I attended a sales presentation for At Home Professions in February 2015. The course being sold is in medical coding/billing. Because I am a RN, I don't need most of the course being offered. However, the sales rep later informed me and another military spouse that we were eligible to take the course tuition-free, through a special, miitary-sponsored program.
The sales representative insisted that I take the course home, since it would be free for me to participate. He gave me a piece of paper with the contact information for the military-sponsored tuition program (website, etc), although nowhere on the paper did it have the detailed eligibility requirements. I asked the sales rep twice if he was sure this course would be free, and he assured me it would. I went ahead and took the course materials home. The sales rep also told me I could register for and begin the course at my leisure. (I was 4 months pregnant at the time.)
Please note, I would have never accepted the course, registered or enrolled for it had there not been a special tuition remission program for military dependents. It just would not have been worth the money or the time for me to complete.
What the sales representative failed to inform me of that night is that I am ineligible for the military-sponsored tuition benefits because my husband is a captain - his rank is too high to meet the eligibility requirements. Furthermore, because I was informed that I could register for and take the course "at my leisure," I apparently did not send the course materials back in enough time for the people at At Home Professions. They have since charged me $220.00 for failing to mail the course back in the requisite amount of time, and have also forwarded my account to a collection agency.
I have since filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB specifically wanted to know if I am a military dependent, and if I feel this is a case of discrimination against military families. I stated that I feel this is a discrimination case. I think At Home Professions fails to disclose the actual eligibility requirements for military spouses, thus trapping people into having to pay hundreds of dollars for absolutely nothing. I suppose they're not making a lot of money on their courses anyway, so this is one way of generating income for At Home Professions - entrapment.
I think At Home Professions behaves in an unethical manner, and I think someone needs to address their discriminatory practices. I refuse to pay them $220.00 for absolutely nothing, but I also think someone needs to hold them accountable for their behaviors, lest they put other military families through the same amount of duress they've made mine endure. Don't we have enough stress? Don't we make enough sacrifices, without having to endure this?
I mailed the course materials back in exactly the same condition I received them. I returned the materials "late," per At Home Professions, because I was originally told I could register and begin the course "at my leisure." I took my time looking at the enrollment process and the eligibility requirements because I was under the impression that I could. I was told by the sales rep for At Home Professions that I was eligible to take the course for free. I didn't feel like I was under a deadline to return materials that I orignally perceived I would put to use. This is a case either of consumer fraud and entrapment, or military discrimination. Either way, it's disgraceful and shameful.