Keystone College

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Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response from the business for several reasons:
1.) I withdrew from the college IN PERSON moments after my final meeting with the Dean, where I was advised he would make the exception for me to leave since I had been struggling since day of classes and had multiple meetings with Dean P***, school counselors, and the student success centerAfter this final meeting he told me I would be free an clear to leave BECAUSE of my EXTENUATING circumstances2.) I did not physically see my doctor often at that time because appointments with DrR*** are difficult to make with his packed schedule and he had me on a medication regimen after prior frequent visits with no results, which he then determined the best method would be massage & physical therapy, chiropractic visits, and medication therapyI attended all of these therapy sessions and stuck to the medication regimen as instructed by himMy office visits to him should have little affect on me being treated in other waysI have documentation of being treated for fibromyalgia since age and records of my traumatic car accident in 2011, plus XRAYS from Dr R*** of discs degenerating in my neck which worsens daily.
4.)The symptoms of my condition also forced me to drop out of regular high school my senior year and finish my track for my diploma with home schooling, which you can also find records of at West Scranton High school for the 09-school year (where I was an honor roll student my entire time there)So this was not something I just decided to excuse myself for without extreme reasoningAfter the car accident I also had to withdraw from *** college almost at the END of the semester BECAUSE of the same circumstances I have been speaking about hereMy jaw as broken, I had a concussion, my fibromyalgia worsened including fatigue and extreme pain and trouble focusing*** college was very cooperative in helping me find a resolution for these issues and once realizing there was no solution because of my extreme circumstances, they allowed me to leave the college and send back the loans I was given for school so I would owe nothing, which is what Dean P*** said he would allow me to do since I was very distraught about my grades and owing money to the school; hence giving me the exception to leave FREE AND CLEARThe loans were supposed to be sent back and they would cancel everything out of my record "as if I had never even been to the school".
3.) The only thing requested as documentation was office visits and the documentation of my condition, which was submittedIf the school wanted more documentation for consideration (which they should have in fairness) I would have been and still would be more than happy to submit any documentation of anything I just listed aboveMy circumstances prevented me from moving or waking up many mornings, either due to pain or the medication FOR pain that my DOCTOR had me taking BECAUSE of these extreme circumstances4.) My story has been the same the entire timeI've told this story to various people, as requested, so perhaps along the lines someone else misinterpreted me or communicated wrong information to someone else in discussing my situation.
5.) I made payments to the collection agency in December and January after instructed to do so so it would not affect my credit, which I later found out had already hit my credit in NOVEMBER 2013; so that information was and I therefore continued asking to dispute this somehow (since I had been in July when I received the first and only very surprising bill from Keystone College, which stated it was my "final bill") where I kept getting the runaround from *** and Keystone each telling me I had to contact the other because apparently neither of them were able to discuss with me this "bill" affecting my creditThis went on for several months after numerous attempts to resolve the situation, including phone calls and emails to both *** and Keystone College, and being told they will work on itWhich is more disturbing because this was an URGENT matter affecting my credit HARSHLY and in turn made many creditors deny me for a car loan and even one jobI have the email of myself desperately attempting to contact Kate Owens at the school and her responding that it would be "worked on" eventually6.) Finally, and again, I should not owe money I was told I would not owe to this schoolI am appalled at how stubborn and uncooperative Keystone College is and how lightly they took my URGENT situationI feel as though they are greedy and unsympathetic to say the least and I will NEVER attend their school or recommend ANYONE to go there after such an awful and disastrous experience with this horrible College even after giving them my full and complete cooperation.
Regards,
*** ***

July 8, 2014
Dear Sir/Madam,The following information is provided in response to complaint ID [redacted].On October 4, 2012 the student contacted Keystone College via telephone to withdraw from the fall 2012 semester citing medical issues resulting from Fibromyalgia. At the time of...

her withdrawal interview with the Director of the Student Success Center, she was advised to write a letter to the Student Policy Exception Committee regarding her outstanding balance. She was also transferred to the Financial Assistance and Planning Office and referred to the Student Business Services (Billing) Office for assistance regarding payment arrangements regarding that balance. She was also advised that while her request to withdraw was beyond the academic deadline to withdraw, an exception would be made so that her transcript would reflect grades of “W’’ instead of “F”.In accordance with the Refund Policy as published in the 2011-2013 College Catalog, no refund is issued for withdrawals beyond the fifth week of the semester.“The date used to calculate the refund is the official withdrawal date as determined by Keystone College. Backdating withdrawal dates is not permissible.“Segment of Semester Refund Prior to the start of classes 100% Up to the end of the 1° week of classes 90% Up to the end of the 2" week of classes 75% Up to the end of the 3" week of classes 60% Up to the end of the 4" week of classes 40% Up to the end of the 5" week of classes 25% Beyond the 5" week of classes No Refund” (pp. 24-25)The fall 2012 semester began on August 27, 2012. The student withdrew on October 4, 2012, which was during the 6" week of classes.On February 26, 2014 the student submitted an e-mail letter to the Student Policy Exception Committee requesting a full refund for the fall 2012 semester.On March 25, 2014 the Student Policy Exception Committee met for its regular monthly meeting. At that time, the Committee determined the following:(1) The student withdrew from the College on October 4, 2012, which was beyond the last day to withdraw and the date where any refund would be applied. (2) On October 4, 2012, the student was granted an exception and permitted to withdraw beyond the deadline. (3) The student then advised the Student Success Advocate conducting her Exit Interview that she would send this Committee a letter requesting a financial exception. (4) The student was advised at the time of her Exit Interview that no financial consideration could be made without the approval of this Committee, and then, only for extreme extenuating circumstances. (5) On December 21, 2012 a letter was mailed to the student regarding the outstanding balance. (6) The student received an invoice in July 2013 (7) The student made two payments toward the outstanding balance in December, 2013 and January, 2014 after her account had been sent to a collection agency. (8) This Committee received her request for financial consideration on February 26, 2014. 
After careful consideration, the Committee tabled the issue and requested that the student provide medical documentation for the situation that caused her to withdraw in the fall of 2012. The requested documentation was to be written on the physician’s letter head and include treatment dates and information about the student’s inability to continue her education. Once received, the Committee would consider the request further.On April 16, 2014 the Committee received a prescription pad note from the treating physician’s office indicating one treatment date prior to the withdrawal date. The note received did not address the student’s inability to continue her education.
On May 1, 2014 the Committee again considered the student’s request and determined the following:(1) The information provided by the physician’s office detailed treatment dates. Of those treatment dates, only one was prior to the student’s withdrawal from the College. (2) The information provided by the physician’s office did not indicate that her diagnosis resulted in an inability to continue her education.After careful consideration, the Committee offered the student a 50% reduction of her outstanding balance with the following conditions: -(1) The balance will be reduced by 50% leaving a remaining balance due of $2,381.00.(2) This reduced balance must be paid in full prior to registering for any future classes or receiving official transcripts.(3) The student must accept the terms of this exception in writing by no later than May 31, 2014. To accept the terms, the student must sign and return the form enclosed with the letter.(4) Once the student accepted the terms of the exception, the remaining outstanding balance must be paid in full by no later than November 30, 2014. The student may establish a payment plan with the Student Business Services (Billing) Office.On May 1, 2014 the student inquired as to the Committee’s decision. The written decision had been mailed to the student; however, an additional copy was scanned to her at her request. After receiving the scanned copy of the Committee’s decision, the student asked how to continue to dispute this decision. She was advised on May 2, 2014 that the decisions of the Committee were not appealable; however, the Provost would consider her request. I requested a meeting with the student in person; however, the student was unable to attend in person and requested a conference call, I agreed and the conference call was scheduled for 3:00 pm on May 6, 2014.
On May 6, 2014 the conference call was held. I assembled representatives from each of the offices involved, as well as Dr. P[redacted], Dean of Student Affairs. I listened to the student’s description of the events leading up to her decision to withdraw from school and asked clarification questions. At the conclusion of the conference call, I advised the student that she would receive written notification of my decision.
I denied the student’s appeal based on the following:I asked Dean P[redacted] to join the group, because she said that “the Dean” told her that she would be given an exception, and I wanted to determine whether he remembered her. Her description of the events leading up to her decision to drop out of School has changed several times as had her description of as has her identification of the Dean with whom she spoke. There were clear irregularities in her story. When asked to describe the Dean with whom she met in order to determine whether we could identify who she spoke to, she did not describe either of the Deans on campus. Until her complaint letter to the Revdex.com, the student could not recall the name of the “Dean” with whom she spoke.
Each person from an office with whom she had contact presented supporting evidence about what occurred from their perspective and about what they told her. Their stories offered a different picture of events. For example, the student stated that she had withdrawn in person with the Student Business Services Office. In fact, she had withdrawn via telephone with the Student Success Office. In addition, she indicated that she had completed disability paperwork with a College official. In fact, we have no records regarding this claim. Finally, we maintain records regarding meetings with Deans, guidance counselors, and Student Success personnel. We have no record of this student meeting with any of those offices/personnel.
Given the overwhelming evidence that the student’s story of events was incorrect, and that it changed multiple times, I support the decision of the Student Policy Exception Committee and have denied her appeal.In short, the student requested an exception due to medical issues. The College granted an exception in the amount of 50% of her outstanding balance, The student was not satisfied with the 50% reduction and continues to seek a 100% refund. We believe that the offer of a 50% reduction of her outstanding balance is an appropriate and generous offer.*Thea H[redacted], Ph.D. Provost and Dean of the College

Review: I attended this college in the fall of 2012 for about a month before realizing I was failing classes due to attendance issues as a result of health issues worsened by a car accident prior to attending the college. I was struggling to find a way to stay enrolled at the school without failing my classes and having it affect my financial aid, as I was in desperate need of it at the time and could not afford to pay on my own without it. I spoke with my professors, who told me there was nothing I could do at that point to prevent failing. I then had several meetings with Dean P[redacted] to find other options to stay at the college that semester without penalty to my grades and financial aid. After exhausting all options, Dean P[redacted] suggested the option of withdrawing from the college until I was more situated and had more ability to attend my classes. It was a day or two after the Drop Date to withdraw and I explained I could not withdraw if I were to owe money, as I couldn't afford it. He assured me he would make a special exception and allow me to leave free and clear of any charges, and was then told after withdrawing it would appear as if I had never even attended the College so I had full access to return when I was able to. After signing the required withdraw slip, I left under the impression of being free and clear of any money owed to the school. In July 2013 I received a bill from Keystone stating it was my final bill and I must be paid or would go to collections. I called with my mother several times trying to resolve it and explain what happened. They then told us it may have been entered wrong in their computer and it was possibly their error and they would work on fixing it and get back to us. After no follow up and several phone calls back to them with no result, I received a notice that they had sent it to collections. I made a payment in December and January to [redacted] in [redacted], PA while still attempting to contact the college and dispute it since I had been advised by [redacted] that if I did not it would then affect my credit without payment. I obtained a credit report for myself in january and noticed the [redacted] had been on my credit report before I even got a bill or notice for them since Nov 2013. Since this time I escalated my concern and made strong attempts to contact Keystone (which I have email documentation of) several times to them with a sense of urgency as it has been affecting my credit and credit score and giving me denials on car loans, etc., and dissatisfaction with Keystone and disputed this with Dr H[redacted] at Keystone College. She required me to send medical documentation and have a conference call with her and several other committee members in april 2014 and she then told me she would notify me in one week of her decision. Several weeks and attempts to get an answer to resolve my issue later, Dr H[redacted] told me she would not change her decision even after full cooperation with her and her investigation. I told her I would be disputing this further. I have disputed it with transunion and experian this month.Desired Settlement: I want the charges wiped clean, keystone college to remove the charge from my credit report, and have them ask for it to be promptly removed because of their error in communication, lack of effort to help me resolve my issue, and error in entering the information in the first place.

Business

Response:

July 8, 2014Dear Sir/Madam,The following information is provided in response to complaint ID [redacted].On October 4, 2012 the student contacted Keystone College via telephone to withdraw from the fall 2012 semester citing medical issues resulting from Fibromyalgia. At the time of her withdrawal interview with the Director of the Student Success Center, she was advised to write a letter to the Student Policy Exception Committee regarding her outstanding balance. She was also transferred to the Financial Assistance and Planning Office and referred to the Student Business Services (Billing) Office for assistance regarding payment arrangements regarding that balance. She was also advised that while her request to withdraw was beyond the academic deadline to withdraw, an exception would be made so that her transcript would reflect grades of “W’’ instead of “F”.In accordance with the Refund Policy as published in the 2011-2013 College Catalog, no refund is issued for withdrawals beyond the fifth week of the semester.“The date used to calculate the refund is the official withdrawal date as determined by Keystone College. Backdating withdrawal dates is not permissible.“Segment of Semester Refund Prior to the start of classes 100% Up to the end of the 1° week of classes 90% Up to the end of the 2" week of classes 75% Up to the end of the 3" week of classes 60% Up to the end of the 4" week of classes 40% Up to the end of the 5" week of classes 25% Beyond the 5" week of classes No Refund” (pp. 24-25)The fall 2012 semester began on August 27, 2012. The student withdrew on October 4, 2012, which was during the 6" week of classes.On February 26, 2014 the student submitted an e-mail letter to the Student Policy Exception Committee requesting a full refund for the fall 2012 semester.On March 25, 2014 the Student Policy Exception Committee met for its regular monthly meeting. At that time, the Committee determined the following:(1) The student withdrew from the College on October 4, 2012, which was beyond the last day to withdraw and the date where any refund would be applied. (2) On October 4, 2012, the student was granted an exception and permitted to withdraw beyond the deadline. (3) The student then advised the Student Success Advocate conducting her Exit Interview that she would send this Committee a letter requesting a financial exception. (4) The student was advised at the time of her Exit Interview that no financial consideration could be made without the approval of this Committee, and then, only for extreme extenuating circumstances. (5) On December 21, 2012 a letter was mailed to the student regarding the outstanding balance. (6) The student received an invoice in July 2013 (7) The student made two payments toward the outstanding balance in December, 2013 and January, 2014 after her account had been sent to a collection agency. (8) This Committee received her request for financial consideration on February 26, 2014. After careful consideration, the Committee tabled the issue and requested that the student provide medical documentation for the situation that caused her to withdraw in the fall of 2012. The requested documentation was to be written on the physician’s letter head and include treatment dates and information about the student’s inability to continue her education. Once received, the Committee would consider the request further.On April 16, 2014 the Committee received a prescription pad note from the treating physician’s office indicating one treatment date prior to the withdrawal date. The note received did not address the student’s inability to continue her education.On May 1, 2014 the Committee again considered the student’s request and determined the following:(1) The information provided by the physician’s office detailed treatment dates. Of those treatment dates, only one was prior to the student’s withdrawal from the College. (2) The information provided by the physician’s office did not indicate that her diagnosis resulted in an inability to continue her education.After careful consideration, the Committee offered the student a 50% reduction of her outstanding balance with the following conditions: -(1) The balance will be reduced by 50% leaving a remaining balance due of $2,381.00.(2) This reduced balance must be paid in full prior to registering for any future classes or receiving official transcripts.(3) The student must accept the terms of this exception in writing by no later than May 31, 2014. To accept the terms, the student must sign and return the form enclosed with the letter.(4) Once the student accepted the terms of the exception, the remaining outstanding balance must be paid in full by no later than November 30, 2014. The student may establish a payment plan with the Student Business Services (Billing) Office.On May 1, 2014 the student inquired as to the Committee’s decision. The written decision had been mailed to the student; however, an additional copy was scanned to her at her request. After receiving the scanned copy of the Committee’s decision, the student asked how to continue to dispute this decision. She was advised on May 2, 2014 that the decisions of the Committee were not appealable; however, the Provost would consider her request. I requested a meeting with the student in person; however, the student was unable to attend in person and requested a conference call, I agreed and the conference call was scheduled for 3:00 pm on May 6, 2014.On May 6, 2014 the conference call was held. I assembled representatives from each of the offices involved, as well as Dr. P[redacted], Dean of Student Affairs. I listened to the student’s description of the events leading up to her decision to withdraw from school and asked clarification questions. At the conclusion of the conference call, I advised the student that she would receive written notification of my decision.I denied the student’s appeal based on the following:I asked Dean P[redacted] to join the group, because she said that “the Dean” told her that she would be given an exception, and I wanted to determine whether he remembered her. Her description of the events leading up to her decision to drop out of School has changed several times as had her description of as has her identification of the Dean with whom she spoke. There were clear irregularities in her story. When asked to describe the Dean with whom she met in order to determine whether we could identify who she spoke to, she did not describe either of the Deans on campus. Until her complaint letter to the Revdex.com, the student could not recall the name of the “Dean” with whom she spoke.Each person from an office with whom she had contact presented supporting evidence about what occurred from their perspective and about what they told her. Their stories offered a different picture of events. For example, the student stated that she had withdrawn in person with the Student Business Services Office. In fact, she had withdrawn via telephone with the Student Success Office. In addition, she indicated that she had completed disability paperwork with a College official. In fact, we have no records regarding this claim. Finally, we maintain records regarding meetings with Deans, guidance counselors, and Student Success personnel. We have no record of this student meeting with any of those offices/personnel.Given the overwhelming evidence that the student’s story of events was incorrect, and that it changed multiple times, I support the decision of the Student Policy Exception Committee and have denied her appeal.In short, the student requested an exception due to medical issues. The College granted an exception in the amount of 50% of her outstanding balance, The student was not satisfied with the 50% reduction and continues to seek a 100% refund. We believe that the offer of a 50% reduction of her outstanding balance is an appropriate and generous offer.*Thea H[redacted], Ph.D. Provost and Dean of the College

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response from the business for several reasons: