ComplaintsforWeston Distance Learning Inc

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of transaction was sometime in the beginning of 2020. An opened debt collection was opened on September 18th of 2020. I paid for the first month and only used a week’s worth of materials. They do not give you all of the materials only a small bit at a time. I had to stop due to unfortunate financial circumstances and now they want me to pay the full tuition of $2,160 even though I only used on small portion of the materials for 1 week. I have tried to dispute it and am getting nowhere. I paid for what I used and should not have to pay for what I never used or received.

  

  Business response

  04/21/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to address this complaint. Our records show Ms. ****** enrolled online in U.S. Career Institute’s Medical Coding and Billing certificate course on April 11, 2020. Ms. ****** opted for the monthly payment plan rather than paying in full at the time of enrollment, made a $79 down payment, and agreed to continue making $79 payments until the course’s balance was satisfied.
  
  Beyond her initial $79 down payment, Ms. ****** made one $79 monthly payment in May of 2020 after calling the school to check on her balance, and Student Services confirmed for her that payments were due on the 11th of each month. Since Ms. ****** did not continue to make the monthly payments after that, her account became delinquent. Prior to her account being referred to an outside collection agency, multiple attempts were made to ensure she was aware of the balance owed and to make offers to help her bring her account current. In addition to the past-due balance and overall balance being visible in her online student account, USCI attempted phone calls, sent emails, and sent letters to Ms. ****** because we understand that sometimes unexpected circumstances arise or finances may present challenges, and the school wants to do its best to work with students to avoid further collection efforts. With that being said, we do need to hear from students in order to work with them on payment arrangements. When our attempts to assist Ms. ****** remained unanswered, the account was referred to an outside collection agency, and the collection agency has also contacted her multiple times over the years.
  
  USCI’s practices are regulated and our policies are outlined in enrollment agreement, the student catalog, and through various other literature, as well as through school representatives such as Admissions and Student Services, who are available to answer questions and provide clarification for students. This is to ensure that both prospective students looking at education options as well as currently enrolled students have the information they need to make informed decisions or account changes. Additionally, students have a five-day review period and Ms. ******’ review period was through April 16, 2020. We understand that students are investing their time and money when they choose to take a course; during the review period, students may review their course content, the online student account that is created upon enrollment, and their specific enrollment agreement, as well as utilize the resources mentioned above for questions. After the five-day review period, the cancellation policy applies and we have attached Ms. ******’ signed enrollment agreement for reference.
  
  Ms. ****** submitted three quizzes on April 17, 2020, May 1, 2020, and May 14, 2020 (outside of the review period), and as shown on the Course Outline available to her in Pack 1, a certain quiz in each pack triggers the release of the next pack of materials. Since Ms. ****** did not submit additional quizzes and a payment hold was placed on her account based on the delinquent status, additional packs were not released. USCI had not heard from Ms. ****** since May of 2020, so we have not had the opportunity to discuss payment arrangements to help her bring her account into good standing so she may have been removed from collections to continue her course. She also did not contact the school to request cancellation, which students are directed to do in the school catalog and the enrollment agreement.
  
  At this time, Ms. ******’ enrollment is over three years old and she is responsible for the full tuition for the course based on Item 4 in her signed enrollment agreement. However, USCI is willing to assist Ms. ****** in by offering one of two options:
  
  1. If Ms. ****** would like to resume her studies, we would be happy to offer a payment arrangement to allow her to bring her account current without the requirement of paying the full past due balance owed. If Ms. ****** contacts the school to pay $237 within the next 30 days, we will bring her tuition balance current so that she may resume $79 monthly payments towards the remaining balance, at which time the collection agency will be notified and they would proceed with closing the account on their end accordingly. Ms. ****** would be expected to remain current in her monthly payments to satisfy the remaining balance or to contact the school to discuss payment arrangements if she needed assistance. In this case, we would also honor an option for her to update to the 2023 version of the course that we are currently enrolling students into and we would waive the normal cost to update as a courtesy so that she would have the opportunity to complete the most current curricula available at no additional charge to her.
  2. If Ms. ****** would not like to resume her studies, we will make an exception by offering to cancel her enrollment as if she had contacted us to cancel within the one-year timeframe outlined in Item 4 of her signed enrollment agreement. Under the exception, Ms. ******’ $2160.00 remaining balance owed would be reduced to $252.90. Once the $252.90 payment is made to the school, the enrollment would be closed and the remaining balance would be waived, no further payments would be owed, and the collection agency would proceed with notifying the credit bureaus accordingly.
  
  We hope this provides some clarification and look forward to hearing which option Ms. ****** would like to proceed with. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I attempted to contact and talk to admissions/ student services before filing this complaint because I didn’t want to do this but they didn’t seem to understand or care about my concerns all they seemed to care about was their money. I explained to them in my email that yes their phlebotomy course is very informative and I appreciated that but it wasn’t going to workout for me due to the fact that no place in my town would allow or accept me to do my clinicals at their offices. They stated that since I completed half my work I owed them half of their money basically even though I was only enrolled in their course a couple weeks. I can’t help the fact no one will accept some random person wanting to come in asking to basically poke their patients with a needle from a school they have never even heard of. I explained I didn’t expect my deposit or anything back due to the circumstances just that I wanted to be unenrolled from the classes and no future charges from here on out.

  

  Business response

  04/13/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint. U.S. Career Institute understands that students have many educational options and is pleased to have offered distance education opportunities to students for over 42 years. We do our best to outline important information up front, on our website, in the school catalog, on student enrollment agreements and through school representatives so that students may make an informed decision regarding what will best fit their end-goals. We also understand that a lot of information is provided, and students are always welcome and encouraged to reach out to Admissions, Student Services, or Instruction for clarification, questions, or support.
  
  Due to the nature of distance education, we do not include in-person, clinical practice in our Phlebotomy certificate course. Completion of an externship or clinicals is not required by USCI for a student to earn a Phlebotomy Technician certificate from USCI, but we understand the importance of certification. As such, USCI advises students clearly in multiple places on our website, through school representatives, and on the Course Outline (the first item that students download in Pack I), to name a few, that our course is designed to prepare students for the Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam (offered by the National Healthcareer Association), that students should check requirements that may be applicable to them, that we reimburse students up to $200 for the exam, and that students will need hands-on experience that USCI does not provide.
  
  Specifically:
  
  The Career and Certification page on our USCI website for the Phlebotomy course says:
  - “To earn an NHA certification you must also possess a high school diploma or GED. Please note that you are responsible and required to show evidence that you have performed a minimum of 30 successful venipunctures and 10 successful capillary or finger sticks. These sticks must be performed on live individuals. You are responsible for gaining this experience, USCI will not provide this training.”
  - “A career in the phlebotomy field may require you to meet certain licensing, training, and other requirements that can vary by vocation and state. You should check with your state, local government and/or licensing board to find out which requirements may be applicable in your state. The BLS shows that there are four states that require that phlebotomists be certified: California, Louisiana, Nevada, and Washington.”
  “IMPORTANT State Licensing Requirements: Click here for more information.”
  
  Although this experience is required for CPT certification as mentioned, we are happy to offer the Phlebotomy Technician course as an option for our students; our school provides a great self-paced and affordable choice for the education needed as an option to become eligible for the NHA certification and to have academic knowledge to present when pursuing clinical opportunities.
  
  Our records show Ms. ********* enrolled into U.S. Career Institute’s Phlebotomy Technician course online on February 12, 2023 and completed Quizzes 1-12 out of 23 quizzes as of March 7, 2023 with an excellent 97% GPA. We are glad to hear that she appreciated the course and we appreciate her feedback regarding the response to her email; it was not our intention to make her feel as though we are only interested in the monetary aspect of her enrollment, which we hope the entirety of this response shows. When she contacted us by email on March 8, 2023, she acknowledged that she was outside of the review period but wanted to withdraw as she had contacted some of the places in her area and they do not offer a way for her to do externships for blood draws, attributed that to small town life, and advised that she did thoroughly enjoy the classes, would recommend them to anyone wanting to take online course, and requested withdrawal from the program. Given that Ms. ********* was outside of the five-day review period, the response sent to her on March 9, 2023 addressed the cancellation policy, and that as listed on Page 2 of her signed Enrollment Agreement, completion through Quiz 13 results in a 75% obligation of the tuition, plus responsibility for the $150 registration charge and $29 application charge. We also offered to lower the percentage of obligation to the exact percent of coursework that Ms. ********* had completed due to the circumstances she outlined in her email, therefore reducing her cancel obligation as a courtesy. We do not show that we received a response to confirm cancellation or with additional questions as was requested in our email.
  
  It is ultimately up to a student to determine if our course meets their local industry requirements and individual requirements. While we mention up front that students will need hands-on experience that USCI does not provide, we do assist students to the best of our ability as student success is a high priority to our school. Graduates of our Phlebotomy Technician course are directed to our Graduate Services department, who routinely assists graduates with suggestions on listing qualifications and where to search for practice opportunities/how to do so, as the presentation of qualifications when inquiring into or pursuing opportunities plays a key role in overall success. Graduate Services is then happy to continue to work with students as needed to review marketing materials, discuss progress, and answer other questions.  
  
  Based on the request in her BBB complaint and in the interest of student satisfaction, we have closed Ms. *********’ enrollment at the amount paid of $69 and have waived her remaining reduced cancellation obligation of $697.08. We are sorry to have reached this resolution, and wish her the best. 

  Customer response

  04/14/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was told that once I was done with classes that a career coach would help me get a job in the field that I was going for with my classes. All I was given was an email to email them and to this date they haven't done nothing to help me with anything. But they will gladly send me a bill for it. They did not send me the transcript I ordered and the $25 was debit from my bank account. They also said that they would send me a letter typed up to show that I completed my classes, which was basically for nothing, cause its not the certificate. They should tell folks that you can't get a certificate till you have paid for classes in full, which they do not tell you. Its in very fine print that you have to hunt their website for. I feel VERY mislead, and a total waste of my time and money for what I paid for, it all was for nothing. They can keep the certificate cause the whole class wasn't even half of what is required to be a medical specialist cause I had applied online for a job and a top medical administrator called me and basically told me I was ripped off and laughed at what lessons I was given for, the classes. They said that wouldn't get me a job no where. I want this cancelled out with a zero balance and they can even keep the money I have already paid them, and they can keep the certificate, and transcript as well, I just want to be done with them since I was ripped off and total waste of my time and money. All for nothing. Also said they would help with my resume, nope that was a joke too, cause it was a general basic guideline they send you and not someone to revise it for you. So you are paying for nothing! I want this zeroed out and they can keep everything cause it was all for nothing and didn't help at all. Basically didn't learn nothing as from what medical field people have advised me and it wouldn't get me a job no where they said. ZERO balance and they keep all and if I get any mailing I will just return unopened to ensure I didn't except nothing!

  

  Business response

  12/12/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. ******, we are sorry to hear she feels this way. Having offered quality, distance education for over 41 years, U.S. Career Institute understands that students have many educational options and we do our best to outline important information up front, on our website, in the school catalog, on student enrollment agreements and through school representatives so that students may make an informed decision regarding what will best fit their end-goals.
  
  U.S. Career Institute is an accredited school offering self-paced certificate courses that focus on vocational and career-oriented subject areas. Our records show Ms. ****** enrolled online into U.S. Career Institute’s Medical Coding and Billing certificate course on October 23, 2022 and then cancelled that course within review on October 27, 2022. She then enrolled online into our Medical Billing certificate course on October 28, 2022 and she completed the course with an 89% GPA and a graduation date of November 12, 2022.
  
  As outlined on a student’s enrollment agreement, in the school catalog, and through school representatives, students are provided with a Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of their coursework and tuition obligations. Since USCI offers students the opportunity to pay-in-full or choose a monthly payment plan, USCI provides students who have not met their tuition obligations but have successfully completed their coursework with a Letter of Completion. The Letter of Completion and Certificate both attest to a student’s successful completion of the course. In most cases, students are not required to have either in hand to pursue job opportunities. USCI graduates should be advocating for their training and qualifications when pursuing job opportunities, and this includes presenting that they have completed the applicable certificate course with USCI. Furthermore, many employers considering hiring a USCI graduate conduct an education verification or background check, and USCI routinely completes these for graduates.
  
  While we do not provide job placement or guarantee employment as there are many other factors to consider beyond education to be successfully hired, USCI provides several resources and graduate support to all graduates. USCI provides a comprehensive 144-page Career Starter Guide in the final set of our Medical Billing course’s downloadable materials that contains information on how to approach entering a new field with little experience. We also have Graduate Services, who can expand on the Career Starter Guide, answer student questions, and review a student’s marketing materials. In addition, we provide the opportunity to complete our Career Coach Program, which provides guidance from an HR professional and allows students to create marketing materials in a step-by-step manner, such as a resume and cover letter, that can be specifically geared towards entering a new field and are based on the course the student completed. Our graduates have varying backgrounds and levels of experience and we believe it is important to provide students with options to help aid in their success. Graduates who utilize these resources and implement guidance provided generally see advancements in their job search results.
  
  Ms. ****** ordered a transcript on November 11th that was mailed to her on November 17th. She contacted the school by email on Friday, November 11th at 2:49 pm to request a Letter of Completion, and a Student Services representative responded to her at 8:36 am the following Monday to advise that a Letter of Completion was in the mail that day and should arrive within seven to ten business days. Ms. ****** has also been in contact with our Graduate Services department, who provided a link to our Career Coach Program for the student to access and start if she would like. (We did unintentionally miss including the link in our first email, and included it in another email – we apologize for this.) Ms. ****** has not started that program, but did email her resume to our Graduate Services department. They reviewed her resume and responded with feedback, such as where and how to list completion of the Medical Billing course, an example of a Medical Billing resume template, and some additional resume preparation tips. We have not heard back from Ms. ****** regarding her resume/our response, but she did contact the school on November 23rd to advise that she hadn’t received either the Letter of Completion or the transcript, and was advised of when both had been sent, as well as provided with a letter showing she had completed the course for her records by email.
  
  USCI regrets that we have not had the opportunity to discuss the feedback Ms. ****** has advised that she received from others in this complaint directly. We understand that it is frustrating to hear such feedback when you have put the time and effort into completing a course and are making payments on a tuition balance. However, it is important to understand that students should advocate for and be confident in the training they received, and we respectfully do not agree with the feedback that Ms. ****** advised she received from a top medical administrator. USCI’s Medical Billing course has been offered by the school for decades, is reviewed and updated annually, and is written by our experienced curriculum team with the input of subject matter experts in the field. While the school does not direct graduates of our Medical Billing course to pursue certification since employers in this field do not typically require certification, our Medical Billing course content is also found in our Medical Coding and Billing course. Because of this, the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CSCS) certification exam outline was also used while reviewing and creating the current Medical Billing course. The Medical Billing course is an excellent and popular USCI certificate course choice, and the content prepares students for entry-level positions in the field.
  
  Ms. ****** has completed the Medical Billing course and is not eligible for a refund. USCI has provided Ms. ****** with completion paperwork and she is eligible for a Certificate when her balance has been satisfied. Her account is currently past-due $79 as she paid her $79 October down payment but did not make her November payment, and USCI has deferred that payment to the end of her billing cycle as a courtesy to avoid late charges and so that she is current. Her next $79 payment is due December 28th and payments are due until the remaining balance of $1104 is satisfied. USCI is happy to discuss Ms. ******’s concerns and how to present her qualifications with her further to help prevent receiving poor feedback, and we encourage her to contact Graduate Services to do so at her convenience. USCI would also be happy to resend either the Letter of Completion or transcript at no cost if Ms. ****** has still not received one or the other. We look forward to assisting Ms. ****** further and appreciate her time.  

  Customer response

  12/14/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:Their classes are a joke apparently, cause no employer in NC that I have applied with will except anything that was taught by this place, they said a lot was out of date and not even current! USCI clearly advertising that they have a career coach to help you, BUT THEY do NOT! Yes I sent my resume for their review, but only thing they did in return was send me their "STANDARD" copy they use for everyone to use! NO HELP AT ALL as they advertise! I am not paying nothing for their services cause it was a TOTAL WASTE OF MY TIME and money that I already spent! STILL to this date I do not have my transcript that I order and paid for, I still do not have the letter that I completed my course. I did finally get an email that stated that but even my current employer laughed at that. So basically all was a waste of time, money that I already spent, and I wouldn't recommend USCI to no one. I don't want nothign to do with this company but a zero balance and they can keep their letters, transcript and certificate cause none of it is worth the paper they have it printed on thats for sure!
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

  

  Business response

  12/16/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. ******. The information in our previous response addresses much of the information in Ms. ******’s rejection of our response, and supports the legitimacy of our school and course. We are sorry to hear that Ms. ****** still feels the way she does after receiving that information. USCI has provided a current 2022 Medical Billing certificate course to Ms. ****** and she has completed the full content in the course, thereby gaining the knowledge and skills from the content covered. Additionally, though Ms. ****** has advised she has not received paperwork or graduate assistance, the school did not withhold anything from her; we have provided access to our Career Coach Program which is viewable through the link we provided, mailed a transcript and Letter of Completion to the address that Ms. ****** provided to the school and confirmed in her transcript order, and provided Graduate Services support as previously mentioned. The feedback that Ms. ****** has shared she has received from others is inaccurate and is defensible using the information we have provided, and she has been given tools to help her succeed and the offer of additional assistance.
  
  While we categorically disagree with Ms. ******’s reasoning for her rejection to our original response, it does not appear she will be receptive to additional assistance or explanation. Based on this, we have honored her request and cancelled her enrollment at the amount paid of $79. The Letter of Completion and transcript Ms. ****** was mailed are now voided, as Ms. ****** no longer can be considered a graduate or be eligible for her certificate after meeting the financial obligations she originally agreed to. Should Ms. ****** decide she would like assistance in the future and meets her full tuition obligation, USCI will be happy to assist. At this time, Ms. ******’s official school record is closed, and no further balance is owed on her Medical Billing enrollment. We wish Ms. ****** the best in her future endeavors.   

  Customer response

  12/19/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  It is very unfortunate that I have to write this, I had extremely high hopes and excitement regarding this course. I had enrolled in a Phlebotomy course in order to get the CPT certification and become a phlebotomist. Unfortunately, this school fails to let you know that is near impossible to find a clinical site. Every lab, hospital and doctor's office in my state has pretty much laughed at my request to get hands-on experience. So for whatever the price of the course is, you get a certification of completion. It is near impossible to get certified because you need those clinical hours and nowhere is going to allow you to poke their patients without some kind of insurance or affiliation with your school and this one has none. They also are just about useless in trying to help you, I was told to "approach it like I'm looking for a full-time job," with 0 experience? I'm sorry that doesn't work like that. I wrote a well-written cover letter and resume, followed all the "advice" given to me by their graduate department and I have still been shut down every single time I apply for positions (volunteering) or call local labs. It is truly a shame that they are taking large sums of money from people and misleading them into believing this is a simple task. I promise you, you are much better off attending in-person school at a university near you.

  

  Business response

  09/14/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. ****. Having offered quality, distance education for over 41 years, U.S. Career Institute understands that students have many educational options and we do our best to outline important information up front, on our website, in the school catalog, on student enrollment agreements and through school representatives so that students may make an informed decision regarding what will best fit their end-goals. Our records show Ms. **** enrolled online on August 4, 2022 and completed the course successfully on August 30, 2022. Due to the nature of distance education, we do not include in-person, clinical practice in our Phlebotomy certificate course. The course is comprised of 23 lessons across four packs of materials; Pack IV dives into blood testing, discusses how to draw blood and reviews laboratory tests, explores how to process specimens and covers special collections, includes the use of a practice arm which can be used in tandem with the course materials to gain practice, and concludes with a real-world practicum that puts the student’s course knowledge to use.
  
  USCI advises students clearly in multiple places on our website, through school representatives, and on the Course Outline (the first item that students download in Pack I) that our course is designed to prepare students for the nationally recognized Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam, offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), that we reimburse students up to $200 for the exam (recently increased from $186 for all applicable students), and that students will need hands-on experience that USCI does not provide in phlebotomy on a person and to provide proof to the NHA prior to exam registration. We are sorry to hear that Ms. **** feels the way she does and understand it is frustrating when you are not getting the results you expected. However, it is important to note that everyone entering the field of Phlebotomy has to start somewhere and while our course services students who may already be working in the healthcare industry and have may access to clinical opportunities immediately upon completion, many students are new to the field. This is why our school provides a great self-paced and affordable choice for the education needed as an option to become eligible for the NHA certification and to have academic knowledge to present when pursuing clinical opportunities. Ultimately, it is up to a student to determine if our course meets their local industry requirements and individual requirements, and while we mention up front students will need hands-on experience that USCI does not provide in phlebotomy on a person, we do assist students to the best of our ability as student satisfaction is a school priority. The opportunities a student pursues and the presentation of qualifications play an important role in overall success. USCI provided recommendations to Ms. **** when she was connected with our Graduate Services department earlier this month and encouraged additional contact if she was still having trouble so that we could have further discussion and assist Ms. **** in reaching her goals.
  
  Based on Ms. ****’s complaint, that Ms. **** attempted to remove all of her contact information through her online student account earlier this month, and that she disputed her $69 down payment with her bank/credit card company, we do not anticipate that she will be contacting us to utilize additional assistance and we regret that we did not have the opportunity to address this further directly with Ms. ****. She completed the full course and had paid one $69 down payment in August; her first September monthly automatic payment declined. This week, USCI received notification that Ms. **** did a dispute/chargeback through her bank/credit card company and the $69 she had paid in August was reversed by her bank/credit card company - Ms. **** has paid USCI $0 as of September 14, 2022 as we are no longer in possession of those August funds. Although she signed her Enrollment Agreement and is responsible for the full tuition since she completed the full course, and USCI would have been happy to assist her further, USCI has granted Ms. ****’s request to “refund” the $69 paid by cancelling her account so that there is no balance owed (please note there are no funds for USCI to refund at this time as mentioned above). Granting this request means that Ms. **** will not meet graduation requirements or be eligible for Graduate Services support in the future. Her account is closed and we wish Ms. **** the best in her future endeavors. 

  Customer response

  09/15/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  False advertisement they have you believe that they include the exam fee in your tuition but than I was told I would get a reimbursement for it that not the same I want the exam amount off my total tuition

  

  Business response

  07/14/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. *******’s complaint.
  
  U.S. Career Institute offers both degree and certificate courses to students and many of our certificate courses have provided students with certification reimbursement as a graduation gift for several years. Our records show that she spoke with our Admissions department regarding a degree program on June 2, 2022, but the Patient Care Technician certificate course itself was not discussed during that call. Ms. ******* then enrolled into our Patient Care Technician certificate course herself using the online enrollment cart on June 4, 2022.
  
  Ms. ******* messaged her instructor to inquire into whether the school provides a stethoscope or blood pressure cuff, and the instructor replied:
  
  “Although we do not provide a stethoscope or blood pressure cuff, graduates of our program are eligible to take the Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam. The exam is administered by the National Healthcareer Association (www.nhanow.com). U.S Career Institute will provide reimbursement for your exam when the following terms are met: Student submits receipt issued by NHA, has successfully completed the course and has paid tuition in full. Reimbursement is for up to $203 towards the cost of the CPCT/A Certification Exam, practice test and study materials. Student Services can answer any questions regarding this process. Feel free to visit nhanow.com to learn more about the certification exam. Keep working hard on your studies!”
  
  Ms. ******* responded to the instructor that she felt that was misleading as she was told that we pay for it and it was not a reimbursement. That message was forwarded to Student Services to better address, who explained how reimbursement for the exam works and apologized for any confusion. Ms. ******* then contacted the school this morning and spoke with our Student Services department, who confirmed the information again regarding how reimbursement works, and explained that both our website and our course outline refer to it as a reimbursement. She then requested a supervisor, who returned her call within 45 minutes of arriving for her workday. Ms. ******* did not answer the call and was left a voicemail asking her to return our call to discuss her concerns or an email would be sent as a follow up if we did not hear from her. Shortly after, we received notice of this BBB complaint and did not get the opportunity to discuss Ms. *******’s concerns further with her in person.
  
  The information that the school has provided to Ms. ******* has consistently reflected that the $203 covered for students in regards to certification and study materials through the NHA is a maximum reimbursement; her instructor and Student Services both provided this information, it is listed as reimbursement on the Course Outline which is the first item available for her for download under that portion of her online student account, and all bullet points on the main page for Patient Care Technician that Ms. ******* specifically referenced from the website (https://www.uscareerinstitute.edu/online-patient-care-technician-school) have either a link for her to click on for more information or a symbol next to the wording, which universally indicates that there is more information involved. Specifically, the website has a “†” any time the CPCT/A exam is mentioned here and “*” any time labor statistics are mentioned, which means that when you scroll to see that information, the website also says:
  
  *Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nursing Assistants, on the internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nursing-assistants.htm, (visited June 1, 2022). Statements found in the United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook are not a guarantee of any post-graduation salary, in part because the data used to create the Occupational Outlook Handbook includes workers from differing educational backgrounds, levels of experience, and geographic areas of the country.
  †Provided in form of reimbursement when the following terms are met: Student submits receipt issued by NHA, has successfully completed the course and has paid tuition in full.
  
  The † indicates, as all other sources throughout her enrollment have, that the $203 maximum is provided in the form of reimbursement when you have successfully completed the course and are paid in full, and have submitted a receipt issued by the NHA.
  
  We are an accredited institution and USCI is proud to have offered quality education to students for over 40 years. It is never our intention to mislead students and we take student satisfaction seriously. As such, we have passed her feedback along for further consideration. However, it is important to recognize that our practices are regulated and our policies are outlined in the enrollment agreement, student catalog, website, course materials, and through various school representatives such as Admissions and Student Services, who are available to answer questions and provide clarification for students. This is to ensure that both prospective students looking at education options as well as currently enrolled students have information at their fingertips. We understand that students are investing their time and money when they choose to take one of our courses and we want to match that investment by providing our students with quality service.
  
  Again, while we understand a lot of information is covered through various sources, a review of information regarding Ms. *******’s concerns does show that all information we provided is consistent and correctly states that when students have completed their course successfully and the student is paid in full, we reimburse up to $203 once a NHA receipt has been submitted. As mentioned above, we have been offering different reimbursements for many courses we offer for several years using these exact terms, and the feedback from students regarding this is generally positive because we offer competitive and reasonable tuition rates, the option to make monthly payments without traditional interest, and reimbursement, which are all great benefits in addition to many other benefits our school/courses offer.
  
  As a courtesy for Ms. ******* in the interest of student satisfaction, if she provides a NHA receipt for the exam and/or study materials after successfully completing the course but prior to being paid in full since her enrollment was in June and she is making monthly payments (so she has paid $138 total to date), we will offer the option of USCI applying up to the maximum of $203 to her tuition balance (reimbursement matches what students pay the NHA up to $203) to reduce the tuition balance by the applicable amount and lower the number of payments she will make as she has requested in her complaint. Please note that this exception offer is being made to her in good faith that she will continue to meet her student payment obligations. (Please also note, Ms. ******* has currently submitted through Quiz 11 and will be 100% responsible for the tuition balance after completing Quiz 15 or higher based on the Student Protection/Refund policy, and she is responsible for the terms outlined in all of the places mentioned above, including her signed enrollment agreement (cancellation would not result in a refund as she has completed more than 50% of the course). The exception is being made to typical reimbursement requirements only and this exception has been noted on her account. Once Ms. ******* has completed the course, she may contact Student Services to provide her receipt(s) and ask for this exception to be applied; we do not provide reimbursement or exception without proof of purchase of a certification exam and/or study materials through the NHA, as students are not required to pursue certification.)
  
  Ms. ******* is making quick progress in the course and doing well with an overall 86% GPA. We hope that she is enjoying her studies overall and look forward to working with her going forward. 

  Customer response

  07/16/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  06/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am currently enrolled in the Medical Coding program with US Career Institute, which I enrolled in on June 12, 2022. My student ID is ********. It is now June 23rd and I STILL have not received the books that are required for this course. I am waiting on the ICD-10-CM book as well as my CPT book. I CANNOT PROGRESS IN MY COURSE UNTIL I HAVE THESE BOOKS. I have been at a total standstill in this course FOR WELL OVER A WEEK because I do not have the materials that are required to continue. I already have a medical coder job lined up as soon as I finish this course and p*** my CPT exam and US Career Institute is holding me back from starting that job BECAUSE I AM AT A COMPLETE HALT WITHOUT THESE BOOKS AND CANNOT CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT LESSONS!!!! These two books should have been shipped to me IMMEDIATELY upon my enrollment in this course. There should have been absolutely NO DELAY. I have taken several online courses throughout the years and NEVER have I had an institution HOLD BACK the materials that are required to complete the course. Now, I have been provided a tracking number for what is supposedly the ICD-10-CM book, which I was provided OVER A WEEK AGO; however, when I looked up this tracking number via *****, it has constantly said "NO SCHEDULED DELIVERY DATE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME." I am NOT going to pay $80 per month for a course that I do not have the appropriate materials for. I have contacted US Career Institute about this and they just keep giving me the same tracking number over and over again with no scheduled delivery date available. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. I expect my ICD-10-CM and CPT books to be OVERNIGHTED TO ME IMMEDIATELY.

  

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. *******’s complaint. Ms. ******* was in contact with the school regarding her concerns, and we have reviewed all communications with her.
  
  Ms. ******* enrolled in USCI’s Medical Coding course on June 12, 2022. This course includes five packs of lesson materials. It also includes an ICD-10-CM coding manual that students use beginning in Pack 3 lessons and a CPT coding manual that students use beginning in Pack 4 lessons. Students who pay in full are shipped both coding manuals right after enrollment. However, most USCI students opt to follow a monthly payment plan, which we offer to meet our mission of making education accessible to students who may not be able to afford a large payment at the beginning of their program. For example, for the Medical Coding course Ms. ******* enrolled in, the down and monthly payment amount is $79.
  
  Students who do not pay in full still receive their books as needed; but since the student has not yet covered the cost of the books ($140), the coding manuals are sent based on a trigger quiz system (even if the student has not yet paid enough to cover the cost of the books). A trigger quiz occurs a few quizzes before the next set of lessons (and/or manuals) need to be made available for a student. For this course, Quiz 11 is the quiz that triggers shipment of the ICD-10-CM and Quiz 18 is the quiz that triggers shipment of the CPT. Trigger quizzes are listed on the course outline. The first quiz students need the coding manuals for is Quiz 14. The content in between these three lessons is challenging for almost all of our students – it is anatomy and physiology. This content is one of the most challenging content areas for anyone entering the medical profession. Ms. *******, however, finished 13 quizzes in a few days – this content normally takes students a few months to complete. The ICD-10-CM was triggered when the grade for Quiz 11 posted on June 14th and the coding manual was shipped by our warehouse using ***** ********* on the following day, June 15th. There was no delay and this is how the process is designed to operate.
  
  The Medical Coding course is approved as 600 clock hours, which equals the estimated amount of time it takes an average student to complete the course. Clock hours include academic engagement time (exams, labs, listening to audio files, etc.) and academic preparation (reading lesson materials, completing practice exercises, reading articles, etc.). Subject matter experts inform this number as well as people who academically review the content. Students also inform this number after completing portions of the course to identify how many hours they spent studying. Based on the number of clock hours and the content covered in the course, the pace that students typically move through the course at to be successful allows plenty of time for them to trigger and receive a coding manual prior to needing it to move on to lessons that require its use.
  
  During Ms. *******’s communications with the school, we expressed surprise that she was able to get through such challenging content so much quicker than other students (and with high grades) and wondered if she had previous medical knowledge. She confirmed she had 20 years of previous medical knowledge. As explained to Ms. *******, “since you completed 13 quizzes in two days, it did not allow the time other students would normally have for the process to work. So, the good news is that you are making great progress, but that also means patience is required for receiving your coding manuals.”
  
  ***** ********* delivery typically takes between five to ten days, and the manual was being shipped from our warehouse in Colorado to Ms. ******* in *****, meaning that it should have arrived by June 25th within the standard time frame.
  
  The school first heard from Ms. ******* post-enrollment through a ******** complaint and a message to her instructor that was forwarded to Student Services, both on June 22nd in regard to the ICD-10-CM coding manual. Student Services replied to Ms. ******* on June 22nd by email to provide the tracking number and let her know that a team member would also follow up on the tracking and with her the following day. A representative personally called ***** on June 23rd and was told that while the tracking reflected that the estimated delivery date was “pending,” ***** saw that the shipment would be arriving in Ms. *******’s city by evening on June 24th and would be delivered on June 25th. The representative then followed up with an email to relay this information to Ms. *******.
  
  Ms. ******* responded by email to advise us that she had filed this BBB complaint about holding her up in her studies and advised she expected that we waive her next monthly payment and overnight her the CPT coding manual. As an exception outside of the standard, in an attempt to show good faith and meet student satisfaction, USCI did both and reiterated what we were advised of by ***** regarding the ICD-10-CM shipment (we were able to recall the second CPT shipment to the student based on later account adjustments). We have very rarely received poor feedback regarding these shipments and their method, which is why it is used. Although the trigger quiz system works for almost all students and Ms. ******* had only paid $79, we were happy for her to have a coding job lined up and understood that she was trying to move at a very quick pace through the course. We, unfortunately, do not have control over a shipment once it leaves our warehouse, and therefore representatives provided the tracking number and personally followed up with ***** as listed above.
  
  Ms. *******’s response, concerns, and some other ******** messages escalated. She began calling people names and using profanity in her messages, demanding another shipment be sent overnight or she would complain to the BBB and attorney general. One example of her messages is, “I have already emailed the morons at Student Services and those dumb***** just keep giving me the same damn tracking number…”   After receiving information from our staff about the abusive nature of Ms. *******’s messages, the Vice President of Academics and Compliance emailed Ms. ******* to re-explain the above information and advised that because Ms. ******* was making such quick progress in the course, we requested her patience in allowing the coding manuals to arrive. Ms. *******’s profanity and lack of professionalism were also addressed in this communication, indicating we would have to disenroll her for continued lack of professionalism, name-calling, and profanity. As part of the terms of enrollment, students agree to follow the school catalog, which includes a code of conduct as well as reasons the student may be dismissed by the school.
  
  We were hopeful that Ms. ******* would understand the shipping circumstances and continue to work with us in a professional manner. As communication progressed, it became apparent that we were not going to be able to service Ms. ******* to her level of expectation or have an effective student/school relationship given her continued abuse toward our staff. Accordingly, Ms. *******’s enrollment was canceled. Although the coding manual had been shipped and 13 quizzes completed, USCI closed the enrollment with no obligation and issued a $79 refund for the full amount paid immediately.  In effect, Ms. ******* enrolled on June 12, 2022, and was canceled on June 23, 2022, completing almost 50% of the program in that time. Per the terms of her enrollment agreement, she owed 50% of her tuition plus $179 for the standard registration and application charges. Our school determined it was in the best interest of the situation to waive the tuition and charges due from Ms. ******* and refund what she had paid. Upon being informed she had been dismissed from USCI, Ms. ******* exhibited the same abusive behavior (please excuse the language – this is cut and pasted directly from Ms. *******’s communication), “EXCUSE ME????  I NEVER ONCE TOLD YOUR *** *** TO CANCEL MY ENROLLMENT????  YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO ****** ******* RIGHT TO CANCEL MY ENROLLMENT, YOU ***, BON-BON EATING ****.  I WILL BE REPORTING YOU TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND WILL ALERT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS AS TO YOUR CHILDISH BEHAVIOR.”
  
  It is our hope this response communicates that USCI did not have any intention of personally holding Ms. ******* back in her studies. Doing so is not beneficial to USCI or a student, and as in all cases, student satisfaction is a high priority to USCI. Employees are also a high priority, and USCI cannot allow employees to be verbally abused; our employees have a right to a non-abusive workplace. We again appreciate the opportunity to address this complaint and hope Ms. ******* is able to find a situation that works better for her. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The US Career Institute has failed to deliver appropriate services towards my educational journeys and multiple jobs have informed me that the services provided are not accredited with their program and state requirements and they have hence provided a service not as described. I want this service cancelled immediately and all payments taken refunded and all resources revoked or this will be disputed otherwise. There is no reason to charge vast cancellation fees due to the difficulty in conveying the proper terms of the accreditation and with many attempts to reach the company ahead of time with no responses via the online portal. I will be satisfied when the services are cancelled and all related charges are refunded.

  

  Business response

  05/09/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. *****’s complaint, we’re sorry to hear she feels that way. Our records show that Ms. ***** enrolled online into our Physical Therapy Aide certificate course on June 13, 2021 and was given access to Pack 1 course materials at that time. Since then, Ms. ***** has completed 1/21 quizzes.
  
  U.S. Career Institute is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency. As listed specifically for this course on the website:
  
  - Becoming a Physical Therapy Aide typically requires a HS diploma or equivalent and formal training through an accredited institution can also be helpful when seeking employment in this field, courses typically cover topics like medical terminology, physical therapy office procedures, and safety protocol.
  - Physical Therapy Aides work primarily administratively and are trained in up-keeping patient records, communication with patients, and equipment cleaning. They may work within a Physical Therapist’s office, or the PT section of a larger facility.
  - Skills covered in the Physical Therapy Aide Program include Medical Terminology, The Musculoskeletal System, Kinesiology and Biomechanics, Clinical Procedures, Neurological and Pediatric Physical Therapy, Anatomy of the Human Body, Orthopedic and Integumentary Physical Therapy, Patient Positioning and Transfer, Ethical and Legal Issues, And Much More!
  - A Physical Therapy Aide is not the same as a Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA). Physical Therapy Assistants have the ability to assist in training sessions, with the accompaniment of a licensed Physical Therapists, and typically need an Associate’s Degree, hands-on-training, and a license depending on the state and local requirements.
  - Physical Therapy Aides can be found working in hospitals, nursing care facilities, home healthcare services, outpatient clinics, and more.
  - Employers may choose to provide hands-on training to new hires, but many physical therapy aides will seek employment without prior experience.
  
  Based on Ms. *****’s feedback in this complaint vs the information listed above, it appears Ms. ***** may have received information about positions other than Physical Therapy Aide positions or did not have the correct information about our school/course when discussing it. We did not have the opportunity to discuss this with Ms. ***** during her enrollment, as we have only spoken with her through Student Services once about payments prior to her calling on May 5th to request cancellation, and we do not see that she contacted Admissions with questions prior to enrollment. (USCI offers students several communication options to speak with Admissions, Student Services, and Instruction, and does not intentionally leave student inquires unreturned. We take student satisfaction seriously and appreciate the opportunity to address student concerns and questions directly. We are not aware of any unreturned inquiries from Ms. ***** via email, phone, mail, private messages, or the student site.) During the call on May 5, Ms. ***** requested a supervisor who returned her call within an hour and reached her voicemail. The account has since been cancelled and a full refund was issued to Ms. *****’s credit card on May 6, 2022. We wish Ms. ***** the best in her future endeavors.

  Customer response

  05/10/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:I have not received a refund and would like confirmation sent to me if this refund issued to me as soon as possible
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *****

  

  Business response

  05/10/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. *****. If she is able to log in to her online student account, Ms. ***** will see that there is a notice that the account is cancelled and the payment history reflects a $414 approved DB (debit) refund on May 6, 2022 that was issued to her credit card ending in 3064. This is the same card that was used for all payments on her account, has an expiration date in the future, and that a $69 refund was issued to in February.
  
  Attached is a copy of an official payment statement through today for her account reflecting the $414 refund issued May 6, 2022, along with a PDF with three views from our payment processor confirming the $414 refund (“return”) was issued on May 6, 2022 and was settled/approved. (Please note that the $222 transaction listed as a discount on her payment statement is a discount given by the school at the time of enrollment and is not an amount paid by Ms. *****. Discounts remain active on cancelled accounts, so the $222 discount is still an approved transaction reflected in her payment history. Ms. ***** had paid USCI a total of $414 as of May 5, 2022 when the account was cancelled, taking into account all approved credit card payments received from Ms. ***** and the $69 that was refunded to her on February 22, 2022.)
  
  Banks/credit card companies do have varying processing times, so Ms. ***** is encouraged to keep an eye on her credit card statement, allow time for the refund come through, and contact her bank/credit card company if she would like additional information from them. USCI no longer has these funds, as the $414 refund was issued by USCI on May 6, 2022 and was approved as shown. 

  Customer response

  05/11/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They advertise as an accredited institution. They really are not one. Halfway through the course, I realized it was worthless. I tried backing to drop out and at least get some money reimbursed. They will not budge. I want my money back. This is useless and false advertising.

  

  Business response

  08/09/2021

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr. ******. We are sorry to hear he feels this way. USCI is pleased to have offered quality education for over forty years and we have been accredited since 2004 by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which holds recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence in distance education institutions and we are proud of our accreditation. U.S. Career Institute is also approved and regulated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational School Board. Mr. ****** enrolled in our Accounting Services certificate course on October 7, 2008. According to the cancellation policy outlined in school literature, students are responsible for the full tuition after they have been enrolled over a year. Attached is a grade statement showing that not only was Mr. ****** enrolled through the last date a quiz was posted, which was September 14, 2019, he also submitted quizzes outside of the one year time frame prior to then. In April 2014, Mr. ****** cancelled his enrollment, but then asked in September 2014 to reinstate to finish the course since he had completed over 75% of the course and been enrolled for over a year so he was already obligated to pay the full tuition. Mr. ****** was sent replacement materials multiple times as a courtesy throughout his enrollment in an attempt to help him finish his course. The last time the materials were sent was on July 3, 2019 by the Dean of Faculty and she sent all five of the lesson packs and waived the normal $149.95 charge as a courtesy in a final effort to help Mr. ****** complete his course successfully after reviewing all materials and submitting the missing quizzes. Mr. ****** was advised that he needed a 70% or higher to complete the course successfully and he had an 84% as of that date. Mr. ****** then submitted his remaining quizzes in September 2019 without providing answers for many of the questions on each remaining quiz and indicated he wanted them graded as-is, resulting in a completed course with a final GPA of 43%. Since he did not earn a 70% or higher he is not eligible for a certificate, but a Letter of Completion was mailed to him to attest to the work he completed in the course. Mr. ****** was enrolled for well over one year and completed the course; therefore, he is not eligible for a refund. We wish Mr. ****** the best in his future endeavors. 

*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. ↩