Complaint Review: Ashworth College

I have been enrolled in Ashworth College (James Madison High School by PCDI when I joined in 2002) for a high school diploma. My agreement was for $913 for 8 courses (two years) which I paid in full, and would give me an "academic" diploma so I could go to college. I haven't required the diploma for livable employment and did not have the money for college, so I lazily worked on it.

I recently acquired the amount of money I need to go to college, so I intended to blast through the two remaining classes and get ready to go to college in the fall. I completed the first of the two remaining classes and waited a month for my new book to arrive. Instead I got a letter stating that I had to take more classes (an unspecified amount)and had to pay an additional $200 in tuition. Something they forgot to mention in the contracts I signed, any of the course materials they had sent me, or in the emails back and forth with "tutors".

I thought it was a mistake because of many inconsistencies in the paperwork and called the school. Inconsistencies such as they said I only had one year of enrollment with them when it was actually 2, listed all my already completed courses as yet to be completed, and gave me credit for only 5 credits for the two years of in classroom school I did complete, which should have been MUCH higher. I was hung up on by the first employee of theirs who refused to give me her name and basically told me it was real, the "laws all changed" and they were "privileging" me by allowing me to take so long to complete the course, something I was never told. She also told me to "just deal with it". I called back and the second customer service rep who was very nice,"Chris", told me information that was completely contradictory to what they sent me (such as I needed 7 classes and owed no money because I paid in full) and said it was probably a mistake and to call the registration office on Monday.

I called on Monday(March 28) and they informed me that my original transcript that I gave them in 2002 was just now being checked and I had to take more classes than expected. To which I obviously asked "How can you determine what classes I've needed this whole time if you didn't run my transcripts?" Then they then claimed I was sent notification of this in 2002 but could not tell me what date or to what address it was sent. (Yeah these two statements together didn't make sense to me either) Also, this is not true, evidence in the payments that were not completed until 2004, why would they not add the money into the bill if they knew then? Also my original class list of 8 classes was issued as a result of my transcript, obviously, since they had to choose which courses to send me in the first place. On top of that, why they would wait 9 years to run my transcripts even if that was the case?

On the phone with the registration office they continually attempted to make me verbally agree to pay the extended tuition of $200 and attempted to deny all the content of my original paperwork including the contract. I have the original contract and it NOWHERE states they have the right to do "adjust" my contract to add classes. It very plainly says in all the dated materials I have from them, I complete the 8 courses listed below, I get a high school diploma.

Upon further looking on the internet there are several claims about them withholding diplomas without cause, pretending the students never were enrolled in their school, and "forgetting" classes that you took with them(they told me my psychology course I took with them wasn't showing up until I complained citing my paperwork and returned tests, and they "found it").

Please no "do your reasearch first" responses. I called all the local colleges in Arizona where I lived at the time before I signed up. The colleges said they would accept the diploma and I may have to take pre-reqs. My only reason for not getting a GED originally is because I wanted "High School Diploma" on my diploma as a matter of personal pride.

Many people on here say Ashworth is fine and great. Thats wonderful and lucky for them that they had a positive experience. Or wonderful for them they are being paid by Ashworth to give the school credibility on a website dedicated to exposing their fraud. But while you read this trying to decide whether Ashworth is right for you, realize your talking about your future. And 50/50 on whether they will or will not screw you are really high stakes.

These people have quite possibly crushed my intentions of going to school this year, robbed me of either $200 or $913, and wasted many hours of my time while I attempted to better myself. They profit off the unjust exploitation of the hopes and dreams of people. This is and should be criminal.