Erudio Student Loans Continued

[halfpricedebt]

Started a new thread following mrsbug's request.

I got an email from Erudio today telling me that an issue I raised with them on 27 March that was then completely ignored even though they asked for confirmation of my details to process the initial email. I gave them the details they requested and seven days later I still hadn't heard anything. So I wrote them a rather threatening complaint telling them if they didn't respond within 7 days I would report them to the relevant financial services. That was on 3 April and today they've told me that my complaint has been forwarded to their Customer Resolutions Team.

I wonder what they do?

Email is not legally considered to be in writing. I found this out recently. Complaints must in writing only and contain the sentence "I am writing to formally complain about x in accordance with your complaints procedure" otherwise they can claim you didn't put it in writing.

Also it's best to send it recorded or special delivery (I always use special delivery when complaining as they can't argue with that, recorded can actually be signed by someone external).

Ah i see, thank you becca, well as i apparently seem to have complained i will leave it and see what happens, not sure if they will defer me though!

@ibreakwind: Capita staff might be getting it in the neck because they havent been trained right but brand reputation is all this lot at the top are bothered about. Criticising Erudio is tantamount to shifting the blame. As i mentioned before, no one from Erudio accounts for anything because it probably only has one registered staff member, its director Filer, and he has 227 other concurrent directorships so has nothing to do with any of this i suspect now (he should be held accountable for it all though). And i am sure Arrow must be doing all the official work and paper filling a company like Erudio should be doing, hence Zachary Lewy speaking to the press on behalf of Erudio everytime. Erudio is the fall guy, after all you cant damage a brand if you blame the wrong company (in our case).

However, like with Honours Student Loans and why that company didnt take these loans over, well, thats probably because they also had/have a stinking reputation and it was only set up to manage one loan portfolio. However, the companies behind that are the same people behind Erudio as you know. As such, the same unnamed companies have their fingers in the same pie but they just need a differently named company to appear as the front company.

@persephone49

8 weeks to investigate a routine matter is rubbish in my eyes. We're not talking some great financial and administrative paper chase here. The SLC offered this for their complaints procedure:

"Our dedicated team will investigate your complaint and provide a response within 15 working days of receipt of your complaint. If we are experiencing any delay we will keep you informed."

If the SLC could do 15 working days then why not Capita?

To my mind, any company who lists an email address as a form of contact for a complaints procedure has to accept that an email sent to them is 'in writing' and therefore their failure to respond within the quoted timeframe should be noted and another black mark against them.

Technically they can accept it is in writing, but if they don't respond the then you cannot take it to the ombudsman to complain they didn't respond. Which is what happened to me with another organisation!

It's a way to avoid having to respond to complaints.

@Becca19962014

Who told you that about emails not being legally considered to be 'in writing'?

Special Delivery can also be signed for by someone externally.

@everybody.

After a couple of messages to a legal friend, she assures me that a complaints procedure that lists an email address as a form of contact will accept an email complaint as 'in writing'.

Now the problem here is that the official Erudio complaints page asks that you contact them by letter on. So it's a case of yes, emails are technically in writing but Erudio state that you do it in writing.

Everyone, do it in writing!

And that's do it in writing with letters.

Me, I'm going to do it with semaphore code.

No email on the complaints procedure but the phone number is, my telephone complaint has never been responded to.

@ibreakwind

English was'nt specified :-)

My naughty streak wants to ... but maybe i should leave well alone. Mind you from the grammar and spelling on the form and booklet, English isn't really their forte either

www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/faq/answers/complaints_a1.html#1

^ from there complaints by phone are acceptable.

I know from experience that complaints to a company via email are also valid in the eyes of the Ombudsman.

Erudio cannot insist on written letters, and to be honest of they are doing that then it's clearly just another way for them to be as obstructive and difficult as possible.

@mandakl

That's interesting, i notice on the bit just further down, 8 weeks is quoted there too:-
"Don't always expect immediate results – some complaints may take time to investigate properly and resolve. And by law, the business you are complaining about has up to eight weeks to sort out the complaint itself, before the ombudsman service can get involved formally."

This must be something set out by law to allow 'reasonable' time to investigate.

I don't know if they are insisting, there is only an address and a phone no on the procedure, but i have had no reply to 4 emails consisting of 2 queries and 2 complaints, plus a complaint on the phone, the only response was to my MP writing to them. I was told someone would ring me but to be fair my number has changed as i have moved back home.

@becca glad your MP is taking some notice.

Regarding getting copies of your documents, do you have a digital camera? Could you photograph them and either print them out/email them to a friend who could print them out? (I'd happily do print and post to you, but realise sending copies of docs to an unknown internet person probably doesn't sound like a sensible idea!)

quick question.

My deferal period runs out 15th May. I sent all necessary information to them recorded special delivery and it was signed for 30 April.

Their website says it take 28 days to process. are they going to attempt to lift a direct debit? if so what should i do? i do not have any extra money to pay them. I should definately be granted deferral as i am no where near the limit.

Also bearing in mind i have nothing in writing from Erudio to tell me what they would be lifting if payments were due.

You lot are brilliant.

I have just received my deferment pack and am about to start. Am going for the letter + evidence option.

On reading through the notes I see they want a tax return- I did a small amount of self employed work last year, amounting to about £3k over several months and ending in November. I can't see any reason why I should give them this- it's nothing to do with my income over the last three months.

DH supports me currently- I am going with a covering letter from him saying that he covers my living expenses and this amounts to less than £threshold.

@CelticPromise

I am in the same position as you, DH supports me, i rang to ask about this, they advised to put that he makes payments on my behalf and that he supports me, i also added he does not pay me an allowance in a separate letter stating i do not claim benefit of any kind and a do not earn over the threshold as i do not work.

I did however use the form with a statement that i did not agree to the sharing of my information, all i filled in was NI no, DD to a dormant bank account so its easy to obtain evidence should they decide to claim money, basic financials, did not fill in credit cards etc none of their beeswax.

None of my savings are in my sole name, was also advise they didn't want anything in joint names, one adviser asked how much i owed on credit cards, when i queried why it was classed as income, i did bite my tongue and said i wasn't sure!! Christ, next they want my blood group and a pint of it to make sure, they would probably sell that as well!

Hope that helps, as you can see we are all trying different things.

how on earth than a credit card be classed as income....

they are complete idiots

Apologies if I gave the wrong information, it wasn't intentional, it wasn't the financial ombudsman who told me that.

Special delivery should only be signed for by the person/company it is for not by anyone else, if that happens complain to Royal Mail, I have done so in the past and got compensation.

I don't have a digital camera no.

My cancelled direct debit yesterday has been put back in place.

A question, my deferment letter states I need to return my deferment pack before 19th may and money will be taken on 20th may if not. That is very very misleading.

I am going to complain, in writing, via a separate letter!

@lousiefinlay

They are mean to write to you at least 10 working days before taking a direct debit to confirm the amount being taken, they are also meant to write to your bank as well. Though it would appear they are not doing that. In theory you can claim the money back though I don't know if anyone has.

Are they viewing credit cards like loans? I've had a similar problem with my local council who when sent my credit card bills to help obtain some help with rent wrote back and said I had a limit of x on my credit card and should use that!

Honestly you couldn't make this stuff up!

@louisefinlay in sec 8 of the form it asks you to declare "other means of support" then "please describe any other income you receive and the gross monthly amount"

Then lists a to e i queried other borrowings and they advised credit cards, i said it wasn't an income it was just a credit card i don't earn it i have to pay it back, then he asked how much i owed. Then he did eventually back down and said don't fill it in.

Having said all that i wouldn't trust anything said on the phone which is why i will not ring them now.

They really do make me wonder. I sent them a mail on 16 April. Came back from my son's hospital appointment this afternoon to receive a mail from them saying

"Thank you for contacting Erudio Student Loans.

We acknowledge receipt of your email and you will receive a response within 21 days."

These people are so slow it takes them over two weeks to acknowledge receipt of an email!

Thanks Persephone. I have drafted two letters (thanks Mandaki I lifted some of yours on the other thread). One from me saying I don't have any income, I don't accept changes to T&Cs and quoting legislation. And a one liner from DH saying he supports me financially but does not provide me with an income, and the support amounts to less than £x per month. I am not sending them my tax return as it is entirely irrelevant.

It was enough for the SLC so let's see...

@ CelticPromise

Sounds good to me but i am no expert with these people.

Good luck come back and let us know, not sure if mine is now being processed or its on hold until they respond to the complaint, i will update when i know, could really do without the stress.

Does anyone have the original terms and conditions? The deferrment due to severe disability for three years I believe is different as well. Under SLC it was written off with appropriate evidence of being so disabled you would never work, unfortunately my deferrment always coincided with benefit forms and I never got round to doing this, can anyone find it for me in theirs?

I may have found someone to help me with the form this evening so I can get it sent back tommorow.