Stratford Career Institute

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for your message. Our records do indicate that the student had chosen to enroll in a distance-learning Small Engine Repair program with our school on October 24, 2012. The student was subsequently supplied with approximately one half of the study material involved, and he completed a...

substantial portion of the course, submitting six exams up to and including February 8, 2013. The tuition account subsequently lapsed into arrears, with the most recent payment dated November 27, 2012. The student then contacted the school on February 15, 2013 to request that his course be cancelled, and at the same time he expressed interest in a different course. The student was accordingly offered a program transfer. He did not, however, respond to that offer. Course cancellation does involve charges in keeping with the tuition contract that the student had signed and which had formed the basis for his enrollment in the course. In this case, no further payment was ever received, despite numerous attempts to contact the student, and the account was ultimately forwarded to an outside agency for financial collection. We are willing to offer the student a significantly reduced balance in order to settle the account, as well as the option to make reduced monthly payments to that end. The school does also routinely consider any mitigating factors that may apply, such as an incapacity to complete for health reasons, given appropriate documentation. I would certainly welcome the opportunity to address any questions or concerns in that respect, should the student wish to contact me directly through our Student Services department.  The student remains, of course, welcome to complete his studies should he wish to do so. In any event, we will do our best to resolve the situation under the best possible terms.

Thank you for your message. Our records indicate that the student was enrolled in our Small Engine Repair program, and since starting the program late last year he has completed approximately three-quarters of the course at this stage. The student did contact the school on April 3, 2017 with respect...

to technical support services which were deemed to be outside of the scope of the course. The student was advised at the time regarding the types of instructional assistance we are able to provide as a distance learning provider and in the context of his particular course of study. This was followed by an email from the student expressing some dissatisfaction with that situation and suggesting a desire to discontinue. An instructor replied to that message with additional explanation, offering further assistance, and to advise the student that, given his present state of completion, a decision to stop his program would not result in any change to his tuition balance. In light of that information, we asked the student to confirm his intention to cancel the program. The student did not evidently choose to reply. We subsequently mailed three additional letters of concern. We did not receive any response. However, the program has now been canceled, and the student will receive a statement of terms shortly through the postal service. At the same time, I would urge the student to consider completing the remainder of his course. We certainly do our best to provide students with any instructional assistance that may be required within the context of the particular course. In any event, the student is welcome to contact our Student Services department at his convenience should he have any additional questions or concerns.

The High School course offered by our school is a general studies program designed to provide students with a sound knowledge of several key subject areas and to help them function more effectively, especially in the employment market. The program is not, however, intended to substitute for...

state-sponsored diploma or equivalency programs. Particular schools and employers may not recognize completion of the program as high school equivalency. SCI does not currently claim any academic accreditation, nor have we ever done so. While the program is generally intended for employment purposes, the school cannot guarantee employment as a result of completion. Employment prospects will, of course, depend on local demand and requirements, applicant quality, and many other factors. Students who do desire to pursue additional education at any other institution are strongly advised to investigate the specific admissions requirements that may be involved, as such requirements are defined by the individual institutions and will vary from place to place as well as over time. Students should not assume that successful completion of our program will allow for admission to a particular school, college, or university. In some cases, students may have access to alternative admissions paths whereby some traditional criteria are waived, and in other instances, students may be required to pass a state GED exam to show their college readiness.It is unfortunate that the course has not apparently met with the student's present expectations or assumptions, in this case, the student has already received and completed a majority of his program since his enrollment on September 25, 2015. A decision to discontinue the program at this stage of completion would not result in any adjustment to the student's tuition balance.The student was provided with the option to cancel his course without additional obligation to the school in February of 2017, but he did not choose to take advantage of that opportunity. There is no indication that the student has made any prior attempt to contact the school to express a desire to discontinue his studies. On the contrary, the student did, in fact, telephone the school on July 11, 2017, to advise that he intended to resume his tuition payments the following month. There was no further contact after that point until the present. The tuition account has lapsed into arrears, and no such payment as the student had suggested was ever forthcoming. Our school provides high-quality distance education programs. I would maintain that the education provided through this course of study may very well assist both employment prospects and effectiveness, and it should remain a positive supplement to any other training or educational path the student may wish to follow. I would certainly invite the student to consider completing his program. Beyond the academic achievement involved, any education a student receives is likely to provide a competitive advantage and increased effectiveness and opportunity, even where additional training or requirements may be mandated or desirable.

Our school
is
a private distance learning provider offering diploma programs as
self-paced,
independent study by correspondence. Our programs cover a variety of
disciplines, and are designed to help individuals in the furtherance of
their
vocational training or intellectual interests. Our...

goal is to
accommodate adult students through flexible, convenient, and affordable
educational programs.
Indeed, our school has provided educational services to well over one
million
students during the past twenty years, and our surveys have indicated an
extremely high rate of satisfaction amongst our graduate respondents. Please
be aware that our school does not currently claim
any academic accreditation, nor have we ever done so. We
are, of course, happy to address any reasonable concerns or questions
any individual may have about any aspect of the courses we provide. Our
employees are readily available and
they make every effort to respond to all inquiries in an accurate and
courteous
manner. Although the concerns expressed in the present complaint are not entirely
clear to me, I would certainly welcome the opportunity to address your
specific questions should you wish to contact me directly through our
Student Services department. I would reiterate that our school does not make any claims that are inconsistent with
the nature of the programs we provide.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Like I said before all I want is my money back I dont care what they have to say they are not solving my problem. They made me waste my time already and they want me to lose my money too, that is not happening... They lied to me and they laughed at me when I called to talk to them and hang up the phone on my face.. AnD im going to keep saying this I want my money that is all im going to accept I dont want their apologies 
Regards,
[redacted]

Our school is a distance
learning provider offering self-paced, independent study courses by
correspondence. Our diploma programs cover a variety of disciplines and are
designed to help adult individuals in the furtherance of their intellectual
interests or vocational development. Our...

school has provided educational
services to over one million students during the past twenty years, and our
surveys have indicated a very high rate of satisfaction amongst our graduate
respondents. The High School program offered by SCI is a general
studies course designed to provide students with a sound knowledge of
several key subject areas and to help them function more effectively in the job
market. Prospective and current students are certainly well-advised to ensure
that their chosen program is suitable for their own personal or career
development objectives. The High School program is not intended to be
a substitute for state-sponsored diploma or equivalency programs. This is
explicitly stated in the descriptive program brochure, which
students generally receive prior to enrolling in the program: "[this program] is not, nor is it intended to be, a
substitute for state-sponsored High School or GED programs. Before enrolling,
please ensure that this program meets your personal, educational and career
objectives." 
 
It is our sincere intention that students clearly
understand the nature of their program and derive significant benefits from
their study. Access to our representatives is readily available to all
prospective, current, and former students, and our employees make every effort
to respond accurately and effectively to any questions and concerns that are
raised. While the program is generally intended for employment
purposes, the school cannot guarantee employment as a result of completion,
a limitation of promise that is explicitly stated in our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, to which terms the student has agreed. Employment prospects will, of course, depend on local
demand and requirements, applicant quality, and many other factors. Students who
do desire to pursue additional education at any other institution are strongly
advised to investigate the specific admissions requirements that may be
involved, as such requirements are defined by the individual institutions and
will vary from place to place as well as over time. Students and prospective
students may also find it productive to investigate any alternative admissions
paths which may be available to them, such as mature student or ability to
benefit status, whereby some academic requirements may be waived. Our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, which the student has signed, provides the following
advice: "Do not assume that credits
you earn at this institution will be transferable to any other college or
university. Ensure that you check with the receiving
institution."Please be aware that SCI does not currently claim
any academic accreditation, nor have we ever done so. This information is freely
provided to anyone who expresses an interest in the issue, and various
qualifying statements are provided as appropriate in the course-specific
brochures, course outlines, on our web site, and in our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, which the student has signed. We have
certainly never issued any claim that the program would meet the specific
requirements for admission to any college or university or for any particular
employment opportunity.
While it is certainly unfortunate that the course
has not met with the student's present expectations or assumptions, SCI
does not make any claims that are inconsistent with the nature of the
programs we provide. In this case, the student's course of study, related services, and
completion documents have all been supplied in accordance with the student's
enrollment agreement, and the student has paid her tuition in keeping with
that agreement. The student has successfully
completed the program, graduating on September 10, 2014. She
did not evidently choose to contact the school with respect to academic accreditation or any related issue at any point prior to her graduation.
When she later did do so, on two separate occasions in late September 2014, she
was accurately advised as to the nature of her course.
SCI
provides high-quality distance education programs and we remain
committed to maintaining a reasonable level of support for students and
graduates in their efforts to reach their own career objectives. I would maintain that the education provided through this course of
study may very well assist both employment prospects and effectiveness, and it
should remain a positive supplement to any other training or educational
path the student may wish to follow. Beyond the academic achievement involved, any education a

student receives is likely to provide a competitive advantage and
increased
effectiveness and opportunity, even where additional training or
requirements
may be mandated. We would certainly be pleased to
accommodate the student should reference letters or transcripts be required to
assist in any future endeavors she may choose to
undertake.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted]

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) is a distance learning provider offering diploma programs as self-paced, independent study by correspondence. Our programs cover a wide variety of disciplines, and are designed to help individuals in the furtherance of their vocational training or intellectual...

interests. Our goal is to accommodate adult individuals through flexible, convenient, and affordable educational programs.The nature of the student's present concern is not entirely clear to me at this stage. Our records do indicate that the student did graduate from her program on May 27, 2009. The total tuition for that course was $589.00. The student does appear more recently to have requested that her completion documents be reprinted, at a cost of $35.00. That process was completed and the documents issued to her as of March 18, 2016. We have not heard from the student for any reason since then, at least before now. At this point, the record would seem to indicate that the student has paid for the materials and services she requested and certainly appears to have been provided with everything requested.If the student has, for some reason, not received the re-issued documents, we would be happy to rectify that situation immediately, and if she has any additional questions or concerns, I would ask that she contact me directly through our Student Services department at her convenience.

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) is a distance learning provider offering diploma programs as self-paced, independent study by correspondence. Our programs cover a wide variety of disciplines, and are designed to help individuals in the furtherance of their vocational training or intellectual...

interests. Our goal is to accommodate adult individuals through flexible, convenient, and affordable educational programs. Students may certainly choose to discontinue their studies at any time over the course of their enrollment with SCI by informing the school of an intention to do so. Some charges may apply depending on the duration of enrollment, the specific stage of course completion at the time of withdrawal, and the tuition account status. Cancellation policies and procedures are described in detail in our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, to which terms the student has agreed. In this case, the student enrolled in our Art program on October 18, 2016, and study materials were shipped to her the following day. The student has since completed a portion of her program, submitting three assignments up to and including January 26, 2017. The student recently chose to cancel her course, as of February 13, 2017, and is responsible for an outstanding balance assessed in keeping with her enrollment agreement. The student is, however, certainly welcome to contact our Student Services department at her convenience to discuss her options in that regard. We will do our best to resolve the situation under the best possible terms. I would also invite the student to consider completing her program. We are proud to provide high-quality distance education programs and we remain, of course, willing to provide the materials and services required for successful completion.

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) is a distance learning provider offering diploma programs as self-paced, independent study by correspondence. Our programs cover a wide variety of disciplines, and are designed to help individuals in the furtherance of their vocational training or intellectual...

interests. Our goal is to accommodate adult individuals through flexible, convenient, and affordable educational programs. Students may certainly choose to discontinue their studies at any time over the course of their enrollment with SCI by informing the school of an intention to do so. Some charges may apply depending on the duration of enrollment, the specific stage of course completion at the time of withdrawal, and the tuition account status. Cancellation policies and procedures are described in detail in our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, to which the student has signed her agreement. In this case, the student enrolled in our Natural Health Consultant program on December 10, 2015. The student has since received and completed a significant portion of her program, submitting five exams up to and including May 18, 2016. The student did not, however, choose to make any of the required monthly tuition payments in keeping with her agreement, nor did she evidently choose to contact the school in a timely manner to express any desire to discontinue her studies. As a result, the tuition account has since lapsed into arrears and was ultimately forwarded to an outside agency for financial collection. The school is certainly justified in expecting payment of the outstanding tuition balance.  The student is, however, welcome to contact our Student Services department at her convenience to discuss her options in that regard. We will do our best to resolve the situation under the best possible terms. I would certainly invite the student to complete her program. We are proud to provide high-quality distance education programs and we remain, of course, willing to provide the materials and services required for successful completion.

I
would like to clearly reiterate that our school does not claim any
academic accreditation, nor have we ever done so. We certainly cannot,
and do not, guarantee employment or admission to any other institution
based on program completion. Our employees make
every effort to respond to all inquiries in a completely accurate
and courteous manner. It is certainly unfortunate that the course has not apparently
met with the
student's assumptions or expectations. However,
neither our school nor our representatives make claims that are
inconsistent with
the nature of the programs we provide. The student did, on the other
hand, proactively
choose to request, receive, and complete a significant proportion of her
course, and she would reasonably be charged a partial amount upon
cancellation in accordance with her tuition agreement.
SCI
provides high-quality distance education programs and we remain committed to
maintaining a reasonable level of support for students and graduates in their
efforts to reach their own career objectives. I would maintain that the education provided through this course of
study should very well assist both employment prospects and effectiveness, and it
should remain a positive supplement to any other training or educational
path the student may wish to follow. Beyond the academic achievement
involved, any education a student receives is likely to provide a competitive
advantage and increased effectiveness and opportunity, even where additional
training or requirements may be mandated or desirable.

While it is unfortunate that the course of study has not evidently met with the student's assumptions or present goals, we certainly do believe that our program offers significant benefits to our students, and we would expect it to both enhance employment prospects and effectiveness in the workplace, as well as providing a solid knowledge base for continued study. We would also suggest that additional training or education may certainly be beneficial in meeting an individual's evolving goals. In any event, I would reiterate that the school does not claim any academic accreditation, nor have we ever done so. I would add that the enrollment agreement signed by this student, did clearly advise that there is no guarantee of employment as a result of program completion, and did contain the clear directive not to assume that credits are transferable to any other school or program, emphasizing the need to check with the receiving institution in that respect.At the same time, the student is welcome to contact our Student Services department at her convenience should she have any additional questions or concerns. We remain, of course, pleased to accommodate the student should reference letters or transcripts be required to assist in any future endeavors she may choose to undertake.

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) is a distance learning provider offering diploma programs as self-paced, independent study by correspondence. Our programs cover a wide variety of disciplines, and are designed to help individuals in the furtherance of their vocational training or intellectual...

interests. Our goal is to accommodate adult individuals through flexible, convenient, and affordable educational programs. Students may certainly choose to discontinue their studies at any time over the course of their enrollment with SCI. Upon enrollment, students are provided with an initial grace period, during which time they have the option of canceling their studies by informing the school of an intention to do so. In cases where a cancellation request is received after the expiry of the standard withdrawal period and/or where some portion of the program has been completed, charges do apply for materials and services provided up to the time of the cancellation. Cancellation policies and procedures are described in detail in our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, to which terms the student agreed during her online enrollment process.In this case, the student enrolled on December 2, 2015 in our Business Management program. Her initial set of study material was shipped the following day and was evidently delivered at the address provided upon enrollment shortly thereafter, according to the tracking information provided by the USPS. There is no indication in this student record of any attempt on the student's part to cancel the program in a timely manner. No study materials were ever returned to the school, nor did the student respond effectively to the numerous invoices and other correspondence sent to her by the school. The expected monthly tuition payments for this program, to which the student had agreed upon enrollment, were not forthcoming, and as a result, the account has since lapsed into arrears.  The student is, however, certainly welcome to contact our Student Services department at her convenience to discuss her account. We will do our best to process the student's cancellation under the best possible terms. I would also invite the student to consider completing her program. We are proud to provide high-quality distance education programs and we remain, of course, willing to provide the materials and services required for the successful completion of the course.

Stratford Career Institute (SCI) is a distance learning provider offering diploma programs as self-paced, independent study by correspondence. Our programs cover a wide variety of disciplines, and are designed to help individuals in the furtherance of their vocational training or intellectual...

interests. Our goal is to accommodate adult individuals through flexible, convenient, and affordable educational programs. Students may certainly choose to discontinue their studies at any time over the course of their enrollment with SCI by informing the school of an intention to do so. Some charges may apply depending on the duration of enrollment, the specific stage of course completion at the time of withdrawal, and the tuition account status. Cancellation policies and procedures are described in detail in our Tuition Contract and Service Guarantee, to which terms the student has agreed during her online enrollment process. In this case, the student enrolled in our Beauty Care program on April 23, 2013. The student has since received and completed a portion of her program. The student did not, however, choose to make any of the required monthly tuition payments in keeping with her agreement, nor did she evidently choose to contact the school at any point to express any desire to discontinue her studies. As a result, the tuition account has since lapsed into arrears and was ultimately forwarded to an outside agency for financial collection. The school is certainly justified in expecting payment of the outstanding tuition balance.  The student is, however, welcome to contact our Student Services department at her convenience to discuss her options in that regard. We will do our best to resolve the situation under the best possible terms. I would certainly invite the student to complete her program. We are proud to provide high-quality distance education programs and we remain, of course, willing to provide the materials and services required for successful completion.

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. 
Regards,
[redacted] So from what I am reading now that I will not have to pay anymore money I actually think I should be refunded every dollar I spent I tried to keep it civil with you guys and you were very rude to me I called the next day after finding out that you are a non credited school I also had to cancel my credit card and flag my social security number I was told that everything was canceled and then I recieved a bill for 2 other months and I called in december to tell them that I canceled within 24hrs and that I never wanted to be billed again and the responce I got was that they never had any records of me calling back until december and that I would have to pay the canclation fee it was not my fault that someone did not do there job and that you just keept telling me that I never called when infact I did and I have the proof thAT I CANCELED and contacted my bank and flagged my social security card. they were very rude to me and unporfesional I hope this scam school gets closed down it's not fair that people are trying to start a career and that you guy's only charge people to profit off of them you guy's should be shut down! we are trying to start a career not debt!it should have never gone this far in the first place thank you for giving me my hard earned moneey back

I
would certainly be happy to assist in any appropriate manner. Our
school does maintain records with respect to all students who have
enrolled in a study program with us. As an outstanding tuition balance
would be the only reason I could suggest for the situation described, I
would by no means necessarily conclude in this case that a record does
not exist.

However, we would require sufficient information
to locate the specific file with an acceptable degree of certainty in
order to provide an effective response to the present inquiry. This is
why I had asked that the student contact the school, or otherwise
provide additional information, such as an account number, which might
assist. I would hope for some additional cooperation in resolving the issue at hand.

Please accept my apologies for any misunderstanding. I would reiterate that we are happy to offer the option to withdraw from the program at this point without additional obligation to the school. No further charges would apply in that situation. The student is welcome to contact our Student Services department in order to take advantage of that opportunity.

Thank you for your message. Please note that our school provides information regarding our courses at no charge; such information is always provided at no cost. Our records do, however, indicate that you enrolled in a program with our school on January 4, 2017, that study materials were shipped to...

you shortly thereafter, and that your tuition account with respect to the program remains outstanding. Your file does not indicate any response to any of the follow-up correspondence mailed to you by the school, or that any attempt was ever made to contact the school to discuss the issues raised in the present complaint or to express any desire to discontinue your program until very recently, on June 20, 2017.In any event, I am sorry that the terms of your enrollment with the school appear to have been misunderstood. As you do not apparently wish to continue with and complete your course of study, your account has been closed as a gesture of goodwill and the residual balance has been waived.

Our school is a distance learning provider offering self-paced, independent study courses by correspondence or online. Our diploma programs cover a variety of disciplines and are designed to help adult individuals in the furtherance of their intellectual interests or vocational development. Our goal...

is to provide flexible, convenient, and affordable educational programs.I was able to locate one currently active enrollment for this student, beginning on November 27, 2017. The student has, to this date, completed a part of her program. There is no indication in the record that the student has yet chosen to contact the school regarding the option to cancel this program.  She certainly does have the option to discontinue the course, and she would only be responsible for a portion of the tuition at this stage according to the terms of her enrollment agreement. Her account balance upon cancellation would be $115.74. If the student has decided to withdraw from the program, as the present communication would seem to suggest, we will certainly accommodate her request.In any event, I would urge the student to contact our Student Services department at her earliest convenience to confirm her intention and to discuss options with respect to payment.