VerAcademy

WARNING WARNING WARNING SCAM!
(Would give 0 stars but wont allow me)

This "company" called me and said my son, we'll call him John Smith, John signed up and showed interest at school in preparing for the SATs with Ver Academy. "I understand John is in the 10th grade, B &C student and would like help with SAT studies and our program is great. Isn't it great he's trying to better his future. We also have access to grants and other programs John has shown interest in for colleges. He does want to go to college. Yes?"
At this point I'm thinking GREAT. Way to go son. Get on top of it.
I ask the guy how much is it. He says $190 but you get a 30 day FREE TRIAL PERIOD so there's no obligation to buy unless you want to keep the materials and move forward. GREAT. Lets try this out. I asked the man, SAMSON, "my card gets charged AFTER my free trial, correct?" " Oh yes. We wont charge you until after the 30 days and then the materials are yours to keep."
Ok. I, like an it, gave him my info and then checked my account while on the phone HE CHARGED MY ACCOUNT! I let him know and then the back pedalling began! NIGHTMARE! He said he VOIDED my charge it will fall off. It still hasn't. He gave me a "customer service" phone number to call that no one EVER answers! I called from 4 phones in my house. NO ONE PICKS UP! I left a voicemail and Elle calls back letting me know the charge would be reversed. STILL NOT REVERSED!
THEN a guy named Michael calls me back. I guess he's the supervisor/ manager. He's apologizing and he's so sorry. Then he tells me that SAMSON should have never used my sons name! WELL HE DID. HIS NAME, HIS GRADE AND EVERYTHING RELATED TO HIS SCHOOL.
I called my son and he had NO IDEA what I was talking about! NONE! He never signed up for this "program" and said "Mom, it's a scam and they used me to do it!" WE BOTH WERE NOW PISSED!

I contacted the school. They've never heard of this program and they have no idea how these people got Johns information.

This place is a joke! SCAM ALERT! Still trying to get my money back and contacted Channel 7 to investigate this so called academy.

I can't believe people would stoop so low as to use my own son for their own gain!

DISGUSTING!

Review: Company called about product for daughter, said was free 30 day trial but wanted credit card so I said no until I asked daughter. She did not know about this product so they lied about my daughter wanting this product. They called back another time and talked to my husband and they told him I ordered this product and he gave them credit card. I called the company to have the charges removed and they said they will not refund the full price even if package returned unopened. This is a dishonest company! Nothing but lies! Also filing complaint with Discover Credit Card.Desired Settlement: Want company to refund 192.80 to Discover.

Business

Response:

Review: VerAcademy contacted me after I signed my daughter up to take the ACT test. They claimed that she had contacted them to order their test prep software. They were very slick and complemented me on how bright she is and how proud I must be for her to take this initiative. I fell for it hook like & sinker! What parent doesn't want to support their child in choosing a program to get a better score for college? On 7/**/15 they charged $19*.80 for the purchase. The package arrived several weeks later, I unboxed it and set it in her room- where it sat untouched. Only when I confronted her about the need to use the materials she'd ordered, she informed me that she never had ordered the materials nor sought out a company online. At that point there was no contact information on the software box. I am told that there is an 800 number on the shipping box, but I can't confirm that.

The original sales lady tried to get me to sign up for a series of specialized test kits. I told her I wasn't interested in them. While nothing has arrived in the mail, $59.90 was taken from my credit card by them on 9/5/15. Using the 800 number on the credit card bill, I called the company today, 9/**/15. They informed me that it was too late to process any refunds. Today they told me it has been about 45 days since the original package was shipped out and that I only had a 30 day "trial" period. I believe that originally they told me I had 60. When I confronted the customer service lady on the phone about their deceptive sales practices, not only did she tell me that this was why they delay sending the packages out, but then gave me a lecture about how it is not their fault that I didn't talk to my daughter sooner to clear this up in time. I've sent the package back to them at an additional cost of $9.55. They insist they will give me no refund. Ultimately this is not about the cost, rather about their deceptive sales practices- informing parents that their kids initiated the order. That is illegalDesired Settlement: Refund total amount taken from my card $*5*.70. They have the product they charged me for.

I would also like them to stop using deceptive practices in their unsolicited sales calls. Clearly I am not the first to complain about this, given other complaints on file with Revdex.com. If what they are doing is illegal, then please get the attorney general involved.

Business

Response:

Review: On or about March 24, 2015 I ordered ACT/SAT Prep System from VerAcademy from a salesperson named Benjamin.

The salesperson went on and on about the ACT/SAT System. His sales presentation was basically an information overload. However, all I was interested in was the ACT/SAT Prep System 5 disks for $192.80. That’s it.

On or about May 12, 2015 we were sent a single disc. $59.90 was charged to our account. We were not expecting this.

On or about June 7, 2015, again we were sent another single disc and again billed $59.90. We were not expecting this either.

Both parcels remained unopened.

I called VerAcademy customer service to inquire how this could happen; and how to return the two items and get my account credited for the sum of $119.80 ($59.90 x 2) the customer service person was less than helpful and stated to me that they weren’t going to take the disc back, but their invoice stated to call for a RMA number before returning.

I believe this is a deceptive sales tactic where they sell you a product and then have the customer be on an automatic monthly shipping wherein they are not aware of.Desired Settlement: Take the product back and refund my account.

Business

Response:

I spoke in length with a man named [redacted]. And YES, he opened the conversation by saying my son 'expressed interest in our product at a recent college day at his high school' (paraphrased because I don't remember exactly how he worded it.) So now VerAcademy has me thinking my son is familiar with the product. Okay, shame on me for being gullible enough to believe it. [redacted] goes on to explain clearly what product I was purchasing for $153.35--the product that costs $279.80 online. [redacted] said he was able to apply some promotions to get the price discounted. In the end, he recorded a segment of our conversation which was the confirmation, and the call went something like this: 'This is [redacted], today is 10/29/2015, and you are purchasing the Ver Academy product for $153.35. Keep in mind that higher levels of training are available…" and I interjected and asked, "why in the world would I want higher levels?" (I did this because during the non-recorded segment of our conversation, I'd explained how smart my son was, and that I did not feel like he needed training for the SAT, that he'd scored in the 99% in the PSAT--exam to enter private high school--and that he did not train or study for that, either. Why are we 'going there'?) He resumed, 'you may want that to help in his AP classes and such. You would just have to call us and let us know if you want to cancel it.' And I said, "oh, okay." Meaning, Okay, I understand how that works. NOT, okay, I'll take it. I never said I wanted it!! But the employees of Ver Academy are giving me their interpretation, which clearly resembles [redacted]'s: "YOU SAID OKAY! That means you wanted it." Well, shame shame shame on Ver Academy for that. They are clearly manipulating comments and conversation to mean what they want it to mean. BEWARE THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE CROOKS!! I'm only angry at myself for not noticing the three $59.90 charges sooner. Filing complaint with credit card company as well.

Review: I purchased software from VerAcademy and was satisfied with it. After a period of time, VerAcademy sent more software via mail and automatically took money out of my checking account. I never opened the package that software was in. After more time, VerAcademy sent yet another software disc in the mail and took more money out of my checking account. I then called a service representative at VerAcademy in order to find out how to return the last two discs they sent in the mail and get my money back. That person told me that I cannot return the products. I can only cancel future orders. I believe that violates basic consumer rights and is very poor business practice. I cancelled future orders with them and told that person that I was reporting them to the Revdex.com.Desired Settlement: I would like to know how to send the two pieces of software back. After they receive their products back from me, I would like to receive my money back. Approximately $120.

Business

Response:

5/28/15

Revdex.com

4747

Viewridge Ave. #200

San

Diego, CA 92123

Attn: [redacted]

RE:

Mr. [redacted]

Complaint

# [redacted]

I am sorry Mr. [redacted] has been

unhappy with his VerAcademy order. We take all complaints very seriously here

and fortunately we record the sales calls to make sure the parameters of our

orders are made clear at the time of sale. Mr. [redacted] contacted us on 5/21/15

and told us he was unhappy with the continuity shipments so we told him we

would review his account to see if there was anything we could do to help him.

Per our return policy (copied below) our

follow up shipments are not supposed to be refundable. This is because we

inform our customers verbally and in writing that these shipments will be

coming after their 30 day trial and that if they don’t want these shipments we

just ask for one contact requesting a cancellation during their trial. We then

give the customer closer to 40 days to call us, because we understand that families

are busy. The monthly shipments have the exact format of their first shipment

so the customer knows what they’re getting, before they get it, how much it

will cost and when it will come. Since the customer has all required

information to make a decision prior to when we bill and ship we just as for

that call if they do not want these items.

Below is a copy of the account review

conducted on Mr. [redacted]s account on 5/21/15, the same day he informed us of

his frustration. This recording confirms Mr. [redacted] was told he would be sent

products after his trial. We have attempted to contact Mr. [redacted] multiple

times to read him this review but have been unsuccessful. As the below review

states, we are going against our normal policy and Mr. [redacted] is authorized

to return his last shipment for a refund. This is being done as a courtesy. Or

if he prefers he can get a partial discount and some free product links. Mr. [redacted]

can contact customer service at 1-800-[redacted] and let us know of his decision.

No further credits will be authorized this

time but all VerAcademy products are refundable for up to two years after

purchase with our SAT/ACT guarantee. If Mr. [redacted] wants more information on

this guarantee customer service would be happy to give him details when he

calls.

Sincerely,

Customer

Service Manager

VerAcademy

Software

Account

Review -

BOD per customer

services request the sales call was reviewed. At 25.31 minutes into the

recording Mr. [redacted] was told “regarding the advanced levels, if we havent

heard and only if we havent heard before the end of the 30 day evaluation then

we will assume success and bill and ship the next higher volume at the

discounted 49.95 plus shipping and handling”. Mr. [redacted] had no issue with

this. Information on the continuity was in writing multiple times in the first

package as well in case there was any confusion. They did not request a

cancellation until 5/21/15 so no refunds should be due. We do not want to leave

our customer unhappy however so as a courtesy we will make an exception in our

policy and Mr. [redacted] is authorized to return the last shipment for a full

product refund of 49.95, basically honoring a 30 day return policy. Or if they

would prefer we will authorize a $30 refund to be processed immediately plus

send three VerAcademy product links ($150 value) of their choice at no

additional charge. They are still qualified to take advantage of our sat/act

guarantee for a full product refund //

Return Policy

Customer

satisfaction is our primary concern. As we are confident that you will benefit

from our products and services, we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial VerAcademy shipment.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with our products or services in the

first 30 days, we will exchange your software or give you a full refund for the

product amount. It’s your choice!

If

you would like to return the product, please call our Customer Service

Department at (800) [redacted] to

obtain a Return Authorization Number

(RA#). This will help us provide accurate tracking of all returns.

An

RA# will be given only for the initial package and within the first 30-day

evaluation period. If

you discontinue your service after the 30-day guarantee period you will be

responsible for any charges incurred up to that date. If you are on the monthly

payment program you are responsible for all payments if you didn’t contact us

within your trial period. Any and all packages received with a post mark

stamped five or more working days after the (RA#) is issued will not be

accepted and the purchase will be considered final.

I am very unhappy with the customer service of this company. I received a call at home one evening stating that my son had signed up to have this program sent. I was assured we had a 30 day time in which to return product. In talking with my son he did not request this product. The first time I called for return code-was told to set up tutoring with the company, etc. I told them I did not want to do this and she said an email would be sent out. The email I received did not have return directions only directions to set up tutoring and run the program to "give feedback". Today when I was home again during their working hours I called again for a return code and was told that the program would have to be activated or "it will cost 39 dollars (I forgot how much change) to send program back. I explained that we were not interested in this product and my son did no desire to activate or use this product, was using another source. Was then told "it would probably take less time to just do it and answer questions than what you held for this call and I have a 16 year old son and if it was my credit card I would make him do it." Talk about "hard selling". This is the same type of things told to me on both phone calls. When I asked who and how we had "signed up" she stated he probably checked a box when took the PSAT. Wow didn't know commercial businesses could solicit on PSAT - the kids have enough to think about taking the test I fell this is an opportunistic company with poor ethics!

Review: Called on 11/30/15 within 30 day satisfaction guarantee and was told could not refund "full price" without first trying SAT/ACT tutorial program. I told them to cancel further shipments. Tried program, still prefer refund. Called on 12/19, 12/24 Unable to get through to customer service prior to extended date of 12/23. Called 24 hrs beyond date was able to leave a message. Supervisor "[redacted] left message on 12/27 saying call was beyond date. "[redacted]" at customer service says today that there is no record of my calls. Will not honor refund. My complaint is I called within 30 days and was told I must try product first. SATISFACTION GUARANTEE states if not satisfied with services or product we will exchange or give full refund.Desired Settlement: Refund $192.80 minus $17.95 shipping and handling.

Business

Response:

1/6/16

RE:

Mr. [redacted]

Complaint

# [redacted]

I am sorry to hear

that Mrs. [redacted] is unhappy with the outcome of her VerAcademy order. She

had previously called in about this same subject and a thorough account review

was conducted per her request. The results of that review were added on her

account on 1/4/16. A copy of that response is noted below.

Our

customers can return their products at any time during their trial, and as a

business we of course prefer that someone in the household uses the items they

ordered. As a way of motivating people to use the product we offer to refund

not only the cost of the product, but the cost of the shipping they paid to get

the product to their home as well, if they give us product feedback. Giving us

product feedback is always presented as an option, not a requirement. Our hope

is that when customers are able to see the product and all it offers they will

decide they want to keep it, but in case they do not want to keep it we always

give specific evaluation dates so everyone is on the same page as to when the

trial is over. When Mrs. [redacted] called on 11/30/15 during her trial she

stated that she wanted to take advantage of our offer and get a full refund

including the cost of shipping if she returned her products and agreed to give

us feedback. She also agreed to specific evaluation date of 12/23/15. The next

contact we had from Mrs. [redacted] was 12/24/15, after her trial expired, so

her products were no longer refundable. The Account Review noted below will

give further details.

It’s

unclear why Mrs. [redacted] feels she should be able to return the product

when she passed the time period she’d agreed to. Like any business we have a

return policy here, which we believe we have the right to uphold. The extra

evaluation time was only an offer which Mrs. [redacted] could have accepted or

declined. Despite her passing her trial period we gave Mrs. [redacted] a courtesy

$85 refund, in an effort to meet her half way.

We appreciate the opportunity to present our

side of this situation. We do believe that this customer has made an honest

mistake, and as tempting as it may be to make an exception in every case where

a customer has retained merchandise past the agreed upon evaluation period we

must hold to our return policy when no extenuating circumstance is present.

Sincerely,

Customer

Service Manager

VerAcademy

Software

Account Review -

BOD Per customer service request

reviewed this account. Mrs. [redacted] is asking for authorization to return

the first shipment despite being past the agreed upon evaluation date. Per the recorded

customer service call on 11/30/15 Mrs. [redacted] agreed to the specific

evaluation date of 12/23/15. Per Mrs. [redacted]s 12/24 message left at 8.15

am we have already researched all incoming calls and messages from both

[redacted] and , there were no contacts or messages left between

11/30/15 and 12/23/15. We have been open every business day until 4 PM PST

since the last contact and unfortunately they passed the date that was agreed

to. We are like any other business in that we have a return policy we must

comply with and like most businesses our policy is based on time. Per the

account review no refunds should be due. We do not want to leave our customer

unhappy however so as a courtesy we will meet them half way. Mrs. [redacted] is

authorized to receive a 50% discount ($85) to be processed to their account

immediately and of course they can keep all of the products. Or if they would

prefer they can be given a 30% discount ($56) and sent three free VerAcademy

product links of their choice. They are still qualified to take advantage of

our sat/act guarantee for a full product refund

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.de details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. Please respond in this space ONLY]

As previously stated, my chief complaint is that when I made contact within the trial period I was told I could not get a refund without first trying the product. An extended date was given which I was told was the only way to get my refund. Conveniently for them I was unable to get through to cancel until 24 hours after their said extension.Chief complaint is I should have received guaranteed full refund on the very first phone contact.

Regards,

This business calls and tells you your student requested help in studying for the ACT and SAT tests. They want your credit card in case you don't send the disks back and you pay $192 immediately. I couldn't verify with my son that he had requested this information because he was on a trip so when I could verify he said he didn't ask for it. I imagine he filled out a survey somewhere and next thing they want to send you all sorts of things. Anyway, I wanted to send this product back and get my money back. Well, in order to get all your money back, you must complete two different quizzes or tests or something. If you don't complete those tests (I don't know how long they take yet, but I think the sales person said 15 minutes and if that's per test, we have to spend another 1/2 hour of our time) you don't get all your money back. So far, my links for the quizzes don't work and I'm waiting for tech support to call me back. Again, more waiting.

Review: On 10 14 14, I paid $192.8 for a product from VerAcademy. I noticed in Feb that I had been charged in Jan for continued deliveries. On 2 13 15, I emailed asking to stop service and products. Their 800 number did not function (as I mentioned in the email I sent to them). I asked with no question that service be stopped. Instead, I was charged for two additional months and kept receiving products. I returned all unused products by UPS (including the original product). When contacted again about ending the account, VerAcademy responded that we cannot stop receiving the service without a special number. I was finally not charged in May.

This company provides testing preparation software for the ACT and SAT. Students, like our son, who do no test well may seek such services with some sense of desperation because of the high stakes placed on college testing. To be in such a situation of desperation and then to be continuously charged for a product seems predatory. We never opened the original box and returned it unopened on May 6. Because I never opened the original box, I did not know about the time limit on the return of the original product.

On 26 May 2015, VerAcademy sent priority mail to our son again. In the package was a large box with ACT/SAT software in it and an unopened cardstock envelope addressed to another cus[redacted]er. When telephoned, the cus[redacted]er service representative said that this was my software, which I had returned, that they were returning to me since they can no longer refund the product. With the address on the product belonging to another customer, I have no confidence that this was my product to begin with.

In summary, this company presents its products and services to vulnerable cus[redacted]ers (minors who test poorly). While parents pay the bill, the marketing and sale is directed to minors. They then make returns nearly impossible. Additionally, they handle customer information carelessly. I request a full refund of $432.4.Desired Settlement: I ask for a full refund for the original product and for the additional products that I never ordered: $432.40.

Business

Response:

5/27/15

Revdex.com

4747

Viewridge Ave. #200

San

Diego, CA 92123

Attn: [redacted]

RE:

Complaint

# [redacted]

We are sorry the [redacted] family has

been unhappy with their VerAcademy order. We take all complaints very seriously

here and fortunately we record the sales calls to make sure the parameters of

our orders are made clear at the time of sale. The sales call recording confirms

Mr. [redacted] was informed at the time of order that his product was being sent for

a 30 day trial and that other would be sent after their trial expired . He was

told that they could inform us at any time if they wanted to cancel this

service.

Regarding our phones not working, that is not

an issue that any other cus[redacted]ers complained about, Mr. [redacted] actually called

in on 5/26/15, confirming the phones do work. It is true that we did receive an

email from the [redacted] family on 2/13/15 asking to cancel their service. This

email however had no specific account information (for example a home address/ph#/order#)

and we could not connect the request to an account. The emails included in that

request were [redacted]@clarke.edu

and [redacted]@clarke.edu.

Unfortunately the name on the customers account is not [redacted] or [redacted] so as was stated, could not be connected to an account. We

responded to that email that day stating -

Mr. [redacted],

We apologize

for any inconvenience you've experienced with our toll free phone number. No

other customers have informed us of any issues calling in and we have continued

to receive calls daily. We tested the lines upon receipt of your email and

found no issues. We would be happy to call you to discuss your account, please

provide a contact phone number and customer service will follow up with you

shortly.

VerAcademy

Administrator

We did not hear from the [redacted] family again

until 5/6/15. When we were able to find the account of course we stopped all

future billings immediately. We also conducted an Account Review (noted below)

and confirmed that it was Mr. [redacted] that placed the order, not a student as

Mrs. [redacted] had stated when we spoke to her on 5/6/15. Per the below account

review, despite confirmation that this order was placed by an adult and the

terms were explained at the time of order, we went against our policy and authorized

the [redacted] family to return their final shipment, billed 5/1/15, for a full

refund of $59.90. When Mr. [redacted] called in on 5/26/15 we made a further

exception and processed that refund without asking for any items to be returned.

It is not true that the [redacted] family was told

they had to receive a special number to stop future shipments. If that was

their understanding we apologize but again that is incorrect. All that is

needed is one request and that was done by the [redacted] family on 5/6/15.

As the [redacted] family acknowledges in their

complaint, they ordered in October of 2014. We respectfully disagree that for

them to expect to return the item in May of 2015 is a reasonable request. The

fact is the [redacted] family ordered the products, were informed of the parameters

of the order, and di d not cancel their service until 5/6/15. We responded to

all contacts and requests from them and have gone against our normal Return

Policy (noted below) for this family.

If there was an incorrect name on the outside

of the box when they received the return we apologize, that must have been a

data entry error. If they find they are missing any items of course we will

replace those at no additional cost.

We have refunded the [redacted] family

$59.90 but will not be processing any further refunds. If they were unhappy

with the initial phone call for any reason they simply needed to inform us

within their agreed upon trial period. If they did not want the follow up shipments

we only needed one contact and we would have been happy to cancel their

service. Like any business we have a return policy and like most ours is based

on time. We have refunded the [redacted] family for 30 days of shipments without product

return but no further credits will be authorized. If they find they need any

free replacement disks sent to them customer service would be happy to assist

them at 1-800-304-2656.

Sincerely,

Customer

Service Manager

VerAcademy

Software

Account Review

-

BOD Per cus[redacted]er

services request reviewed the [redacted]s account. Reviewed the original sales call

to make sure the 60 day trial and future shipments were made clear at the time

of order and to make sure it was an adult who ordered. The sales call was with

Mr. [redacted], not the student. The time period of 60 days was stated repeatedly.

Then in the sales call confirmation at 21.20 minutes the sales person told Mr.

[redacted] “your 60 days begin when you receive the software, that way you have a

full 60 days”. Regarding the future billings at 21.50 minutes Mr. [redacted] was

told “regarding the advanced levels, if we havent heard and only if we havent

heard before the end of the 60 day evaluation then we will assume success and

bill and ship the next higher volume monthly at the discounted 49.95 plus

shipping and handling”. Mr. [redacted] had no issue with this and said “ok”.

Information on the trial and future billings was in writing multiple times in

the first package as well in case there was any confusion, including a sticker

on the outside of the box with our 800# that reminded them. The first shipment

was delivered to the home in October of 2014 so the trial ended in December of

2014. The first cancel contact was made on 5/6/15 so no refunds should be due

per the original recorded agreement. Per todays email we researched all emails received

and found there was a cancellation request email received from

[redacted]@clarke.edu and [redacted]@clarke.edu on 2/13/15 but there was no

cus[redacted]er information included in this email that would allow us to connect the

cancel request to an account. The VerACademy Administrator responded to that

email asking for the phone number connected to the account so that we could

take care of their cancellation request. The [redacted]s did not respond. We also

researched all incoming calls our 800# per the cus[redacted]er stating we have been

hard to contact. This is unusual since we have not been busy in cus[redacted]er

service. Searched all incoming calls from 4/1/15 to date and the only one with

the phone number 5635573005 was todays contact when cus[redacted]er service called Mrs.

[redacted]. Per the account review no refunds should be due. We do not want to leave

our cus[redacted]er unhappy however so as a courtesy we will make an exception in our

policy and the [redacted]s are authorized to return the last shipment for a full

refund of 59.90, basically honoring a 30 day return policy. Or if they would

prefer we will authorize a $40 refund to be processed immediately plus send

three VerAcademy product links ($150 value) of their choice at no additional

charge. They are still qualified to take advantage of our sat/act guarantee for

a full product refund //

Return Policy

Cus[redacted]er

satisfaction is our primary concern. As we are confident that you will benefit

from our products and services, we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial VerAcademy shipment.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with our products or services in the

first 30 days, we will exchange your software or give you a full refund for the

product amount. It’s your choice!

If

you would like to return the product, please call our Cus[redacted]er Service

Department at (800) 304-2656 to

obtain a Return Authorization Number

(RA#). This will help us provide accurate tracking of all returns.

An

RA# will be given only for the initial package and within the first 30-day

evaluation period. If

you discontinue your service after the 30-day guarantee period you will be

responsible for any charges incurred up to that date. If you are on the monthly

payment program you are responsible for all payments if you didn’t contact us

within your trial period. Any and all packages received with a post mark

stamped five or more working days after the (RA#) is issued will not be

accepted and the purchase will be considered final.

Review: The company offered me free tutoring for a month and I did not realize if I did not cancel the service in one month they would charge me $89.99 for 5 months. My son told the person calling to tutor that the service was not working but they said he had to call customer service and surprise my 16 year old son did not tell me I had to call customer service. Yes they sent me an email but to be honest I did not read "I would need to contact customer service" or they would bill me for 5 months. That is ridiculous! I think they made canceling too complicated. When I called them to tell them the tutoring did not work and my son was not using there service they made it clear I was too late. Even though we did not use there tutoring they were still going to charge me? Finally, they agreed to charge me a termination fee of $100 for a service I never used after the trial period. I tried to cancel the service 5 times and was unable to connect with customer service. I was on hold a few times for 30-45 minutes. I feel like the company tricked me and they took money from me they don't deserve. I at minimum would like to warn others to may be considering their service.Desired Settlement: I think they should refund my $189 they charge me.

Business

Response:

5/6/15

Revdex.com

of San Diego

4747

Viewridge Ave Suite 200

San

Diego, CA 92123

(858)496-2131

Complaint

ID: [redacted]

Customer

name: [redacted]

We apologize if Mrs. [redacted] has been

unhappy with her experience with VerAcademy, that certainly is not our

intention. We appreciate that Mrs. [redacted] is stating honestly that she did not

read the email sent to her (copied below) which clearly explained that her

evaluation date on the tutoring service was 3/26/15 and that if she did not

contact us by that date she would owe five payments of $89.99. In addition to

this being explained in writing in that email Mrs. [redacted] was informed verbally

that these payments would process if she did not cancel the service when she

initiated our tutoring program on 2/19/15. Mrs. [redacted] states that her 16 year

old son did not call to cancel as he should have, but in actuality the

agreement is always made with the parent so it would be up to the parent to

call customer service, of course we would not expect the student to take that responsibly.

This is why the tutoring trial date and payment information must be given to

the parent directly.

In response to Mrs. [redacted] stating that it is

complicated to cancel our service, it is not our intention to make the

cancellation complicated, it is only a simple phone call that is needed. Mrs.

[redacted] states that when she called to cancel she was told it was too late. That

is correct, since that cancellation request came after the agreed upon date of

3/26/15.

In regards to Mrs. [redacted]s statement

that we expected her to pay even if the student wasn’t using our service, the

agreement was based on a date, not usage. None the less, our tutor has noted

many contacts and contact attempts with the [redacted] family, including grading a

practice test on 3/11/15.

The fact is Mrs. [redacted] agreed to contact us by

a date if she did not want our service and she did not do that. Per the

original agreement she should have owed all five payments of $89.99 since this

cancellation did not happen. As a courtesy we offered her a cancellation fee of

$100. She was still upset so on 4/28/15 at 3.11 PM we left a message for Mrs.

[redacted] that we would waive that fee and there would be no additional billings

from our company. Per her complaint is seems that she is under the impression

this cancellation fee was billed, but it has not been nor will it be.

In response to Mrs. [redacted]s request

that we reverse the $89.99 payment processed on 3/27/15, we will not be able to

process that refund. Mrs. [redacted] agreed to an evaluation date and passed it, it

was her responsibility to inform us of her cancellation request, not her

students. She should owe an additional $359.96 but she will not be billed that

amount nor will she be sent to collections. No refunds are due however.

Again we are sorry that Mrs. [redacted] is

unhappy with our company but we respectfully disagree that we did anything wrong.

We offered a service which Mrs. [redacted] accepted. Our tutoring department has

either contact or contact attempts noted on 2/24/15, 3/2/15, 3/9/15 (twice),

3/11/15, 3/18/15 and 3/24/15. We did hold up our part of the agreement. Our

tutors do a great job and the students are usually very happy with the service.

If they are not happy they simply contact customer service and cancel the

service.

We appreciate the opportunity to

present our side of this unfortunate situation. As was previously stated, Mrs.

[redacted] does not have to worry about the $100 cancellation fee, that has been

waived.

Sincerely,

Customer

Service Manager

VerAcademy

Software

EMAIL SENT TO MRS. [redacted] ON 2/19/15 -

From:

Customer Service

Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2015 11:08 AM

To: '[redacted]@aig.com'

Subject: Welcome to VerAcademy Tutoring! The attached practice test must

be completed for the tutors to be of assistance, please have this done as soon

as possible

Re: ID [redacted] family,

Thank you for your interest in our tutoring services,

we are confident the student will find our help beneficial. Please have the

student complete the attached practice test as soon as possible. Once the

student is done taking this practice test return the answer sheet (and in the

case of the SAT the essay as well) to our tutoring department. You can do this

by scanning and emailing that information to our tutors at [redacted].com. Our tutors will

customize a preparation plan based on the results of the practice test and focus

on the areas where the student needs the most help.

All

of our VerAcademy Pro customers have access to two half hour tutoring sessions

a week at no charge during the 30 day trial period. If you decide to continue

with our tutoring service after the trial, you will receive another three

months of tutoring, continuing with the two half hour sessions a week. In

addition to their structured one-on-one sessions, the student will have access

to various tests, assignments, and homework. A tutor

will be contacting you soon to set up your first appointment. If you ever

want to contact the tutoring department you can do so by leaving a message at

1-[redacted] or by email at [redacted].com. .

Our tutoring program comes with a money back

guarantee to increase the ACT score by a minimum of 6 points and the SAT by a minimum of 300 points. You will find

more information on this guarantee noted below.

The

last day on the evaluation for your tutoring service has been noted as 3/26/15. This means you would need to contact customer service by

4 PM Pacific Standard Time on that date if you wanted to cancel this service.

If you want to make any changes to your tutoring

package please leave a message at 1-800-304-2656 or email us at [email protected]. Your five monthly payments of $89.99 start

after your trial has expired and your tutoring service will continue for an

additional three months after your trial has expired. In the meantime enjoy the

tutoring!

VerAcademy Customer

Service

VerAcademy Tutoring Guarantee

VerAcademy Pro

is the most effective learning system for increasing the SAT and ACT scores.

Our Managed Learning course enhances academic aptitude, reading, comprehension,

critical thinking and problem solving skills. Uniquely based on over 70 years

of scientific research done at the [redacted],

VerAcademy Pro is guaranteed to:

VerAcademy Pro

Guarantee:

After a minimum of 20 hours use on any one or more VerAcademy Volumes A through

J and completion of a minimum of three practice tests with tutor follow-up on

these three tests your score on the SAT will increase at least 300 points (when

your original aggregate score is between 700 and 2000 points). Your ACT score

will increase 6 points (when your original score is between 13 and 28 points).

If not VerAcademy will refund you for all tutoring payments.

To receive a refund,

VerAcademy must receive:

WARNING: Do not purchase anything from this company. They offer a SATISFACTION GUARANTEE that can not be honored due to deceptive processes. I told them my daughter had not EVEN taken the SAT yet and they still told me that I should go ahead and purchase the software now. I don't have a BEFORE SAT score so now I can't be my refund.

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

Today I received 4 calls from this company with no voicemail when I was in meetings. The last, I answered and they ask if I was my son "J[redacted]" dad and I said yes, then they put me on hold and then hung up. This was terrifying as just 8 months ago I got a similar call from a stranger when my son had been in a serious car accident and had to be cut out of the car. Fortunately he was ok but can you imagine getting the same kind of call from someone and then they hang up? This is also a California business but they are spoofing local area codes to think you are getting a call from your area. I will also be reporting this to the FCC as this is a clear violation.

This business should be shut down!