Refund of Admission Fees - Help Needed!!

[ManDevIan]

Hi friends!!

I secured a final selection in SIIB, pune in first week of march (ya i know they came out with results very fast)
till then MDI results were not out & i wasn't called to any of the IIMs
so hopeless i deposited the first instalment (which was nothing less but Rs. 1 lakhs)

Now i have got admission to MDI gurgaon and ppl at SIIB are refunding me just 10% of the amount deposited.. i.e. RS. 10,000 only

I understand that while paying the fees, i signed that i agree to abide by these rules & that if i claim refund after 3rd April... i'll get on 10K back...

But recently a friend of mine told me that someone in similar situation won a case in consumer forum last yr. so i think even i can try to do that!

I need suggestions from u all in this regard
What do i do??
Do i actually have a case?

[glow=black:9f99be2fb6]Prateek[/glow:9f99be2fb6]

[Vibhavan]

Originally Posted by Mandevian

I understand that while paying the fees, i signed that i agree to abide by these rules & that if i claim refund after 3rd April... i'll get on 10K back...

Do i actually have a case?

Dude, I am no legal expert, but it does seem to me that if you have a signed agreement that they will only refund 'X' amount of money, then its hard to fight against it.

[reubenmt]

suggest you try filing a case at the Consumer Forum.

Inspite of the fact that you signed an agreement.. there are many cases where they are void..
These courts are quite user friendly and cases get resolved pretty soon..
The negative publicity involved also makes the companies wary..

If nothing.. it may set a precedent for these institutes trying to take advantage of students who are at a critical stage of their lives..

[psmith]

even i am not good at the legal aspect buddy but as far as i know as you have signed the agreement you can kiss the money goodbye..

forget abt it and look ahead dude

adios
psmith

[spits]

dude
1 lac aint laughing matter...fight for it godammit....try approaching the insti first see if good reasoning works, maybe they aint that cruel and will consider ur case.....
lemme know how things proceed....cuz im heading for ur predicament too!!!!!!!!!

[Greycell]

In the past there hv been cases filed. In few cases students hv won(i don't kno abt the rest).

however for the inst. they hv to show expenditure. Eg- for person who gets thru ICFAI, he has minimal chances of wining such a case b'coz ICFAI can claim tht they hv organised such an expensive admissions process, followed it up by sending books/dairies and now they r also conducting induction session (1 month) totally free of cost.

So in this case institute is showing expenditure... and thus justifying the money earned thru backouts

Plus 1 more thg tht goes against ppl like u(and me) is tht v hv signed on the dotted line agreeing to such clauses. Loophole- tht dotted line was not on stamp paper
Loopholes r everywhr. If u can find 1..go for it. Otherwise just crib abt it

[ManDevIan]

Originally Posted by spits

dude
1 lac aint laughing matter...fight for it godammit....try approaching the insti first see if good reasoning works, maybe they aint that cruel and will consider ur case.....
lemme know how things proceed....cuz im heading for ur predicament too!!!!!!!!!

Hi friends....
really nice to see so many concerned people around!!

i had talked to college authorities already....
they heard me very patiently on phone.... butthe ultimate reply was "we are unable to do everything"... "we empathise with you"... etc etc..
they'll be dispatching me the draft of 10k tomorrow!!

As regards "contract" being signed....as per Indian Contact Act, 1872 .. there are cases where the court can declare the contracts (even though they may be properly executed on stamp paper etc) as null & void...

On the other hand... as regards contract on not being executed on stamp paper... as per the provisions of the same Contract Act, even oral agreements are enforceable!!

So i am really not sure what to do...
If in case i go to Consumer Forum... i can't do so before 11th (as 10th is elections here)!
so folks... plz come out with more suggestions..
if possible gimme some links on net reagrding the cases won & lost by students in similar situations

[glow=darkred:46d4f117de]Prateek[/glow:46d4f117de]

[Sameer Gupta]

I hope the consumer forum can help in ensuring that from next year SIIB does not follow such a senseless scheme of returning only 10% of the fee after 3rd April.. which is a date by which none of the major B-Schools would declare their results.

I guess the only advantage of filling a case against them is ....probably you might not get the money but SIIB would not dare do the same again next year.. and they would come with logical fee return rule that other colleges follow.
Consumer Forum MIGHT help you get some refund this time... however majorly it would benefit next-year students....But I know very few would try to do this for the cause of next-year students..

For you, I guess you can speak to the college authorities and try to get some more money refund...!! Nothing else comes in my mind..

[coolcat]

I too agree

Since many B-Schools are fleecing money by having such a scheme , it is good that one of us should start this

One more interesting point:

The actual classes start only in June and thus asking people to pay up in April is therefore definitely wrong(They make interest from the capital). Further this is a clear indicator that the main funda is to fleece money and I feel u have a decent case.

Try it for the good of so many PGiites who face a similar predicament.

Good Luck!!!!!!!

[abhi_jain]

My take on the matter - You can prove that this is one way of profiteering by an institute and while you didn't attend a single class of theirs you shud be refunded your money... No institute can justify how it had expended 90% of fees on a student with the student having withdrawn his admission even before joining the institute...

One thing that will tilt the case in your favor is if you can go to SIIB, and collect any documentary evidence or even word from a person their (can be later verified by the consumer court) that another student was given a seat in lieu of your having withdrawn your seat....And I am sure that after your having withdrawn, SIIB must have offered your seat to some other student...

You can probably charge SIIB for the mental stress you have been thru coz of all this and hordes of other damages amounting to above Rs. 10,000/-

But make sure you have (evidential) exchange of atleast three formal pieces of communication between you and SIIB in regards to this...or 2 communications + 1 visit.

Adios

[glow=darkblue:fc2ebec733]Abhishek[/glow:fc2ebec733]

P.S.: Don't forget your promise