Help please!! Outstanding fee :s

PurpleVintage

I've posted this in the Student Finances thread but idk if that was the right place, please if anyone can help...

Hi, i'm almost having a panick attack so if anyone could help me that would be great.

I applied through cao last year for a place to DIT. I got it, and accepted it. In August my circunstances changed so I could no longer attend college (I never did, simply accepted it through CAO). I sent an email to SUSI to cancel my application, and sent an email to DIT informing them of my changes of circunstances. I downloaded the withdrawal form, filled it and sent it to them. The form required a signature from the Head Office, so I assumed if I just sent it to them they'd just sign it then and fill out the part that they're supposed to fill out.

I never went a single day, never got a student card as I didnt even go to registration, I thought everythng was over. Well today I got a letter from them saying I have an outstanding fee of 2,500 to pay! I emailed them about it, saying I withdrew and cancelled my susi application, even sent them the email of me requesting to cancel my SUSI application.

They havent replied to me and i'm almost having a panic attack. I can't pay that! I have no means to, and I never availed of any services! I've no way to prove I sent them a withdrawal form either, as its not like I got a receipt for sending a letter in freaking September.

On the website it says:
Defer/Withdraw between 1st November 2013 & 31st January 2014
Students are liable for payment of 50% of fees for the academic session.


What am i gonna do now?! Send another withdrawal form? I cant pay 50% or any money! If the letter or form was lost, then how is that my fault? Please please if anyone can help me, please do, dont assume someone else will. I'm raelly stressed over this....

nicearbhaill

hi ya

A few questions:

- you said you emailed DIT originally to advise you wouldnt be taking the place. Who did you email and do you have a copy.
- who did you get the letter re fees from?. What exact office are you corresponding with. The withdrawal form is your responsibility to complete in full and your responsibility to submit to the correct office. This means it is your responsibility to get the signature. What office did you send your withdrawal form to?

Registration is online and not an event to attend. Having a student card and never attending a class is not a factor unfortunately.

Once you accepted the offer from the CAO the place is yours - did you ever register?

If you can clarify the above i can advise if you are on the right track.

PurpleVintage

Hi, thank you so much for the reply.

I just double checked, I emailed them straight to their registration email. in it I stated my circunstances changed, that I could not attend college and how would I go about deffering (not possible as I had already accepted the course). I also have my email to SUSI saying I was not going to be attending my course and therefore to please cancel my application.
And yes I have the emails saved.

As for the office, I don't actually know. I got a letter sighed by Paul Woods from Fees & Income Manager.
The withdraw form didn't have an address on it so I sent it to
Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin 1

I'm emailing studentfees@dit.ie as that's what the letter stated I should email if I had any queries



Yes I did register online as soon as I was told to. Back then my circunstances had not changed yet

nicearbhaill

ok good and bad news.

You sent an email and you have a copy. In your post above you say you wanted to defer?. What do you mean it wasnt possible as you had already registered. Did someone reply to you to advise you of this. Students can defer their place no prob once they have completed the proper paperwork. Students are still deferring at the moment.

Unfortunately the withdrawal form should not have been sent to Cathal brugha Street. There are clear instructions on the form and on the website on how to defer/withdraw from your course. There is no office in Cathal Brugha Street for general correspondence to go to unless you sent the form to a specific office/person it may have been lost. If you remember the office/person you sent it to you can follow it up with them.

OK dont loose hope. Im not sure from what you say above if you wanted to defer/withdraw from your course and were you given the correct advice in the reply. While you may not have completed the proper paperwork you did correspond with the registration office so i would suggest contacting them.

If you can I would suggest two things:

- bring your paperwork to one of the Student Service Centres and discuss in person your situation. Defo bring your paperwork with you and your student number. Remember though , unfortunately , that if you did register and didnt defer/withdraw properly you may be liable for fees. The email correspondence you refer to above may assist you but it would have to be reviewed. I cant say exactly what would happen without reading it.

- alternatively contact by email the Registration Manager ( Teresa Ward). Forward on your correspondence, provide your student number etc and see if she can assist. Her email is teresa.ward@dit.ie

Student Fees may advise you to do either of the above. Sorry i cant be of more help. If you have received communication from the Student Fees Office it means you are still registered on your course and whatever you wanted to happen hasnt been done. It would be interesting to say what was sent in the emails - what exactly did you say in your email and what was the reply. Unfortunately aswell you cancelling your application with SUSI is nothing to do with a college. attendance is also not a factor.

There is still some hope at this point

PurpleVintage

No I ws not adviced of that, I believe I read the CAO instructions and it stated that... or could have been some other reliable source. Sorry it was very early September, mind is foggy.

Thanks so much for your help, I will most definitely be contacting that email, and ringing them up. They actually haven't gotten back to me, I recieved the letter early this morning, emailed them at about 12:40, made sure to tag the email with High priority. Emailed them again at 6pm because i've been anxious and panicky the whole day, then resorted to coming on here as it never does fail me, hence there is actually no conversation. I will post it later if they do reply, if it helps!

I couldn't find any other address to send it to, so unfortunately that was the address I sent it to. It's too bad I registered, literally 2 or 3 days later my circunstances changed. Awful timing, I didn't see it coming at all.

Thanks again for the advice, i'll be checking this thread for any other feedback. Will email her first thing in the morning and print out another Withdrawal form. I simply cannot afford the fees so hopefully they can do something about this misunderstanding

nicearbhaill

No hassle ...best of luck with it. Make sure again to try and contact the correct office. Registrations is 01 402 4663 or call the manager on 01 402 4681. By email they are registration.service@dit.ie .... Have you student number and correspondence ready. If you have time reread the procedures online

Post back here after you have spoken with them. Be warned though ...withdrawals are as at date of submission so if you are submitting one now your withdrawal would be now and would not be backdated. There would still be a financial implication.

I think at the moment you just need to clarify your registration status, what was in your original communication to registrations and can it be resolved. This would not have been the first reminder to you so they mention that.

Best of luck and let us know

JumpShivers

Hi OP, I am in a similar predicament, but with a different college.

I owe 2000 euro, despite withdrawing and not using the services whatsoever. I did hand in a withdrawal form to the correct office and within their 'fees back' period.

Honestly though, if my withdrawal was not submitted properly (through their own fault) I will refuse to pay it. Probably won't get me far, but..

I suggest you call registration at DIT, they are very helpful. And don't worry about it!

PurpleVintage

Oh that's a bummer hope your situation gets sorted! I recieved an email from her asking me for my CAO number, nothing else so far. If I don't get a proper answer by tomorrow I will call registrations. Best of luck

PurpleVintage

Heya just a quick update, hopefully it'll help anyone out there.
On the letter I got, I was told to email studentfees@dit.ie but after not getting an answer I followed the advice given here and emailed teresa.ward@dit.ie.
registration.service@dit.ie replied today informing me my withdrawal has been processed and i'm not liable to pay any fees! WOOT, such a relief I can breathe again.

Really appreciate all the feedback and help guys, and for futuere reference make sure you include your CAO number in your first email, as they need it. If you don't get an answer the next day don't be afraid to send another email asking for information. That's what I did and it worked.

Happy ending

nicearbhaill

amazing congrats

make sure you get a letter to confirm that too...for your own records and also for any future application to CAO etc.

if you havent requested it already then you can make the request online or by email at requestastudentservice@dit.ie

See this link

http://www.dit.ie/studentservices/studentservicescentres/requestservice/

again you will need your student number.

PurpleVintage

Thanks! Totally didn't think of that, I will surely request one