Loan money

I guess this could go here or grievances. I'm worried sick because of my stupid loan money.

I get checks from Sallie Mae three times a year. I go into London, sign it, the uni deposits it into their dollar account, we get the conversion amount from them, then they apply some of it to fees, and then give me the rest.

The first check (in September) got messed up because a temp didn't know what he was supposed to do with them.

This check (Janurary) is just getting dragged out for no reason.

Meanwhile, I'm on the verge of eviction because that's the money for rent, which is now seriously past due.

I was in London last week and they couldn't give me a cheque or do a transfer then because they had to wait for January's books to close. They assured me they'd do a manual cheque on Friday and put in in Friday's post.

Saturday post -- no cheque.
Monday post -- no cheque.
Tuesday post -- no cheque. I call the university cashier and leave a voicemail asking her to call me back urgently. No call back.
Today's post -- no cheque. I call the uni cashier again and she says she got my message late in the day and asked about the cheque upstairs.

Turns out she didn't get the request form to them until Monday. The cheque went out Tuesday.

I finally got to speak to the woman who sent the cheque out who was actually helpful. If the cheque isn't here tomorrow, I'm supposed to call her back and we'll try to get approval for an emergency BACS transfer.

Meanwhile, my rent is due on the 21st or eviction papers get served. Cheques take a week to clear in my bank account.

I've now been chasing down the money from the January checks since they arrived on 5 January.

Ridiculous.

I have no advice, just sympathy.  That really sucks!  I hope you get the cheque soon.

Do you have anything in writting to show your landlord? that your having problems with getting your money that it is there but they are being slow in getting it to you.

I think your landlord has to go to court ect to evict you that should take 3 months and if you put something in writting to him/her then maybe that will help along with evedience that you will pay as soon as possible.

good luck

I go the cheque the other day, took it to the bank and got proof of a direct debit order from them.

Took that, along with a copy of the deposited cheque, to the letting agent.

Everything's fine now.

I'm still way more stressed than I needed to be, though.

Jen,

Been there, done that!

In the future, any time you get in a bind find out if the University has a Hardship Fund. Often they do, go in and either yell and scream or cry your eyes out (no seriously the more you do the more cash they give you) and you'll either get a instant no intrst loan or possibly a grant from the Uni for such issues. Often special conditions apply to overseas students but they still can give you some emergency cash.

Jen, do you have to deposit it into the uni? Is it possible to cut them out of the process, somehow? Can you deposit it yourself, and then write the uni a cheque for the amount due, or maybe deposit it in the U.S. and  then transfer the money here? It seems such a raw deal to constantly depend on University beurocracy to make sure you get your rent paid on time.

It's in their big book o' policies that the checks have to be written to both me and them, deposited into their dollar account, applied to my uni account, and then a refund issued for any excess balance I might have after a portion of my tuition is paid.

Hopefully I won't be so dependant on that money in the future. Whenever I can get a job and/or have money transferred to me from the US, it won't be such a big deal to wait a few weeks. (Although, typing that, I just can't help think how absolutely stupid it is that I'd have to be ok with waiting weeks for my money.)