U.S Career Institute

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I have repeatedly tried to speak with Graduate Services with help on taking the necessary tests as well as finding internships for the certificates I completed in order to be employed. I have moved states within the last year as well as took time off from school after losing my husband in 2014. I have spoken with this school more than once not just the one time as they are saying. If I have to pay another school to retake these courses because I am unable to do the required tests then I believe they should have to refund the money that I spent on their programs in which I did not get the help needed to use their certificate programs to further my career and accomplish the goals I had set for myself upon enrolling in their programs. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: You are false advertising.I have email several companies about getting a job when I finished. Each one of them kindly apologized and that that I have to have 2-3 years of in office experience to work from home. So you called " Our Medical coding and billing program will teach you everything you need to know to start working as a medical coding and billing specialist,,, no previous medical experience needed. Quote taken directly from your website.  If this does not get settled I will set a date for small claims court. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Thank you very much. The letter states that within in 30 days my account will be removed from collection. Would like to know if that also means from my credit report also.
Regards,
[redacted]

Ms. [redacted] enrolled last
January when the coding manual used in the United States was ICD-9. The government
approved a change on October 1st to the ICD-10.
There will be a transition period for many offices around the country switching
to ICD-10. The coders who understand ICD-9 will be able to transition to ICD-10
because the process of coding is the same; it’s the codes themselves that primarily will be different. In preparation for this change an ICD-10 supplement was
provided with the coursework for students enrolled in ICD-9. The ICD-10 training was not available on January 5, 2015 when Ms. [redacted] enrolled, the mandatory coding manual change did not happen until October 1, 2015. All students were sent an ICD-10 manual and instructors are available to assist students with questions on the supplement. Because of Ms. [redacted]'s account status she was obligated to the full tuition and the school waived the balance due of $1,563 and no more payments were due. The amount paid was accepted as her financial obligation for the administration of her school account. No refund will be issued. We wish Ms. [redacted] the best of luck in her future endeavors.Thank you, Joyce L[redacted]Director of Student Services

Ms. [redacted]'s account was cancelled and an exception was made waiving the balance due of $1,563. Ms. [redacted] completed 68% of the program and was responsible for 100% of her tuition; however, the school will accept the $719.00 in tuition paid to meet her financial obligation for the material and instruction received. No refund will be processed on her account. Thank you,Joyce L[redacted]Director of Student Services

In review of [redacted] school records, I am going to cancel her school account. To date she has paid $813.50 which will be refunded back to her. Ms. [redacted] account has been cancelled today, July 29, 2016. No more assignments or payments will be due. Please allow up to 30 days for the refund to...

process. We wish Ms. [redacted] the best of luck in her future endeavors.Joyce L[redacted]Director of Student Services

Revdex.com:Will I receive the $769.00 back as well that I have made in payments?
I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I believe I am entitled to a full refund due to false advertising. I also am disputing the claims that there are no records of my speaking to Graduate Services. I have attached 2 e-mails showing that I spoke to Ana from Graduate Services. The 1st step that I was advised to take was to contact medical offices in my area and ask if they had any job openings for a medical billing specialist. I contacted over 75 different offices that after completing courses 1 and 2 that I would not be able to obtain employment with that certificate. They all stated they require 2 years experience. This will also not enable me to work from home. They made statements about being able to work from home and they also advertise falsely. I want a full refund. I have paid $1976.97 in total for this program. After deducting the $599 return - I am owed $1377.97. I am still determined to get resolution for this and am prepared to get legal help to take this to small claims court. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank youfor the opportunity to respond to Case ID [redacted]. Ms. [redacted] enrolled on12/6/12 and completed thru Quiz 6 on 10/1/13. Ms. [redacted] is 16 paymentsbehind in her tuition obligation and after unsuccessful attempts to collectpayment her account was sent to a collection agency on...

12/3/13. Notes on Ms. [redacted] account are noted asthe follows:2/28/13 –Ms. [redacted] mom phoned the school to discuss the school’s accreditation andto discuss account in detail.4/17/13 –Ms. [redacted] called to say couldn’t afford payments. Student services repwent over cancellation policy. Ms. [redacted] did not cancel her program andstudent services rep gave a grace period on payments.4/23/13 –Ms. [redacted] made a partial payment and student services rep removed heraccount from collection effort and made her account current. Then her accountwent late in payments again.2/20/14 –Ms. [redacted] phoned to cancel course and mentions she did not get Pack 2,which was shipped a year earlier on 2/13/13. Students who graduate get a certificate of completion in Medical Claims and Billing. If astudent wishes to pursue additional certification is up to them. You do notneed to be certified to do billing. According to the signed enrollmentagreement and in the school catalog it outlines our “Student Protection Policy.”Once a student is enrolled in a program for 12 months they are obligated to thefull tuition. After review of this complaint, I am going to make an exception inMs.[redacted] case and waive the balance due on the account of $1,413.25. Iwill put in request to remove her account from collection efforts. Please allowfor up to 30 days for collection efforts to stop. As of today, Ms. [redacted]account is cancelled and no more payments are due.We wish Ms. [redacted] the best of luck in her future endeavors.Joyce L[redacted]Director of Student Services

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Please have the business notify any credit agency's of this closure and report it to Experian for credit score purposes.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. [redacted]'s complaint. In reviewing her account, we found the following information:1. Ms. [redacted] completed all quizzes.2. Ms. [redacted] only paid $5 toward her tuition. She was granted a $50 discount upon enrollment. This left her with a $650.50...

balance.3. There is no record of bankruptcy paperwork being received for this account. Had we received this paperwork, we would have followed our bankruptcy policy which allows a 30-day grace period from payments to provide time for the bankruptcy paperwork to be received. Once the paperwork is received, the account is placed under bankruptcy status, which freezes the account and prevents additional payments from being owed. While this would stop collection activity, it does not allow a student to receive a certificate unless all assignments and payments are successfully completed. Should a student whose account has placed in bankruptcy request a certificate, the school works with the student to outline a payment plan as the school does not release certificates when there is an unpaid balance.4. We have record of Ms. [redacted] calling on May 5, 2014, indicating she made three previous attempts to request a certificate and transcript. However, these contacts were not noted in her account and no additional contacts since May of 2014 have been recorded. 5. The phone number Ms. [redacted] refers to has never been a live answer phone number. The number was obtained for the purpose of providing automated information. 6. While we have empathy for Ms. [redacted]'s 2008 divorce and resulting bankruptcy, our policy, as outlined in various places such as the catalog, indicates we do not send a certificate until someone has successfully completed all assignments and paid their tuition in full. In the past, we have made exceptions to the payment requirement if a student was current in payments. With this exception, we sent a certificate if 50% of the tuition was paid. We have never had a policy that would allow us to release a certificate with only a $5 tuition payment. Thank you for reviewing the complaint and our response. Please do not hesitate to contact me with additional questions.

Case # [redacted] Ms [redacted] enrolled in the Massage Program on 2/24/2011. On 4/12/2012, notes on Ms [redacted] school records indicate she contacted the school regarding clinical training. She indicated she would not be coming to Colorado to attend the training as outlined in her course...

information. She wanted to cancel her enrollment which we did on 4/12/2012. Ms [redacted] was informed the cancel balance was $161.50 and notes on the account indicated she would make payments to until she satisfied the cancel agreement. No payments were made as discussed and after several unsuccessful attempts to collect payment her account was sent to outside collection efforts on 7/27/2012. According to the enrollment agreement Ms [redacted] does owe $161.50 from her enrollment in 2011. In response to this complaint, I am going to make an exception and waive the balance due of $161.50 and ask to have her account removed from collection efforts. Please allow up to 30 days for collection efforts to discontinue. The account is cancelled and no payments are due.Thank you,[redacted]Director of Student Services

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to case number 11952936. After review of Ms.[redacted]’s school records and considering her request the school will make an exception in her case and waive the balance due of $690.94. Ms. [redacted]’s account will be cancelled, no more assignments or...

payments will be due on the account. The amount paid to date will satisfy the financial obligation for 50% of the course completed. Ms. [redacted]’s account is cancelled as of today, January 27, 2017. We wish Ms [redacted] the best of luck in her future endeavors. Thank you, Joyce L[redacted] Director of Student Affairs

The past due balances on Ms [redacted]'s account have been waived and request to remove the account from the collection agency was requested on 4/30/2015. Thank you,[redacted]Director of Student Services

In response to complaint #[redacted], Mr. [redacted] enrolled on 6/19/15 and turned in Quiz 7 on 1/26/16. Mr. [redacted] has an overall 77% GPA at this time, he has paid $534.00 and received a discount in the amount of $411.00 to equal the amount of $945.00 stated in the complaint. After careful review of Mr....

[redacted] account it appears this course is not a good fit for him. I am going to cancel Mr. [redacted] Criminal Justice Program, I will refund the $534.00 Mr. [redacted] has paid toward his tuition. Mr. [redacted] will no longer need to submit assignments, the account has been closed today, March 30, 2016. Please allow up to 30 days for the refund to be processed.We wish Mr. [redacted] the best of luck in his future endeavors.Thank you,Joyce LindquistDirector of Student Services

The counselor attempted to contact Ms. [redacted] on 4/29/16, dialing the number on Ms. [redacted]’s school records and was unable to reach her. On 5/4/16, graduate services emailed a response to Ms. [redacted]’s questions regarding marketing her new skills and mentioned it would be best to talk by phone. No conversation is on record. An email was sent with information on tasks Ms. [redacted] could do in attempt to find work. The grad counselor also gave Ms. [redacted] the names and contact information of graduates who are working to learn how they got started in the field. It’s important to have a good cover letter and resume when applying for jobs. Our graduate services department is available to Ms. [redacted], at [redacted].  At-Home Professions has refunded the tuition for Course 3 that Ms. [redacted] received. She did not complete the coding lessons in Course 3. She has completed her Medical Billing portion of her studies and her certificate was mailed 1/19/16. Ms. [redacted] is responsible for payment on this portion of her course. The refund policy is outlined on the enrollment agreement and in the school catalog. We wish Ms. [redacted] the best of luck in her future endeavors. Thank you, Joyce L[redacted] Director of Student Services

Ms [redacted] enrolled in the Medical Billing SpecialistProgram on 3/11/14 and graduated on 3/9/15. Ms [redacted] enrolled in theSuccess Promise Program, which is a structured marketing program, no charge tothe student. The student must meet all of the weekly assignments to be eligibleto participate....

Ms [redacted] missed the Resume Questionnaire assignment thatwas due by 11:59pm, Tuesday, April 14, 2015 and was dismissed from the program.With the marketing techniques taught in the program we believe our studentswill obtain work and if they don’t they are eligible for a refund. Ms [redacted]didn’t meet the requirements of the program and is not eligible for a refund. Wedo encourage Ms [redacted] to work with our graduate counseling department forsome marketing tips. Our school is nationally accredited through the DEAC,Distance Education Accrediting Counsel, Washington DC. We have graduatereferrals who are working from home doing medical billing. Our graduatecounseling department can provide information for Ms [redacted] to speak withone of our referrals. She can contact graduate services at [redacted], ext.[redacted].Ms [redacted] is not eligible for a refund according to theenrollment agreement and school policy.We wish Ms [redacted] the best of luck.Thank you,[redacted]Director of Student Services

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  U.S. Career Institute stated that "At no point prior to enrollment or her call on August 5, 2016 did Ms. [redacted] mention that her goal was to become CMA certified through the AAMA." which is false. I informed the U.S. Career Institute representatives from the very beginning that I work in an office and my goal is to be more hands on with the patients. U.S. Career Institute also stated that they would withdraw the balance from the collection agency which has not been done. The $1,188.00 still remains on my credit report.
Regards,
[redacted]

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

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to Ms. [redacted]’s complaint. Ms. [redacted]’s correspondence with USCI has been thoroughly reviewed and we would like to provide the following information. On July 20, 2017, Ms. [redacted] visited our school website and requested information on the Massage Therapy...

certificate course, which was mailed to her on July 21, 2017. We list the following verbiage on our website at https://www.uscareerinstitute.edu/certificates/wellness/massage-therapist/course...⇄ ·         Letter of Academic Achievement When you complete the academic portion of your training, you will receive written notification attesting to your accomplishment. The Letter of Academic Achievement also advises you that you are now ready to proceed to the advanced, final stage of the course, if you choose to do so. ·         Exciting Hands-On Opportunity! If your goal is to work as a Professional Massage Therapist, you will want to check regulations in your area. Completing the U.S. Career Institute hands-on training prepares you for graduation. This training is conducted by our expert, credentialed Massage instructors at our Fort Collins, CO, facility. When our Admissions Support team followed up with a phone call to her on July 25, 2017, Ms. [redacted] advised she had questions and was transferred to an Admissions representative. The call ended with the Admissions representative sending an email to Ms. [redacted] advising that our Massage Therapy course is designed to be completed in two parts since our course has a total of 625 clock hours of education, 425 of which are conducted through self-paced, online education and 200 of which are completed in Fort Collins, CO at our facility. The email explained further details of the course, including the tuition and payment breakdown, that students must check their state requirements to verify that our course will qualify them for occupational licensure, and that the 200 hours of hands-on training are conducted in our Fort Collins classroom over the course of four weeks so students sign up for a hands-on training session after they complete their online education. The email included a Course Outline, which is attached, as well as a breakdown of the clock hours for the academic and hands-on training portions of the course. The Course Outline has two boxes on Page 2 that contain the following verbiage specifically addressing when a student will be eligible to receive a Letter of Academic Achievement or Certificate of Completion: ·         Certification/Licensing Massage therapists may need to be licensed to work, depending on their local regulations. Massage therapy licensing requirements vary state by state and USCI advises students to determine specific licensing requirements for the location in which they want to work before incurring the cost of traveling to Colorado for the Hands-On Training. It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether or not training from U.S. Career Institute will transfer to other institutions, satisfy local training requirements or meet employer requirements. Students taking this course for avocational reasons may not want to incur the cost of traveling for the Hands-On Training. Students who complete the academic, home study portion of this course (as described in this outline) receive the U.S. Career Institute Letter of Academic Achievement. This letter signifies eligibility to proceed to the Hands-On Training portion of the course. Students who graduate from the Hands-On Training portion of the course will receive a U.S. Career Institute Certificate in Massage Therapy. ·         Hands-On Training U.S. Career Institute provides 200 hours of Hands-On Training in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the guidance of Colorado-certified massage therapy instructors. Students who have earned the Letter of Academic Achievement for the academic, home study portion of this course (as described in this outline) are eligible to attend the Hand-On Training portion of the course. To find out more about the Hands-On Training, including the schedule for sessions, please contact Student Services. After receiving this information, Ms. [redacted] enrolled herself online thought the school’s website in U.S. Career Institute’s Massage Therapy course on August 2, 2017. At this time, she was both mailed and sent an electronic version of the same Course Outline mentioned above. The original tuition cost of the course was $2889 plus a one-time $29 application charge, and Ms. [redacted] received a $429 discount, reducing the amount paid to $2489. When Ms. [redacted] signed her Enrollment Agreement on August 2, 2017, she agreed to the terms outlined on the Enrollment Agreement and in the school catalog, available to students on the school website. The catalog mentions and directs students to details pertaining to the Massage Therapy course’s academic portion, hands-on training portion, Letter of Academic Achievement eligibility and Certificate of Completion eligibility on pages 4, 46 and 47. Following is the excerpt from page 46 and the excerpt from page 47: ·         The Massage Therapy Course integrates theory and hands-on training, providing students with the skills necessary to effectively assess clients’ needs, prepare therapeutic treatment plans and apply appropriate massage techniques. Beginning with instruction in anatomy and physiology, students build on this foundation of knowledge by learning contraindications to massage and principles of assessment. Students then learn massage theory for common massage modalities and begin practicing their massage skills. The course culminates in Colorado on-site, hands-on training in which students master their massage skills under the supervision of certified massage therapy instructors.  The student’s tuition includes all lessons and other instructional materials listed on the Course Outline. Students are invited to attend 200 hours of on-site training by credentialed Colorado massage therapy instructors upon completion of the academic portion and fulfillment of their tuition obligation. The tuition does not include travel or accommodation costs for the training. Graduates of the program are students who successfully complete the academic and hands-on training and pay their tuition in full. ·         Students who successfully complete the academic, theory portion of the training receive the U.S. Career Institute Letter of Academic Achievement. The letter signifies eligibility to proceed to the hands-on portion of the program where students earn their certificate. U.S. Career Institute advises students to determine the requirements within their local area and/ or state regarding massage therapists prior to incurring the cost of traveling for the hands-on training. Students taking the course for avocational reasons may decide not to incur the cost of traveling for the hands-on training. It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether credits or certificates from this institution will transfer to other institutions or meet local/state or employers’ training requirements. Students who successfully complete the academic and hands-on training, as well as pay their tuition in full, will graduate from the program and earn their certificate. After completing the online, academic portion of the course, Ms. [redacted] emailed Graduate Services on September 20, 2017 to advise that she would not be able to attend our school for hands-on training and would like to receive an “academic achievement certificate” so she could attend hand-on training in her state and city. Graduate Services responded to Ms. [redacted] on September 21, 2017 clarifying that graduates must attend our hands-on training in Fort Collins to earn their Certificate of Completion and sent a Letter of Academic Achievement by mail to Ms. [redacted] to recognize her completion of the 425 clock hour academic portion of the course. Graduate Services also encouraged Ms. [redacted] to contact her state board to check licensing requirements and provided contact information for the [redacted] State Board. USCI regrets to hear Ms. [redacted] feels she was not aware of the requirement to attend the 200 clock hour hands-on training session in Fort Collins, CO, as we do not feel we are falsely advertising our services. U.S. Career Institute is upfront about the details of the Massage Therapy course and provides information regarding our Massage Therapy course’s academic portion, hands-on training portion, Letter of Academic Achievement eligibility and Certificate of Completion eligibility in numerous places so students or prospective students understand our policies and requirements. Ms. [redacted] completed the academic portion of the course, chose not to attend our Hands-On Training portion, and was issued a Letter of Academic Achievement based on our policy; therefore, Ms. [redacted] is not eligible for a refund. We wish Ms. [redacted] the best in her future endeavors.