Don't you love getting screwed over?

[Setra]

So I've dropped out of college, and of course there's plenty of bills for just a year.

I won't go too into detail, but the school borrowed money AFTER I dropped out, and they were supposed to send it back.

The school claims they sent it back, but my bank says they never got it... So one of them is lying and making me lose out on about $8,000. There's about jack and **** I can do about it.

I'm seriously debating setting both buildings on fire :smallfurious:

[SDF]

What you can do about it: Get a lawyer.

[Setra]

What you can do about it: Get a lawyer.
I can't afford one, and he'd probably cost about the same.

Edit: Right now I'm trying to get them to declare me mentally disabled so I don't have to pay back anything I signed in my name, but I don't think Bi-Polar and Schizophrenia are what they mean when they say 'disabled'.

The government says I'm disabled either way, so maybe they will too... Ha yeah right, they'd lose money.

[valadil]

Well that sucks. If your college is anything like mine was, I'd blame them before teh bank. Banks that lose money don't stay in business for long. Colleges do it routinely, especially if they're bureaucratic (which they almost always are). If I learned anything at college its that you should always get a reciept and take down the name of people you interact with.

[SDF]

I can't afford one, and he'd probably cost about the same.

Edit: Right now I'm trying to get them to declare me mentally disabled so I don't have to pay back anything I signed in my name, but I don't think Bi-Polar and Schizophrenia are what they mean when they say 'disabled'.

The government says I'm disabled either way, so maybe they will too... Ha yeah right, they'd lose money.

My friend tried this. He wasn't prescribed any medication though, and because of that they denied his claim. You might want to try and get a prescription out of it. Bi-polar and schizophrenia are exactly what they should mean, but either one is a severely debilitating diagnosis.

[Cubey]

I can't afford one, and he'd probably cost about the same.

This is defeatist thinking. You should at least check. I realize it's vastly different from country to country, but where I live lawyers receive a percentage of the sum you're fighting over rather than a set, large amount. When it gets to domestic cases like this, at least.

An insurance company tried to screw me over once, but I got a lawyer and won the case easily.

[RS14]

The school claims they sent it back, but my bank says they never got it... So one of them is lying and making me lose out on about $8,000. There's about jack and **** I can do about it.

First of all, reputable banks don't often lose translations. They may delay in registering the transaction, but they generally do a good job of tracking these things. If somebody screwed up, it was probably your school.

If your school didn't pay you back, they're potentially in legal trouble. They are therefor likely to be helpful in documenting the fact that it was returned. Ask in what manner it was returned, to where, and when. Bring a notarized bank statement to demonstrate that it was not received.

If documenting your case with bank statements proves inadequate, get a lawyer and take them to court. You may be able to find a lawyer who will take the case for some fraction of that $8000. Even if not, something as simple as a strongly worded letter backed by an attorney may be sufficient to convince your school to pay what is owed, and is potentially cheap.

Also, even if a lawyer does cost all of that $8000, at least you're not letting your school just walk away with it.

Edit: And even if your don't hire a lawyer, I suspect showing up prepared in court on your own with a notarized bank statement may be adequate.


I'm seriously debating setting both buildings on fire :smallfurious:

If you must express such sentiments, do it privately, with no recording devices present, and only with trusted friends. Do not express such sentiments online. Should a fire cause damage to buildings of either institution, it is probable that you will be arrested. Congratulations.

[Setra]

My friend tried this. He wasn't prescribed any medication though, and because of that they denied his claim. You might want to try and get a prescription out of it. Bi-polar and schizophrenia are exactly what they should mean, but either one is a severely debilitating diagnosis.
I do take medicine for my conditions, so that may help..

First of all, reputable banks don't often lose translations. They may delay in registering the transaction, but they generally do a good job of tracking these things. If somebody screwed up, it was probably your school. Yeah I pretty much figured it was my school, they're greedy like that.


If your school didn't pay you back, they're potentially in legal trouble. They are therefor likely to be helpful in documenting the fact that it was returned. Ask in what manner it was returned, to where, and when. Bring a notarized bank statement to demonstrate that it was not received. Alright, that sounds like a good idea.


If documenting your case with bank statements proves inadequate, get a lawyer and take them to court. You may be able to find a lawyer who will take the case for some fraction of that $8000. Even if not, something as simple as a strongly worded letter backed by an attorney may be sufficient to convince your school to pay what is owed, and is potentially cheap.

Also, even if a lawyer does cost all of that $8000, at least you're not letting your school just walk away with it.

Edit: And even if your don't hire a lawyer, I suspect showing up prepared in court on your own with a notarized bank statement may be adequate. I guess I can look around, though if he's gonna cost all of it I may just let them walk away because I hate hassles.

If you must express such sentiments, do it privately, with no recording devices present, and only with trusted friends. Do not express such sentiments online. Should a fire cause damage to buildings of either institution, it is probable that you will be arrested. Congratulations.
Bah, it's unlikely they'd even find this post, and if they DID it's not like they know exactly where 'Setra' lives. Plus I never mentioned what school I go to, or which bank I am referring to.

Not to mention I pretty much have a bunch of people know where I am at all times. Plus this is all assuming someone DOES set one of the buildings on fire. And since I'm not going to, there wouldn't be enough proof to convict me..

[SDF]

I do take medicine for my conditions, so that may help..

Okay, I just wanted you to be aware of what happened to my friend. There are a lot of ways they use to avoid losing money. It's rough.

Most legal consults are free, you can ask about prices and what you could get back. If the school has the documents the bank either has to forgive it, or try and fight the school. If they don't then they are liable. Either way, when the two institutions are giving you a different story you win against one or the other.

[THAC0]

Yeah I pretty much figured it was my school, they're greedy like that.


I'm willing to bet that it was an honest mistake, personally.

[Icewalker]

It was probably the school, as others have been saying. As you're worried about being able to afford a lawyer, I suggest being very loud and active in demanding that the issue be resolved, and threaten to bring legal action if they don't, whether or not you believe you can afford it in the end.

[Zeb The Troll]

Do what bill collectors do when you've paid a bill they're still trying to collect. Ask the school to provide you with proof that the money was sent. They should be able to provide transaction records or a processed check or something.

Alternatively, just ask them to provide you with a date that it was sent and the date that it cleared their accounts. Maybe you can get them to tell you what bank it was sent to, what account number, et cetera. Then you can show them your bank records NOT showing the deposit they claim they made. Tell them that they are required to either show you documentation proving the transaction happened, or provide you with enough information to prove that it didn't. (This may or may not be true, but the person you're talking to probably doesn't know either and it may be enough to get the ball rolling.)

That's what I would do, anyway.

[Zincorium]

$8,000 dollars isn't worth what it was in 1950- but that's a heck of a lot of money to be paying interest on.

Key things to address:

1. In what manner did you authorize this money? What is the exact piece of paper that allowed the college to tell the bank to give them an additional payment? It is just slightly possible that you don't have a legal recourse- and a lawyer will tell you this on consultation (where you can also get the fee for legal action).

2. Who in the college told you that the money was paid? In most states, as long as one participant knows the conversation is being recorded, you can legally record them telling you that the money was sent. If they lied- you're looking at more than the 8 grand. What they are committing is fraud if they maintain the money went to you and it can be shown it didn't.

3. Talk to your bank. You are a customer. Tell them you are looking into pursuing legal action against the college, and you would like them to help you with proving the money never entered into your account. So long as you are in good standing (you're making your payments), they should be able to get a history of transactions through your account.


After all that, if you consult with an attorney and let him know that you have the above information, the validation of a claim, the statement that the claim was fulfilled, and proof that it was not fulfilled, it shouldn't go to court and the attorney won't ask for much in the way of fees- it's mostly free money to them at that point.

We're talking, at most, five or six hours of work on your part. If I could get even one grand for six hours of work, it would have to involve something illegal for me to say no.

[Riffington]

I can't afford one, and he'd probably cost about the same.

Edit: Right now I'm trying to get them to declare me mentally disabled so I don't have to pay back anything I signed in my name, but I don't think Bi-Polar and Schizophrenia are what they mean when they say 'disabled'.


Don't do this. It's got long lasting consequences.
I second the "have the school send you their proof". Likely in looking for the proof they'll realize they never sent it, and will send it.