I’m being chased for a loan I repaid

Last year I contacted you about my four-year struggle with the Student Loans Company.

I originally had a loan from 1998 and in 2012 I received a confirmation letter from the SLC categorically stating this loan had been repaid in full.

During September 2015 student loan deductions recommenced without warning and it took until July 2016 for the SLC to accept and recognise this was an error on its part.

It agreed to reimburse me and provide an ex gratia payment of £200 as recommended by the Independent Assessor for the dispute I raised.

The conclusion and arrangement made was that, after repaying the sums owed to the SLC, my details would be removed from the database. It then accepted that I had satisfied all that was owing.

Imagine my surprise and frustration to receive a student loan statement for the 2016-17 tax year this summer showing a closing debit balance of £999.73.

For all I know it may advise HMRC once again to make deductions from my pay without my consent or to start accruing interest (whatever this may be) on a balance that simply does not exist and then send me a demand for this. JM, NORTH SOMERSET

The fact that in the past an employer you had been working for had gone into liquidation had affected the student loan payments that had been deducted from your salary. This created the problems that were stalking you.

This time you were worried about what might happen next.

You were particularly concerned about the SLC’s apparent inability to adhere to an agreement plainly set out after going through a lengthy process.

After my involvement, the SLC said: “We are sorry that Mr M was sent a statement from us showing an outstanding balance on his account.”

It has written to you confirming that your balance has been paid in full and that it requires no further payments. It apologises for any stress and inconvenience.

SLC assured me that it had taken steps to ensure that the latest problem wouldn’t happen again.

Given past experience, though, I quite understand why you will remain concerned. there, answered and then handed to me.

There was an automated message about the transaction I was making from my Barclays account, which I was already having doubts about.

I could not understand what I was supposed to do. This meant that, after listening to the message several times, I pressed “1”.

This I now understand authorised the cold call transaction. I then tried to cancel within the cancellation period.

I have forwarded Barclays a copy of the email cancellation request, which is apparently the only way to cancel the contract. As I don’t have a computer a friend did this for me.

Can you somehow get my money back, as I cannot. FG, LONDON