NCARB

Thank you for your letter dated December 21, regarding complaint (Revdex.com+ [redacted] ) filed by ( [redacted] ) an NCARB Certificate holder regarding NCARB's renewal fee and refund policy.NCARB strives to deliver exceptional service to our customers at all timesAs well as; inform each customer of our policies as they navigate through their careerWe encourage our customers to refer to our fee schedule on our website at [redacted] , prior to renewal, application, and during request for transmission of an NCARB record to our Member BoardsAs such; the posting on NCARB's website clearly indicate the following“Note: All fees are subject to change, and are non-refundable unless otherwise noted." [redacted] 's intent was to utilize NCARB servicesTo do so; we explained the necessity to pay his fees in arrears and bring his account currentThe days [redacted] contacted NCARB (October 9" through December 18"), we consistently informed him of our policyWe also advise [redacted] , "all customers are responsible for fees associated with the maintenance of their individual accounts." The fees he paid on October 8, 2015, which included fees owed in arrears, brought his account current [redacted] 's renewal period is set to expire (March 31, 2016), at that time he may pay the annual renewal fee to maintain his NCARB CertificateOr, he may forego the renewal; in which his record will become inactive.Thank you for bringing this to our attention, however, at no such point was he misled or provided erroneous information pertaining to the maintenance of his NCARB account.If you or [redacted] should you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.Sincerely,Katrina H

Thank you for your letter dated December 21, regarding complaint (Revdex.com+***) filed by (*** ***) an NCARB Certificate holder regarding NCARB's renewal fee and refund policyNCARB strives to deliver exceptional service to our customers at all timesAs well as; inform each
customer of our policies as they navigate through their careerWe encourage our customers to refer to our fee schedule on our website at ***, prior to renewal, application, and during request for transmission of an NCARB record to our Member BoardsAs such; the posting on NCARB's website clearly indicate the following“Note: All fees are subject to change, and are non-refundable unless otherwise noted."*** ***'s intent was to utilize NCARB servicesTo do so; we explained the necessity to pay his fees in arrears and bring his account currentThe days *** *** contacted NCARB (October 9" through December 18"), we consistently informed him of our policyWe also advise *** ***, "all customers are responsible for fees associated with the maintenance of their individual accounts." The fees he paid on October 8, 2015, which included fees owed in arrears, brought his account current*** ***'s renewal period is set to expire (March 31, 2016), at that time he may pay the annual renewal fee to maintain his NCARB CertificateOr, he may forego the renewal; in which his record will become inactiveThank you for bringing this to our attention, however, at no such point was he misled or provided erroneous information pertaining to the maintenance of his NCARB accountIf you or *** *** should you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact meSincerely,Katrina H

Thank you for your letter dated February 5, regarding complaint (Revdex.com+***) filed by (*** ***) an NCARB Certificate holder regarding NCARB's renewal fee and refund policy.NCARB rejects *** ***'s responseWe did not deceive the customer in reference to our fees, and refund policyNCARB representatives explained the fee structure on two separate occasions to *** ***In both instances, *** *** called the NCARB Customer Service DepartmentEach call was recordedWe explained to *** *** that there are two separate feesFees in arrears, and a transmittal service fee of $(of which *** *** did not pay) to have his record transmitted to another jurisdiction for reciprocityWe did not guarantee *** *** a refund of his annual renewal fee, nor did we guarantee a refund of his fees in arrearsHe submitted a request for a refund, which was deniedAn explanation was given to him by a manager on 12/10/via phone, and again on 12/18/via email correspondence.If you or *** *** should you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact .G??Sincerely,

[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]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: NCARB is being deceptive in its email. It is not true that anybody "consistently" told me about their policy. Nobady from NCARB said anything about the no refund policy prior to payment, they also didnt tell me about the $400 in additional fees I would have to pay after paying the nearly $1300. If they have proof or audio recording that they did Id be happy to see it, but the fact is that they will not produce such proof because its not true. Ill leave that burden of proof of their statement with them.In fact, I spoke to a representative who explained to me that the process for refunds would be to send an email, which is exactly what I did. Only to get a response back referring me to their website. There is no better explanation to the way they behave other than money hungry, deceptive, and unfair business practice as a means to separate money from their customers pocket, then keep it.Why else would ANY company KEEP their customers money when they are NOT going to use their service? Its absolutely a strong arm tactic, and incredibly wrong. I wish Revdex.com and consumer rights groups would do more to rpotect their citizens from companies like this.
All I seek is a full refund, I dont want any part of their service, subscription, or anything associated with this company.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for your letter dated December 21, 2015 regarding complaint (Revdex.com+[redacted]) filed by ([redacted]) an NCARB Certificate holder regarding NCARB's renewal fee and refund policy.NCARB strives to deliver exceptional service to our customers at all times. As well as; inform each customer of...

our policies as they navigate through their career. We encourage our customers to refer to our fee schedule on our website at [redacted], prior to renewal, application, and during request for transmission of an NCARB record to our Member Boards. As such; the posting on NCARB's website clearly indicate the following. “Note: All fees are subject to change, and are non-refundable unless otherwise noted."[redacted]'s intent was to utilize NCARB services. To do so; we explained the necessity to pay his fees in arrears and bring his account current. The days [redacted] contacted NCARB (October 9" through December 18"), we consistently informed him of our policy. We also advise [redacted], "all customers are responsible for fees associated with the maintenance of their individual accounts." The fees he paid on October 8, 2015, which included fees owed in arrears, brought his account current. [redacted]'s renewal period is set to expire (March 31, 2016), at that time he may pay the annual renewal fee to maintain his NCARB Certificate. Or, he may forego the renewal; in which his record will become inactive.Thank you for bringing this to our attention, however, at no such point was he misled or provided erroneous information pertaining to the maintenance of his NCARB account.If you or [redacted] should you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.Sincerely,Katrina H

[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]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: NCARB is being deceptive in its email. It is not true that anybody "consistently" told me about their policy. Nobady from NCARB said anything about the no refund policy prior to payment, they also didnt tell me about the $400 in additional fees I would have to pay after paying the nearly $1300. If they have proof or audio recording that they did Id be happy to see it, but the fact is that they will not produce such proof because its not true. Ill leave that burden of proof of their statement with them.
In fact, I spoke to a representative who explained to me that the process for refunds would be to send an email, which is exactly what I did. Only to get a response back referring me to their website. 
There is no better explanation to the way they behave other than money hungry, deceptive, and unfair business practice as a means to separate money from their customers pocket, then keep it.
Why else would ANY company KEEP their customers money when they are NOT going to use their service? Its absolutely a strong arm tactic, and incredibly wrong. I wish Revdex.com and consumer rights groups would do more to rpotect their citizens from companies like this.
All I seek is a full refund, I dont want any part of their service, subscription, or anything associated with this company.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: NCARB provides testing for Architect Licensing. They use a third party, [redacted], to administer the test and for scheduling or rescheduling. But ultimately, [redacted] passing disputes to NCARB.

The problem arose due to a blackout period from July to August which prohibited testing during this period. I later discovered information about blackout period was posted on the NCARB website, but this information was not available on the [redacted] website, where scheduling and rescheduling occurs. I believe it is unrealistic to assume candidates would search the NCARB's website regarding any changes in testing or blackout periods. Instead this information would best serve testing candidates if it was given to them at the time of scheduling or rescheduling an exam through the [redacted] website.

Since my test date was toward the end of June and since [redacted] was not scheduling anything beyond June, it made it impossible for reschedule. NCARB policy states "Candidates will be required to select a future appointment date at the time the appointment is rescheduled." Rescheduling is allowed 3 business days prior to appointment. But without a knowledge of the Blackout period, I tried to reschedule 4 business days out, but this put me in an impossible situation, because I couldn't reschedule. I emailed a petition the next day but was later denied. I called NCARB's ARE Operations several times and I was told someone would return my calls but nobody ever returned my calls. Additional emails were sent but no replies.Desired Settlement: I would like to see NCARB testing policies and blackout periods disclosed at time of scheduling or rescheduling an exam with [redacted]. Many testing candidates take sections of ARE exam over a period of many years, in which testing policies may change but I believe such policy changes should be disclosed in a more forthright way.

Business

Response:

2 October 2013

Dear **. [redacted]:

Thank you for your letter dated September 20, 2013 regarding complaint (Revdex.com#[redacted]) filed by an ARE candidate about post-blackout exam rescheduling.

In order to keep ARE candidates informed about changes to the ARE, NCARB posts such information on its website www.ncarb.org. And, as per NCARB’s ARE Guidelines, candidates are encouraged to “Please check NCARB’s website, vmw.ncarb.org, regularly for updates to the ARE Guidelines and for the most current information regarding the ARE. ”

As such, the posting on NCARB’s website from April 2013 clearly indicated the following.

Question: “May I reschedule an exam appointment on 30 June 2013 or earlier for after the blackout? ”

Answer: “Yes. You must contact ARE Operations in writing at areoverations(cpnrometric. com. You will be given instructions on how to confirm your cancellation and receive a refund (minus the $35 rescheduling fee). Once the blackout is lifted in August 2013, you may reschedule the appointment, paying the full exam fee. ”

We are sorry for any inconvenience that the candidate encountered in his having to wait to the end of the blackout period to reschedule his test. The blackout period which occurred in July and August, 2013 was very important to improving the testing experience for all candidates taking the ARE. During that period NCARB shifted its ARE candidate database containing thousands of candidate’s testing information from its prior vendor to a new vendor. As a result of this shift, candidates will now be able to view their testing status and schedule exam appointments directly online in the My Examination portion of their NCARB record.

Thanks again for your letter.

Sincerely,