WA Friend Wants to Cancel Online Course - What to Do?

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Dobbsy

Member
23 July 2015
3
0
1
Hi Guys,

I was looking for some advise for my friend who signed up for an Online Medical 2 year course. The Online company is located in Sydney and my friend WA. The course fee is around $7500 which my friend set up a monthly direct debit. When she was about to start the online course, to her horror, before she started it she realized it was the wrong course and called them and explained she had the wrong course. The course she needed was $3500 and they were happy to change this for her BUT they still wanted the full $7500 payment.

She now because of the stress and the way they treated her on the phone etc., doesn't want any of their courses now. And wrote to cancel the course and the direct debit. She even sent a letter from her doctor explaining how ill she is right now and not fit to do the course anyway.

They have totally ignored her and now the debt recovery company and debt collectors are emailing her for the money..

Please is there anything she can do? She knows she signed the contract, but she has not even started the course.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards.
 

Ivy

Well-Known Member
10 February 2015
498
87
789
Get your friend to call the WA Dept of Commerce.
As a starting point, if someone cancels a service before it has been provided (in this case the course) the cancellation fee can only be equivalent to the reasonable costs incurred by the service provider. Any cancellation fee that goes above and beyond the reasonable cost is punitive which is prohibited by the ACL.
 

Dobbsy

Member
23 July 2015
3
0
1
Many thanks Ivy. I know they sent her the course and when she opened it and went through the course she realised it was the wrong course
 

Adam1user

Well-Known Member
5 January 2018
577
33
2,219
Have a look at their website for the cancellation police, this would be your first step. It will determine the cancellation fees as mentioned in one of the comments.