Bank mix-up puts students out of pocket

Press, 13 April 1989, Page 7

Bank mix-up puts students out of pocket

PA Wellington Students at Victoria University found themselves up to $4BO out of pocket yesterday after the first student support payments were debited from rather than credited to their accounts. The Students’ Association president, Ms Leanne Hansen, said she had little faith in Databank and university authorities after Tuesday night’s bungle. “Both parties are blaming each other for the mistake. “Databank should have known that the university had no authority to debit from students’ accounts and, if they had one brain cell working, should have recognised the error.” A Databank spokesman said, “The matter is between Databank and the varsity. “The error originated at the university and it is up to them to sort it out.” The Victoria registrar, Dr Ted Harvey, said the debiting was caused by a “series of misunderstandings.” He said a wrong code was used. The president of the Canterbury University Students’ Association, Ms Suze Wilson, said Canter-

bury students would not receive their payments until Tuesday. “Now that the problem has been brought to the attention of everybody it should be sorted out. “They have been given three days notice to make sure that it doesn’t happen here." Ms Wilson said students had already had to wait eight weeks for the payment. In Auckland bursary payments had to be delayed until today after a fault was found in the university computer authorisation tape. The Students’ Association president, Mr Des Amanono, said some students were "screaming blue murder." He said, “The first bursary payout date is one of the most important days of the year. By this stage nearly everyone is skint from paying for books, tuition and enrolment, bonds for rent and other things. “Getting this money — worth up to $930 in some cases — is crucial, because everyone puts bills off until this date, writes their cheques today, and can budget for the coming weeks.”