Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Certification Academy's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Certification Academy

  4742 N 24th St Ste 300 Phoenix, AZ 85016-9107

  
• 

  Certification Academy

  3104 E Camelback Rd Ste 2297 Phoenix, AZ 85016-4502

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On March 9th, 2023 I had paid Certification Academy $1899 to enroll in a CAPM course scheduled June5th-June8th. On March 23rd, I received the first cancellation email, "Our events team has encountered an issue with your course, and with such a short timeframe, we feel we need to discuss this with you as soon as possible" which followed the ask for me to switch to the July 31st in person course. I was okay with switching things around because things happen...but then I received a second round of unfavorable emails.Next comes cancellation #2 for the July 31st, 2023. I received a "Look forward to seeing you" email July 10th, 2023 and shortly after on July 19th, 2023 received a "We had an issue arise" email asking me to pick a new date for the course. At this point I requested a refund due to the inconsistency in keeping with scheduled sessions. With the change in course dates, it has become very inconvenient on myself, my boss, and my project teams and we cannot afford to work through any more time sensitive schedule delays in the future. My project schedules have been affected due to freeing up my calendar for the weeklong session. Dates that were solidified can no longer be used due to overlap from other meeting requests and arrangements had been made on my behalf. It has been very inconvenient to have to retract my time off across multiple teams / platforms and it put me in an unprofessional position amongst my colleagues. I appreciated the effort on their end, however, because this was the second time the in-person course was being cancelled, the *** director had requested that I no longer move forward with their services and request a full refund. I asked if they could please honor this request, which they proceeded to tell me their policy does not allow. All of the supporting documents will show that their website states "firm dates" and to add to it the course for my second "cancelled" option is still active on their website for others to buy into.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  Customer has been contacted to resolve the issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/16/2024

  I posted a complaint about this company before and thought that the issue was resolved. They are still holding my refund back and have provided no updates. This has been a frustrating and exhausting process. Its unbelievable how difficult it has been to get a refund. I have reached out to my finance department for assistance as well my bank. I have continuous communication as proof from this company promising me a refund and never actually processing it. It should not be this hard to get a refund and I am now confident to say that this place is a scam. DO NOT spend your money on training here. Go to the *** official website and only use courses that have been approved by ***.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for an IN PERSON course in ******* **. 1 week before the course was scheduled to begin I received an email requesting I select an alternate option of attending a course online or in person in ******* **. I signed up for an in person course because that is how I learn most successfully. Regardless if they would compensate for travel to **, that is not an option for me whatsoever. I called to get a refund since they were the ones that canceled the course and was told this was outside of their policy. Their site clearly states: "Firm Course Dates When you register for one of our classes, you are guaranteed it will run as scheduled. You can focus on your training and certification and not worry about cancellations or delays."They have not help up their end of the above statement. The class WAS canceled and now I cannot focus on my training as I'm worried about getting my money back. I am a full time practicing project manager looking to advance my career to the next level with a PMP certification. It is extremely difficult for me to clear 4 days from my schedule to take this course, and I'm getting busier every week. Waiting for the next in person course (which I doubt would even take place) is not an option as I have active installation taking place over the next few months I need to be onsite for. I need to get my PMP now, not later or next year. I'm extremely disappointed in the Certification Academy and their professionalism and how this is being handled. I wish I had read the reviews on BBB before paying for the course, they have done this to so many people! How are they able to continue practicing business this way? It feels criminal and we (the consumer) are left to pay the price and deal with the fallout.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  The refund was issued July 6th via ACH. This matter should be fully resolved

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/03/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had filed a previous complaint about Certification Academy. They asked that I take down the complaint concerning a in person class that I was to attend on February 6, 2023. Certification Academy stated that they would refund money for the class, even though I also lost money from a hotel reservation. Certification Academy responded to the Better Business Bureau about the complaint, I closed the case, and I still didn't receive any kind of refund. Now, they are refusing to talk to me. Certification charged me $3,599 for the class and I lost $561.90 that was not refundable because Certification Academy told me the class was cancelled on February 3, 2023 after 5:00PM CT for the Class that started on February 6, 2023. I was supposed to stay at the hotel between February 5, 2023 and February 10, 2023. I want a refund of $4,160.90 now for all of the frustration from Certification Academy. After numerous attempts to get the refund, filling out paperwork for an ACH transfer, and then Certification Academy still refusing to pay, I want $4,160.90.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  Per our policy the customers request is beyond out scope. Further, the customer has been extremely aggressive and verbally abusive. There doesn't seem to be a way to resolve this amicably.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2024

  I have tried to reach out to Certification Academy several times.  They don't respond.  They don't return phone calls.  Even if you say you will hold for the person you need to talk to, they will not respond and then tell you that you are holding up their line.  I hired an attorney in ******* to send them a demand letter.  The attorney outlined the precedence set forward by other cases.  They still would not respond.  I filed this complaint almost a year ago ( May of 2023 ) and today February 7, of 2024 I get the response that we won't be able to settle this amicably.  I have filed a lawsuit against Certification Academy to try and get my money back because they have only responded to all of their complaints like they have with this one.  The have advertised falsely, have obstructed any reasonable means to talk about the issue in ******** and *******.  I will see Certification Academy in court and expect to get my class fee, the hotel fee, and the legal expenses that I have incurred while trying to get them to respond.  When Certification Academy has taken $3600, cost me $500 in a hotel fee because I couldn't travel back and forth daily to a class that would have been over 2 hours away, and has cost me additional legal fees while they ignore and don't respond to anyone.  I don't think you can say the customer has been extremely aggressive and verbally abusive. There doesn't seem to be a way to resolve this amicably.  If someone steals $5000 from you, I don't think it would make you happy.    

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  *************** request is far beyond the scope of standard. We are not liable for personal decisions made and impacting a customer. We offered several compromises but he become belligerent to more than one employee from the beginning. Even now he doesnt not seek any resolution other than his original request. His claims of legal action are spurious and continue to undermine any chance we have at reconciliation. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/08/2024

  The request was not unreasonable.  Certification Academy (CA) stated on their website that "When you register for one of our classes, you are guaranteed it will run as scheduled.  You can focus on your training and certification, and not worry about cancellations or delays.  Because of the distance between where I live and the training center, I had to rent a hotel room.  CA notified me that they had to cancel the class less than 48 hours before I was to check into the hotel.  This caused me to not be able to get my $561.90 back from the hotel.  CA encouraged everyone taking the class to schedule their test as soon after the class as possible.  I scheduled my exam a Saturday after the class.  Rescheduling the test or canceling cost more money.  I took the test and passed.  Offers to take the class at a different time, pass it on to someone else does not make sense as I work as an independent consultant, or take a different class does not help. CA broke their as scheduled and 100% satisfaction guarantee.  When CA stopped answering emails, I started calling.  When CA started refusing to pass me on to the people that could help resolve the problem (at their administrative team's request) I became frustrated and angry.  CA had cost me $4160.90. CA would not refund the money even after emails stated they will get it into the next round of payments and others saying that they were out of office on leave, and I would get it in the next couple of weeks.  I hired an attorney to send CA a demand letter.  CA ignore my attorney. I filed a lawsuit after I discovered that CA has had this same problem with other clients, multiple classes and not paying instructors what was owed according to compliant I read online.  To say that I am belligerent when I have invested over $5000.00 and ignored by CA is ridiculous.  Maybe they are all very rich and don't need to worry about money.  I am not and need my money back.   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/03/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Certification Academy has been unable to issue refund for me and my colleagues despite three late-cancellations of a Project Management Course on their end. While their Support Team provides same-day responses on inquiries about start dates, there has been no action on reimbursement since five months ago. This demonstrates utter incompetence of the company's management, and is unacceptable to the point where I consider fraudulant. I have added the details of each cancellation instance below for your reference:First time: course scheduled for Sep 19th to Sep 22nd; payment made August 4th. I was informed that class was cancelled Sep 14th because "the instructor who was scheduled to teach your class will not be available". They claimed that they "have a large number of instructors and are currently looking to see if we can get a replacement instructor". This was proved to be false based on what happened next.Second time: course rescheduled to Nov 14th to Nov 17th ; relocation email from ************* to ********* sent Nov 10th claiming "we are not cancelling your class", and course cancellation email sent Nov 11th . A reimbursement of $200 was promised as compensation for inconvenience. Such reimbursement was never received despite two separate follow *** and responses claiming tickets submitted to billing department, first on Jan 4th and second one on Jan 25th.Third time: course rescheduled to Feb 20th to Feb 23; up until Feb 9th I was sure that the class would start based on email sent on Feb 9th claiming "we're looking forward to seeing you on February 20, 2023 for your PMP Certification Course in *************, **" and providing additional information about the course. Class cancellation notification Feb 13th.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  The customer has been offered alternative options, per our policy. They have not replied to requests to find alternate solutions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/27/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Im submitting this complaint hoping that those responsible for this fraudulent company is investigated and charged, and that they stop scamming and stealing from other people. This company is fraudulent in their advertising and representation on their website, and it turns out, is not a company certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) to offers PMI-related trainings. They took my money in June 2022 for a training but didnt follow through with the course, canceling my course for several months in a row (Jul, Aug, Sep and Nov). Once I requested a refund, they became unresponsive, and 8 months after paying them $1,199 for a training that never happened, Im still fighting to get my refund. 06/28/22 - I paid $1,199 to Certification Academy for my registration to attend an in-person PMI-ACP Certification training on July *****, 2022 in ******, ** which was sponsored by my employer. 07/15/22 business said there is a problem with the course. 07/18/22 - business moved the course to Aug *****, 2022.08/10/22 - business said instructor wont be able to teach. 08/12/22 - business moved the course to September.08/24/22 business said September course had been waitlisted, and the next would on October 12th. That didnt work for me so they signed me up for Nov 16-18.11/15/22 business canceled the November course. At this point I couldnt accommodate any more changes and I asked for a refund of the amount paid, $1,199. The business said that the process can take up to 30 days. 11/22/22- I provided the information for the refund check.01/24/23 Still no refund. Billing **** said my refund would be released 02/10/23.02/12/23 Still no refund. The business said that they escalated to their management team and that I would receive a call regarding my refund as soon as possible. I never received a call from management. At this point, I started contacting the company almost every day, but they became unresponsive.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  refund was issued via check November 2023
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/13/2024

  This matter is still not resolved. I received a call from the company offering to make the refund of the money they took from me, and basically saying that they will only send the payment after I remove the BBB review I wrote. This is shady to say the least. I will not remove my review until I receive mymoney back and I hope the BBB will support me and other customers in fighting for what's right and have my money back. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 06/27/2022, I sent the business Certification Academy $1,199 for the ****ACP certification course in ****** on Nov 9th 2022. On Oct 28th 2022, a customer service rep informed me that the course would not happen due to the instructor's availability, and offered to move me to a later date. I agreed to move to the Dec 7th class in ******. On Dec 5th, their customer service rep reached out to me again saying the Dec 5th training would not happen due to the same reason and asked me to move to a later date. I tried to be patient and reasonable and agreed to move to Jan 4th 2023. I told the customer service rep that this would be the last time I can move this course since my exam is scheduled for Jan 30th. On Jan 2nd 2023, the same customer service rep reached out to me saying the course would not happen, and asked me to have the course on a later date, plus reschedule my exam. I don't have any faith that this training will happen anymore. I told them I will not reschedule my exam and requested a full refund. After a long conversation, on Jan 5th they AGREED to process a full refund. I provided all the info they asked for and waited for that refund since then. Since I didn't receive any refund and it has been more than 1 month, I reached out to them again on Feb 6th. In the beginning, their customer service tried to connect me with their billing department but the billing department never responded. Since Feb 10th, their customer service team stopped responding to my email.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2023

  We investigating the status of this request. We will reach out to the customer directly to try and resolve. We will reply here once resolution has been made. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/07/2023

  HI,

  The business hasn't reached out to me. I don't feel comfortable to close this issue at the moment. what happen if they still ignore this case as they have been doing. Can we close this issue after they really reach out to me with a solution?

  thanks,

  ***

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

   the customer was contacted to resolved issue but was not heard from again - April 2023

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO BUSINESS with these guys.TLDR: Took money from my company for training + exam voucher for PMP. Trainer was garbage, and now company wont release a voucher not reimburse money for voucher.In 2022 I was in need of getting my PMP. I found these guys if ******* Website looked promising, they have a no hassle money back guarantee. I proceed to sign up for a PMP class. They promptly send me out the required books, and in Aug of 22 start saying they need to talk to management to get me a voucher. No problem. I go through the training. The trainer himself is just reading of slides, and thinks he is funny by calling his students belittling names. Asks for feedback but doesnt take it well and fights back on feedback. Whatever I just wanted to get through the material to take the exam.Class is done, we get a certificate and I request status on my voucher. They inform me they need to speak with management. Getting replies back to emails normally takes about a week, and the response is always the same need to speak with management. Calling their headquarters leads to the same 1 or 2 people that say they cant transfer you to anyone and someone will call you back. Surprise surprise, no call backs.After MONTHS and MONTHS of me trying to get a resolution, they finally tell me to go purchase an exam voucher on my own and they will reimburse me. Now they have gone radio silent. Im out of money personally and from my training budget. Not to mention having to retain the information for 6 months after the class before actually taking the exam.Legitimately one of the worst training experiences Ive ever had. Ive taken over 12 certifications over my career and nothing like this. I will be posting this on BBB as well. Proceed at your own risk.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  issue has been addressed with customer

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/18/2023

  Certification Academy did respond to this complaint. They assured me that they would make a billing adjustment. That was a week ago and still there has been no reimbursement made. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2023

  This customer has been issued the reimbursement and this matter has been resolved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  Kumail Khas
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  CertificationAcademy "runs" trainings, meaning that they hire a qualified trainer, purchase a slide deck and course materials, rent a conference room and sell you a seat (in person or virtual). For my recent Project Management Professional boot camp, the training was miserably coordinated. They room rented did not have a projector, the course materials were not delivered and the promised resources were not provided. On day 4 of the training, the instructor was locked out of the course material by CertificationAcademy and we were not able to complete our training. This company has some very inflated claims on their website, falsely claiming that 98% of student pass the exam after taking their course. Considering they struggle to provide the slides, workbooks and materials, this can't be a true claim. I hope this warning can help others save $5600 taking their team to a course where the promised deliverables are not provided.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  The customer has closed this as resolved and copied us on the email to the BBB requesting that it be closed. This issued has been resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Amr Neamatalla, an employee at ************, paid with his corporate credit card to enroll in a PMP course, in person, in *******, **. Course was purchased in August for September course dates. The course was cancelled, and he was enrolled in the October course. That course was cancelled again. *** reached out to the *************************** as now his work schedule would not accommodate postponing the course again and wanted a refund. The administrators refused to speak to Amr after an initial phone call, and I got involved on behalf of the company. I spoke with ******* and we agreed to try one more course - in December. That course was cancelled as well. After some emails back and forth ******* agreed to refund us the cost of the course. We received an email from a 3rd party to initiate the refund, inputted our banking information and waited the recommended 30 days. No refund. I reached out and was bounced between their admin office and their billing department. No response from Billing. I reached out again this week and have not received any response from customer service, billing or *******. They are fraudulent in their advertising, they do not follow through on their courses, are unresponsive.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2023

  We emailed this customer on 01/25/2023 confirming that a refund is being issued and they would receive it on 02/17/2023. This refund has been agreed to and will be resolved as of 02/17/2023 when the refund processing is complete.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/31/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  
   
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/10/2023

  Good afternoon,
  
  I would like to reopen the complaint #******** with Certification Academy.  In their stated response on 1/31/23 they said they would issue the refund and it would be received on 2/17/23.  I had agreed to that resolution, however 2/17/23 has come and gone and we have not received a refund.  I have emailed directly to Certification Academy and have not received a response.  A promise of a refund was first stated in December 2022 through personal communications, and it never materialized. I filed a complaint with BBB in January and accepted their resolution of a refund to be received on 2/17/23.  For the second time they have not fulfilled their resolution of a refund. My desired outcome is still to receive a full refund as they are unable to fulfill services as advertised.
  
  Thank you,
  ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/12/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 09/27/2022, I sent the business Certification Academy $1,899 for an in-person workshop in ************* on 10/17-20/2022. A customer service rep informed me that the workshop would not happen, but I could sign up for one of their virtual class. On their website, they clearly state:"Firm Course Dates When you register for one of our classes, you are guaranteed it will run as scheduled. You can focus on your training and certification and not worry about cancellations or delays."I signed up with their firm because I believed this was true. However, when I asked for a refund, I was pointed to their web page, and the Rep stated I could not have a refund. I understand that things happen. I entered into a contract with your firm for specific deliverables; as a result of the events out of my control and not specified in the agreement; your firm can not deliver. Therefore, I believe a refund is in order. I do not want to pay for a virtual class; I specifically paid them for an in-person class on the dates on their website. Because of an issue out of my hands, they have scheduling issues, and their new schedule does not align with my requirement. I have tried to resolve this issue, yet I am being ignored.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/21/2022

  The customer has been fully refunded but is unresponsive to our communications.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/21/2022

  I am in conversation with the business to resolve this issue. Not sure why the firm would claim otherwise.

   

  CDR

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/02/2022

  At the time of our response we had not heard back from the customer. We have spoken to the customer since and are working towards a resolution.