Student loans, over payments and debt collectors

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If you've never been to university or had any dealings with Student Finance England (SFE) I am green with envy at your blissful ignorance. They are an ordeal to say the least. I used to think that all you have to do is apply for finance and then go to uni and that's that, right? 

Well, it's not always as simple as it seems. As you might know I went to university for a month back in September 2015 and had to withdraw due to medical circumstances. Recently I got a lovely reminder of this in the form of two debt letters from the Student Loans Company (SLC). They outlined the over payments given to me which total over £3000 and say they need immediate payment. Not really the type of thing to open whilst relaxing in the garden drinking a cup of tea and holding a 4 month old baby. 

 So a long panic attack and some severe stress headaches follow, and I'm not just talking about the half an hour on hold. I rang them up straight away and tried to figure out how and why now and WHY??? Once i traversed the maze of robots, automated responses and codes I finally got through to a human being (who is probably being paid minimum wage and works weekends) to try and get this mess cleared up. To be honest to her, she was lovely, kind and upbeat but no amount of fake positivity and customer service training can help the fact that there was nothing she could do. Once SFE has passed it over to the SLC it's a debt that needs to be collected and like all debts if unpaid it can lead to the baliffs. *gulp* Although I will hasten to add that they will try and negotiate repayments with you before it gets to that point, so don't drive yourself sick with worry that your wardrobe will get repossessed. 

 I was devastated. I couldn't believe that even though I didn't leave uni through any fault of my own (because having a chronic illness is NOT your fault) I was being penalized by the government as if it was my decision. One of the main reasons I got Compelling Personal Reason was due to the fact I could not continue my studies in my current circumstances without severly impacting my health. I was told when going through CPR that the debt would add to my overall student debt at the end of my degree course, which I would pay back once I started earning but apparently SFE doesn't take context into consideration when taking debts. They wash their hands of it and leave it up to the vulnerable to pull themselves out when the choice is travelling to see your parents or paying off the SLC debt. I'm still struggling to make the payments and I will not be able to pay it off for at least 10+ years, and I feel that the decision to put my health first has been laughed at by Student Finance. They do not care about your well-being so make sure that you don't get caught in their web of lies.

 This was just something I had on my mind and I wanted to share my experience with you, just in case you weren't given all the consequential facts either.
Take care
x


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About Me

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" Hi! I'm a 21 year old student, and this blog is here to document my thoughts, feelings and events that happen in my life. I hope you'll enjoy reading them and get some comfort from knowing that you're not alone. So sit back, grab a cup of decaf tea and join me on this journey we call life.

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