I'm an anxiety sufferer, a single and only parent, someone who survived an abusive marriage and someone with an auto-immune condition, receiving a debt letter just days before my final exams (Uni) threw my entire nervous system off balance.
I'm still shaking, I don't know how I managed to pass my exam (I prayed A LOT despite being completely overwhelmed.)
I also had my medication dosage changed around the same time, so I was already experiencing extreme fatigue which was hard enough to deal with looking after kids on my own. I don't have much family here for support either.
Luckily my debt was only for $400 which is actually still a lot of money to someone in my position but the most frustrating part is that I had updated my studyload several times using the CLink app which is a complete fail, it states that it will update within 7 days and never did.
I eventually called them in June because they had started paying me student payments (after cancelling it in Feb and telling me I no longer qualify.)
Suddenly started receiving payments at the end of May, I even called in to say my study load has changed to part-time and they're paying the full amount, the lady was really lovely and insisted that it had been recently reviewed and everything was up to date.
I thought perhaps things have changed and that's now the rate. Surely the clink operator knows what she's talking about right?! WRONG!
When I received the letter, I wrote a formal complaint and asked them to waive the debt citing all receipt numbers and dates. I received a call from a lovely lady who was very understanding and escalated the matter further.
I then got another call from a man who also reassured me that he understood that I did everything I could have done and he was aware that I was trying to do the right thing and that they had erred.
The third call I got from a grouch, who ended up arguing with me simply because I was trying to explain to him why this happened in the first place, he didn't like me clarifying things and speaking up for myself. I annoyed him very much, he in fact decided to be spiteful and tell me that the amount they gave me was incorrect and it needed to be back dated further, he increased the amount by $100 after I had already broken down into tears when he asked if I had some special circumstances that could explain that I'm in a difficult position and they could waive the debt.
I had explained to him that I had recently just filed for divorce (it took me 6.5 years to find the courage to do so and to save to pay for it,) and that I've had endless issues with my health and it's costed me a lot out of pocket for new meds and specialist fees... he said with absolutely no empathy that my circumstances are nothing out of the ordinary.
At that point I was already humiliated enough, after having broken down in front of a complete stranger (I have to keep my shit together to be a good mum, I don't go feeling sorry for myself no matter what I'm faced with, but I crumbled under interrogation by intimidation.)
I was also just terrified he'd be more spiteful if I spoke up and look for some other discrepancy he could add to my debt! He did mellow out a bit after that but at the end of the day he took something from me as a human being.
He also acknowledged that clink had erred and he suggested that if ever it were to happen again, perhaps I should spend the money! WTF?! Because people like me are rolling in it so heavily that we just take SH*T from Clink for fun, it's entertaining being treated like a worthless, meaningless, desperate beggar of some sort.
I'm still in awe after that call. I accept that if I've been over-paid, that's money I was not entitled to and it should be repaid.
I cannot however, accept being treated like a piece of sh*t for a mistake they've made.
When will they be held accountable for their utter incompetence.
I was also told that the amount of staff they have is minuscule in comparison to the number of customers they have. I had to bite my lip and not ask him who the F's problem is that?!
I have a Business degree majoring in Management and I can assure him that's NO fault of any customer!
Their disgraceful level of incompetence is astounding, I hate to say that since most of the staff are quite helpful and caring and clink has helped me through some of the worst times of my life. I am thankful but I am also even more determined to get of welfare, I am at a point where I am terrified to rely on them for anything more, I wish with all my heart that I can find myself in a postion (very soon) where I can tell them to take their money and shove it.
He suggested I appeal it but what more can I do, my health can't handle any more of this... I am scared they'd nit pick for something else to add to my debt.
What an awful year its been. My heart goes out to all those who received outrageously high amounts, I hope you take them to the cleaners and put up the fight that I'm unable to.
I bet the man who also mentioned that he's worked for Clink since 1980 will be able to identify me through all the detail I've included post, but so be it. He can try and make my life harder, there's a higher authority out there who will make the final decision and bears witness to all.
Appalled, disgusted, revolted, anxious, deceived, INTIMIDATED, HUMILIATED, ANGRY and simply burnt-out. I know my case is nothing compared to what others have encountered, I'm fearful that they will invent something worse to throw at me and I honestly don't have the strength and courage to deal with it. I have no faith left in our government, their desperation has harmed the people who could least afford it. Huge Corporations will continue to receive tax cuts and breaks as per usual... they have more of a vested interest in them than in the struggling people of this country. May they all be exposed and held accountable for their actions.