Complaints

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:04/10/2025

  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.

  When I signed up for Springboard, I decided To use their loan partner Climb to help me finance my loan. I did this because on Springboard's website it says almost verbatim that If the course is not completed then they will adjust the tuition to reflect the amount of time in the course that you completed, so I took that at face value. I am aware that springboard has a policy stating that at 30 days with a deduction of $20000, a Refund can be given. I want to make it clear that I am also aware that per their policy they gave me (only) in email correspondence, that it says no refund will be given after 30 days. However, in the legal documents that i signed, it states no such thing. The document that i signed says nothing about a refund after the 30 day period. This, and the statements about Climb and Ascent on Springboards website, genuinely led me to believe that because I had partnered with Climb at Springboards recommendation, I would be eligible for some degree of refund if I didnt finish the course. The course is falsly advertised, littered with errors, and the students have been actively trying to get Springbpard to fix the incorrect information so that we can actually learn. When I attempted to contact admin about how difficult it is to learn when their course information isnt correct, I was basically told thats unfortunate for me. I decided I am not paying over 13k for a "school" that expects me to find errors in their curriculm for them, and decided to withdraw after 39 days of curriculum. They did not hold up their end of the bargain in their promise to educate me (via an almost ilegible course full of errors), and nothing in the documents that i signed (NOT their personal policy, bet legally bidning documents) said anything about not guaranteeing a refund. I want to know if I have a case to get some, any, money back. If not, I will have to resolve with just filing a complaint against their false advetising to warn others of their misleading programs.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2025

  Hello Jaricah,
   
  I understand that you feel that you have been provided with contradictory information regarding Springboard's refund policy. Thank you for sending over those screenshots. I took a look, and wanted to provide some additional clarity.
   
  In your signed enrollment agreement (attached, and identical to the screenshot you attached where you can see the same language), you will see this wording in the "Withdrawal From the Program" section:
   
  "If, after having received the first ****** and initial materials, you choose to access the balance of the material, you will have 30 calendar days from the day you were provided access to the remaining materials to withdraw from the program and be eligible to receive a refund of the balance of any prepaid tuition after a deduction of $2,000 and any non-refundable fees specified in the enrollment agreement."
  
  You were provided with this document before enrolling in the program, and you signed it, meaning that you agreed to a policy containing the language above. Our refund policy is not private and was made available to you before you enrolled.
   
  Our intention in providing that clear phrasing is to enable students to understand that, once you opt in to receiving the remaining course materials after Unit 3, you have 30 days to request a partial refund. When students reach the beginning of Unit 4, they also see the message "Before accessing the rest of the curriculum, please ensure that you have reviewed your enrollment agreement, and understand Springboard's policies and terms of service" (screenshot attached).
   
  The wording you can see on Springboard's website that says "If you do not complete the program, we will adjust your loan amount to reflect your time active in the course" means that depending on the timing of your cancellation request in relation to the point at which you chose to access the rest of the course beyond Unit 3, your loan amount would be adjusted appropriately based on our policies.
   
  I understand that you were provided with a lot of information during the admissions process and at the start of your enrollment. After reviewing the materials you were provided with, I feel that our refund policy was made clearly available to you.
  
  Additionally, Springboard has a dedicated Learning Experience team that conducts regular curriculum refreshes and fixes issues in the curriculums within agreed-upon turn around times. Any issues with the curriculum that could block students' learning are resolved on a top priority basis. I see multiple instances in your email history where our Advising Team reached out to you after a complaint regarding the curriculum and timelines for receiving responses in *****, where they asked for more details so they could address your concerns, and you did not respond to those emails.
  
  In conversation via email, you were offered a call with the Senior Manager of Student Support to discuss your complaints further if you wanted to (screenshot attached). You did not schedule a call, and you replied to that email stating that you wanted to proceed with cancellation. To the business's interpretation, that meant you were accepting the refund policy outlined in your signed enrollment agreement. We are still unable to provide an exception to you because you received the refund policy before you chose to enroll and signed it.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2025

   
  Complaint: 23189161
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   An ever growing curriculum does NOT excuse the fact that it's errored to the point that projects a d quiz answers are wrong. I had a group within slack where students sent all of the incorrect curriculum and a student mentor offered to sent it to the course, and i didnt respond back to some admin because my mentor had already assisted me. I didn't respond to admin because after my first call, I was told that there's not much to be done about errors because its "always changing" which is not the vase for ANY other school. I proceeded with the cancelation because just like your response, it's a direct copy and paste from our email correspondences and i didnt need another copy and pasted response. you guys aren't actually listening. The policy is clear on your website, NOT THE LEGAL DOCUMENT. I recommend adding that refunds will not be at all given after 30 days in your enrollment agreement to avoid this in the future, although I am assuming that with your graduation rate, people like me are how you get your funding. I guess this is the last time I can ask that even if it isn't in your policy, you make the morally correct and kind choice. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Jaricah ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2025

  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 was enrolled in the UX/UI track at Springboard. I completed it and went through not 6, but 12 months of the job guarantee due to an extension I had no input in. Unfortunately, they were unable to get me a job and thus owe me a refund. The refund was approved. However, they have sent the refund to a card that no longer exists without checking with me if that card was still open. Now they are being incredibly obtuse with assisting me with getting the refund. Not only have they given me something called an ARN number (which no one at the bank seems to recognize as an actual thing), but theyre now saying theyre not currently able to send a written check. I am extremely frustrated as this is over 10 thousand dollars were talking about. I do understand that they cant change the card on file, but I believe they should have done their due diligence to first ensure the card on file was still functional or if I needed to be sent a check. All I want is the $10,400 that is rightly owed to me and then I want to move on.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/15/2025

  Hello ****,

  Thank you for contacting us with your concern! After touching base with our Support Team, we can confirm that we are issuing your Job Guarantee refund via the alternative method of a mailed check. The same say your complaint was received, the refund that was sent to the bank associated with your closed card was bounced back to us.
  
  We apologize for the inconvenience, but we truly can only send refunds back to the method that was used to make the payment. This is not Springboard's policy but a policy mandated by our payment processor as well as most major credit card Terms or Service as a fraud prevention measure. We cannot make exceptions under any circumstances for this reason.
  
  We always strive to assist customers to the greatest extent of our ability whenever a refund is issued to a closed card. We appreciate your patience as we waited for the refund to either bounce back to us or be successfully routed to you, and we are very glad that we now have a clear path forward in being able to issue your refund another way.
  
  Please direct any follow-up communications to your open thread with the Support Team! We hope this addresses your concerns to your satisfaction.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2025

  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 enrolled in springboard with their deferred ************* guarantee stating if I did not secure a job within 6 months of finishing. They increased this from 6 to 12 months without increasing the amount of allowed missed calls & late completions of their "weekly job guarantee requirements".This is further compounded by their 72+ hour weekday response times(and no weekend replies) making scheduling and amending any issues very difficult when done on a weekly basis. As i am 10 months into their program with springboard's lack of good faith and poor communication I am requesting a full refund under the original stipulation of a 6-month deferred ************* guarantee.Although this is not provable, it does feel like the support and communication timelines have only worsened as I have approached the end of the program. This highly feels like I am being "squeezed out" so they can avoid repayment.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/14/2025

  Dear *********,

  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. On behalf of Springboards *************** team, I want to start by sincerely acknowledging how frustrating this experience must have been for you. We understand that navigating a job search can be stressful, and we genuinely want to support you in reaching your goals.
  

  Ive taken the time to personally review your case alongside the rest of the *************** team to understand the full context of your experience, and my goal in here is to highlight and respond to each of the points you made in your original email: 
  

  1. Extended Job Search without Additional Chances for Leniency: 
  Our intention in extending the Job Guarantee timeline from 6 to ****************************************************************** what has continued to be a challenging job market. The email communication you received at the time of the extension stated the following: 
  

  As a reminder, the Job Guarantee Terms for the Software Engineering Career track state that  ...the Guarantee Period may be extended unilaterally by Springboard by up to six months if there is a natural disaster or other occurrence beyond Springboard's control at any point during the Guarantee Period that disrupts the job market nationally. For full transparency, Ive attached our full program terms to this response, as well as the screenshots of the full email you were sent at the time of the extension to help provide complete transparency on what was communicated. 
  

  To reiterate, the decision to extend your job search period was based on several factors, outside of Springboards control, that strongly affected the job search outcomes of the students participating in our Job Guarantee program. Including:
  - A decrease in the number of entry-level tech roles available nationwide.
  - Longer interview cycles, resulting in an extended timeline from job search start to finish vs previous years.
  - Increased competition for entry-level roles due to the limited number of positions
  

  Importantly, while the duration was extended, we have not made the weekly requirements more stringent instead, weve continued to approach individual situations with empathy and flexibility, offering leniency when and where appropriate. In your case, youve already been granted multiple instances of leniency beyond what our policy typically allows as part of our effort to provide you with every opportunity for success.

  
  2. Response Time Concerns: 
  I recognize how critical timely support is, especially when youre working toward weekly goals. Our standard response window is 4872 business hours, and we remain committed to meeting that standard. That said, I appreciate that this can feel longer in the moment, and I want to sincerely apologize if this has contributed to your frustration. However, when reviewing your recent interactions with the *************** Support team, I can confirm that your emails and communications have been responded to within our response window. 
  

  Additionally, I understand that scheduling coaching calls has been challenging at times. We value your engagement and want to ensure your coaching sessions are as productive as possible. Our team has noted receiving some last-minute rescheduling requests, and while we aim to accommodate whenever we can, keeping a consistent schedule helps us better support you. If you need help with your call schedule, please be sure to notify both your Career Coach and the *************** Support team 24 hours before the call is scheduled to start. 
  

  3. Being Squeezed out to avoid repayment: 
  Most importantly, we remain fully committed to helping you succeed. Our goal is not just to fulfill the program requirements but to help you genuinely secure the role youve been working toward. In fact, our goal is the opposite, having you or any other student feel like you are squeezed out.
  

  If youre open to it, I would love to arrange a direct call to go over your current job search strategy, address any immediate concerns, and map out the most straightforward path forward together.
  

  We appreciate your patience and openness in bringing this to our attention, and we are here to work with you toward a resolution that supports your success.
  

  Warmly,
  ****** Saccuzzo 
  Head of Career Success, Springboard

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/14/2025

   
  Complaint: 23188443
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Another meeting simply "pushes this issue further down the road" and does not resolve it as shown by consistent poor efforts of communication.
  
  Even in this response, to the BBB, AI was used to right approximately half of the response(refer to aireply.png). This shows continued lack of effort for communication.
  
  Communication times are definitely well above the ***** hour ***** and the the reviewing of my most interactions with career services there most definitely was not a response- at all. (refer to badreplytimesexample1.png) Although this is just one example I assure both you, and the BBB representative reading this, I can show many more email conversations exactly like this.
  
  In response to "youve already been granted multiple instances of leniency beyond what our policy typically allows" I have not. The situation most likely being referred to was at the beginning of the career coaching aspect of the program and was simply a glitch/error in Springboards system because the policy had been added that impacted a different cohort.
  
  In response to "while the duration was extended, we have not made the weekly requirements more stringent" simply not scaling the amount of allowed misses with increase in job search time. This is metaphorically the same as an employer having the same amount of allowed sick days for someone working 6 months vs someone working 12 months. As you increase the timeline, the amount of room for error should be increased as well.
  
  In conclusion Springboard's response shows a lack of effort by having a mostly AI written response and inaccurate accounting of events by acknowledging the most recent email conversation. I once again am stating the impression I get from Springboard and their team is an effort to "squeeze me out" with lack of support in order to not honor their job guarantee. This is a widely echoed opinion online with many people on forums like Reddit stating a similar experience.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ******

  Business Response

  Date: 04/15/2025

  Dear *********,

  Thank you for your response. We respect your right to disagree with our position and appreciate your continued engagement in this conversation. Our goal is to work with you toward a resolution, and I can assure you that both the original email and this one were drafted (by me personally) with that intent in mind. 

  I acknowledge and appreciate the frustration you outlined around the interactions with your Career Coach (referring to the bad response time screenshot you shared). While the ***** response times that I mentioned in my original email are specific to our Career Support Operations team (aka a customer service support team), I can understand how you could expect similar response times from your Career Coach. While they do operate differently and are not held to a response time, I will be working with the Coaching team to improve this and will work to set improved expectations around response time. 

  It is not our policy to extend a refund to a student before their job guarantee program is over. This means that you will be able to request your refund on June 5th, 2025. At that time, you will be able to go through our standard refund request and review process. 

  The offer to schedule a call with you is not to "push this issue further down the road." Instead, it is standard in cases like this. Being able to talk through options in a 1:1 call setting can help to better understand the full scope of the situation and also help identify options for alternative solutions. Without having the opportunity to talk to you and gain a better understanding, I can suggest the following as high-level solutions to help support you:
  1.) If you are experiencing financial hardship, we can make our Tuition Appeals process available to you. If approved for it, you could get an expedited refund. 
  - If you are interested in learning more about this program, let me know, and I will provide the application details. 
  - If you apply, we can help to pause your job search while you go through the process. 
  2.) Support you with getting rematched to a different Career Coach to ensure that the career support you receive through the remainder of your program is more attentive and responsive 

  I still welcome the opportunity to meet with you and talk through your experiences and expectations in more detail. 

  Best, 
  ****** ********
  Head of Career Success, Springboard

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/15/2025

   
  Complaint: 23188443
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  My "career coach" is the line of contact given to me by Springboard, concerns I have have previously been deferred to be addressed by said "career coach".
  
  Confidence to have reasonable,timely, and good faith interactions has not been established(offering a phone call does not give any indicator of future good faith).
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/29/2025

  Type:Product 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.

  I enrolled in Springboards software engineering curriculum (bootcamp) in May of 2023. Their program promises that if students do not receive a job offer in one year, they would receive a full refund. I have completed the one year period and have been approved by Springboard for a full refund. The issue is that they have now told me, for the first time, that I would receive the refund in 12 monthly installments over the course of the NEXT year. This timeline appears nowhere in their onboarding documentation or in the contracts I signed. I believe this timeline is unreasonable, excessive, and is not consistent with the legal definition of a refund nor generally accepted consumer standards for a refund. According to their logic, they could give me the refund over 10 years if they wanted. They are thus keeping moneyinterest-freethat they are legally obligated to refund to me. I believe that this violates the terms of our agreement and also California consumer protection law. In trying to work with Springboard directly, their offer is for me to fill out a form for financial hardship that they review once a month and cannot promise I will receive anything. I said that form was inadequate: my request is based on their obligation to provide the refund in a timely fashion.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/01/2025

  Dear *****,

  Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding the Job Guarantee refund repayment process. We understand that this is an important matter, and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify our policies and address your concerns.

  First, we want to acknowledge that you have successfully met the eligibility requirements for the Job Guarantee refund, and we remain committed to honoring that promise. Our current refund process, which includes a 12-month installment plan, was updated in July 2024 and has been outlined in our Job Guarantee FAQ resource (attached to this response) to ensure transparency for all students. Along with this update, weve also extended the support and services you have access to during the refund period. This includes access to technical curriculum, networking opportunities, and career events.

  We understand that you were not aware of this repayment timeline at the time of your enrollment. I would like to highlight that while our Job Guarantee program terms (attached to this response) primarily outline eligibility criteria rather than specific refund disbursement details, we do strive to ensure that students are informed through our updated resources. 

  It's also important to note that any time we make a change to our program offerings, like with how our refunds are paid out, we first make sure that we are not violating the terms and conditions of our programs, the enrollment agreement, etc. That being said, paying out approved end-of-program refunds via monthly installments does not violate anything documented in Springboards promise to our students. However, we regret any frustration this has caused you.

  As you are aware, we offer financial hardship assistance for students facing urgent financial challenges. If this applies to your situation, we encourage you to complete the form, which is reviewed on a monthly basis. While we cannot guarantee immediate disbursement outside of the standard refund process, we are committed to reviewing all cases carefully and doing our best to support our students.

  We appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or would like to discuss this matter in more detail, please feel free to reach out to *******************************************************************.

  Best regards,

  ****** ********
  Head of Career Success, Springboard
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/01/2025

   
  Complaint: 23133986
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  As you have clearly noted, this refund timeline was updated well after I began the program. I would have made other choices as a consumer had this information been current. No reasonable consumer would accept a refund occurring over a 12 month period. The agreement states I would receive a refund, and Ive not received a refund and will not receive it for one year. For that reason, Springboard is in violation of the terms of the agreement we signed. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******-***** (*******)

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/01/2025

  I signed contracts under ***** *******. Since signing, my legal name has changed to ***** *******-*****. 

  Business Response

  Date: 04/02/2025

  Dear *****,

  Thank you for your response and for giving us the opportunity to clarify further.

  As previously shared, when we make updates to our program policiesincluding how refunds are processedwe do so only after ensuring they remain in full compliance with our enrollment agreements and applicable laws. While we understand your concern regarding the timing of the refund timeline update, the method of issuing approved refunds in monthly installments does not violate any terms outlined in your enrollment agreement or in Springboards Job Guarantee Program.

  To offer additional context, we thoroughly reviewed relevant consumer protection laws when finalizing this policy. Under California law, specific refund timelines apply to cases involving cancellations or withdrawals from a program. However, the end of program refundoffered as part of Springboards Job Guarantee program is not governed by those provisions. This means that Springboard retains the discretion to determine the timing and structure of refund disbursements.

  We understand this may not be the resolution you were hoping for, and we sincerely regret any frustration or disappointment it has caused. Please know that our goal remains to honor our commitments while continuing to provide meaningful support during the refund periodincluding ongoing access to your curriculum, alumni community, and career resources.

  If youre experiencing financial hardship, Id be happy to personally assist you with the Tuition Appeals process. While we cannot guarantee an accelerated refund, we will review your application carefully and do our best to assist.

  Thank you again for raising your concerns.

  Sincerely,
  ****** ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 23133986
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  It is my position that your reasoning is incorrect and will not hold up in court. Further, it is a deceptive business practice that I think will do Springboard more harm than good. If we cannot reach a resolution, I am fully prepared to pursue litigation. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******-*****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2025

  Dear *****,

  Thank you for your response. We respect your right to disagree with our position and appreciate your continued engagement in this conversation.

  As previously shared, we remain fully committed to honoring your approved Job Guarantee refund. Meaning that based on our current policy, the refund will be issued in 12 equal monthly installments.

  We also remain committed to supporting you during this repayment period. To that end, you will continue to have access to the course curriculum, community Slack channels, and non-coaching services offered by the *************** team. Previously, students lost access to these resources once a refund was approved, but weve made a deliberate decision to extend access so you can continue revisiting coursework and leveraging career support.

  We understand that you're considering all available options. While we hope to avoid further escalation, we acknowledge your right to pursue any path you feel is appropriate. Our intention remains to resolve this matter constructively and professionally.

  As mentioned, we encourage you to consider applying through our Tuition Appeals process. This is the standard path we offer to students seeking an expedited refund disbursement. Id be happy to personally support you through that process should you choose to move forward.

  I also welcome the opportunity to connect directly. While I cannot guarantee that we can issue the full refund outside the Tuition Appeals process, a conversation would give us the chance to discuss all possible options together. Please feel free to book a time with me using my calendar link: **************************************

  To ensure we can help resolve this in a timely manner, please either schedule a call or reply to this email with your preferred next steps by Thursday, April 10th.

  Thank you again for your continued dialogue. I look forward to the opportunity to work together toward a resolution.

  Warm regards,

  ****** ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/05/2025

   
  Complaint: 23133986
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I am not interested in access to the curriculum or access to career services. Im interested in receiving the refund in a timely fashion.
  I am happy to meet; however, I will not accept a resolution that involves me filling out a financial hardship form, and I will not accept a resolution that involves me waiting longer than one month for the refund. It is Springboards obligation to provide the refund in a timely fashion regardless of my economic situation, and I am very confident San Francisco Civil Court would agree with me. Therefore, I encourage Springboard to make their next offer their last, best offer.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******-*****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2025

  Dear *****,

  Again, thank you for your continued dialogue and for meeting with me earlier this week. I appreciate you allowing me the time to review your case thoroughly with our Leadership team.

  As discussed, I shared the details of our conversation internally, and at this time, we are prepared to offer you the following: 
  - Disburse your approved refund over two months, split into two equal payments.
  - Waive the requirement to go through the Tuition Appeals to ensure we can move forward swiftly.
  

  While this is outside of our standard refund process, we are prepared to make an exception in your case, and we hope that this resolution feels fair and prompt.
  

  Please note that this offer is contingent upon the signing of our refund agreement, which is a standard step in any case where we issue a refund outside of our typical policy, and it will help ensure that all terms of the agreement are clear and confirmed by both parties. Once you confirm your acceptance of this offer, we will send the agreement to you directly for your review and signature.
  

  We hope this solution meets your needs, and we look forward to resolving this matter together. Please let me know how you would like to proceed.
  

  Warm regards,
  ****** ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  Hi ******, thank you for following up. I accept the offer. Please send me the form and I will fill it out promptly. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******-*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/19/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 am filing a formal complaint about the Cybersecurity Career Track program, which I believe uses misleading advertising and provides inadequate support. 1. Misleading Job Guarantee Springboard promises a Job Guarantee, yet my eligibility was extended without my consent due to “increases in unemployment.” This seems like a way to delay refund obligations rather than genuinely assisting students. 2. Poor Mentorship & Lack of Support My first mentor was consistently late, unresponsive, and frequently rescheduled calls. I had to request a new mentor, which delayed my progress. The ***** community was dead, offering no valuable support. My ******** project received little to no feedback, making it difficult to improve my skills. 3. Unrealistic & Ineffective Job Search Requirements Springboard’s job search criteria are unreasonable and poorly structured. To stay eligible, I had to: Apply for 10 jobs per week, regardless of relevance. Complete 2 skills activities per month, with no clear guidance. Conduct 4 informational interviews per month, which is excessive. Make 10 new contacts per week, without meaningful networking assistance. 4. Misleading Career Coaching My career coach incorrectly told me I could not apply for remote jobs, even though Springboard’s contract allows it. This severely limited my job search. 5. Resolution Requested Given these issues, I request: A full tuition refund per Springboard’s advertised Job Guarantee. A formal review of Springboard’s misleading business practices. I have attached evidence supporting my claims. Please advise on how this matter will be addressed. Sincerely, Christian B*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/28/2025

  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.

  Complaint Against Springboard - Refund Delay and Financial Harm Date of Transaction: September 9, 2024 Amount Paid: $13,860 (initial tuition)Nature of Dispute: Improper refund handling, delayed processing, financial harm I enrolled in Springboards UI/UX Design Career Track on September 9, 2024, and withdrew on October 22, 2024. Per the enrollment agreement, tuition should be prorated based on the months enrolled. However, Springboard improperly rounded my tuition up to two full months to $2580, charging me more than what I should owedespite the contract not mentioning this rounding practice.Springboard initially promised my refund would be processed within 4-6 weeks, but as of January 2025, my loan provider (***** Credit) has not received the refund. Climb Credit confirmed via phone that Springboard has failed to return refunds for multiple students, sometimes for over a year. Meanwhile, I am accumulating interest on a loan balance that should have been reduced, harming my credit score and finances.I have repeatedly contacted both Springboard and Climb Credit. ***** has informed me that they are still waiting for Springboard to return the tuition funds. Despite Springboard initiating a refund request in November 2024, they have failed to follow through.Springboards pattern of refund delays and deceptive policies is harming students financially. I request:1.Immediate refund of my owed tuition to Climb Credit 2.Reimbursement of interest accrued due to their delay 3.Investigation into their deceptive refund practices I have attached emails and loan documents proving their failure to issue timely refunds. Springboard should be held accountable for its unethical financial practices.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2025

  Hello *******,

  Thank you for outlining your experience throughout the process of canceling your course enrollment. After checking with Climb, we can confirm that the refund was received by them on January 23, 2025. We apologize for the time it took for your refund to be processed.
  
  In response to your experience, we would like to offer you a refund of 50% of the total tuition you owed at the time of cancellation. A Springboard Support Team member will reach out to you tomorrow, February 7, 2025, to coordinate with you regarding this refund. This refund should cover any additional interest you paid while waiting for your loan balance to be reduced, and the remainder will be tuition forgiven as a make-good gesture given your negative experience.

  We hope that this resolves your complaints to your satisfaction.

  Thank you,

  Springboard Support Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2025

  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 registered to Data Science bootcamp back in 2021. During the time that I was going thru the program I had various challenges, mainly with the mentors that I was assigned to. This topic was brought up to the advisors various times and a new mentor was then assigned but ran into the same issues. Since I was already very frustrated and without proper guidance from the mentors that I was assigned to me was advised to take a break from my advisor. Once the break was over, I was advised that if I returned at that time, I would just continue from I left off with my old mentor which we had no good communication and no guidance when it comes to learning and working on assignments. The other option was to cancel and wait and after a year to return and restart the program from beginning. I have contacted the school various occasions so I my return and complete the Data Science program. Only to get the runaround and delays so time would just run out so i may lose my rights. I have reached out so I may get back and complete the program. Since I last spoke with **** he stated since their terms changed even though i did not signed this agreement that i was not eligible for a refund which is incorrect based on the one that i signed. I demand that I get a full refund as the school failed me in all possible way possible. One not getting me the proper mentor so I may complete the program, lying to me about me no paying, and trying to scam me for more money when I already paid. I made all effort to stay in contact and since under the agreement if i cancel that i am able to get a refund. I been waiting for a while for a follow up from their finance team and no follow up has been done to explain why i am not eligible for a refund.Under the school agreement terms I can request for a refund if I withdraw from the program, under these terms is where I am allowed to demand for a a full refund. I want a full refund since the school has failed me as a student.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/28/2025

  Hello *****,
  
  Thank you for outlining your concerns. We are committed to honoring the Enrollment Agreement you signed as well as the policies that applied to the cohort you enrolled in, which was the September 2021 cohort.
  
  Your signed Enrollment Agreement states the following withdrawal and prorated refund policy:
  
  You may withdraw from the program after the cancellation period described above, and receive a partial refund as follows:
  Within 30 days of the Program Start Date you will be eligible for a refund of all amounts except for the payment indicated on the TOTAL CHARGES THE STUDENT IS OBLIGATED TO PAY UPON ENROLLMENT line (Initial Payment).
  
  More than 30 days from the Program Start Date without having obtained a Qualifying Position (as defined in the Policy), to the extent you have already paid in advance, you will be eligible for a prorated amount of $2,280 per Unattended Month. Unattended Month means 6 months minus the number of full or partial months from the Program Start Date to the effective date of withdrawal.
  In order to request a withdrawal, you must provide verbal or written confirmation to our team by emailing ************************************************************ stating that you would like to cancel the course and providing some reasoning for your decision. You must also complete an exit survey with a written and signed assertion that you have not obtained (and do not expect to obtain immediately) any job offers that may constitute a Qualifying Position.
  
  You were not eligible for any prorated refund amount at the time of cancellation for the following reasons:
  
  1. You were actively enrolled from September 3, 2021 to June 6, 2022 (9 months, the full length of your course). Students are only eligible for a prorated refund for Unattended Months per the Enrollment Agreement you received and signed. An Unattended Month is defined in your Enrollment Agreement as a month of your course timeline that you do not attend because you have formally withdrawn from the program.
  2. You did not formally withdraw from the program by following the instructions outlined in the Enrollment Agreement at any point. Your enrollment was canceled because you began a course Freeze, a type of break which requires the student to notify Springboard if they wish to become Active in the course again prior to the end of the Freeze. You did notify Springboard that you wanted to become Active in the course again, so your enrollment was cancelled after you did not respond to our outreach. Please note that at this time you were on the Paid Extension, so the automatic cancellation of your enrollment meant that you did not continue on the Extension and incur additional Extension payments.

  We hope that this provides clarity and addresses your concerns - it is important to us that we only apply the policies outlined in the Enrollment Agreement of each student. In this case, we are confident that we are upholding the correct policies for your enrollment and cancellation.

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/29/2025

   
  Complaint: 22847925
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  In their terms it does not specify that I needed to be an active student to withdraw from the program. It also does specify until when I may withdraw from the program and be eligible for a refund. It just says, "more than 30 days from program start date" It also does not state how an extension would affect withdrawal from the program. Also, they failed to follow up with me once a withdrew from programs as stated in the terms. All of this items that they are disputing and reasons for refusing to send a refund are not stated on the signed agreement. They can't just make up things as they go. I have a signed agreement, and they must follow thru otherwise they are in breech. They need to send me a refund. I have attached the part of the refund part of the agreement, and the email sent to support @springboard to support that I did formally withdrew as per the terms in the agreement.

  I am legally due a refund if not for all at least 50% as that is how much I completed.
  
  ***** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/24/2024

  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 started Springboard in the late summer of 2021 thinking that it would help me achieve a career in software engineering. However, as the months passed, I very quickly realized that this company has no intention of helping me and only cares about my money. Due to unforeseen mental health circumstances in 2022 and 2023, I had to abandon the Springboard program after completing roughly a third of it. I had already paid some money toward my education with Springboard as well. However, despite the fact that I had to leave the program due to the aforementioned medical reasons (which I have the paperwork to prove), they are now trying to charge me an outrageous amount of over $12,000, which is in collections, for a program I could not even finish because I left the program “past a certain date.” What this company is doing is not only unethical due to the nature of why I had to leave the program, but also due to the fact that I did not even complete the program and did not get a job in the software engineering field, which is the entire point of the program. The last company that tried to do this type of thing to me was called preHIRED, which has now gone bankrupt due to action on part of the ****, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens to Springboard in the future as I believe I am not the only one who has been subjected to this awful treatment. Please stop trying to harass me for preposterous amounts of money. My next step is to take legal action for not only this harassment, but also for the pain and suffering I have had to endure due to Springboard’s attempts to collect my hard earned money.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2025

  Hello Hunter,

  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. In this response, I will do my best to address your concerns and also outline what our records show regarding your course history.

  Because we understand that unexpected circumstances come up for students during their enrollment, we provide extensive options for managing your course timeline while enrolled. We offer the option to take a break called a pause, which students can schedule themselves. In addition to breaks, for students who are experiencing more impactful extenuating circumstances but who wish to stay enrolled, we have an Accommodations program which can provide extra breaks as well as free extension time in the course.

  I see that during your enrollment, you applied for and received extra time via the Accommodations program to help you keep pace with your coursework. I also see that you had regular calls with your Advisor, *****, where you discussed some of the challenges you were facing in your personal life and ultimately decided to continue with your enrollment each time. ***** has moved on to another role outside of Springboard, so I was not able to consult her when researching your enrollment history in order to write this response, and I apologize that I don't have details of what the two of you discussed on the calls.

  Because the progress students make is ultimately up to them, Springboard charges according to time enrolled in the course and not based on progress. This is comparable to policies of colleges and universities, where a student enrolls for a certain term and pays tuition, and their completion of the coursework and passing of the class is up to them. 

  Students are able to cancel their enrollment at any time, and based on the policies in place while you were enrolled, canceling enrollment early would mean being provided with a prorated refund based on the time you were active in the course.

  We do our best to provide students with a support system and as many options as we can reasonably provide while still maintaining academic structure in an online learning environment. From our records, I can see that you were provided with all of the support we have built into the course structure. I hope you can understand that Springboard must charge tuition for the time a student is enrolled in our courses, as while we can provide a lot of support, we cannot control the progress any individual student makes in their course.

  Additionally, the Job Guarantee aspect of our courses must be maintained by any student who qualifies for the Guarantee. Completing the course in full within a certain timeframe is part of those requirements, and that is outlined in the Terms of the Job Guarantee (attached). These Terms are public on our website and are provided to students prior to enrollment, and can be referred to any time. Even if a student completes the course without the Guarantee still intact, students who complete receive 6 months of job search support. Prior to course completion, students also have access to job search preparation materials in their course regardless of eligibility for the Job Guarantee. During your enrollment, Springboard upheld its side of the agreement involved in the Job Guarantee. We cannot provide the Guarantee to students who cancel and do not complete the course.

  Ultimately, based on your usage of the entire base course timeline as well as additional extension time and breaks that were provided to you free of cost to help support your ability to complete the course, you do owe the full tuition for the course. We are not able to make exceptions to to this policy based on our review of your course enrollment, as we provided you with the promised services and support during your enrollment, as well as additional accommodations for your personal circumstances that were granted free of any additional cost beyond the base tuition for the course.

  Please let us know if you have any follow-up questions, or concerns that were not addressed here.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2025

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The “support” you mentioned for students regarding mental health is virtually non-existent, to begin. I frankly do not owe you anything as I am prepared to take you to court, just as I did the last scam company that is quite similar to Springboard. Just remember that you chose this. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  Hunter H*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2024

  Type:Order 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 applied for the Data Analyst course in 2023 and completed it in the same year. I completed all of the required materials and went above and beyond on all of the projects I completed. They must give their recruiters excellent sales training because all of their claims of job availability for this role were entirely inaccurate. There was constant mention of how valuable Data Analysts are and how much availability there is for employment. I applied to at least 1000 jobs applications over the course of 6 months. I continued adding to my portfolio and earned extra certificates outside of the course and didn't receive a single interview. The skills acquired from this course are no where near the bare minimum for a beginner/entry level position even remotely related to the field. I was completely misled and there was absolutely no hope for employment from the start. During the time I was there and applying, MAYBE 4% of students found employment in the data field.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2024

  Hello Miles,

  Thank you for taking the time to reach out and outline some ways in which our course did not meet your expectations. We take feedback like this seriously and would like to outline a potential resolution.
  
  We took a look at your course history and your engagement with the career- and job search-related aspects of your course, which were available for you but not required for you to complete and have attached a summary.
  
  We strongly recommend that students who want to engage in a job search after their course complete all career units, projects, and calls so that they are set up for success, even if they are not Job Guarantee eligible.
  
  All students, regardless of Job Guarantee eligibility status, have access to 6 months of job search support after completing the course as well. Because you did not utilize the full 6 months of job search support after completing your course, we would like to extend an offer to you to begin a new 6 month period of job search support. We are very interested in assisting you in achieving your goals and landing a job in your field of study.
  
  We would also note that students with the technical skills that come with completing the course in its entirety who also work with the *************** team and the Career Coaches has resulted in 89.4% Job-qualified individuals receiving a job offer within 12 months of graduation (from the Student Outcomes Report: Data Analytics, linked in the attachment). We understand that the overall percentage of students who enroll in this course at all, and who may not complete some portion of the course or utilize our offered services who receive a job offer is low, but you can see that out of students who complete all of the materials and utilize all of our services, the percentage who receive a job offer is much higher. We believe that this shoes that when students engage in the course and utilize all of the assistance Springboard offers, they are very likely to have the outcome they desire.
  
  Please write to ***************************************** if you would like to begin a 6 month period of job search support, as offered!
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  I took the Springboard Cybersecurity bootcamp. I was told that if I completed 90% of the course within 6 months (seven with optional extension, which I did) they would give me a voucher to take the CompTIA Security + Exam (as of today [12/1/24] $404.00). I completed more than 90% of the course, but did not ask for my exam voucher until they froze my account for not completing the course in its entirety. They now say I must pay $750.00 for a one month extension in order to get the voucher. I believe this is predatory behavior and they should give me a voucher as was promised in the beginning.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2024

  Hello *****,

  Thank you for providing details about your experience with Springboard, and your request to receive a CompTIA Security+ exam code. Springboard's policy is that students must be in Active status to request and receive any benefits of paid enrollment, including things like access to third party tools or the Security+ exam code.
  
  While it is outside of our standard policy to issue you a code, we are approving an exception for you given that you are at 94.9% progress in the course. A member of our team will reach out in the next two days to provide you with the code.
  
  If you ever wish to re-enroll and complete the course in the future, you can do so by reaching out to our Support Team. Please be advised that if you return more than 3 months after cancelling the course, some policies may be different for you, but you will be able to receive all of the details before you choose to re-enroll so you can make the choice that is right for you.

  Best,

  **** *****, Senior Manager of Student Support

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/12/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******