Tutor.com, Inc.

To Whom It May Concern,Thank you for this opportunity to respond to this complaint We serve 5,000-7,students daily during the heart of the academic year and last year, our tutors delivered million sessions to students in elementary school all the way up to senior citizens pursuing a degree We are proud that our average recommend rate from the 40% of post-session surveys is at 95% or higher each and every year We’ve been serving students since 2000, and while we must be doing a good job as measured by the overall student satisfaction rate we receive, we know we are not always perfect and mistakes can happenWe have an extensive and tested quality control system in place to monitor the performance of our 3,plus tutors each day, and this student’s complaints were each responded to promptly. The Tutor.com service that the student is enrolled in is provided by Post University as a free service to its students Therefore, Tutor.com has been working with this student and her university to come to a proper resolution for her complaints about our service and tutorsHer initial complaints resulted in the credit to her account of the requested minutesWe promptly addressed her subsequent complaints as well We did not credit her for every complaint issued based on our assessment of the sessions Through our quality control system, we reviewed each of her transcripts to determine if our tutors acted inappropriately or failed to follow our guidelines. It was clear from our review of this student's sessions that there was a misunderstanding about how our service works and an expectation that tutors would provide quick and easy answers rather than instruction that would help the student not just to get to the answer for the immediate problem, but also to help the student solve similar questions when they come up in their academic programWe recognize that she was sensitive about the use of her tutoring time because of the maximum amount provided by the school to individual students each term, but tutors are always expected to help students learn and not rush through a sessionHowever, the student’s behavior during her sessions was disrespectful of, and often abusive to, our tutors as was her follow up behavior with our support staffThe student’s abusive behavior violated the Terms of Use for the Tutor.com services available to each student upon entering a sessionThe Terms of Use specifically state that: “You agree that you will treat the tutors with respect and not use obscenities in the classroom, make threats, or discuss matters other than those directly related to the academic subject for which you seek help, and that doing so is an abuse of the service.” Working with her school, we advised that another support service would be preferable for her specific needs as she was clearly not satisfied with our tutors or the premise of our services to give the student the time required to be able to approach similar problems, not just the immediate question The student's later comments suggest that we blocked her access to Tutor.comAs we reported to the student and the school, we did not block the student’s accountWe suggested recommended steps for troubleshooting if she was having technical issuesStudents are not blocked from Tutor.com services without proper warning both to the student and to the sponsoring organizationThis student was able to subsequently enter into a tutoring session with a tutor which is not possible when a student's account is blocked. We again referred the student back to her advising department, who expressed they were anxious to be of assistance and acknowledged that Tutor.com had done its best to resolve the student’s complaintsA decision was made by Tutor.com and Post University that the student’s access would be discontinued on 4/**/We have promptly worked to support her to the best of our ability, despite her behavior in clear violation of our Terms of Use throughout this periodAt Tutor.com, we strive to provide students with the best tutoring experience possible, but unfortunately our service does not appear to be the right fit for this student. Regards,The Tutor.com Support Team

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I don't have my minutes restored yet.  I tried viewing the ticket and tutor.com recognizes my email, but no password.  I don't recall using a password, but if I had chosen a password the site doesn't recognize what I would have used.  Tutor.com has two statistics tutors who could not help me with my problem, but could help me lose minutes.  Thank you...  
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We apologize for the misunderstanding.  It appears you signed up for an individual Consumer account instead of one of our free Military accounts.  We have refunded the two charges @ $79.98 and you will see those credits within the next few days.  We have deactivated the Consumer...

account.  Please visit [redacted] for instructions on enrolling for the no-fee account.

RE: Complaint ID: [redacted]   Dear Mediator: This letter is in response to the complaint filed on October **, 2016 by consumer [redacted]. Tutor.com, Inc., (“Tutor”) offers on-demand online tutoring services in multiple disciplines, which may be purchased as a subscription package or a...

one-time purchase.  We have looked into the matter. We regret the difficulties [redacted] encountered with our service. We have fully refunded [redacted] for any and all charges. In addition, I have personally made certain [redacted]s account is closed and disabled and she should have no further difficulties. This response in no way constitutes an admission or concurrence with the statements set forth in [redacted]’s complaint. Tutor aims to provide the highest levels of customer service and we continuously strive to provide our customers with superior products and services.  We appreciate your notification. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Very truly yours, [redacted]Corporate Counsel

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.  Our Client Services team will review the sessions in question and will be in contact with you regarding restoration of minutes on your account.In the future, please contact our support team at [redacted] or [redacted] with any...

issues.Best,[redacted]

Revdex.com:At this time, I have not been contacted by Tutor.com, Inc. regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

The explanation from Tutor.com is an easy way out of their bad tutoring service.  I rarely used Tutor.com and left more than three hours of the ten hours allowed from Post University.  Also, Tutor.com deliberately blocked my Tutor.com account.  I opened every math subject which allowed access.  I continued all the way through with the calculus just to prove the statistics was the only math subject blocked.  The calculus tutor transferred me to statistics which blocked me from uploading an example of my problem. Tutor.com provides tutors who drag out the sessions in order to make more money.  If I inform a tutor of what type of scientific graphic calculator I have then I don't need the tutor to ask me repeatedly what type of calculator I have.  If I know the formula then why does the tutor waste my time/credits explaining the formula?  Wasted time for more money.  The exact same issues occurred during my algebra tutoring in August 2014.  I just didn't complain like I have this time around.  More Tutor.com students should complain in order for Tutor.com to fix their issues with ripping off students and places of higher learning.  My complaint is as written.
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I applied as a tutor to Tutor.com and realized that the company is poorly organized. Completing the online application was easy, but the rest of the process was chaotic. After applying online, I passed several subject mastery tests and scheduled my Mock Session. Within 10 days, I cancelled one session because the mentor did not respond and was directed to schedule another appointment, for which the second mentor failed to show. After the first issue with the Mock Session, Tutor.com should have ensured that the second session was conducted with no problem. There is a wealth of information thrown at you to prepare for the Mock Session, so it is frustrating as an applicant to review hours of material only to get the runaround from the company. For this, I do not recommend Tutor.com to anyone, tutor or student.

I had used tutor.com in 2011 and it was a great company. Well, I tried to use it in 2015 and it was an entirely different look and feel.

After using this place ONE time, I realized that the tutors were very untrained. They did not know the answers to Statistics questions. I wrote and asked for a credit and also fulfilled the requirements for a cancellation request on May **, 2015. What I got in return was charged for May, June, and now July. I cancelled three times--taking screen shots all three times--and they STILL kept billing me.

I wrote to their customer service department in MAY after my daughter received a very poor grade on the ONE session we had with this company and asked for a credit. I also confirmed the cancellation process. They still did not own up to the fact that their tutor did not have the requisite competency. I then asked to cancel again and followed up with an email to their legal department. The next day they charged my account the full monthly charge. What Tutor.com doesn't know is that I have screen shots of the cancellations of service. Beware: they do not give you a confirmation number when you cancel. If I did not have a screen shot of the cancellation my credit card company would not have taken me as seriously.

This company has either been disorganized or worse--intentionally taken money after notified of a cancellation. My credit card company has a department which they have put on resolving this. I suggest that you never enter into a trial with them because you will never get out. Even after screen shots which clearly show I cancelled they had the audacity to bill me. Even after I wrote their attorneys they billed me. I am pursuing this matter on behalf of all consumers. People should not be taken advantage of. I have 0 trust in this company. All I can say is thank God I save confirmation of cancellation screen shots. If this company denies that I cancelled, I will go to the Attorney General Consumer Protection Division and the Federal Trade Commission. Very sad to see a company behave like this.

Review: I am enrolled @ [redacted] on-line and my class was Math 142 which Everyday use of Algebra and Numbers (statistics and ratios). During one of my quizes I was stumped with the answer and confused with the formula and so I needed someone to walk me thru the formula, No tutoring during summer sesssion. But this website offered a FRE 30 minute and then charge after the free charge expired.

As I entered all my info I was made to believe that I will be talking to someone with all the pictures of tutors on the main page, But when we started the tutor was having problems loading up his screen and I sat thereand @ 37-45 minutes of waiting and geting the response of just wiat, I was feeling like these guys are trying to hook line and sink me into something. I told the tutor in writing because we still couldnt see each other that I was not satisfied and I am ending our session.

On my credit card statement I have a 79.99 charge from Tutor.com FOR WHAT????? They failed to give my what I payed for.....A tutor who could show me how to formulate an answer for the outcome.FAiled to deliver what I payed for.

tutor.com™

Hi [redacted],

You're ready to start getting better grades with Tutor.com! You have 30 minutes in your account to use right away.

Your Purchase Summary

30 minutes for $0

Total Charge Today: $0

You have 3 days to try Tutor.com risk-free. After that, your monthly subscription (2 Hours per Month) will automatically begin and your credit card will be charged for $79.99. If you cancel your subscription before 8/*/2014 12PM ET, you will not be charged.

Questions? Contact us anytime at [redacted]. Or, call us Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM ET at [redacted].

HOW DO SUBSCRIBE ON THE [redacted] AND BE GIVEN UNTIL THE [redacted] TO CANCEL AND NOT BE CHARGED??Desired Settlement: refund

Review: On December *, 2013, I completed online request with this company for 39.99. I t was not for a continued tutoring which the directions lead me to believe. On December [redacted], my account for deducted $79.00 which took my account into over draft. I called someone and I was told it would be placed back into my account within five days. I explained that the directions were misleading to the consumer. I spoke with [redacted]. I wrongfully charged this amount and my bank charge me 36.00 for overdraft fees. I have attempted to call the company and left several messaged on all their lines but no response. I needed to confirm that everything was handled but no response and no one called me back. I want all moneys returned ASAP. The site needs to have specific instructions concerning receiving moneys and someone need to answer the telephone and return phone calls on billing issues or answer the telephone on all calls.Desired Settlement: refund $79.00 to account and overdraft fees 36.00

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely, I spoke with the company and the money was refunded. I explained that the company needed to revised certain part of the website and answer their telephone.

Review: Instructors were late 80% of the time. One instructor conducted the first 15 minutes of class in the hot, humid hallway after she was 15 minutes late bc she did not know how to open the door. This was the Verbal instructor. She expected us to sit on the wet floor while employees of other customers tried to pass by. Two other instructors read verbatim directly from the book. I could have stayed home and read to myself. The physics instructor was horrible. He did not even get into a US med schools and told us his score which was a 33. The bio instructor got a 23 the first time he took the MCAT and is going to a DO school after a second MCAT exam. Why would anyone pay to be taught by students that did not get into real U.S. medical schools????? Only the chem instructor was worth seeing. If you check with the local Princeton Review office, you will see that numerous students in my class have complained and one even switched out. I stopped going to the Bio classes, Physics classes, and Verbal classes because they were a complete waste of my time. You can check my attendance from the attendance sheets that were done during class.

There is no consistency with the books. There are numerous errors in all of the books, as I have read each book from front to back. Even the instructors mentioned the errors in the textbook. Some of the students in our class had books dated 2010, while some had 2011, and some had 2012. How does this make any sense? We all have different books from different years? When I pay for "new" textbooks, I am not paying for the older versions. Some of our diagrams were different, which made it more difficult to follow along.

So this brings me to the point of paying for the rest of the class. If I felt it was worth the money, then I would have no issue paying, but since I feel like I have been ripped off. The marketing and services advertised do not match up to what they offer. At this point I feel like the program is a complete scam. The billing department told me to contact the local office. After speaking with the local office they have not offered a remedy and have stopped communicating with me. They have sent my account to collections without giving me any answers to my requests and without giving me a deadline to reach a resolution.Desired Settlement: My desired outcome is a refund of the cash payed and for this account to be removed from collections due to these poor business tactics. It is clear to see that this company advertises as a service out to help students but rather takes advantages of students. Also, I think the company should be looked into and shut down or made to have to be more clear with their services.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Princeton Review, Inc. regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: I am a military member and also a University student. When I found out tutor.com is sponsored by the DoD to give military members free tutoring I was beyond happy. The tutoring services are ok. But my complaint stems from being charged $140 after being told I wouldn't be charged. The funny this is, I never even gave them my credit card info so how did they charge me?

No replies or explanations from anyone from the support team. I am very disappointed the DoD is paying these guys. I plan on contacting the [redacted] to let them know that tutor.com may be trying to steal service members money.Desired Settlement: Refund the two charges of $79.98

Business

Response:

We apologize for the misunderstanding. It appears you signed up for an individual Consumer account instead of one of our free Military accounts. We have refunded the two charges @ $79.98 and you will see those credits within the next few days. We have deactivated the Consumer account. Please visit [redacted] for instructions on enrolling for the no-fee account.

Review: I signed up for a position as an online tutor in late February. I filled out an application, and passed an exam and a writing sample. They then asked for a W-9 tax form, which I completed and sent by fax to them. On the cover letter, I put the same email address that was connected to my account on tutor.com, and told them to contact me when they had received it. I received no such email. I confirmed that it was sent with the mailing company I faxed it from, so it did reach them. It has been 3 days since I have faxed it. I have called numerous times, leaving 3 messages (I believe one to the person in charge of application processing, one to the support line that I was directed to when I tried to call, and one to the person in charge of PR. No one has returned my calls, and I have yet to talk to an actual human being there. When I have attempted to contact them via the online support system, none of my messages went through.

The only settlement I would like is to have them shred all paper copies of my original fax of the W-9 tax form, and all copies of it they may have. If they sent any paper copies to anybody, then I would like those people to be notified that it is to be shredded as well. The same goes for any information pertaining to me they may have or have given out in their digital or paper records. I would also like my application to be rescinded. I have no interest in providing my services to Tutor.com in the future.Desired Settlement: To respond to requests (phone calls, emails) regarding sensitive information of applicants in a timely and appropriate manner.

Review: I signed my son up for a study class for the SAT 2. The class was to start about three weeks prior to the test. One week prior to the class starting my son received an email indicating the class is cancelled. He called and they said due to inadequate enrollment. I sent back all the materials which were unused. I contacted [redacted] to request a refund. I received a letter from [redacted] that Princeton refunded half the amount that was paid. My son was unable to sign up for any other classes and therefore I had to obtain private tutors at a significant expense.Desired Settlement: Full refund

Business

Response:

The Princeton Review truly regrets that this client had a negative experience. We pride ourselves in providing the very best in service and quality. On May *, 2014, this client was notified by phone that the SAT Subject Test course (#[redacted]) was cancelled. The course was scheduled to start two weeks later, on May **, 2014. The client called The Princeton Review office back the same day, on May *, 2014, and spoke to a team member who explained that unfortunately, sometimes we cancel classes due to very low enrollment. We explained that he could use the money that we have on file for private tutoring, or receive a full refund. After the client returned the course materials to us, he was granted a full refund.

Review: I am a student a Post University which provides free 10 hours of tutoring from Tutor.com. On ** April 2105 I uploaded a statistics problem that had the automatic corrected answer of 44 on problem (a) which is what I started my session for with [redacted] went through steps that ended up providing the wrong answer. I informed [redacted] that I don't get my minutes credited for wrong answers. [redacted] wasted 20.3 of my tutor minutes. I started another session a few minutes later with the same problem with [redacted] who also had no idea how to work the problem. It was a print screen-paint copy uploaded. [redacted] wasted 6 minutes of my tutor time which means Tutor.com owes me 26.3 minutes back to my Post University tutor student account. Tutor.com prides itself on guaranteeing better grades. This my first complaint on Tutor.com, but not my first issue with some of the tutors on Tutor.com. Many of the tutors I have experienced have intentionally wasted my tutor time in order to beef up their pay for services.Desired Settlement: I want my 26.3 minutes credited back to my account. I need my tutor time for my statistics class. Tutor.com made their money from Post University who made their money from me.

Business

Response:

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Our Client Services team will review the sessions in question and will be in contact with you regarding restoration of minutes on your account.In the future, please contact our support team at [redacted] or [redacted] with any issues.Best,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I don't have my minutes restored yet. I tried viewing the ticket and tutor.com recognizes my email, but no password. I don't recall using a password, but if I had chosen a password the site doesn't recognize what I would have used. Tutor.com has two statistics tutors who could not help me with my problem, but could help me lose minutes. Thank you...

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,Thank you for this opportunity to respond to this complaint. We serve 5,000-7,000 students daily during the heart of the academic year and last year, our tutors delivered 1.5 million sessions to students in elementary school all the way up to senior citizens pursuing a degree. We are proud that our average recommend rate from the 40% of post-session surveys is at 95% or higher each and every year. We’ve been serving students since 2000, and while we must be doing a good job as measured by the overall student satisfaction rate we receive, we know we are not always perfect and mistakes can happen. We have an extensive and tested quality control system in place to monitor the performance of our 3,000 plus tutors each day, and this student’s complaints were each responded to promptly. The Tutor.com service that the student is enrolled in is provided by Post University as a free service to its students. Therefore, Tutor.com has been working with this student and her university to come to a proper resolution for her complaints about our service and tutors. Her initial complaints resulted in the credit to her account of the requested 26.3 minutes. We promptly addressed her subsequent complaints as well. We did not credit her for every complaint issued based on our assessment of the sessions. Through our quality control system, we reviewed each of her transcripts to determine if our tutors acted inappropriately or failed to follow our guidelines. It was clear from our review of this student's sessions that there was a misunderstanding about how our service works and an expectation that tutors would provide quick and easy answers rather than instruction that would help the student not just to get to the answer for the immediate problem, but also to help the student solve similar questions when they come up in their academic program. We recognize that she was sensitive about the use of her tutoring time because of the maximum amount provided by the school to individual students each term, but tutors are always expected to help students learn and not rush through a session. However, the student’s behavior during her sessions was disrespectful of, and often abusive to, our tutors as was her follow up behavior with our support staff. The student’s abusive behavior violated the Terms of Use for the Tutor.com services available to each student upon entering a session. The Terms of Use specifically state that: “You agree that you will treat the tutors with respect and not use obscenities in the classroom, make threats, or discuss matters other than those directly related to the academic subject for which you seek help, and that doing so is an abuse of the service.” Working with her school, we advised that another support service would be preferable for her specific needs as she was clearly not satisfied with our tutors or the premise of our services to give the student the time required to be able to approach similar problems, not just the immediate question. The student's later comments suggest that we blocked her access to Tutor.com. As we reported to the student and the school, we did not block the student’s account. We suggested recommended steps for troubleshooting if she was having technical issues. Students are not blocked from Tutor.com services without proper warning both to the student and to the sponsoring organization. This student was able to subsequently enter into a tutoring session with a tutor which is not possible when a student's account is blocked. We again referred the student back to her advising department, who expressed they were anxious to be of assistance and acknowledged that Tutor.com had done its best to resolve the student’s complaints. A decision was made by Tutor.com and Post University that the student’s access would be discontinued on 4/**/15. We have promptly worked to support her to the best of our ability, despite her behavior in clear violation of our Terms of Use throughout this period. At Tutor.com, we strive to provide students with the best tutoring experience possible, but unfortunately our service does not appear to be the right fit for this student. Regards,The Tutor.com Support Team

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

The explanation from Tutor.com is an easy way out of their bad tutoring service. I rarely used Tutor.com and left more than three hours of the ten hours allowed from Post University. Also, Tutor.com deliberately blocked my Tutor.com account. I opened every math subject which allowed access. I continued all the way through with the calculus just to prove the statistics was the only math subject blocked. The calculus tutor transferred me to statistics which blocked me from uploading an example of my problem. Tutor.com provides tutors who drag out the sessions in order to make more money. If I inform a tutor of what type of scientific graphic calculator I have then I don't need the tutor to ask me repeatedly what type of calculator I have. If I know the formula then why does the tutor waste my time/credits explaining the formula? Wasted time for more money. The exact same issues occurred during my algebra tutoring in August 2014. I just didn't complain like I have this time around. More Tutor.com students should complain in order for Tutor.com to fix their issues with ripping off students and places of higher learning. My complaint is as written.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,