Complaint Review: Grand Canyon University - Phoenix Arizona

I have to respond as a recent employee of GCU because it is disgusting that GCU tries to make those who complain look bad. 1) I took so many complaints from students about their financial aid being screwed up that going a day without a complaint was out of the normal. 2) While you list Tech Support's numbers on the website, good luck getting through to one. As an employee it would take 20-30 minutes sometimes to get Tech Support to help us and that is if you actually got Tech Support. Depending on the load of calls you actually may get a student who is just helping out in that department. (yes, I actually got a student helper myself when I was an employee, but they won't tell you that up front, they just take your complaint) 3) Since going public in November GCU has been trying to clean up some of there alleged illegal activities they have been doing to students and employees. There is a whistleblower case already with the Department of Education from former employees. 4) I personally witnessed lying, deception and fraud all the way up the management chain of GCU. Simply put, it is about the number of seats they fill. When you realize this it will help your mindset in getting things resolved because we were trained to get your application by any means, not help resolve your issue. The best suggestion I can make to anyone who attends GCU is keep all your documentation including emails. Also, do as much as possible in emails or least after talking with them on the phone get an email response with the same things that were said on the phone. If all you have is phone conversations, then ask for a copy of your conversation. Yes, even though they don't tell the students, they record all conversations, and by law you have a right to a copy of that conversation that was recorded. You have the legal right to know what is going on, use it and don't take the brush off. Also, report them to the BBB and the Department of Education. If you need any help or advice please let me know. I will be continuing my pursuit of GCU in court and look forward to helping as many people as I can avoid the pitfalls of GCU's greed.

I read the rebuttal concerning my complaint against GCU. I would like to address some issues that was pointed out in their rebuttal. 1. One, it is ashamed there is Fraud that is circulating with students trying to enroll, collect check and then drop. Point, I have not dropped from GCU and have been attending since 10/27/07,(so I am not committing Fraud.) Matter of fact I have signed up for courses that will hold me over until the end of this year. 2. I am aware of the disbursement of the checks. I had a notice on GCU website showing that my Federal Grants and Promissory note has been credited to my account. Then a student receives in 14 days their reimbursement. (My reimbursement I use to buy my books for each semester.) 3. That is correct Summer starts May 4th and funds are never applied until class starts. However, I didn't receive my reimbursement for the spring. Now I am wondering where did that money go? My complaint was that the school always needs verification from me yearly, which I am more than happy to provide the additional information they request. I "never" received in the email from my financial counselor Brandy Bruckener attachments for me to printout and fill out the necessary information they needed along with additional paper work they request. I am appalled with the insituation in their rebuttal to my original post questioning "if I was in fact a student." 4. Tech support numbers are available by picking up the phone, but the system is automated. What was stated in the previous rebuttal was false. 5. Yes, I am upset that I did not receive my reimbursement in a timely fashion, but this mess didn't not start until I signed up for future courses for the rest of the year. 6. The financial counselor is beginning to communicate with me via email after I sent my complaint to the college and showed I had posted on www.ripoff.com 7. First the verification manager needed additional paperwork from me, which they received on a Saturday all the paperwork was faxed. 8. Now I inquired via email the status on my account and Brandy stated it needs to go over to the accounting department, that I believe was 04/14/09. 9. Brandy promised me in an email which I have all emails from the school that I would receive my reimbursement in the month of April. Hmmmmmmmmm. Here it is 04/24/09 and still have not received anything from the college, not any recent emails from Brandy. 10. Communication is very important whether in person, via email or on the phone. The college messed up on my account and all I want is for it to be resolved so I can continue my online education. 11. Regarding a student has the choice of using the phone to contact GCU for problems or etc. I have actually had to stay on the phone for 6 hours to get a problem resolved and that is ridiculous.

As an employee of the company, I have to call hoax on this claim for the following reasons..... 1. Due to the large amount of Fraud going on with students trying to enroll, collect checks and then drop, the University does not send out checks until a student has been financially cleared, the funds have posted and has already been attending class for one-two weeks. This causes a delay in refunds. If a University sends checks out indiscriminately, it will lose Title 4 funding from the government. 2. The Spring 2 start date that the author is referring to started March 9, however the date the complaint was posted, checks had just been released but not yet mailed and the financial aid office was getting bombarded with calls from students that couldn't wait the four extra days for checks to arrive. The student growth rate was such that it took a little longer than normal to get checks mailed although the time frame was still wthin the 14 day legal limit (14 days from the time funds post to a student's account, the refund must be mailed. Funds cannot post if a FAFSA has not been properly filled out, the student has been submitted for verification but has not provided documentation, or if transcripts have not been received ) . 3. The Summer start date is not till May 4, and funds are never applied until class starts. School policy available online at GCU website states that a student may drop from class anytime BEFORE a course starts for a full refund. Therefore, all this student would have to do (if in fact he/she WAS a student) would be to drop the Summer class right now and any funds (if in fact they were applied to SU start date as student claims) would be refunded 4. Tech support #s are availble on the website as well. Anyone who chooses to pick up the phone will note that this claim is also a fallacy. 5. What is more likely, is that the student is just angry that his/her refund took longer than he/she expected and so chose to lash out the only way he/she knows how. On behalf of this student's counselor however, I do apologise for any lack of communication (if there was any).

# An improper accounting of a student loan concerning a collection agency or loan service center. (contact the FSA, Ombudsman's Toll Free Number 1-877-557-2575) # Financial Aid Information. (contact Federal Aid Information Center on 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)) SOUNDS LIKE TO ME SOMEBODY W3AWS EMBEZZLING FROM YOUR ACCOUNT. https://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/OIG/englishhotlineform.cfm OK AS REGARDS THE REST OF IT, YOU WANT TO GO TO AN ATTORNEY AND SEE IF THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE NATIONAL CONSUMER LAW CENTER AND THE MANUAL THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IS STUDENT LOAN LAW. http://www.consumerlaw.org/publications/manuals/student_loan.shtml IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO YOU, YOU NEED TO CHECK WITH A LAWYER! IT COULD BE FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT TO SIGN AN UNCONSCIONABLE CONTRACT OR FRAUD ..AND YOU WANT TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET EXEMPLARY AND PUTATIVE DAMAGES.CHECK THIS OUT. IF ANY OF THIS APPLIES TO YOU, GO SEE A LAWYER ASAP! Collections, Intercepts, Deferments, Discharges, Repayment Plans, and Trade School Abuses The Bad News Millions of Americans, delinquent on their student loans, often because of financial hardship or trade school fraud, feel the full brunt of federal collection: * Tax refund intercepts * Administrative wage garnishment * Seizure of Social Security or other federal benefits * Lawsuits with no statute of limitations * Shockingly high collection fees * Private collector harassment * Sharp limits on bankruptcy discharges * Bad credit records; and * Ineligibility for new federal loans and grants. The Good News A legal practice manual that for the first time comprehensively analyzes all the remedies and strategies for students delinquent on their loans: * Financial hardship and other loan deferments * Affordable repayment plans, income-contingent loan consolidations, loan rehabilitation, and compromise and write-off authority * Rights to stop tax intercepts, wage garnishments, and seizure of Social Security benefits. * Legal claims against unfair or deceptive collection practices * Loan discharge based on school closure, fraud, or failure to make owed refunds * Discharge based on disability * Strategies to deal with student loans in bankruptcy * Minimizing collection fees * Trade school abuses and raising school misconduct as a loan defense.