Student Loan Company = ripoff merchant scum

[Rave]

I want to get in contact with the Student Loans Company, but the only way to get in contact with them is to ring an 0870 number. These cost 7p a minute to call and some of the money goes to the Student Loans Company. Why the hell should I pay money to wait on hold while they take their time to deal with my query? I tried ringing their main (normal rate) number but they refused to put me though.

Absolute scum, this is a company that's supposed to help students and you can't even call them without being charged to wait on hold?! I wouldn't mind so much if the call was answered by an operator and dealt with in 30 seconds, but being charged for poor service is a bloody joke.

Gits. I hope they all suffer.

I'm going to send them a snail mail letter instead, I'm sure that must cost them a load more money to deal with.

Rich :¬)

[Flibb]

Send a letter to your MP, and ask him for a reply from the minister responsible. Causes loads of paperwork and by law they have to reply.

[Rave]

Excellent suggestion- cheers. The added bonus is that I get to annoy my local MP as well- I dislike him too.

Rich :¬)

[MD]

If only Labour would not get back in next time, one can only wish. I missed all this hassle, But I do know the problems.....

m@

[Rave]

Well the Tories are the ones who started the damned SLC in the first place so I doubt that'd make any difference.

Rich :¬)

[aeonf242]

Erm the tax payer subsidises the Student loans company.......Do you want them to charge you a higer rate of interest?

[Rave]

Yes. Overall I'd save money, and it'd be fairer because those borrowers who need to contact the SLC more often wouldn't get penalised.

Rich :¬)

[Steve]

The company I work for makes no money from the phone calls we receive. We have a local area code (one for Hull.) We will even ring people back if they don't want to be on the phone to us any longer...

The department operates at a loss, obviously, but on a whole it's probably better for business.

[Cat Woman]

webmaster@slc.co.uk

I didnt want to call them either so I emailed them, this address was in the back of the student loans book, I dont know if it is of any help

[aeonf242]

Generally 0870 numbers will earn the company about 1p per minute kick back from the telecoms provider

0845 numbers cost between 0p and 1.92p per minute for the company

It just depends upon how good a deal you have with your Telecoms provider.

Also have a national rate (>edit<) non-geographical number will discourage people from calling needlessly so drive down costs even more, the cheaper the call is generally the more people will use it..

----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SLC DID THE FOLLOWING THINGS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
• the setting up of a dedicated Contact Centre and associated staff training,
to provide assistance to those participating in the pilot scheme;

• the upgrading of the Contact Centre to a Customer Support Office, and training people in its implementation.

During the period, we took special measures to improve customer service by:
- introducing a customer support regime accessible 18 hours per day, seven days a week;
- introducing the capability for e-mail and SMS communication;
- re-writing all customer pro-forma letters;
======================================================
I think the term "RIP OFF MERCHANT SCUM" is a little strong

it probably could be used alongside "lazy student scum"
=====================================================
(And yes I've been a student, yes I got a Student loan, etc)

=============TELECOMS STUFF=========================
Non geographical number provides you wish an image of a corporation and offer your business the flexibility to move around and to expand without having to change your phone number.

0800 number encourage your customer to call and hence may win you unexpected sales.

0845 number allows your customer to pay just a local call to reach you and hence make your business looks friendly and approachable.

0870 number allows your company to portray a national image with the potential of earning up to 1.1p/min for every minutes of call that you receive during the day.

Further, with our international call divert / diversion / forwarding services, you can make your business much more friendly to your UK customers. When they ring a UK number, they automatically think of a UK company. With this service, you will be as competitive as your competitors who spend ten of thousands of pounds in order to establish a presence in UK.

[Noxis]

I want to get in contact with the Student Loans Company, but the only way to get in contact with them is to ring an 0870 number. These cost 7p a minute to call and some of the money goes to the Student Loans Company. Why the hell should I pay money to wait on hold while they take their time to deal with my query? I tried ringing their main (normal rate) number but they refused to put me though.

Absolute scum, this is a company that's supposed to help students and you can't even call them without being charged to wait on hold?! I wouldn't mind so much if the call was answered by an operator and dealt with in 30 seconds, but being charged for poor service is a bloody joke.

Gits. I hope they all suffer.

I'm going to send them a snail mail letter instead, I'm sure that must cost them a load more money to deal with.

Rich :¬)

You think its bad now, wait until you have to start paying it back. Gets taken like a tax at about 9%....

[Rave]

Generally 0870 numbers will earn the company about 1p per minute kick back from the telecoms provider

Right, so of the 7p a minute it costs me to call the number 1p goes to the SLC? I would rather they put that 1p onto the interest they charge me and cut the phone company out of the equation.

0845 numbers cost between 0p and 1.92p per minute for the company

Really companies shouldn't pay for them in this day and age, if phone companies can provide phone calls for 1p a minute or less they can easily cover the cost of administrating the 0845 number out of the 3p a minute they receive. If the SLC had an 0845 number I wouldn't be moaning.

Also have a national rate number will discourage people from calling needlessly so drive down costs even more, the cheaper the call is generally the more people will use it.

0870 numbers are not national rate numbers, that's the point, I get inclusive minutes that I can use to call national rate numbers. I only want to phone up and ask them to send me a form, why the hell should I pay a pound for the privilege of being on hold for 20 minutes? Also I don't believe more people would use the line if it was cheaper; why would anyone call the SLC if they didn't need to?

----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SLC DID THE FOLLOWING THINGS TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
• the setting up of a dedicated Contact Centre and associated staff training,
to provide assistance to those participating in the pilot scheme;

• the upgrading of the Contact Centre to a Customer Support Office, and training people in its implementation.

Great, the SLC did a load of stuff that any organisation who wants to provide a half decent service has to do. Yeah, really impressed.

During the period, we took special measures to improve customer service by:
- introducing a customer support regime accessible 18 hours per day, seven days a week;
- introducing the capability for e-mail and SMS communication;

Their site specifically says that they can't deal with queries by email, so I don't know what that's all about.

I think the term "RIP OFF MERCHANT SCUM" is a little strong

Then I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree.

Rich :¬)

[aeonf242]

Then I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree.

Rich :¬)

Nooooooooooooooo..we can't have civil discussions!!!!!!!!!
Shoudln't you slag me off Oprah stylee!

[aeonf242]

This might help ya:
Non-Geographical Alternative Telephone Numbers

http://www.saynoto0870.com/

[Rave]

You think its bad now, wait until you have to start paying it back. Gets taken like a tax at about 9%....

I only took the one loan before I got booted out of Uni- I've been paying it back for the last three years even though I've been entitled to defer all that time. ATM I only have about another 20 payments to make but I want to defer because I'd rather pay back my overdraft at 9.9% interest rather than the SLC at 3.1%.

Rich :¬)

[Rave]

This might help ya:
Non-Geographical Alternative Telephone Numbers

http://www.saynoto0870.com/

Aye, that's where I got the alternative number from; it's only thanks to a link to that site from www.moneysavingexpert.com that I knew the number was a ripoff in the first place! In this case though it doesn't work, they refuse to put you through, I did ask. Gits.

Rich :¬)