Complaint Review: The School Of Medical Transcription (PCDI) - Norcross Georgia

I signed up for the Medical Transcription course. I'm disabled and wanted to take this course, so I could get a job working at home. This "company" let me pay a small amount down ($29, I believe) and then make payments of $39 a month. The books they sent me came in a timely fashion, but the textbook was written several years earlier. The floppy disk ("student practice disk") was outdated and I could not use it on my computer. I contacted the school about the disk and was told by a guy there, he would have the disk transferred onto a cd that would be compatable with my Windows XP program, and send it to me within 2 weeks.

2 and 1/2 weeks later I called back, and was told by my "class instructor" that she knew of no such thing...PCDI didn't offer such services as the one the guy had told me he would do. I told her I was rather upset because this course was costing me about $800 and they sent me an older textbook with a disk I couldn't use. She told me it is only a practice disk anyway, and not that important. She said it just has puzzles and games on it that can be found in my book anyway. Those were not in either of the current books I had. I got a newer edition of the book off of Ebay...and while the flashcards and the whole book was more updated (it was a newer edition of the same book), it didn't have the cd rom disc in it either.

I kept hoping things would be resolved with PCDI, but they weren't. And like a dope, I kept paying them the $39 a month payments anyway. I had given them my debit card and the payments were being deducted from my bank account (bad idea....don't ever do that with a company, unless you know you can trust them. You can't trust PCDI or whatever name they call themselves.....they have many!!!!!!).

On the 15th of May, I called them up and told the gal I was speaking with I wished to cancel my electronic payments of any kind to PCDI. That I would not be making another payment to them until they resolved the dispute I had with them. She assured me she cancelled the electronic payments. So imagine my suprise and horror when I got a notice in the mail from my bank about 3 days later. PCDI had withdrawn the payment after all, which caused and overdraft....and before I knew about it I had 3 overdraft charges racked up at my bank. I immediately took some money up to deposit the following Monday morning as soon as they opened, told them what had happened and filed a dispute with PCDI. I also filled out a stop payment form, and they didn't charge me for that one. But I did have to pay an additional $28 for a stop payment fee last week to keep them (PCDI)from taking a payment out this month also.

If they hadn't taken out the payment, I wouldn't have had any trouble at the bank. And as I said, the gal on the phone at PCDI assured me that all electronic withdrawls were cancelled. I am writing them demanding that they pay me back not only the $39, but also the other $109 in overdraft charges, and the stop payment fee.

I can't believe the Better Business Bureau claims that not only are they a member, but are in pretty good standing with the BBB. They have had over 400 claims against them in the past 36 months according to BBB's website, but some 200 have been closed.

Anyway, my advice is don't give this place the time of day. Definitely never give them your bank account number, credit or debit card number. I have a friend who signed up with PCDI to learn their PC Repair course. She too was sent an outdated book, and no tool kit as promised. She was also notified that she had gotten a B on her first exam (when she hadn't taken any exam yet, and knowing her she would have gotten an A, not a B).

At some point, when you aren't winning you have to cut your losses and quit before the fraudulant company rips you off even more. I wish I had quit them sooner. You have to try to resolve your conflict with them first before contacting the Better Business Bureau. I have tried to do that, but I have a letter I'm putting in the mail to PCDI tomorrow. I will be contacting the BBB also.

Sandy

St.John, Washington
U.S.A.

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