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?

Thank you all so much for all of the time you have spent on this. My deferment ends in May and I reapplied for deferment by sending Erudio a letter and enclosing my last 3 payslips along with last year's P60. I sent it recorded delivery and have proff it was signed for 3 weeks ago. Having heard nothing from them, i phoned and they have said they don't have my application. I told them i have proof they received it. They then said it's not scanned on. They've had it for 3 weeks now and haven't done anything with it. Is it because I didn't use their form? Don't know what to do. I'm disgusted with the government for selling us down the swannie. The stress this is causing me is ridiculous.

Complain and tell them you will take them to the FOS and contact the media if they don't sort the deferment you can prove they received.

Cheeky f*ers saying it wasn't received.

Milo1234 - they did the same to me saying they didn't receive it when I just sent a recorded letter (ie no form) Never let me know and I had to chase it (before they told me I had to fill in the form and give them my bank statements!) Incompetence or just being difficult?

I am waiting to see if they process my form now as I have crossed through the last part with 'I do not consent to any change in the original t & c.......'. They may never get through their backlog and make up the money that way by claiming all the direct debits!

and the ombudsman...they are the only ones who impose a mandatory fine if they are in the wrong.

If they are refusing you deferment because you chose not to use their form then that is completely out of order.

Noting in law or the loan agreements say you have to use their form. You just have to prove income.

Could be on the back of a Mars bar wrapper and it would still be a valid deferement if you prove what needs to be proved.

Take them to the FOS: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm

I've just looked at the guidance notes they sent, they ask "please provide us with phone numbers we can easily contact you on. This will allow us to contact you quickly if we have any queries regarding your application". I gave them my telephone number on my letter and haven't heard a dickiebird from them. Surely they should have contacted me sometime in the past weeks if they had a problem with me sending a letter rather than their form!
The whole thing disgusts me. I never had any problems with SLC. Kept up my side of the bargain by updating my details with them and sending the info that was required for deferment.

Thanks Mandakl, i didn't realise that you can go straight to the FOS and they will contact the business for you to tell them about your complaint.

Has anybody who sent a letter to defer had any contact from erudio?

Yes, they should have done. They treat us with contempt because we dare to want to defer.

Deferrers do not make them the quick profit they they bought these debts for, so we are just an irritant to be brushed off to them. Or even better, if they can trick us into no deferment they may be able to bully payments out of us.

that ombudsman complaint thing looks great. Am i right, although it is pretty black and white...if you have a complaint, the ombudsman will actually contact Erudio and tell them what your complaint is?

Just thinking practically though, if you want to complain but (coincidentally) the 8 weeks will make sure they dont take a DD whilst the application is being processed, if the ombudsman talked to Erudio but then told you you had no grounds for the complaint, this could open up Erudio to take a DD before precessing the deferment. If you complain directly to Erudio during this sensitive period with the DD date approaching, it would definitely give you the 8 weeks.
Alternatively, if the ombudsman put forward the complaint, it would guarantee Erudio dont lie i would have thought...i dont know how the call would work but they would have the force of the ombudsman behind them, like Simon Read at the independent getting the one person their DD payment back and a £100 for the error.
Has anyone made a compliant in this way, it could be something that turns the tide a little and stops them from lying to us.

right, just phoned the phone number for the ombudsman, and although they cannot get involved directly until a compliant is answered, they said that the confusing/conflicting information 'doesnt sound right at all'. You can call this number if you want them to push your complaint though, they just cant get directly involved in it before erudio has answered it within the 8 weeks. He said written info is paramount to have, such as the letter confirming a complaint is in the works and that "all collection activity will be suspended".

However, and as some have mentioned in this and other forums, if you have a DD taken (especially without getting a letter 10 days before stating the amount), phone Erudio and tell them they immediately that they must refund you because they have broken the DD mandate. IF, if, they dispute doing anything wrong (or putting up a wall of any kind), contact the ombudsman straight away, you dont have complain to Erudio first.

Rather more interestingly, and a real bonus for anyone who has been lied to, had info twisted during a conversation, given conflicting info, had erudio say they will send a letter confirming info wont be passed onto CRAs, wont have a DD set up etc, then the ombudsman can demand to be given the whole phone conversation or a transcript of it. As such, i suggest taking the time and length of calls down as well in case erudio cut info out and the call length/time they give is wrong etc.

I dont know how it will work in reality, but i found this a rather fantastic reassurance! I would recommend calling them yourself just to get any procedural concerns cleared up and to know where you stand exactly. And to alleviate some of that worry, others like me are probably feeling most of most days!

Thank you for that ombudsman link. They took money from me even though I have deferment til 2015 (granted by SLC), spoke to an erudio advisor about it who basically said to send proof SLC letter and get bank to put money back via DD guarantee.
I haven't had any letter what so ever about the take over of my loans and I certainly didn't get anything from erudio stating how much they would take each month if I didn't defer.
They blamed SLC for not informing them.....I phone SLC, who said they had informed erudio but would email again.....takes time for a new company to set up don't you know....Argh.
I shall be phoning ombudsman!

I've just spoken to the lovely Erudio, not entirely convinced by the call handler however apparently my application was marked as incomplete because I didn't send a P60, only my three months wage slips. He said P60s are no longer required so he has processed my deferral and I should get a confirmation letter sent out.

I also asked about reporting accounts to CRAs he said that they only get reported if you fall 4 months in arrears and the account gets sent to a debt recovery agency. I've asked for a letter confirming this, I don't think for one minute I'll get one but I have the call handlers name who I spoke to, I'll be back on to them if I don't get it.

What is also annoying is my account has been sitting incomplete for at least a month with no one contacting me, obviously hoping I'll keep waiting until my current deferral runs out and then they start taking payments.

rubyrue791: take a note of the date and time of the call, then if they dont do what they just said, you can call the ombudsman with the exact details for them to request the exact call from erudio so they can see you have been lied to.

I know phoning them is a complete PITA but since they don't answer emails or take 3 or 4 weeks to answer phone was the way to go for me and it has worked so far.

I got my deferment accepted but I had all the same problems mentioned above; sent recorded and they say it wasn't received, multiple phone calls with conflicting info, no response to emails.

If you call and insist you have sent recorded and you have proof they signed for your letter they will find it. Insist they scan it to your system that day. Phone in the morning to make the request and again late afternoon to confirm it's been done. It took me 2 days of this to get it on their system. Then give it a day or two and call back saying you were told it was being looked at and you would get a decision in a couple of days (say you were told this 2 days ago). It took 3 more calls from this point and about 5 days and they had confirmed my deferment over the phone. My confirmation letter arrived 10 days later.

I didn't stop emailing them in this time, mainly chasing for copies of my credit agreements, they are replying to these but slowly.

Congrats @ RubyRue791.

So we must be up to 4 or 5 people successfully deferred on this thread now - not exactly inspiring!!!

What I'm really concerned to find out is whether anybody who submitted an unorthodox application i.e. without answering all the questions or without using the form has been deferred yet.

So far, it seems they are very, very slowly processing conventional/'law-abiding' applications but what about the rebels???

Which email addresses are people using to contact Erudio? The deferment address or customer service?

To be fair to anyone in customer service, if people are carpet-bombing them with the same question every day, then none of us will get email replies - there's a limit to what people can do before whatever system they have just ceases to function. I would imagine they prioritise phone calls and the rest is 'as and when'.

look out this weekend for the independent, i am led to believe our favourite subject will be making another guest appearance.

I used both email addresses, one dated 10th April-no reply
one dated 11th April-no reply
Two dated yesterday with requested read receipt yup you guessed no receipt no reply, ok to be fair that was only yesterday.

I didn't fill in all the form, only financial requirements, i did give my NI no, not sure what they can do with that, i will be ringing them next week when a week is up from them receiving the form. I found years ago i had success with ringing a particular government dept every day, and told them i would do, it worked lol. I have also requested my credit agreements, amusingly i found the notice of assignment yesterday by accident ooooops must of forgot to sign that and return it lol.

My MP who incidentally is Conservative, has written to them and he will update me when he has had a response, it may not achieve much but it might make them notice they are under scrutiny, and make no mistake i will take it further but we have to give them enough rope first!

yes, making Erudio feel under scrutiny is very important persephone49, it is the only check we have to stop them running all over us, or treating us like debtors.

Oh i can be a right pain in the backside lol, i haven't finished with them yet! No doubt my MP will get the usual load of rubbish they spout.

i have just read the notice of assignment and to me it seems to contradict itself, although it does say "your account will be reported to credit reference agencies in accordance with the appropriate terms and conditions specified in your original credit agreement" however i had a very frustrating conversation with one of their "advisers" and she was point blank about them reporting regardless.

It appears they need consent to share loans in or after 98, i am a bit woolly on up to 98.

Thank goodness i am a bit dippy and just filed the letter without signing!

Their phone crew aren't going to be financial specialists or particularly knowledgeable in the field. I have a feeling that the Rotherham address for sending applications is also indicative that the call centre crew are in that area and that Leeds holds people who are more doing with the actual debt repayment/collection side of things. Certainly the length of time taken for replies to come suggest two separate offices working on separate elements of each account.

In my case, no payment was taken this month. That to me suggests that they do keep any repayments on hold if the deferment process is being held up by them or a lack of documentation as it was in my case.

I also get the feeling that things are beginning to get more organised on the part of Capita on behalf of Erudio.

Hey! - good news for a change - successful deferral letter received!!!

Almost 4 weeks exactly after submission.

Never phoned or emailed to chase up - so can't complain on that front.

But I was getting panicked

That's wonderful news well done! Were you a rebel or did you fill your form in?

Thnks persephone49 - I was a semi-rebel - used the form but blacked through the FPN and didn't answer the status questions - otherwise gave same evidence as I would have given SLC. Sent cover letter saying I didn't accept changes in T&Cs etc.