Has anyone used LearnDirect and had issues?

[Bizziee]

Really hoping for some help on this.

I hesitantly signed up with LearnDirect to study a Veterinary course but with the promise that if I didn't like the course or wanted to quit I could cancel at anytime. I signed up this year in July but never even got around to looking at the course till late September and hated it. I found it really difficult and didn't feel it was for me so I set about trying to cancel the course as previously promised.

I had trouble getting through to customer services and nobody seemed to respond to my emails so I just went ahead and cancelled my direct debit via my bank after getting fed up. Then I started getting threats that I hadn't paid bla bla so I called their debt collection and surprise surprise, I got through straight away and was referred back to customer service. I'm now being told that I absolutely cannot cancel the course because I didn't do it within the 14 day cooling off period which I was not aware of. I've tried to explain this to them but they're not having none of it and want me to pay off the full £1000 for the course whether I want to do it or not. What the hell do I do?? I've never even been sent their terms and conditions and I'm fuming that I was told I could cancel whenever I wanted, I wouldn't have signed up otherwise!!!

It's really causing me a lot of stress now and is going to ruin my credit rating if I don't pay. Can anyone offer me any advice on what I can do?

Thanks

I had a similar experience with LearnDirect, the sales person told me i could stop and start the course as i needed. Cut a long story short my mum got cancer so i didn't login for a couple of years, i went to log back in and they said if i wanted to continue with the course i had to pay an extra £42 admin fee. I now have to email them every 6 months to say i'm still on the course or they will stop it. I'm very annoyed about the whole thing as the person i spoke to on the phone mis-sold the course as it's very poor and not what they said at all and the customer service team are not helpful.

Hi there, unfortunately I am in the same situation. Following your advice, I called them asking to swap to the £20 course. They have told me I still need to pay the £1000 for the original course. Not sure how that makes any sense ! Please let me know if they made you pay the rest or what happens next ?

@Justalittlerain
Hi there, unfortunately I am in the same situation. Following your advice, I called them asking to swap to the £20 course. They have told me I still need to pay the £1000 for the original course. Not sure how that makes any sense ! Please let me know if they made you pay the rest or what happens next ?

I thought i was the only one experiencing this. I also signed up to learn direct and cancelled the course after like a month and half as i was really busy and couldn’t make time for the course. I find it hard and thought that it wasn’t really for me. Now i am also receiving emails of their threats and still want me to pay almost £2000. I am so stressed about this payment I even emailed them to just wait for the payment till i can pay them as i am having some financial problems too. I am just scared because they already sent my balance to Debt collection agency and idk what to do? Someone help

@Lilyqzqx if you applied for the course to pay in instalments, it was through a third party finance company and not LearnDirect themselves.

You have 14 days to cancel the course, after that you are liable for payment. I would contact the finance company and offer a repayment plan, even £10 a month should be enough to stop further action.

Did they took you for ccj... please lemme know

Please can you tell me how you proceeded with learn direct, as I am having the same issues with them they won't let me cancel the course, they say I have to keep paying so I tried to do it I having done a quarter but I have paid almost half of the course and I do not want it any longer but the won't let me cancel

Has anyone heard anything else from these cases or can update me with what they have done I am in the same boat Learndirect won’t let me cancel either and I’m just annoyed that I will possibly have to pay for a course that where not up to the standards they said before I signed up

I had a negative issue with them they did not list all requirements on their page. So I have been unable to cancel, only option was to switch my course. They are horrible.

after paying for statement of comparison and sending it to them the said I’m not eligible for the course again. Learn direct are scammers!

You would have to issue small claims court cause that's the only way you probably get any where your not alone they scamed me out of a lot of Money, learndirect was previously know has a different name stone Bridge college for done strange reason they change there name no wonder can't keep up scamming customer out of Money

Everytime I finish work and l try to submit it, they will tell me "sorry, your login details have not been recognised" even though I've already logged in and I'm doing the work on the website. It has happen twice and tired of typing my answers again and again. Can anyone help me with this.
Thank you

I refused to pay to the point where they actually threatened me with CCJ.
The debt collection company did offer me a settlement since I explained that the way the course was sold was fraudulent and since I didn't open it. Paying half of it but it needs to be paid in 6 month which came out a bit over £100 a month and I can't afford that since I'm not working as I've had a baby 8 months ago.
I explained that I can't pay anything over £20 a month and they said that learn direct wants my debt paid off in 8 months in full. Atm they suspended my account for a month untill we figure out some goverment help and we'll go from there but I still doubt I'll be able to pay it in 8 months.
It's all a bloody joke. But the debt collection is actually trying to help as they can

I really don’t understand this?

If you take out finance it’s through a third party loan company. You have a two week cooling off period, so if you decide the course isn’t for you you cancel. If you don’t, you’re tied in to the contact you agreed to!

Its like buying a car on finance, taking it home and then months later trying to say you don’t owe the money because you haven’t actually driven the car.

Unless somebody rushes you through terms and conditions and you're not aware of that cooling off period then that's a diffrent story isn't it? Not mentioning the harassing phone calls everyday untill you sign up...
That's pretty much what happened here

Same here, I am paying my last payment of £2000, for a course which was on offer for £1700 at the time. I did not speak to the tutor once during the whole time, even after countless messages. No coursework being checked, no communication. I told them after the first week I wanted to cancel, they said it was too late because I had already activated it. 14 days refund is only accepted as long as you do not activate it. Then said I could swap to another course without paying extra, then they said I would still need to pay for this course. So I have paid off this course for which I haven't even had the first assignment checked. I'd actually laugh if I receive a completion certificate next month after my final payment for work I did not do. I have warned anyone against Learn direct and said it's a scam. What's worse is that I have just completed the same course for half the price at the local college within a year. I wish I read this type of honest feedback before considering them 2 years ago.

I thought it was pretty common knowledge that most loans/finance agreements have a 14 day cooling off period?

And surely you just block the number?

I’m not saying that LD have acted perfectly in all cases but surely there’s some personal responsibility here?

It's not common knowledge if it's the first course you're purchasing. If you won't let me read the terms and conditions surely at least you should provide an explanation what it contains?
I didn't block the number becouse I didn't make my decision. I was considering the course.
My only personal responsibility is ever looking at their website and providing my details.

The comment about loans/finance agreements was in general - so credit cards, car finance etc. Even online subscriptions. Most things you don’t view in person before purchasing have a cooling off period.

If you’re signing up to a financial agreement and can’t find the terms and conditions, you ask for them. You don’t sign up to a financial commitment without reading T’s & C’s. That’s basic common sense.

You didn’t ask for the terms and conditions, and when they weren’t immediately visible you signed up anyway. I’ll bow out now because we can go round in circles but taking on a financial commitment without checking what your rights are really is on you, however you want to dress it up.

Jokes on you becouse I've never got a loan or car finance. The most I got on that basis is a phone which is obvious as it's a physical item you receive. Most online things when you cancel that's it. You just stop receiving the service.
I wanted to read the term and conditions but got rushed through. "Nothing important". I went off the basis you stop paying you stop receiving the service not a loan basis.

AWFUL company, do not go anywhere near them.
They are so unprofessional. OFSTED rated them inadequate anyway. They are just money orientated. I have had problem after problem with them.

Honestly they have being on my neck to pay them money of a school fees that I did not study for 1 day I call them within 48hur more then 9 miss call but they couldn't pick my call . I sent msg to them to let them know is me but they couldn't reply after 14 days they sent me msg that It has pass 14 day so I have to pay the money wether I go to the school or not. Since October last year they have being so bad on me.

Hi, I don’t know if I’m to late as it’s 2024,
however I’ve had many issue's with learndirect ,so if you still need people to sign your petition and provide evidence for similar issues please forward me your email. Also, was OFSTEAD able to help?

Hi I know it’s 2024 but are you still looking for victims of the learndirect scam ?? If you are please send me your email .

This is an organisation that has terribly deteriorated in service provision I 1st used them 2003 and got good results in terms of time and service. I chose them for my Level & Management course August 2023. I completed the 5 assignments within 5 months as this was the sort of work I was doing and wanted that Diploma for promotion Feb 2024. I completed course assignments and PASSED BUT still no certificate despite promises it would be available LATEST AUGUST 2024. Today there is now no record of my studies on their portal. would rate them -10 with a BIG ZERO 0%.

Hi, I am literally going through the same thing. I have been reading all these complaints and I so can relate. I was told that within 14 days I can change how I want to pay for the course I can either pay full deposit or pay monthly the lady was talking super fast I could barely understand anything. I was not enjoying the course, it was not for me I changed my mind. I contacted the customer service they told me I can swap the course but still have to pay for the other one it didn't make any sense I was not told that within 14 days I can cancel the course. I regret this so much and now I don't know what to do.