ComplaintsforThe CE Shop, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Customer Service is exemplified by actions, not words. I sought a refund 39 days after my purchase. This company told me I had 30 days to return, however, there is no mention of this policy on their one page receipt. If they wish to enforce a 30 day refund policy, put that info on the receipt like every company in America does! There was no other information on the webpage I used to purchase the product. The CE shop points to a separate webpage with their refund information upon it but that info doesn't appear through any of the buying screens or on the receipt! They are placing that text there on purpose so no one is reading it, go look at the other complaints against this company and you will see a pattern of just taking money transactionally from people instead of providing their customers with the service they need.

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid about 450 on a MLO course from The CE Shop. I was taking the final exam when the program shut off for a second and then I couldnt get back into my exam, I only had about 2 or 3 questions left. I called the number and tried the live chat, the customer service was closed and no one could help me get back into the exam. The next day when they were open my course expired and now they want me to repurchase the whole course. I still wouldve had 5 hours to finish my exam if I could get back into the exam.

  Business response

  09/13/2022

  Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention. The CE Shop is committed to providing students with a satisfactory experience every time they contact our customer support department. We have reviewed your history of interactions and will reach out to you directly to resolve your request.  

• Initial Complaint

  09/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing in to complain about the quality of service and miss information provided by the CE shop. They state on their terms and conditions page that you can take you have two attempts to take your final exam now they are trying to say I have to pay for each exam. The proctoring partner that they use PSI is scamming people out of their money and making them have to pay to retake their exams which isnt right.

  Business response

  09/09/2022

  The CE Shop is committed to total customer satisfaction. Every effort is made to ensure that the student is fully informed of all requirements and associated proctoring fees for each exam attempt before and after the purchase of the course. The information regarding proctoring is outlined in multiple places. You may contact our support team at ************ and see if your course and state requirements allow a in person option. However, some in person locations may also have a fee for the final exam session that needs to be proctored. A refund on the course is no longer an option as the course is over 50% completed and past our 30 day refund policy.  
  
  

  Below is the list of locations where proctoring is outlined for the student: 

  
  Before Purchase - GA Pre-Licensing Course Requirements on the GA Pre-Licensing Pricing Page: the course requirements outline the information regarding the proctored final exam and links out to another page that provides the price for each proctored final exam as well as the technical requirements for the online proctoring.  
  Before Purchase - Terms and Conditions: the section ' Examinations' outlines the requirements for proctoring as well and links out to another page that provides the price for the proctored final exam and the technical requirements for the online proctoring. The student is required to select a box before processing their payment acknowledging that they have read and understand the terms and conditions for the purchase. 
  After Purchase - Within the Course: at the beginning of the course, the proctored final exam requirements are explained in detail and include resource links to the online proctoring requirements link. 
  After Purchase - Within the Course: at the end of the course, the proctored final exam requirements are explained in detail and include resource links to the online proctoring requirements link. (See: Course Wrap Up) 

  
  
  We do appreciate the feedback and it will be considered as we continue to look for opportunities to improve our student experience; without jeopardizing quality related to preparing students not only for passing their licensing exam, but also being successful in the industry and operating in full compliance with all regulations.   

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a 75 Hour ** Broker Pre-Licensing package from The CE Shop on 2-16-2022. I paid $609.89 for the package. I chose The CE Shop because of the flexibility that it offered for online classes. All of the reviews for The CE Shop stated that you could extend the course length if I exceeded the 6-month window. Most reviewers stated that they had to complete the course within 1 year. I reached out to The CE Shop via the suggested email address for customer support on 8-6-2022 to ask for the extension. No one ever replied. I reached out to them again today via phone and the **************** Rep said "** does not allow for extensions. It's a state law!" I told her I was never informed of this during the purchasing process nor during the last 6 months...at anytime! The **************** Rep said "********************** is also not going to offer this course any longer in the *********** so there's no way to extend it anyway. I, like many other customers that are logging complaints about this company, would like a refund. The ** website is misleading the consumer.

  Business response

  08/18/2022

  Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention. The CE Shop is committed to providing students with a satisfactory experience.  We have reviewed your account and will reach out to you directly to address your concern.  

  Customer response

  08/24/2022

   
  Complaint: 17732002
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  It has been over  week and The CE Shop has not contacted me to resolve this matter, per their email.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  08/30/2022

  We have attempted to contact this student on several occasions and have been unsuccessful in getting in touch to resolve the issue at hand. Student has the Managers Direct Dial and email address to reply too for resolution.  

  Customer response

  08/31/2022

   
  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. The ** Shop and I went back and forth with phone tag but ultimately resolved the matter. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I recently completed a 75 hour ** real estate prelicensing course with the CE Shop. The expiration date for the class was August 15, 2022. Last week, I completed all coursework and passed the practice State/National exam. I then signed up for the first possible date to take the Final Exam through the CE Shop's third party, PSI. The earliest date that was offered was today, Wednesday, August 17, 2022, and I signed up and secured a spot for 1 p.m. today. When I went to the CE Shop to log in for the final exam, it said that the class had expired and after calling the help line, I was told that I could not gain access to the final exam and I would lose the 75 hours in class as well.If August 15 was the last day to take the exam, there should have been the capability to take the exam and there was not. I have seen others say that there is an automatic 30 day extension for their courses. My request is that I be able to take the exam and receive credit for completing the class.

  Business response

  08/18/2022

  Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention. The CE Shop is committed to providing students with a satisfactory experience.  We have reviewed your account and will reach out to you directly to address your concern.  

  Customer response

  08/19/2022

   
  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,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a real estate course in June of 2021 and apparently the course 'expired' and then The CEShop tried to tell me that the **************** require the course to be completed within a year yet the representative couldn't provide proof when I called to get my course reinstated. I wish I would have read the BBB reviews before giving this company my money. They give you the option to repurchase the course with a 50% discount. It is not the State of Arizonas policy, it is the CE Shops policy yet they try to pass it off on the state. I paid for a course and yet have 0 access to it unless I give them more money. Its a money grab, buyer beware!

  Business response

  07/08/2022

  The CE Shop, Inc. is committed to providing students with a satisfactory experience, while maintaining the boundaries outlined within the terms and conditions. This course was purchased on 6/22/2021; and per the terms and conditions listed on our state requirements page, as well as on our terms page, the course is valid for one year only from date of purchase. In an effort to ensure our students have the information on this, and all The CE Shop policies, we also included a copy of the terms and conditions for the course in the first section of the course. In the event the year time frame is not enough for a student to complete; we do offer a generous repurchase option at 50% off, and this allows the student to re-enroll and start the course over with another year to complete the course. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  HI there.I ordered an online class in November for a real estate license prep class. It was on sale. I got the email giving me instructions to log in to the account, see attachment. I had intended on waiting for a less busy time at my primary job to start the course. That would be now. I log in tonight and my class expires tomorrow! Most classes expire a year after purchase! I asked for a refund and they have not replied to that but suggested that i buy the extension. I asked them if they emailed a reminder to me. They said they can not confirm if they sent one. It could have gone to my spam account. The rep said they only send a 30 day reminder. (This is via messager.) This package has like 8 classes. They send a 30 day reminder? The *** said there was a time limit on the class when i purchased it. I went back to review the email from the purchase and it reads to log in to review the expiration date. I only logged in to set up my password and user name. My job is really busy and I travel for work. I guess i missed that on the email.I'd like my $400 back or another 6 months. I never touched a class. It's not 6 months from the start of the class but 6 months from the log in i guess? That's not fair to send no reminder and not make it clear what the expiration date is on the email. I'm really disappointed.Here is a copy of the emails I reference.

  Business response

  06/29/2022

  The CE Shop's course expiration policy is designed to provide the student with the flexibility to extend courses past the original expiration date if necessary. In addition, if the student needs more than 6 months to complete the course, The CE Shop provides a free 30-day course extension as a courtesy to the student. The course start date is the date the order is placed. 
  
  As shown in the receipt you attached we do highlight to our students that we recommend immediately reviewing the course expiration dates listed within the account. If a course expires before its completed, the course will have to be repurchased, This is also listed on our state requirement page and also in our terms and conditions agreed to upon checkout. 
  
  Upon review of this order the student still has access to the courses and can purchase ***************** up to the year deadline. We would recommend purchasing the extension one course at a time to help save on pricing. 
  
  If any further assistance is needed please contact us directly at ************ 

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased the course on 5/10/2020. My courses "expired" and I lost all access to utilize them. This triggered restricting my access to courses as well as a 3x price hike on for my existing online access.

  Business response

  06/03/2022

  Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention. As mentioned in the complaint the order was purchased on 5/10/2020, since then we have added some additional features and resources to the CA Prepackages that have slightly increased the price since 2020. We now offer our pass guarantee as well as Business Ebooks written by experts. The package purchased in 2020 prior to the discount was $129.00. The similar package available on our website before discount is listed at $199.00. We also may have a promotion to bring the retail price lower. We would like the opportunity to discuss your options and will have one of our experienced course advisors contact you directly to come to a resolution. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  THE CE SHOP is offering classes that consumers have already taken and paid for and when the error is pointed out, they refuse to fix their system and demand for more time and money. I took Hot Topics in *********** in 2022, not knowing that it was an OLD class that I already took in 2021. Why would HOT TOPICS be old material? When I pointed this out, customer service only offered for me to buy another class for 20% off. I already paid for my full CE hours for my 2 year real estate license requirements, yet now I'm 2 hrs short due to their recording error.Customer service claims they have a disclaimer that it's the customer's job to verify the classes, but why would I think there would be an old class offered in the current year? Hot Topics means CURRENT! I did not see any disclaimer on the site, receipt, or class list, or any email from them. If I did, I would have looked up the class before I took it! It didn't say it was a 2021 class! I never saw anything about contacting them about classes plus I thought all of the 2022 ones were current.I paid $29 for this class and it took 3 hrs... only to be told it was one I took last year. This is unacceptable. Why would their system allow repeated classes without authorization? This is an error on their part. I should not have to pay for another class and spend another 3 hrs due to their error. Where is the common sense?No where on my receipt does it say a course number or anything about it being a class from 2021! I logged into their system in 2022 to complete the rest of my classes for this year! This is unacceptable.

  Business response

  06/02/2022

  The CE Shop, Inc. is committed to providing students with a satisfactory experience while maintaining the boundaries outlined within the terms and conditions. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we try to be as transparent as possible. ********* CE does have a repeat rule in place for all agents taking their CE. We disclose this on a large purple banner on our catalog page and we direct students to reference their prior courses in their account before ordering to avoid duplicate courses or to call support for assistance. We also list this in our state requirement details. Our packages are built and designed to have new courses to avoid duplicates each renewal cycle. However, in this particular case the student ordered individual courses and not the package which lead to them ordering the same course they ordered in a prior renewal cycle. We would recommend calling into our support to purchase another course and we can ensure it will not be a repeat. Please reach out to us directly at ************. 

  Customer response

  06/03/2022

   
  Complaint: 17302036
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There was ZERO notice that I chose a duplicate class that I took the year BEFORE on my receipt, on my confirmation order in email, on my class list (No class numbers on what I could see), NO WHERE.  I was aware of watching out for duplicate classes as I was warned years ago for the required module that has years listed, but as the title was Hot Topics in ************ I thought it was CURRENT topics and not an old class from over a year prior.  This is obviously a software issue on their part and this is just not acceptable.  To force customers to pay for another class that they already paid for is ridiculous.   This wasted $29 and 3 hours of my time.  I have since switched to another company that does not penalize customers for a confusing system that makes no sense.  I want a refund for the class that I took twice!  Show me proof that I was told about their policy on my receipt, an email, or my class list.  They can't.

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

  Business response

  06/06/2022

  As mentioned prior, on our catalog page we have a bright purple banner advising students to please check the courses in their package so that they are not repeating courses in the same 2-year cycle. You can view this disclosure by going to the link provided below or by navigating on our website to ********* CE catalog page. Our packages are built each year with the new requirements and the electives are always different from the prior years to help students to not repeat. In this particular case the student ordered individual courses without cross checking their prior courses in their account or contacting our support for assistance. We did also provide 3 free credits to order an alternate course at no charge so the student could choose a course not taken in a prior renewal cycle. 
  
  https://www.theceshop.com/online-education/minnesota/real-estate/broker-and-sales-license/continuing-education/courses.html 

• Initial Complaint

  05/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a nurse at a care facility I have been overwhelmed with work and havent even had time to look at this course. I just started it and am only 14% done with it. Their refund policy states to refund you must have less then 50% done or before 30 days. It is past *************************************************************************** I assumed this would have videos etc. When the course only includes multiple choice questions. Some of which dont even seem relevant. I would like a refund as I will not be able to complete due to working to keep covid patients safe and I have had covid 4 times. Additionally the curriculum is not as expected.

  Business response

  05/23/2022

  The CE Shop, Inc. pre-licensing courses utilize an inquiry based delivery that is designed to allow students to retain knowledge without extensive use of print materials and note taking. Based on direct student feedback as well as pass rate data provided by various state entities, The CE Shop, Inc. students have recognized significantly higher success rates with the licensing exam compared to other providers. Of course, we do recognize that people learn best in different ways and the inquiry based approach *** not be ideal for everyone. This is in part why we offer a free trial.  
  
  Currently the courses you have purchased are still available in the account and will remain available to you until the expiration date listed in your account. In your case the course is valid for one year from date of purchase. We are unable to issue a refund as the order is past the 30 days from date of order per our terms and conditions agreed upon at time of order. 

  Customer response

  05/23/2022

   
  Complaint: 17238974
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there was not a free trial offered, that I was aware of. I purchased the corse and then Covid came around therefore I was overwhelmed at my work and couldnt even start the course. I got time to start looking at the course however it is not in a format which I had expected. Its literally multiple choice questions and pdfs I assumed there would be videos with better instruction. However there isnt. I would like a refund as I have barely done anything in this course and it is not fare that you are acting in this manner. If I would have had time to have started it I would have however I was very busy taking care of critically Ill Covid patients. If you think about it we literally had a pandemic. I had Covid multiple times. I bought this course with the intent that it wouldnt be similar to a quizlet. And unfortunately it was identical to quizlet format. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** Plush

*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. ↩