Former Damelin Correspondence College Student Feels Scammed After Year-Long Nightmare Over Course Material
- Former Damelin Correspondence College student Amy Le Roux details how she struggled to further her education at the institution
- Le Roux says she paid her tuition in full, but Damelin did not keep their end of the bargain
- After months of begging the institution to give her the correct course material, Amy decided to deregister and ask for a tuition refund
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When Amy Le Roux registered at Damelin Correspondence College to further her education, she hoped to have a smooth sailing experience.
Source: Getty Images
However, eight months down the line, Amy had to cut her correspondence with the institution because it failed to deliver what it had promised. The nightmare did not end there, because the higher learning institution gave her the run-around when she tried to get a refund.
Former Damelin student battles with the institution after fully paying her fees
For Amy, choosing Damelin as a place of study seemed like a no-brainer because the institution appeared to tick all the right boxes.
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Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Le Roux explained that her partner had previously registered to study at another institution. But Amy could not study at the same institution because she needed an option that would allow her to learn from home.
She added that the other institution put her off because her partner had a terrible experience.
"I was initially going to go with Varsity, and then I found Damelin. I was like, the rates are great. I can do it all online. So this is going to be perfect," said Amy.
Damelin uploads incorrect course material on the student portal
So in December 2021, Amy paid her tuition in full to the tune of R15 120, and she was all set to begin her Diploma in Business Management the following year.
However, Amy struggled to start her studies when the year began because the institution uploaded the incorrect course material on her student portal.
"I studied, and then I went on to assignments and assessments. I realised nothing here makes sense because I was trying to see where the assignments and assessments correlated to the course material that was shared, and that was incorrect course material," said Amy.
She reached out to a representative at the institution and complained about being unable to begin her assignments. The process dragged on and Damelin only loaded the correct course material at the end of March 2022.
Although she finally received the correct course material, Amy had the daunting realisation that she had to begin the studying process all over again.
Amy decided to venture on but later realised that they uploaded the incorrect assessment on the student portal. At this point, she says she was beyond frustrated.
Former Damelin student deregisters after receiving incorrect course material
Le Roux was six months into the year and had not been able to begin her Business Management course, so she decided to call it quits and ask for a refund.
Amy then decided to submit her request to get her money back and was offered a 20% refund even though she had paid her tuition in full and never received the correct course material.
She tells Briefly News that the 20% refund felt like an insult and decided to appeal the decision, but in the end, she felt she had no choice but to accept what was offered to her.
"I didn't feel that I had any choice. I submitted the cancellation and refund request, and they'd come back to me, seemingly without having reviewed any of the evidence that I submitted," said Amy.
Amy decided to submit an appeal, but Damelin would not budge on the 20% offer. However, she spent a year and a half begging Damelin to pay her refund.
Briefly News reached out to Damelin to inquire about Amy's case. Shakir Achmat, Student Support Supervisor at Damelin, only said that her refund was flagged as a priority but did not explain why Amy had such a terrible experience at the institution.
All follow-up questions to the institution went unanswered. Following our enquiry with Damelin, Amy received her 20% refund, which came to R3 024.
Former Damelin student says she feels scammed by the institution
Amy is now escalating her grievances with the Department of Higher Education and Training because she does not want anyone else to go through what she did. According to the department, students must exhaust all avenues with their institutions before lodging formal complaints.
"I can't believe that there are people working for institutions that do this to other people. I'm quite disgusted," said Amy.
She explains that she feels scammed by Damelin because she paid her fees in good faith and under the impression that they would deliver what was promised.
Le Roux explains that she is sharing her story because other people might not have the same resources she does to lay complaints and follow up on their grievances as she did.
"I was able to make the payments and carry on with life and keep a roof over my head. I didn't necessarily go without, but the guy on the street, who has just graduated from high school, doesn't have a full-time job and is scraping every penny for studies doesn't necessarily have the resources that I have," said Amy.
Amy is not the only person to have experienced such a harrowing experience with Damelin.
In 2021, the Daily Maverick reported that Damelin was under investigation by the Department of Higher Education after multiple students lodged complaints about the institution.
Students were seeking refunds from after the Nelspruit branch closed down after they had paid their registration fees. Students were advised to take the institution to the small claims court for their refunds.
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