It was revealed yesterday that The Student Loans Company took more than ??15 million in overpayments last year from graduates who had already cleared their debts.
The consumer watchdog Which?, who unearthed the figures after receiving complaints from people who noticed money was still being taken from their pay packets found that more than 57,000 former students were waiting for a refund for the year to March 2010.
The Student Loan Company told Which?: "If a borrower has overpaid, the money is paid back when the details come to us. Borrowers suffer no financial disadvantage as a consequence."
Which? then replied stating, "We disagree. Unwarranted payments could cause significant short-term hardship, as well as considerable hassle in getting HMRC and the SLC to communicate effectively with each other."
And we would agree. How can un-owed money being removed from your salary not cause "financial disadvantage"?
