Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

[Auburn]

Hi Guys !

Hope you will be able to help me on a issue i've been dealing with for over a year. I've seen some previous posts regarding this. My problem is associated with Bright Sparks Welding course or also known as Trades Gateway i was signed up to the course back in December of 2015 and have been paying £165 a month since then. I had not long turned 19 at the time of my meeting with the rep but have found out that the nearest training center to me is based in Leeds and that i need to take eight weeks practical training which i cannot do as im in full-time employment and that amount of unpaid leave my work won't accept can someone please help me cancel this as i have no experience in these matters and feel as though i've been duped by a sales rep !

Thanks !
Chris

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

When and how did you discover that in order to obtain the qualification you were required to take a practical training course ? When/how did you find out it would be an 8 week course ? and When/How did you find out the nearest centre was in Leeds?

Was the practical training element of the course discussed with you at all during the sales meeting?

Did the sales rep visit you twice ? ( sigining you up on the second visit?)

Who is the finance agreement with ? and do you have copy of the course agreement ( with BSW) and the credit agreement ?

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

I was made aware of the practical training side of things i would say a week afterwards i initially signed up for my course. I emailed my tutor within the past few months to ask a question about the duration of the practical training and was then made aware all in all i would be eight weeks in total. I phoned up soon after my enrollment in the course and asked the question regarding the nearest practical training center and was advised it was Leeds, i was fine with it at the time but didn't realize it would be for a duration of eight weeks altogether.

Practical training wasn't discussed with me during my meeting with the rep.

No the sales rep only visited me once to sign me up for the course, i had a initial phone call with him beforehand and he asked if i was interested and shortly after he was out at my property. I still have his full name.

The details on the forum explain it is with a company called Marlborough Information Services Limited T/A Bright Sparks Welding the total is £7095 to be paid over the course of 43 months and i also paid a £50 upfront deposit.

I have the copies of what the advisor gave me at the time a card charge authority slip and a enrollment forum in which he has spelt some of my personal details wrongly. Thanks so much Amethyst for helping me out with this.

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Also i was looking on a previous forum when a member suggested looking on noodle.co.uk to see if there is any outstanding loans by Marlborough i personally had a look at my own details and there is nothing owing from Marlborough or anything outstanding.

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Okay. Have you spoken with the training centre in Leeds at all ? ie. can the practical be split up so you can fit it around work. The course is over 3 years I believe? so although it is a massive commitment if you could split it to 4 weeks each of the next two years it might be doable. Of course that is if you are on track with the theory side of things and want to proceed to the qualification. Have you made any enquiries about whether the qualification is likely to assist in you looking for work - or are you already employed in that industry ?

When the salesrep visited did he discuss anything at all about practical elements of the course ? I know you said he didn't but to become a welder I would presume it would be quite an integral part of any course claiming to qualify you to become employed as a welder as it is a practical job. Of course you need the theory knowledge behind it, but I'd have thought the practice would be a main component of any training. That you had to make enquiries about the practical side presumably there was something in the original course folder/books etc that stated about the training that prompted your enquiry ?

It doesn't sound like you have a copy of your credit agreement - it should be regulated under the consumer credit act. Who do you make your monthly payments to ? Does the charge card authority have something relating to career finance 4 trade skills ( red logo - CF4TS ) authorising them to take money from your card in unspecified amounts ?

example top bit of one...

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Also i was looking on a previous forum when a member suggested looking on noodle.co.uk to see if there is any outstanding loans by Marlborough i personally had a look at my own details and there is nothing owing from Marlborough or anything outstanding.

Yep they don't tend to report it to credit ref agencies. But if they tried to take you to court for non payment and succeeded then you would have a CCJ on there.

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

I have contacted customer care about the issue and also i have spoken with my tutor who is wishing to call me at a appropriate time. I am actually already employed within a engineering firm not as a welder but as a spray painter but do have the opportunity to become a welder.

The rep didn't discuss with me anything regarding the practical training or the nearest proximity of the training center. That is what lead me to phone up initially after my enrollment and introduce myself to my tutor which i then asked where the nearest training center was.

- - - Updated - - -

This is also on the enrollment forum.

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Monthly Pay as You go is interesting, I haven't seen that before on the Marlborough contract - you may not be tied therefore to the full £7k, but would need to read the rest of the terms on that agreement. Marlborough lost their credit licence last July so can't offer credit. CF4TS also lost theirs and couldn't enter into new agreements from august 2016 ( they could still collect on pre July 2016 ones only) . Did you sign up before July 2016 ?

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

So there might be a glimmer of hope. I contacted customer care services making them aware of the information and they have explained that they have passed over my information over to the accounts team to have my account cancelled and will send me a letter out shortly explaining the termination process and to me that sounds like i'll need to continue making payments but i feel that this is wrong because i wasn't made fully aware of the full extent of the course until only recently so i explained this to them and awaiting a reply.

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

The Termination requires you to make the next 3 payments and cover any arrears and then there are no further payments. You stated you were not told the amount of time you would spend in centres by the course advisor. The information regarding the number of practical weeks is covered in the Plan of the Course, a copy of which was left with you at the point of enrolment. At the time of the interview there is a lot of information to pass onto a student and items may be overlooked so there is an opportunity of asking the course advisor to clarify any points you feel may have been missed, such as how many practical training weeks are included in the course package. After the course advisor has left you also have the opportunity of clarifying this information with the tutor team and customer services.

During the 21 day cooling off period it is your opportunity to look around and get any questions answers you feel may have been left out so you can make an informed decision. It doesn’t appear that you have been mis-informed or mis-represented as you haven’t been given any incorrect information, but have had the opportunity to clarify any points which feel were important that was missed.

Kind regards

Administration

And so it begins.. what would be the course of action to take ?

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Maybe although you will have lost the money paid to date you may not be tied to complete the course or make the remaining payments. It will be very interesting to see the letter they send out to you with the termination process. Any chance you can do a pic of the full front and back of the 'pay as you go' contract for us ? ( take off your personal info from it) .

Might be the possibility of reclaiming monies paid but that would require making a formal complaint and possibly suing the company due to the course being missold initially. Has the work you have done on the course helped you with your prospects at your current firm ? Could they train you directly there?

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

The Termination requires you to make the next 3 payments and cover any arrears and then there are no further payments. You stated you were not told the amount of time you would spend in centres by the course advisor. The information regarding the number of practical weeks is covered in the Plan of the Course, a copy of which was left with you at the point of enrolment. At the time of the interview there is a lot of information to pass onto a student and items may be overlooked so there is an opportunity of asking the course advisor to clarify any points you feel may have been missed, such as how many practical training weeks are included in the course package. After the course advisor has left you also have the opportunity of clarifying this information with the tutor team and customer services.

During the 21 day cooling off period it is your opportunity to look around and get any questions answers you feel may have been left out so you can make an informed decision. It doesn’t appear that you have been mis-informed or mis-represented as you haven’t been given any incorrect information, but have had the opportunity to clarify any points which feel were important that was missed.

Kind regards

Administration

And so it begins.. what would be the course of action to take ?

Well that was speedy

Next three payments? bit random - is there anything on your original contract that states any of this ?

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Maybe although you will have lost the money paid to date you may not be tied to complete the course or make the remaining payments. It will be very interesting to see the letter they send out to you with the termination process. Any chance you can do a pic of the full front and back of the 'pay as you go' contract for us ? ( take off your personal info from it) .

Might be the possibility of reclaiming monies paid but that would require making a formal complaint and possibly suing the company due to the course being missold initially. Has the work you have done on the course helped you with your prospects at your current firm ? Could they train you directly there?

I hopefully am not tied to make the remaining payment they said i will need to make payments for the next three months which i will accept aslong as i don't need to continue paying owing the £7k. I have sent them another email trying to clarify this, i will upload the image of the letter no worries it probably be next week i would imagine.

This stuff is just really stressing me out. :colbert:

- - - Updated - - -

Well that was speedy

Next three payments? bit random - is there anything on your original contract that states any of this ?

I don't think so, i've looked over the contract and it just states that they will need the course materials returned and you pay for it but nothing regarding the three month issue.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry i misread that post Amethyst, certainly i will upload the pay as you go contact asap. I've got to depart for work soon but i will try and get it done tonight or tomorrow really appreciate the advice and help your giving me !

[Auburn]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Here is the back of the forum, i will need to edit my personal information from the front and will do so when i have some more time, i received a email back saying.

"Our accounts department will be looking into this and will be writing to you shortly regarding the termination fee.


Kind regards

Administration "

[Amethyst]

Re: Hello to all from Glasgow ! Deliberately made a profile as i need urgent help !

Can you look at clause 11 ( left hand side) - I can't really read it but seems to mention 3 months? or is that about defaulting on payments?

Also the notice of right to cancel bit.

Anything about termination at all?

Clause 29 too maybe?

Sorry I really can't make the wording out very well.