Dear Claudienne,

I am writing to you in regard to my unfavourable experience with the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB), Jamaica.

I enrolled in university in 2009 with a loan from the SLB. In 2010 the SLB cancelled my loan midway through the first semester of my second year and that resulted in me incurring a school fee debt of over $108,000 and being unable to return to classes for two years. When I graduated in 2015, my SLB repayment date had already begun.

In 2016, I started a job and immediately began making payments. I paid mostly lump sum payments, either through Bill Express or banks. The bureau said all clients would receive quarterly statements on their accounts but although I contacted them over and over and requested statements, as that would be the only way to keep track of the loan status, I never received any.

In 2020 I requested a statement and upon receiving such I realised that the balance was inaccurate. I sent copies of my receipts to SLB and advised them of the error but to this day, no one has responded. As I wanted to finalise my account, between July 2020 and October 2021, I made several requests to the SLB for the balance owed but got no response

I continued to make monthly payments until February 2022, when I made a payment of $54,000 via Bill Express online, thinking that that amount would take it real close to finalising the loan payments. A few weeks later I called the SLB and when I entered my Taxpayer Registration Number the system referred to it as an invalid account. I tried three times and got the same response.

I never made any more payments and still none of my e-mail were answered. On November 20, 2024 I received an e-mail saying my account is unsuitable to be maintained in the loan servicing department and a sum of $192,526 must be paid by November 28.

I responded asking for a way forward and also explained that I have tried to contact them but never got a response. Again, there was no response at all until a random person with a regular Gmail address sent me an e-mail saying, “You are encouraged to contact me so we can discuss the way forward regarding your student loan account, otherwise we will proceed legally with you and your guarantors.”

There was no introduction, no explanation, until I asked who they were. I was then informed they are from Richards & Richards attorney-at-law contacting me on behalf of the Students’ Loan Bureau. I presented my explanation of what’s been happening, the inaccuracies, the clarification that must come from SLB and they responded with a threat. “No time can be given to you or we will proceed legally with you and your guarantors.”

The balance the bureau is quoting still has the miscalculation from 2019-2020 that I had tried to query and that was never resolved. In 2019 I was offered a two per cent reduction in interest. That’s still not reflected — another thing I contacted them about and got no response. The SLB wants me to pay what I do not owe with no intention of looking at its failure.

I really need help going forward and would appreciate your assistance.

MR

Dear MR,

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with the Students’ Loan Bureau in regard to your issues with the repayment of the money you borrowed from it.

The column received the following e-mail from the SLB on April 9, 2025:

“The requisite due diligence checks were done on the customer’s account which revealed the following:

1. The customer received three loans from the SLB, two of which were subsequent to 2010 when her application was cancelled as she had not completed the process at the end of that application period. It is critical to note that she received a graduation date extension for one year. She did not complete the course within that one year, and failed to submit the requisite documents for a subsequent extension, leading to her account entering repayment during her final year while she was still in school.

2. There are several correspondences on record between the customer and the Loan Servicing Department over the years, and statements have been provided to her. Our records also indicated that on July 23, 2020 and August 21, 2020 her loan officer called her, provided her with her loan balance and addressed the concerns which she raised, to which she had replied that the interest was higher than what she had calculated.

3. The customer has indicated in her correspondence that despite knowing that her account was not closed she did not pay the loan because she did not receive adequate communication in 2021. It is noted that the customer did not call to speak to an officer, nor did she come into our offices to get the clarification or information that she required. The SLB has implemented a new telephone system and is in the process of implementing a new enterprise management system which would see significant improvement in communication with our valued customers.

4. Due to non-payment for a period of three years, and the customer’s failure to respond to several notices, on November 20, 2024 she was advised by her loan servicing officer via e-mail that there was significant arrears on the account, and same was scheduled to be transferred to the Legal Department. In the said correspondence she was provided with a statement of account. She was also provided with contact details for her loan servicing officer who tried to contact her and her guarantors several times via phone to no avail.

5. There was subsequent dialogue with the officer on November 25, 2024 wherein she indicated that “I’m not in a position to pay even a fraction of the sum indicated on the statement.”

6. It is critical to note that at no point did the customer make a payment proposal to settle the arrears of which she was aware, nor did she come into our offices to speak to anyone regarding her loan account.

7. Given that no payment arrangement was put in place to address the arrears, a formal demand letter was sent to the customer and her guarantors in December 2024 and the account was transferred to the Legal Department in January 2025.

8. Contrary to the assertions of the customer, formal correspondence dated January 17, 2025, was dispatched to the customer and her guarantors to their addresses on record advising them that her account was being outsourced to our authorised collection agency; Richards & Richards, attorneys-at-law. They were also provided with all their contact details. It is therefore uncertain the basis on which, after having received our formal advisory, the customer could be claiming that there was “no introduction or explanation” as to who they were.

9. Regarding the two per cent reduction in interest rate, it should be noted that the interest was reduced on her account from 9.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent with an effective date of April 1, 2019. This was communicated via e-mail to her on December 11, 2019. It is critical to note that she also responded to said e-mail acknowledging receipt on December 12, 2019.

Given that there is no arrangement in place, we would like to encourage the customer to come into our offices to meet with us and discuss settlement arrangements. Appointments are not required, and our office is open Mondays-Fridays between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:30 pm.

Thank you for having brought this matter to our attention.”

Please contact the SLB.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876-936-9436 or Cell/WhatsApp # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone
number.