Career Step, LLC

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Sincerely, [redacted] ***

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Sincerely, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: When I called in 11/it was to cancel the program and I was told that I would not have to make any more paymentsI find it convenient that there are no notes or records of this from Career StepAgain, I am not asking for a refund, I am simply asking for my account to be zeroed out (no balance) like I was told when I made the decision to cancelWhen I saw that I was still being held responsible for the payments and could not get a hold of anyone in the financial department, I tried to see if I could still login and I was able to which meant to me that my account was still activeAfter October of 2016, I was not allowed to log in anymore to complete anything due to the year completion Career Step gives youThe only reason I attempted in May of to restart the program via emails which I have records of is because of the frustration of not getting anywhere with this company and I was told that I would have to pay off my balance as well as repay the whole fee againWhich I replied was ridiculous Sincerely, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Please elaborate on the paragraph belowIt is too vague to comprehendI have filed my income taxes and I am waiting on my returnOnce I receive it, I can pay the remaining balance in fullWhich is what I have stated, via email, over the last five monthsHowever, I now only have days to complete the program in it's entiretyWhy did I have to initiate a complaint against this company to get them to follow through with promises made to me by their employees? Why would I waste all of this money and not even be able to complete the program when I wanted to? I was laid off from my job, which I hadn't anticipatedIt was at a hospital, of all places, so I thought I had pretty good job securityAnd my unemployment is not even enough to survive onIf I had student financial aid, I could probably be able to complete thisUnfortunately, this company isn't even a FASFA certified school (that should have been my first clue) so I don't have any other optionsAnd this company will not work with meAnd by the time they actually answer this response I will have little to no time to complete the courseThis is ridiculous"As a sign of good faith we would like to extend Ms [redacted] an opportunity to get her course reactivated and her payments taken care ofRather than paying have of the remaining balance to reactivate, we are prepared to set her up on an installment payment planThis would require her to make equal monthly paymentsThis would allow Career Step to give her access to her program and for her to complete her studies." Sincerely, [redacted]

The Career Step Health Information Technology program prepares students to work as a part of an internal health IT team and provide technical support to employees throughout a healthcare facilityIt also allows them to become a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant and Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist [redacted] enrolled in this program on October 2, She has diligently completed all of her coursework during her enrollmentAll that she has left to complete is her final exam Ms [redacted] contacted us on September 15, 2015, with a concern that the course she enrolled in was misrepresented, and that she would like to receive a certificate for the first portion of the course without completing the entire courseThis course does grant two certifications, but the student must complete the entire course, which she has done except for the final exam, to receive those certificationsNo exceptions to this policy will be made When Ms [redacted] contacted us and was doing research into the course of study she would like to take she had several communications with our Enrollment Advisors and made a determination based on the information that she was provided from those advisorsShe then had a consult with her funding partner, MyCAA, who also discussed the program with her before awarding the grant for her to attend our program The MyCAA funding thoroughly vets education vendors before allowing them eligibility to offer programs to military spousesCareer Step is proud to say we have met MyCAA standards for our programs since inception Career Step helps thousands of students to better their career prospects by helping them to attain certifications and training that allow them to secure better employmentMany students need additional help throughout their courseworkWe do everything that we can to encourage our students to succeed by utilizing the help that we offer with Student Support, and the student forumsMany students take advantage of these resources and go on to graduate successfullyI am confident that Ms [redacted] can do the same and use the rest of her enrollment period to successfully complete the course As a gesture of goodwill to Ms ***, I would like to offer her an option for alternative verbiage on her graduation certificate to emphasize the medical administrative contentMs [redacted] indicated this is what is most valuable to her as she transitions into the workplace If she will take the rest of her time during her enrollment to complete the final exam and pass it, I will make sure she receives the certificate wording she desiresIf she has any concerns during this time she can always contact me or Student Support with any questions or concerns Thank you for your time Kerry H [redacted] Operations Manager

Thank you for your feedback about the problem with the promotional discounts We have researched the issue internally to find that the issue was rectified directly with the student by offering an additional promotional item We also carry laptops has a promotional item during certain months and certain types of payment qualifications The student was very happy with this result in our last contact with her

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me*Please let me know, via email at [redacted] @yahoo.com, what the four payments will break down to and when I will gain access to complete the course again Sincerely, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:This student has not pretended on any of these issuesI am NOT taking course from Career StepsMy personal issues have gotten in the way and I do not have a time line on when they will be overOn top of asking for refund stating numerous times I will not continue with Career Steps this institution has tried taking more money off of the credit cardI have called my credit card company to stop payment for Career StepsI am demanding full refund or I will take further actionI am not continuing with Career Steps not just for the fact at this time in my life there are to many issues and financial problemsIt also Career Steps are incredibly insensitive about my personal turmoil and they truly do not care if I am on the streets as long as they get paid and do not have to issue a refundSo for the last and final time I will not continue with Career Steps I am demanding a full refund or I will take further action Sincerely, [redacted]

As stated in our previous response "Mr [redacted] is making claims as to our recordings for the programThese are not recordings that were created for this program specificallyThese are actual recordings from working doctors that needed to be transcribedWe train our students to learn and understand all different types of doctors and characteristics of speech so that they can be as successful as possible in the real working environment."Our course successfully trains thousands of Medical Transcriptionists each yearMany of our students comment on the difficulty of the recordings but understand that this is a necessary skill to learnWhile working as a transcriptionist they will listen to recordings from doctors of varied backgrounds and originsMr [redacted] worked in his program and completed a majority of it before he decided that he did not want to finishMr [redacted] is not entitled to a refund and one will not be granted in this situation because of the contract that was signed and the time that has transpired since his course expiredCareer Step considers this matter closed and will not address it further after this response has been received and read by Mr [redacted]

The Career Step independent competency-based Medical Transcription Training Program has been successfully training medical transcriptionists for over sixteen years We are one of seventeen training schools whose curriculum is approved by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity MsRachel B***, enrolled in Career Step's Medical Transcription Editor (MTE) Program on August 27, 2013, which is almost two full years agoCareer Step’s MTE is an online course and the full course materials are available 24-hours per dayIn addition to the online content we do have a staff of instructors ready and willing to help and answer any questions our students may have The claim that this course "did not hear from a professor the entire time" is incorrectWe have records that show she was either called or emailed on at least five different occasions Even with proactive outreach to the students, it is their responsibility to contact the instructors with any questions or concerns This request for a refund is past the day return period and therefore the request for a refund has been denied There are other students that had questions, or have not made the progress they hoped, and this is, understandably, very frustratingWe encourage our students to succeed by utilizing the help we can offer with Student Support, and the student forums, many have gone on to conquer the roadblocks and graduate successfullyI'm confident MsB [redacted] can overcome any obstacles currently in the way and become a successful Medical Transcriptionist As a gesture of goodwill I am willing to offer a one time, 4-month extension, free of chargeI encourage Ms B [redacted] to take advantage of this time, and to contact the instructors in Student Support with any questionsThey are happy and willing to answer questions, and to clarify content Thank you for your time, Nick P [redacted] Operations Manager / [redacted] Style Definitions */

We have received the refusal from Ms [redacted] in regards to our offer of a month extensionWe understand that Ms [redacted] is frustrated with the program and claims that there is “no assistance available to guide me to finish the class”Career Step has a team of full time instructors that are at the ready to assist students with any questions that they may encounter during their courseOur students can contact these instructors at any time during the day Monday through Friday (am-pm MST)They are also available through our email and chat features, which I show that Ms [redacted] has used extensivelyWe understand that the course can be very overwhelming in some areas and all of our students do learn differentlyWe make every attempt we can to work with students to try to make this a pleasant and fulfilling learning experienceThe Professional Medical Coding and Billing course is very intense, as the student is learning a very specialized skillWe will continue to make ourselves as available as we possibly can for Ms [redacted] as she works to finish her courseWe would like to see Ms [redacted] finish, and in a final attempt to help her do soWe can offer her an additional months complimentary access to her courseThis will be our final offer and hope that Ms [redacted] will choose to accept and complete her programThere are a lot of opportunities in the market now for Certified Medical Coders and Billers, and our hopes is that Ms [redacted] will be able and willing to seize one of these opportunities and start building a future as a certified coderSincerely Kerry H [redacted] Operations Manager Career Step

I have taken this opportunity to look further in to Mr L [redacted] ’s concerns MrL [redacted] enrolled in our Medical Transcription Editor course on 06/01/He has made greatprogress in the courseHe has not only completed the preliminary modules, but also the transcription portion of the courseHe only needs to complete the editing portion of his course On 07/20/our records show MrL [redacted] contacted our Technical Support Department because he was having trouble installing the editing software for the editing portion of his courseOne of our Technical Support Specialist, Christy H [redacted] , was able to work with himShe confirmed that MrL [redacted] was using an iMac computerShe explained he would need a Windows OS to use the editing software, and he could use either a native windows computer, or he could contact apple support for help setting up Boot Camp In our Electronic Enrollment Agreement (EEA), signed by Mr L [redacted] prior to enrollment, we include section outlining all system requirements for our programsThis section is included below: System Requirements: Since the course is completely online, your computer will play an important role in your learning experienceYour computer system should meet the following minimum specifications: Hardware: • Active internet connection (High speed/Broadband connection recommended) • X minimum resolution (X or higher recommended) • Sound card and speakers (Earphones recommended) • Available USB port Software: • Adobe Flash Player (veror higher) • Windows Media Player (veror higher) or Quicktime Player (veror higher) • PDF reader Browser: • Internet Explorer 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x • Firefox [redacted] • Safari 4.x or greater (Mac only) [redacted] • We currently do not support Google Chrome • Javascript and cookies must be enabled Operating System – One of the following: • Microsoft Windows (XP®, Vista®, with latest service pack) • Mac OS X (or greater)* *The Medical Transcription Editor, Medical Transcription Editor Supplement, and Medical Transcription Editor Refresher include a third party software tool that makes the training only compatible with Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer 7.x, 8.x or 9x Note: Mobile browsing devices are not currently supported However, Career Step is investigating the implementation of mobile device support, and these specifications will be updated once a decision has been reached Please notice the highlighted areas outlining the requirements for our Medical Transcription Editor course On 07/21/MrL [redacted] again reached out to our Technical Support DepartmentHe had download Windows, but was not able to find any option to access Internet ExplorerChristy H [redacted] worked with him, but it was concluded that MrL [redacted] would need to contact Apple SupportEither Windows was downloaded from an alternative source, or Boot Camp was not successfully installedShe again confirmed with MrL [redacted] Internet Explorer is required to operate the software In regards to MrL [redacted] ’s claim, no outdated software was included in his Medical Transcription Editor programAll software in our Medical Transcription Editor program is current and usable with a Windows OP and Internet ExplorerMrL [redacted] has opted to use an iMac that does not meet the system requirements outlined in his EEA Unfortunately, after reviewing phone calls and email correspondence, MrL [redacted] ’s request for a refund has been deniedI was unable to uncover any conversations had with MrL [redacted] where software concerns were discussedNor was I able to find a commitment for additional software to be supplied to MrL [redacted] upon enrollment As a gesture of good will, and to help provide MrL [redacted] with time while making alternative arrangements to complete his course, we will provide a complimentary month extension to MrL [redacted] ’s courseIn addition, MrL [redacted] will continue to have access to our technical support team and they will offer any assistance that they can to help him in his efforts to update his computer with Apple support Thank you for this opportunity, and please let me know if you have additional questions.Nicholas P [redacted] Operations Manager / [redacted] Style Definitions */

The student does not meet the criteria for a refund We are understanding of her situation but we cannot operate as a financially sound company without having criteria for a refund At Career Step, those criteria are within days of enrollment OR severe medical conditions, death in the family and severely limiting disabilities Understand that we do care about the student's situation but it still does not warrant a refund The student chose to have her tuition be funded through a 12-month loan agreement with Monterey Financial Services The payments that are being charged to the student would be a result of the agreement the student made with Monterey Financial Services Making any kind of stop to those payments which the student is contractually obligated to pay would be breach of her contract with Monterey Financial Services We advise that this action could have financial and credit score implications Again, we understand that the student is in a personal situation However, the situation does not warrant a refund and we still invite the student to consider working in her course or participating in a complimentary extension

Our initial communication has been rejected by Ms [redacted] We would like to focus on the issue and original complaintShe has lost access to her course and would like that to be re-instatedWe would like to reiterate the following: Ms [redacted] enrolled in our course December 31, Since her enrollment Ms [redacted] has made great progress through our courseWhen she enrolled she opted for a payment plan that is facilitated through a 3rd party finance companyShe initially made a down payment of $directly to Career StepThis initial payment was not calculated into the total amount financedMs [redacted] did agree to make payments with Career Step and, for a time, did so diligently Unfortunately, there were some circumstances that occurred and made it more difficult for Ms [redacted] to make those paymentsShe did communicate this with us and we explained to her that if she would continue to make smaller payments her account would stay activeCareer Step tries to make every effort that we can to work with our students through difficult times Ms [redacted] signed an agreement stating that she would make monthly payments until the full amount of her course was paid offIn the Retail Installment Contract it states: I agree to review the Final Disclosure upon receiving it and to contact the School if I have any questionsShould default be made on any payment when due, the whole sum of principal and interest shall immediately become due and payable at the option of the holder of this Agreement Ms [redacted] signed this agreement on December 31st As of January 19th the last payment that we received from Ms [redacted] was on November 10thPer the agreement that was signed if default occurred the whole sum will become dueCommunication to Ms [redacted] began after she fell month behindAt that point a concession was made and we informed her that she could regain access to her program if she would pay half of her balance and we would negotiate with her the other portion of her balance We have already made a concession with Ms [redacted] to re-instate her courseAs per the contract the total amount is dueWe have allowed her an option of paying half of the owed balance and to make nominal payments until the balance has been paid offWe are trying to work with the student and would like her to graduate and finish her program As a sign of good faith we would like to extend Ms [redacted] an opportunity to get her course reactivated and her payments taken care ofRather than paying have of the remaining balance to reactivate, we are prepared to set her up on an installment payment planThis would require her to make equal monthly paymentsThis would allow Career Step to give her access to her program and for her to complete her studies

As a final response to [redacted] We will go over again what we have already discussed with her via email correspondence and in the contract that she signed when she enrolled in the programMs [redacted] experienced some financial distress and reached out to Career Step and was able to make arrangements to make smaller payments on a monthly basis until she was able to pay off her full balanceThis was an agreement that she entered into, but this agreement did not void or nullify the original payment contract that Ms [redacted] signed Ms [redacted] paid her monthly payments on time until November 10thThat was the date of the last payment that we received on her account and as of Dec 10th her account was set to default status, making the whole sum of her balance dueIn the Retail Installment Contract it states: I agree to review the Final Disclosure upon receiving it and to contact the School if I have any questionsShould default be made on any payment when due, the whole sum of principal and interest shall immediately become due and payable at the option of the holder of this Agreement We have tried to explain this to Ms [redacted] several times via email and over the phoneIn our last correspondence we made an attempt to offer her the opportunity to split up her remaining balance into equal monthly payments and re-activating her course while she made the paymentsShe rejected that offer As a final concession, we will make the same offer to Ms [redacted] to break up the remaining balance into equal monthly payments and will also extend Ms [redacted] ’ s program with an additional months of access to compensate her for the time that she claims to have lostThis is our final offer and our final correspondence through the Revdex.com concerning this matter Sincerely, Kerry H [redacted] Operations Manager

Our apologies if you have contacted Career Step to cancel your program and you didn't reach someone While both our phone system and our Customer Management System both record calls and transactions with students, neither one documents your calls That is not to say that you didn't call, but I was hoping to confirm that you did call within the cancellation period Career Step does allow student to cancel their course within the first days of enrollment but, I am afraid that you may have something misunderstood or confused with a different school with a 30-day guarantee Career Step does not have a 30-day guarantee but we do have a day policy for cancellations I am the Operations Manager and I fully support any student who wishes to contact me I did not ever receive any messages to contact you or any voicemails personally from you However, if you would like to discuss this issue further you can call us at (800) 411-and ask for the Operations Manager I am sorry that you did have some complications with your baby and we surely hope that everyone is healthy and thriving at this time If you would like we can offer a complimentary extension to cover some of the time that you lost due to this unfortunate circumstance with your health

The Career Step independent competency-based Professional Medical Billing Coding and Billing program has been successfully training medical coding and billing professionals since March Our training program curriculum has been reviewed and is approved by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Ms [redacted] enrolled in our course December 31, Since her enrollment Ms [redacted] has made great progress through our courseWhen she enrolled she opted for a payment plan that is facilitated through a 3rd party finance companyShe initially made a down payment of $directly to Career StepThis initial payment was not calculated into the total amount financedMs [redacted] did agree to make payments with Career Step and, for a time, did so diligentlyUnfortunately, there were some circumstances that occurred and made it more difficult for Ms [redacted] to make those paymentsShe did communicate this with us and we explained to her that if she would continue to make smaller payments her account would stay activeCareer Step tries to make every effort that we can to work with our students through difficult times Ms [redacted] signed an agreement stating that she would make monthly payments until the full amount of her course was paid offIn the Retail Installment Contract it states: I agree to review the Final Disclosure upon receiving it and to contact the School if I have any questionsShould default be made on any payment when due, the whole sum of principal and interest shall immediately become due and payable at the option of the holder of this Agreement Ms [redacted] signed this agreement on December 31st As of January 19th the last payment that we received from Ms [redacted] was on November 10thPer the agreement that was signed if default occurred the whole sum will become dueCommunication to Ms [redacted] began after she fell month behindAt that point a concession was made and we informed her that she could regain access to her program if she would pay half of her balance and we would negotiate with her the other portion of her balance As per Ms [redacted] claim of not being able to work through IT issues or having communication problemsCareer Step has a policy to notate every communication with our studentsWe have many communications with Ms [redacted] We show several communications from her but only instance of her correcting a misspelling, in which we replied immediately thanking her for the correction The book that Ms [redacted] received was the most current version of the manual at the timeIn the professional medical billing and coding world all of our books are time sensitive and we receive new versions every yearWe make sure that students receive the most up to date materialIf a mistake is made we do everything we can to make sure that our student’s needs are met Here at Career Step we value all of our students and understand that things happen in life that our out of our controlWe have made an attempt on several occasions to help Ms [redacted] through her situation, and will continue to try to assist herAs we stated to her previously over the phone and via email, we will reinstate her access to her course if she will become current on her payments We ask that she pay half of her balance owed, which is exactly $ [redacted] , at which time we will grant her access again to her program

Over 15,military spouses and service members have trained with Career Step, and our programs and enrollment processes have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the MyCAA organization as well as relevant industry associations The Health Information Technology Program Ms [redacted] enrolled in includes comprehensive curriculum on medical administrative assisting—which qualifies her to sit for both the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) credentials offered by the National Healthcareer Association—AS WELL AS curriculum on computer systems, which prepares students for the CompTIA A+ certification Graduates of this program are prepared to work as part of internal health IT teams, or they can choose to use just a piece of their overall education to work in a field such as medical administrative assisting Ms [redacted] has communicated her plan to use just a portion of her education in her future career, and we are happy to support her in this decision by altering the verbiage on her certificate of graduate to emphasize this medical administrative assisting trainingHowever, a certificate of graduate can only be issued AFTER Ms [redacted] graduatesWithout taking the final exam for the course, she cannot graduate and Career Step cannot issue a certificate of graduation Ms [redacted] has completed all hours of curriculum, including the portion on computer systems and technology, and she simply needs to take the final examHer student file shows that she contacted Career Step instructors a number of times with questions about the curriculum and was provided help in understanding and learning the contentShe has three attempts to achieve a passing score of 75% on the final exam, and a team of advisors is available to help her develop a personalized study plan should she not succeed on her first attemptAs soon as she passes the final we can provide her the certificate of graduation she has asked for, enabling her to pursue her CMAA and CEHRS certifications and begin her job search Thank you Kerry H [redacted] Operations Manager Career Step

The Career Step independent competency-based Medical Transcription Training Program has been successfully training medical transcriptionists for over sixteen years We are one of seventeen training schools whose curriculum is approved by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity Ms [redacted] enrolled in our Medical Transcription course on 5/10/According to the contract that she signed when she enrolled it clearly states: Section of the Electronic Enrollment Agreement, under the ‘TERMINATION RIGHTS AND REFUND POLICY ‘section states: (a) 3-Day Right to Rescind: You have a right to rescind this Agreement and receive a full refund of any amounts paid to Career Step, which you must exercise (if you so choose) in writing within three (3) business days from the day you submit the online application or sign the written applicationYou must deliver a written rescission of this Agreement to Career Step within such 3-day period, or if the rescission is mailed, it must be postmarked on or before the last day of the 3-day period Prior to receiving the refund, you must first return all program materials and supplies sent to you, as set forth in subsection (d) below (b) 14-DAY MONEY BACK POLICY: In addition to the rescission rights set forth in subsection (a) above, you may also withdraw from the program for any reason within days after the date you first receive access to online program materials, which is the date of the email sent to you containing your password and login for the online program In this case, this Agreement shall be rescinded and Career Step will refund your money IN FULL, less a $application fee and any initial shipping and handling fees, provided that you first return all program materials and supplies as set forth in subsection (d) below (c) No Refund after Days: If, for any reason, you withdraw after the initial 14-day review period, you are not released from your obligation to pay the program fees in full and you are not entitled to any refund from Career Step It is because of the above agreement that Career Step will not refund Ms [redacted] the tuition that she paid for her courseWe strive to accommodate our students and help them to gain the training that is necessary for them to succeedThe Medical Transcription job market is still alive and well and we would like to see Ms [redacted] finish this course and find employmentWe offer Graduate services to her when she finishesThis service is to help graduates to secure employment in the industry that they are trained and certified As a concession we will offer to compensate Ms [redacted] for the time that she has lost with a complimentary month extensionIf she has any further questions or concerns she can direct them right to me Thank you for your timeKerry H [redacted] Operations Manager

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I don’t believe I am getting he whole truth here.I have an email FROM you saying you got my voice message at the very leastIt’s told when I enrolled that there was a day guarantee and then again when I called in early MarchIf there is not day window to cancel then your staff needs some retrainingWhen you find one of my recorded calls from March you will actually hear one of your customer service people actually reference it Sincerely, [redacted]