On October 29,2009,I received academic advising from Karen Gorman,an employee at the UOP online.She told me the application fee of $45 was being waived.She went through the online application with me and advised me that the program she was enrolling me in was the appropriate one for my educational needs at this point.However,I later spoke to another enrollement/acadmic advisor at the UOP,and upon telling him about my background and educational objectives,he determined that the program Karen Gorman had advised me to apply for was,in fact,not appropriate for my goals and life circumstances.In hearing his explanation of conditions that Karen Gorman misrepresented to me,I agreed that the program that she had advised me to apply for would not meet my needs and was not appropriate for my present life circumstances.Subsequently,I decided to cancel my application to the UOP.Now,I have been contacted by Eileen Patricia Broom and have been told that the application fee that I was specifically told was being waived is now due from me to the UOP.I explained to her that I had been ill advised by Karen Gorman and that the program which she advised me to apply for was not appropriate.Furthermore,I was told that the application fee was being waived,period.There were no exceptions or conditions placed on that at the time I applied,and Karen Gorman never informed me that I would be charged the $45 application fee under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!Yesterday,November 24,2009,I received a letter from Eileen Broom,stating that the $45 application fee is due from me immediately.I am not going to pay this fee,because as I stated,I was advised improperly to apply for an educational program that is not appropriate for my needs or circumstances.Furthermore,I was specifically told at the time of application that the fee of $45 was being waived,and I was not informed of any exceptions or conditions that had been placed upon that waiver.There is no program at the UOP that is appropriate for my educational and personal needs or circumstances at this time,and if I had been properly advised to begin with,I would never have applied.This was an error on the part of one of their employees who was only interested in getting money for the UOP and not in advising me to take the best course of actions for my personal situation.Now they want to come back and charge me for applying to a program that I should not have been advised to apply for to begin with?Moreover,I was told that the $45 fee was being waived,period,the end.Now that they know they are not getting my money, they want to come back and charge me?I don't think this is ethically right or just.They misrepresented their program to me,pure and simple,and now they expect me to pay them money for it?They wasted my time and my energy and now they want my money on top of it?I don't think so!They are not handling this in an ethical or responsible manner.I am not going to pay them $45 for misguiding me and wasting MY time and MY energy!Had I been properly informed from the beginning,I would never have applied to their program.Obviously,Miss Broom has not considered the inconvenience and disservice done to me and,like Karen Gorman,all she cares about is obtaining money for the UOP.These people are in the business of education and should put the needs of students before their own financial greed.Obviously,this has not been the case,and I refuse to reward them for misdirecting,misinforming,and misguiding me!
2 Updates & Rebuttals
B. Mango
Belvidere,Illinois,
United States of America
Matter resolved--Merry Christmas!
#3Author of original report
Tue, December 08, 2009
Good news! I just want to say that as of today, December 8, 2009, this matter has been resolved by the University of Phoenix. They are no longer pursuing the $45 application fee I was being charged, and my BBB complaint is hereby closed.
I appreciate this action on the part of the University of Phoenix. Also, I urge all potential students to be very careful about enrolling in any program of study. Advisors should steer you in the appropriate direction but, for whatever reason, that doesn't always happen. I'm not saying it is necessarily done on purpose. It may be due to lack of knowledge or failure to do the proper research in some instances. This could have been much, much more costly in terms of time and money if I had actually followed through with this program. Fortunately, I was rightfully steered away from it by another, more conscientious and knowledgeable employee. There's a lot of time and money at stake, not to mention your future, so do your own research before enrolling in any academic plans of study to avoid these kinds of conflicts and get the education that best fits your needs.
Merry Christmas everyone!
B. Mango
Belvidere,Illinois,
United States of America
Harassment and Defamation of Character
#3Author of original report
Sat, December 05, 2009
I am writing to you to let you know that this issue has NOT been satisfactorily resolved. The University of Phoenix is continuing to try to collect the $45 fee in question, and have even called me repeatedly and hung up the phone when I answered. They have now sent me a letter stating that they are turning it over to a collection company. This is harassment, pure and simple, and I do not intent on paying these thieves a cent of my money. If my credit is tarnished by them, they will be sued for defamation of character. They misadvised me, misdirected me, and misled me from the start and wasted my time, and now they want me to pay them for it?? I was told the application fee had been waived, and now they are going back on their word because I have withdrawn my application and they can't get any more of my money. This school is not a school but a complete scam and ripoff. This matter is NOT resolved and if they continue to harass me, it's only going to show what they really are. I would not advise anyone considering online education to do business with the University of Phoenix!! They will tell you anything to get your money, and they want you to pay for a whole year of courses upfront if you're gettting financial aid! I never heard of such a thing. This "school" is only out for your money. BEWARE STUDENTS!!!!!!!!!! There are other online schools that give you more for a lot less and won't sell you out in the end.