- Report: #220906
Complaint Review: CBT Direct Smart Certify - Clearwater Florida
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Author Confirmed
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CBT Direct Smart Certify
25400 U.S. Highway 19 North #285 Clearwater, 33763 Florida, U.S.A.
Phone:
727-724-8994
Web:
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CBT Direct, Smart Certify is a Certified Dumb Choice Ripoff Clearwater Florida
I had found an advertisement for CBT Direct in a computer magazine, for an offer to try a free trial of one of their computer courses. I went to their website and clicked the link for the free trial course, the link led to an online form. I filled out the form and clicked the submit button on the page. I was expecting to be directed to a webpage full of links for trial courses, but the button only took me back to CBT Directs homepage.
A couple of days later a high pressure salesman called me at work and gave me his sales pitch for CBT Direct's training. He rambled on about how great their company was and all the awards they have received. He told me the Microsoft MCSE training course was $4500, I did not want to spend that kind of money for the course and would continue training on my own. He called back with another offer allowing me to take an unlimited amount of their courses for the next 2 years for the amount of $3000. I had told him several times that I had gone to their website to only try a free trial course. He said that this a one time only offer and that I needed to sign up with them that day. Instead of using my credit card he had me go through their loan company GE Money Bank telling me it would be low interest. I was later to find out that was a lie the interest rate is 19% with a $26 fee on every payment.
After signing up for there courses I began to start taking them online. Immediately I began to run into problems I notified their Tech support. I keep my computer update with the latest service packs and critical updates from Microsoft. I ended up having to remove the updates and search for a lower version of Sun Java for their program to run on. I continued to run into problems with their courses which I would have to restart the section of the course to get through it. When ever I have complained there support would say it is a problem with my computer. I am in tech support and do know the difference between a computer problem and a problem with someone's software. The salesman said the courses had real simulations of Microsoft Windows, this was false whenever you right click on the mouse on an object in their windows simulations all you receive is a menu for Macromedia Flash which the program uses to run. If this was a real simulation you would get a menu with the objects properties. There is other training courses out there do give real life Windows XP simulations, CBT Directs do not.
After a year of struggling with this I have asked them for half of the $3000 dollars back but they have refused. They say they are a software company and do not have to give back refunds. David Moogly, another salesman called me from CBT Direct trying to offer me training for two weeks to receive my MCSE certification. I refused this and just want my money back. He told me that I could not receive any money back because it was passed the 120 day period. This was another lie their warranty is only to reimburse their students the amount of money spent on a certification test (about $125) if they failed within 120 days of taking their course. David Moogly was impossible to talk to he kept rambling on about how great CBT Direct is, when I had told him that my boss had bought courses for the IT department for $2000, that were far superior to what they were offering, he just laughed and told me I had no idea what I was talking about.
This was a really stupid move to trust these people and to give them my money. All I really want is $1500 dollars back for the year of not taking their course.
William
Rochester, New Hampshire
U.S.A.
A couple of days later a high pressure salesman called me at work and gave me his sales pitch for CBT Direct's training. He rambled on about how great their company was and all the awards they have received. He told me the Microsoft MCSE training course was $4500, I did not want to spend that kind of money for the course and would continue training on my own. He called back with another offer allowing me to take an unlimited amount of their courses for the next 2 years for the amount of $3000. I had told him several times that I had gone to their website to only try a free trial course. He said that this a one time only offer and that I needed to sign up with them that day. Instead of using my credit card he had me go through their loan company GE Money Bank telling me it would be low interest. I was later to find out that was a lie the interest rate is 19% with a $26 fee on every payment.
After signing up for there courses I began to start taking them online. Immediately I began to run into problems I notified their Tech support. I keep my computer update with the latest service packs and critical updates from Microsoft. I ended up having to remove the updates and search for a lower version of Sun Java for their program to run on. I continued to run into problems with their courses which I would have to restart the section of the course to get through it. When ever I have complained there support would say it is a problem with my computer. I am in tech support and do know the difference between a computer problem and a problem with someone's software. The salesman said the courses had real simulations of Microsoft Windows, this was false whenever you right click on the mouse on an object in their windows simulations all you receive is a menu for Macromedia Flash which the program uses to run. If this was a real simulation you would get a menu with the objects properties. There is other training courses out there do give real life Windows XP simulations, CBT Directs do not.
After a year of struggling with this I have asked them for half of the $3000 dollars back but they have refused. They say they are a software company and do not have to give back refunds. David Moogly, another salesman called me from CBT Direct trying to offer me training for two weeks to receive my MCSE certification. I refused this and just want my money back. He told me that I could not receive any money back because it was passed the 120 day period. This was another lie their warranty is only to reimburse their students the amount of money spent on a certification test (about $125) if they failed within 120 days of taking their course. David Moogly was impossible to talk to he kept rambling on about how great CBT Direct is, when I had told him that my boss had bought courses for the IT department for $2000, that were far superior to what they were offering, he just laughed and told me I had no idea what I was talking about.
This was a really stupid move to trust these people and to give them my money. All I really want is $1500 dollars back for the year of not taking their course.
William
Rochester, New Hampshire
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
William
Rochester,New Hampshire,
U.S.A.
BJ is full of BS
#2Author of original report
Tue, December 26, 2006
1. There is no free trial after you fill Skillsoft SmartCertify/CBT Direct's form and register at their Website. This is just a scam to get your phone number to circumvent the national "Do not Call" laws. I just tried your website registering with a different name and email address and there was no free course I was taken back to the main page. Click on the "Free Courses" again you just get their form again. 2. If you have been in IT for 17 years then you would know that Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 Beta has only been around in 2006. If you read the complaints on this sight you would notice that they go back to 2002 when IE 6.0 was just coming out. Your crappy website doesn't work with 6.0 and I never have used it 7.0. Like I had said before I tried your crappy course for almost a year, and did not want it to use it for the second year of the 2 years I had signed up for, I would like $1500 dollars back out of the $3000 I had been talked into spending for this garbage. 3. This is from my latest statement from GE Money Bank, the interest rate 22.98% with a $17.12 finance charge. Unlike you BJ I believe in God and not in some galatic emperor named Xenu who killed his subjects and brainwashed their souls. And unlike you and your Scientologist co-workers at CBTDirect I believe in God's commandments, like "Thou shall not lie" and "Thou shall not steal". You people have no conscience and feel that is all right to lie and cheat people out of their hard earned money, especially those who are not members of Scientology, that you feel that you have right to do this to.
Bj
Largo,Florida,
U.S.A.
would be employee
#3UPDATE Employee
Mon, December 25, 2006
1st off......there is a free trial - you have to register and many people go on and use it every day......with no problems....I have been in the IT field for 17 yr's and know what I am talking about too. If you are using the IE beta 7.0 - it wont work.But then beta's do have their own set of problems - ask mr Gates. 2nd. There is a warranty - but you must do as it is written ( which you signed off on - prior to starting the course- in fact before we allow you to use the course , Do the training , the hands on , the training emails- use the LIVE mentors, then use the certblaster test prep- you must pass it - then go take your exam- all within 120 days ( the avg. course takes 4-5 weeks if you study 12-15 hr's a wk.) If you fail - on 2 attempt's ( within the 120 days) - you get the full cost of your course back - not the exam fee-that would be another local co. 3rd. GE Money bank has term loans- know what thaa means? Everyone gets the same rate 11.99%- thats it..period. UNLESS YOU MISS A PAYMENT - THEN IT WILL GO UP ON YOU. Dont miss payment's - thats on you.
Bj
Largo,Florida,
U.S.A.
would be employee
#4UPDATE Employee
Mon, December 25, 2006
1st off......there is a free trial - you have to register and many people go on and use it every day......with no problems....I have been in the IT field for 17 yr's and know what I am talking about too. If you are using the IE beta 7.0 - it wont work.But then beta's do have their own set of problems - ask mr Gates. 2nd. There is a warranty - but you must do as it is written ( which you signed off on - prior to starting the course- in fact before we allow you to use the course , Do the training , the hands on , the training emails- use the LIVE mentors, then use the certblaster test prep- you must pass it - then go take your exam- all within 120 days ( the avg. course takes 4-5 weeks if you study 12-15 hr's a wk.) If you fail - on 2 attempt's ( within the 120 days) - you get the full cost of your course back - not the exam fee-that would be another local co. 3rd. GE Money bank has term loans- know what thaa means? Everyone gets the same rate 11.99%- thats it..period. UNLESS YOU MISS A PAYMENT - THEN IT WILL GO UP ON YOU. Dont miss payment's - thats on you.
Bj
Largo,Florida,
U.S.A.
would be employee
#5UPDATE Employee
Mon, December 25, 2006
1st off......there is a free trial - you have to register and many people go on and use it every day......with no problems....I have been in the IT field for 17 yr's and know what I am talking about too. If you are using the IE beta 7.0 - it wont work.But then beta's do have their own set of problems - ask mr Gates. 2nd. There is a warranty - but you must do as it is written ( which you signed off on - prior to starting the course- in fact before we allow you to use the course , Do the training , the hands on , the training emails- use the LIVE mentors, then use the certblaster test prep- you must pass it - then go take your exam- all within 120 days ( the avg. course takes 4-5 weeks if you study 12-15 hr's a wk.) If you fail - on 2 attempt's ( within the 120 days) - you get the full cost of your course back - not the exam fee-that would be another local co. 3rd. GE Money bank has term loans- know what thaa means? Everyone gets the same rate 11.99%- thats it..period. UNLESS YOU MISS A PAYMENT - THEN IT WILL GO UP ON YOU. Dont miss payment's - thats on you.
Dustin
Clearwater,Florida,
U.S.A.
Would-be employee of CBT Direct if I first hadn't come across these issues-Clearwater,FL
#6Consumer Comment
Fri, November 17, 2006
I decided to reply to the first comment I read at the beginning of this topic for ease of convenience. I read the first 10 comments and want to thank you all for your input concerning this company. I live in Clearwater and previously worked 10 feet from CBT Direct several months ago. I curently am looking for a job again and was contacted by them concerning my resume. Prior to reading your comments, I would have possibly become one of those sales guys that you despise. But due to my integrity and disgust with our job market here, I will not misrepresent anything I sell even to earn a paycheck. By the way, they are making about $1k-$4k/wk pushing these programs on you. Thank you, Dusty-Clearwater,FL
