuby. The are quite possibly the most incompetent company known to man. I had some trouble with them a couple of years ago when they lost all my evidence twice, despite sending it by tracked mail. I was practically on the phone to them every day and one particular day I just lost it. They were being so fucking unhelpful - their advice was to send it all in again and wait....again - that I burst into tears on the phone. Like you, without the SF, my attendance at Uni was in real jeopardy and I really would not have been able to afford to go. Miraculously though, the very next day, after my tearful outburst, it was all sorted despite them claiming not to have all my paperwork. Funny that. Perhaps a sobbing woman was more than they could deal with! Hope you get it sorted soon.