arthurfowler

Just received a letter stating that I am in arrears on 50 odd pounds. I had no clue what this was about but was warned that if I did not pay within 21 days then further action may be taken.

Yuck.

I called and enquired what was going on. They said since April the amount I earn now qualifies for repayment (fine). They then said you should have received a letter - then checked their files 'oh you didn't receive one but you need to pay'. Um ok, i've never said I would not pay, i'm just asking what this is all about.

I said I haven't been working since Feb and only just started a new job to which they responded 'well how were you supporting yourself'? My god, calm down love. I told her through my partner.

So I need to supply a bunch of evidence showing how I was supported. This was actually through savings.

Anyway, they were just very rude and I still don't see how they can forcefully tell me I need to pay when I have received no letter - confirmed by them. I don't mind about paying what I should, but at least tell me and don't send me threatening letters!

Just wanted to vent.

snaps

Maybe you should try getting from a car rental insurance 'EXACTLY' what is covered when hiring a car in the UK now. Seems cover is now decided after the claim. I have tried to establish the cover but the explanation always appears to be 'it depends'.

Just wanted to vent too.

LauraNotts

I hate the student loans company. I hate them with an enduring and perfect hatred.

I hope that their tea is always too milky and may their dunked biscuits ALWAYS crumble.

RobClubley

My wife just had hers deferred again - she got a letter saying as it took them a few weeks to process the deferment it she owes just over two pounds in interest which can be paid by UK cheque or bank transfer. Sigh.

Pom_Chch

Ah yes, student loans company. Apart from being a bunch of incompetent bar stewards and being the most backwards company I've ever dealt with I would say they're not bad

Their most impressive balls ups include repeatedly sending us letters to our old UK addresses even though we've told them countless times to post to NZ and then adding fines to our payments because we haven't responded. Only accepting payments from UK bank accounts - really friggin' useful when you've emigrated. Year after year we must fill in the same forms stating our national insurance numbers and dates of birth even though they are quoted at the top of the very same page

Urgh I could keep going but my hop Rocker in the fridge is calling. Good luck with it ArthurFowler, you'll need it!

LauraNotts

Yeah I got them complaining to me that they'd sent letters to my address in Timaru that had been returned 'no such address' and they sent more after that. I didn't point out to them how stupid that was as I was making sure they NOW had my Christchurch address.

AND THEN they send out 'TELL US WHAT YOU EARN OR DIE' letters which I respond to promptly (i.e in 2-3 days after recieving) and post back by airmail only to get about a week later 'YOU DIDN'T TELL US WHAT YOU EARNED NOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY $500 A MONTH WOOOOOORM' letters.

Of course when I ring them up going 'what the f**k' they tell me it's an automatic letter because they didn't get my response in time.

Idiots.

Absolute. Tosspotting. Idiots.

Pom_Chch

Good one!

The other half got a fine added to his account and the "we're gonna charge you $500 regardless of what you earn" because they never received a response to one of the letters. Funny that 'cos we told them we had emigrated for the 100th time yet they had still sent 2 letters to a UK address and they wondered why he hadn't responded. True story

BEVS

Right.

So have you guys paid back your student loans, which the UK tax resident funded, or not ?

You know what. I am a lot older than you. I know that but the idea that you didn't have to pay as you go for your further education after state schooling is alien to me.

You paid ; worked to fund completely;or you did not go. No tax funded government help.

and please do not get me started on those that had that and then skipped the country.

Someone here wrote in another thread about a 'sense of arrogant entitlement'.

I do understand your frustration LauraKnotts at being in the melee of missed and 'flawed' communications . Hopefully you will sort this out and can just pay back.

It was a huge step to try and make further education available to all. It was a gift .

I know several ex students that try and circumnavigate repaying these loans by stating they do not earn what they earn. Not cricket is it for those in the UK that pay their UK taxes and hope to have those taxes fund facilities, infrastructure and state education in schools.

Me?

I would do away with student loans unless for quality training and degrees in areas that are needed.

You start earning, you start to pay back immediately from wages directly.

You cannot manage ? You get a 2nd job to help you. I did.

Whinge? No. Debt? No.

Pom_Chch

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick entirely BEVS. I don't begrudge paying back my student loan, that is exactly what I am doing and have done since I started working when I graduated. There was a point when I didn't technically have to pay anything back as I didn't earn enough money but out of principle gave voluntary payments as much as I could afford.

I was putting my point across that the Student Loans Company are shocking to deal with and come across really incompetent. This thread is merely a discussion amongst a group of people who are currently dealing with the company and how they balls things up on a regular basis, not a bunch of spoilt brats who got an education and have run off abroad without wanting to pay.

LauraNotts

I agree with PomChch. I dont have an issue with paying my loan, I have an issue with how unbelievably difficult they are as a company to deal with. Every time I have dealings with them it causes stress and aggravation. Nowadays we have 24/7 internet banking etc - if banks offered the level of service that the SLC do there would be an outcry. On a side note, I have not skipped the UK to avoid paying my loan. I chose to emigrate and have gone to significant lengths to ensure that I filled out the correct forms so that I would continue to repay it.

I think underpinning a lot of this is not so much a sense of entitlement rather fear. I am in my early 30s, by the time I retire the pension as it stands will likely no longer exist either in NZ or the UK. I am also saving madly as a single person to try and get onto the property ladder while watching this disappear further and further out of reach. I face an old age where I may be forced to rent and face severe financial hardship if I do not put away large chunks of my salary from now until the day I retire. I am taking action as best I can, saving regularly for a deposit, never putting more on my credit card than I can pay off each month, putting 8% into Kiwisaver etc but in the face of the demographic timebomb approaching us I do tend to put paying off my student loan a little further down my list. Is that right? Maybe, maybe not, but I will continue to pay what is asked of me.

Tom H

Bevs - are you a customer of Vodafone NZ??? Dealing with the SLC is like dealing with Vodafone NZ. The majority of your 3 hour call is spent hearing music and 'your call is important to us', closely second with can I put you on hold I need to speak to my manager for the 7289th time.

I tend to do all my work through studentloanrepayments.co.uk, although how they thought I was still in the UK when the past 2 years they've had the overseas documents is mind boggling. That's the annoying part that's peed me off big time recently. I hate the fact that they also reject foreign credit card payments but that's another matter.

Any correspondence they send goes to the parents and they tend to deal with any telephone queries. The POA I have allows all UK correspondence to go through them, despite having to send the copy to SLC 6 times.

davros1984

Agree with a lot of comments on this thread. When in NZ, I tried my best to keep on top of my student loan. They would often send letters to the wrong address (even though their system clearly had my NZ address) and they would often send those repayment letters wanting the £250-270 whatever it is unless you get back to them.

Good news is... as SL want approximately 9% of your take home pay each month if you're overseas, I paid off a large amount of my SL during my time in NZ.

pleccy2000

do you know what happens if you have a baby? obviously you're not working so do they put the payments on hold until you're working again?

RobClubley

You can defer payment yes. You have to fill in some forms.

LauraNotts

I am resurrecting this because I am so ANGRY AT THESE PEOPLE!

I am not STUPID. I can see full well what the exchange rates were in April when you calculated them. THAT IS WHY I EMAILED YOU. BECAUSE THE ****ING EXCHANGE RATE IS GOING DOWN AND GOING DOWN BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT NZ WANTS IT TO DO. I don't need you to patronisingly point out to me how it's calculated once a year nor that sometimes it can go the other way because again I am not STUPID. I need you to review it so I can afford the payments - which I would be able to do if the exchange rate was still at 50p and not 43p.

ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!