Train 4 trade skills

[Abbie123]

Hello, my husband signed up to a plumbing course with trade 4 trade skills in 2009, he wanted to better his career as he was a warehouse worker, we were told that a man would come to our home to explain the course, when he came to our home we were impressed and excited about the course as it would fit around work etc, he told us there were limited availability therefore a deposit was required and we took finance with CDF.
my husband found it hard to complete the course due to tutors being unavailable after 5.30pm which we were told wouldn't happen. The course qualification wouldn't allow him to work as a plumber alone after the course, looking back we were mislead and mis sold as we were teenagers and the salesman took advantage of that referring back to us needing a newer car on the drive and a better life for our baby.
my husband has no plumbing qualification, after trying hard to do so, no materials and did not attend any training academy and we have paid a full £3900. Yes I do now feel stupid but we were so young. We have contacted the ombudsman but can you recommend anything to help us claim this money back, we feel robbed!

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Welcome aboard

Hello, my husband signed up to a plumbing course with trade 4 trade skills in 2009, he wanted to better his career as he was a warehouse worker, we were told that a man would come to our home to explain the course, when he came to our home we were impressed and excited about the course as it would fit around work etc, he told us there were limited availability therefore a deposit was required and we took finance with CDF.
my husband found it hard to complete the course due to tutors being unavailable after 5.30pm which we were told wouldn't happen. The course qualification wouldn't allow him to work as a plumber alone after the course, looking back we were mislead and mis sold as we were teenagers and the salesman took advantage of that referring back to us needing a newer car on the drive and a better life for our baby.
my husband has no plumbing qualification, after trying hard to do so, no materials and did not attend any training academy and we have paid a full £3900. Yes I do now feel stupid but we were so young. We have contacted the ombudsman but can you recommend anything to help us claim this money back, we feel robbed!

Was he over 18? Although being a training course, it could still be considered a contract for his benefit even if he was a minor, however, there have been exceptions.

Did you pay the full £3900 in 2009?

I'm sorry but I just have to ask: why have you waited this long?

[Abbie123]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

He was over 18 unfortunately. We paid £3900 over 4 years. And I have waited so long because I never thought we would be able to claim it back really pkus a lot if ups and downs and not having the time. I'm not sure there's a chance but worth a shot.
Thanks for your reply

[Sajed dad]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Hi. I signed up in 2011 and paid £5670 altogether instalments and was told I could begin course whenever I wanted and when it suited me.

I paid all the money over 4 years installments via CDF

I rang them to ask could I begin my course etc they said sorry you have to send a letter to request an extension I asked an extension for what as I have paid for a course which I have not begun yet.

The I emailed them stating my childs health problems etc as well as working round the clock and caring for my child stopped me from beginning my course, which I found I should not have had to explain to them as I paid for a course that was supposedly flexible.

So.I gets a letter stating I was provided with a generous 36 month tuition period and having reviewed my progress it is with regret that they are unable to extend my tuition period.

But I never started the course I don't get it except I have been ripped off £5670

I don't know what to do now .any advice anyone thankyou in advance

[Sajed dad]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Any joy with refund

[Amethyst]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

When you signed up did you have anything in writing about the course that stated a time limit on commencing the studies ?

[Sajed dad]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Hi thanks for reply and no i only signed the credit agreement for the payments

I have a welcome pack telling me about my course and that it is designed around my time.

[mbaldwin79]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

I have had a similar issue with train 4 trade skills.
I, rather foolishly, signed up to a training program with them in 2010. A salesman came to my house and discussed everything with me and all seemed good but I wanted to mull it over and do a bit of research so I asked him to come back the following day. That evening I had a good look round the internet on various pages but couldn't find anything much that was particularly bad news so I thought it would be a decent opportunity for me to expand my skill set. I agreed the payments over 42 months and started the course straight away and never thought anything more of it.
Since then life sort of got in the way a bit, having 2 children, taking on a new work contract, moving house twice and such like, so the course sort of sat in the background and I did a little bit every so often. After the 42 months were up I got a letter saying that my course time limit was coming to an end which sort of surprised me as I was informed that you could take as long as you like doing the course as it was in your on time so there were no time limits. I contacted Train4tradeskills and told them of my situation and so they agreed to give me an extension.
After that conversation I started to have another look around and found quite a lot of people in the same situation as me. When I first signed up I believe they were a newly formed company and so there weren't any bad reports around, now they have been in business for a few years it is quite ovbious they are a scam and have been ticked into spending £1000s just like many others.
I spent weeks going through various web sites and forums reading everyones reports, did some research into the company and found the previous names they traded under and put together a letter to the financial ombudsman to try and claim my money back. Unfortunately they told me that, while the salesman may have suggested this, that and the other there was no proof of the conversations we had and that the paperwork was all legally sound. She did agree that it sounded like I may have been mis sold the training course but, without evidence there was nothing they could do. I had given up to be honest and just chucked the briefcase with all the course work in the shed but came across some paperwork which jogged my memory and started looking again today.
Has anyone had any succesful claims against this company and if so how can I claim?

[Amethyst]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Did you pay the full 42 months of payments? How much did you pay overall ?

It would be interesting to see the FOS report if you had a formal adjudication back from them. Was there anything in writing in their T&C's about time limits for completing the course ? I think in the absence of a positive assertion that you had only 42 months to complete, that should be enough for the FOS ?

Mis-sold would be about the course time scales, if the FOS disagree with that then you could look at the course being fit for purpose - were the materials up to scratch and the online systems working, tutorial support, assignments marked etc ? What qualification was it meant to give you ?

[mbaldwin79]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

I paid the full 42 months. £5670 in total. Unfortunately it wasn't until after I had paid in full that I found out it was a scam when trying to find out why my course was coming to an end. Thats when i looked into it further and found a lot of other people with the same complaint.
the reason I signed up for it in the first place is, at the time, I was working for a company who weren't exactly treating me very well so I was kinda desperate to get out. I figured the easiest way to get out and find work would be to improve my skill set. I am a kitchen installer and the salesman for t4ts tol me this course would give me gas, water, and renewable energy installation qualifications. He also told me that you could 'earn as you learn' and as you complete each section of the training course, you would then be qualified in that particular part and could complete work in that field. He also told me that a new government legislation which was due to be announced would state that ALL tradesmen in the building industry would have to be qualified and be able to prove their qualification at any given time should they be asked to do so. Shortly after signing up I picked up a decent contract installing kitchens so the course wasn't as essential for me and mmy wife and I were due our 1st child so had to focus more on bringing money now rather than training for the future. So the training course took a back seat and i dipped in and out for the next couple of years. I have a basic carpentry qualification but i have been self employed for around 8 years now. I have never once been asked to show any proof of qualifications and know many people on the building industry that have never had qualfications as experience in the industry is far more importnt than any piece of paper with a qualification on it.
Looking back through the paper work there is no indication that you would be able to install anything gas related as the course is not linked to Gas Safe at all. But there is also nothing in the paperwork that suggest I would be qualified ether as this is mostly what the salesman told me. In the same way he told me that I could work at my own pace and there was no time limit, that was the beauty of the course, and so could complete whenever.
There are no real quaifications to be gained as far as I can make out, yet it was indicated to me that I would be NVQ qualified. Again, just talk from the salesman.
The paper work is really quite good as the company have clearly done their homework but the main thing I thought I would be able to claim my money back for was that I never got a signed credit agreement back from the finance company CDF (Career Development Finance).

[Amethyst]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

As the agreement has now ended there's no requirement for them to produce the agreement under the consumer credit act.

Yes they should have sent you a copy of the executed agreement at the time in order for your cancellation period to start but you have completed the agreement so there's no comeback for that either.

Did you take the complaint right through the FOS process ?

[mbaldwin79]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

The FOS sent a letter to CDF on my behalf. CDF replied saying they had done nothing wrong. FOS replied to me to say they were going to close the case as I had no proof there was any wrong doing.
I've since spoken to the FOS but she said the same thing. While she agreed that it sounded like I had been missold the training course, I had no written proof that they did anything wrong as most of the issues I had are with what the salesman told me.

[Amethyst]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Of course CDF say they did nothing wrong ffs, the FOS are annoying at times. It wouldn't be CDF that missold, it would be T4TS - and CDF would be equally liable under s.75.
How long ago was your dealings with the FOS ? Sounds like you just had a case worker rather than an ombudsman so you could ask them to have an ombudsman look at it.

[mbaldwin79]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

Thats the angle I was trying to go for. I can't prove that t4ts did any wrong so tried to go for cdf as the equally liable party. Thought that as I hadn't had a returned financial agreement for the payment plan then it would be null and void. I was the aactual ombudsman I spoke to and the last conversation I had with her was about 8 months ago I think

[VillaDan]

Re: Train 4 trade skills

How do I contact you off here if you get me... we NEED to speak... ASAP..