General consumer problems
If you buy consumer goods or services – such as a laptop or a mobile phone contract- and the product develops a fault, or the service provided is not what was promised, you have rights as a consumer. These can allow you to cancel a contract, get problems put right or money back.
If you need advice on consumer contracts, the CAB provide online advice – see https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/
Citizens Advice consumer helpline: 03454 04 05 06
When you call the helpline make sure you are ready to tell the adviser details of the problems and what you have done so far to sort it out
- when you paid for the item or the service, how much you paid, how you paid for it, whether you did so in a shop or online
- the seller or trader’s name and address
- what you’ve done so far to try to solve the issue
Course and UEA related problems
As a UEA student, you have a contract with UEA, and if you are not satisfied with the provision of services by UEA, we can help you to get problems sorted or, if they can’t be resolved within the UEA processes, advise you about your other options.
The UEA has complaints processes to deal with:
- Non-academic problems (for example, about accommodation, catering or Student Support Services. There is more information on how to complain on this page
- Academic problems (for example, course related issues or problems with your adviser). You can find out how to make an academic complaint on our academic advice page
advice(su) can support you with making complaints, including guidance on how to use the process, how to put your case effectively, and what evidence to provide.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint you may ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) to review whether it has been dealt with properly under the UEA procedures
If your complaint is about something which is part of your legal contract with UEA, and you are dissatisfied with the outcome of an internal complaint, you may be able to take legal action for breach of contract.
Your contract with UEA is contained in a number of documents, including the UEA standard terms and conditions, and UEA academic and general regulations. The standard terms and conditions are updated regularly, and you neeed to find the ones for the year you first started your course. You can find a link to the terms and conditions here.
If you relied on other relevant information such as descriptions of your course online when choosing your course at UEA they could be treated as part of the contract.
Under consumer law, a term is also included that the service will be provided with reasonable care and skill
If you have specific concerns about the impact of UCU strike action on you, you can find out more on this FAQs page and read how advice(su) can help you here
advice(su) can help you to
- identify whether there is a relevant contractual term which has been broken
- what information you need to make a legal claim and
- signpost you to further sources of advice
If you decide to take legal advice before taking the matter further, we recommend you make sure you understand what the cost will be before instructing a solicitor. You can find a solicitor by searching the Law Society website:
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/for-the-public/using-a-solicitor/find-a-solicitor/