Learn Direct trying to charge me an extra £600

[Cheeseandcrackersplease]

Yesterday was the date to book summer exams via Learn Direct as long as my course fees had been paid in full. I paid my course fees yesterday then emailed to book my exams. I’ve now been told that it takes 5-7 days for the payment to clear and they are trying to charge me a £600 late fee! It’s ridiculous! As far as I was aware the amount had been paid and I could go ahead and book. The late fee is extortionate and I can’t afford that. Any advice would be really helpful please. I’ve put in a complaint too. Thanks ☺️

Did you pay the course fees in time - was there a deadline specified, after which the late payment charge would apply?

YABU

You must have some sort of paperwork with a list of dates. When did it say the payment defined was?

I paid on January 15th (the deadline was January 15th) then today they emailed saying that the payment is outstanding due to it taking 5-7 days to process 😔

January 15th.

Actually I just re-read the email and it’s £600 per exam 😦

How is it taking so long? Did you post a cheque!

Did you get a receipt you can use to show you paid on time?

I had this with a credit card when I was (much!) younger. The payment was ‘due’ on the 20th, so I stupidly set it up for the 20th as it was payday. Unbeknownst to me, it took a while to clear, I realised 6 months down the line I had a ‘late payment fee’ added to my balance every month!

In this day and technical age most payments clear within 2 hours, and the fines seem extortionate. I hope you get somewhere with your complaint!

Ha Ha no, not a cheque. I paid over the phone and I have proof that the payment came out of my bank on that date. I’ve sent them a screenshot of the transaction.

Thanks! It’s absolutely extortionate as I’ll be doing 2 exams and that’s £1,200! Ridiculous! Did you manage to get any of your money back for your late payment fees?

Don't pay the late fee and keep arguing that you have proof you paid on time.

Just realised that worse case scenario I could do the exams in the autumn instead (booking them in the summer) however I’m almost at the end of my course and all the info is fresh in my mind. I didn’t really want to wait that long but I’ll have to if they refuse to budge!

What do the T&Cs say about payments ? The deadline might be the 15th January but it might say in their T&Cs that payments will take xx days to be processed and applied. This will be key to whether they consider waiving the late fees.

I have had terrible issues with Learn Direct. They advertise that their Access to Higher Education diplomas can be completed in any length of time (no minimum), and that the study materials will be available from day One. This is absolutely not the case. I enrolled on the AHE in Engineering in November 2024 and still, they have not uploaded the content for my course. There has been no reason provided, and customer service are not at all helpful. After I complained, all I received is a complaint resolution email saying please be patient while we update our course content. I’m sorry, but after almost 4 months of waiting, I should be able to make progress on my course. It’s simply shocking that an organisation like this can even operate in 2025. I cannot possibly recommend them.