Student Loan :-S

Today I decided I would finally do something about my student loan problems. I gathered together all the information I had and contact the student loan company (SLC) with my figures.

The last statement I had from the SLC was in 2004 Nearly two years ago before I started making repayments. Since then I have started working and have had payments deducted from my wages. Both whilst I was work for Business Link and later at Tbred. I decided to try and work out what I had paid off
In the last few days I have phoned the SLC several times to ask how much they thought I currently owed. One time I tried to phone the operator hung up on me after I had been waiting for absolutely ages. Again I had to wait eventually getting put through to someone who said she couldn’t quote over the phone but would send out a valuation.

The valuation arrived in the post a few days later it showed no record of any payment so I phoned up to query this and was told the Inland Revenue has not passed any details of payments on. Personally I think this is appalling I dread to think what sort of punishment the FSA would hand out to one of our lenders if they told a customer that they were waiting for a third party before they could record details of payments.

I decided to work it all out for myself and send them a littler with all the details in. I had to work with slightly incomplete records as the tax office never returned some of the pay slips I sent when they were calculating my tax rebate. Tto make matters more confusing business link I made several payments based on the old threshold of earning over £10,000 not the current £15,000 threshold.

Regardless when I totted up what I have paid it equates to about 10% of my total student loan. I would say is a significant chunk, given II am being charge about £30 a month interest and this is compounding upwards I am losing out heavily for there mistakes in effect currently I have paid extra tax which has had no benefit whatsoever on my financial position.

I have forwarded a letter with photocopies of my remaining payslips and P60's in the hope it will help them sort out the problems. If not I will try writing to my MP as a Liberal he should be against tuition fees and this is a nice case against them I think. I mean what the heck sort of system takes money out of people's wages specifically to pay for their loans and the money never arrives.

Crash

Today was the last day of my Christmas holidays tomorrow I return to work, I feel quite a lot better today thankfully, though I could use another week off. I have defiantly put n weight the end of my holiday mean the start of my diet, I doubt I will be well enough to hit the gym tomorrow and its probably best given the gym will most likely be packed out with people who want to lose weight for New Year, it usually calms down by March.


Today I spent my time watching the first series of The Shield which is pretty damn good I mean its just the same old cops show but with very strong casting and characterisation and a couple of twists take it further down the trail blazed by NYPD blue, Homicide life on the streets and Hill Street Blues but with a post modern look at the characters take VIC he is a bad cop who at the same time has a sense of justice so strong that when the strike team set up the wrong guy Vic goes to any length to sort the mess out.

Tonight rented crash from the video store, it was third time lucky the last two times I have been to get a movie crash has been fully rented out tonight in fact I got the last copy. I can see why it is so popular its in the magnolia style of blending stories from different characters together, it main focus is the complex nature of people racial beliefs, with a subtext of how our actions cascade and affect other peoples lives. I wont try and break it down any more than this phenomenal quote from Matt Dillon "You think you know who you are. You have no idea." Its an excellent watch though one which requires a little attention defiantly needs focus, but worthwhile.