About the case
A student contacted us as she was dissatisfied with the provider withholding part of her refund. The student had paid full price for a multi-week English course and was dissatisfied with the fee of 25% that the provider had retained after she withdrew from the course.
How we helped
The iStudent Complaints’ Resolution Coordinator assisted by contacting the provider and collating relevant information from the student and the provider. An opportunity for the student and provider to resolve the issue was provided though a mediated discussion with a mediator. Unfortunately, the student and provider could not come to an agreement and the student escalated the issue to adjudication. The Resolution Coordinator collated the submissions for each party and the adjudicator made a final decision on the issue.
Outcome
The adjudicator did not uphold the student's complaint and found that it was reasonable for the provider to withhold up to 25% of the fees if they could prove that these were actual costs incurred. Through the submissions the provider showed evidence that they had actually incurred costs that equated to the 25% that they had withheld.