ComplaintsforPorter and Chester Institute

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On October 19, 2020, I enrolled to attend Porter and Chester Institute, ** ********** ****** ***** ***** ** *****. I signed for the total amount of tuition at a cost for two years at $35,449.00 in the evening LPN program. Unfortunately, when I finished the program on July 7, 2023, my total amount reached a total of $39,938.00. There is an overage of $4,489.00 on my final student loan bill. I did not authorize this amount to be applied to my school fee. I have contacted the staff persons, Kelly C*****, and Lisa P**** on several occasions to explain these extra charges to my bill. I wanted to know why my loan was increased. I was not given a clear answer. However, I was offered a check for $9,432.00. I do not know where these monies were taken from. This money was not to cover the differences I was over charged for the program. To resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if Porter and Chester Institute reimbursed me for the differences for scholarships, financial aid, graduation fee, and overcharged amount of the program. I did not receive credit for my loans. I have attached all documents that were signed for the initial cost. The other documents are for the additional charges that weren’t authorized and several emails due to cost. I look forward to a resolution of my problem soon. I can be contacted at the above address.

  Business response

  10/12/2023

  Please be advised that Porter and Chester Institute reached a resolution with the complainant in collaboration with the *** and *** as of 9/28/23. This complaint has been resolved.

  Thank you for your assistance.

  Business response

  10/12/2023

  Please be advised that Porter and Chester Institute reached a resolution with the complainant in collaboration with the *** and *** as of 9/28/23. This complaint has been resolved.

  Thank you for your assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My complaints with the school created a debt of $7,057.73 in overpayment from ** ********* benefits due to Porter and Chester not submitting the correct amount of clock hours for class. While paying this down, the school financial aid department reported to the ******** ******* education department that I took a course not needed towards graduation or that I withdrew from the practical nursing program. This then created an increase of the debt in the amount of $2,455.67. I worked with the Department of ******** ******* Debt Management Center, ***** ***** ** *******, Regional ** ********* Department., as well as completing 3 audits with the ******** *******. This resulted in a letter from the department of ******** ******* debt management center in *** ***** ** on December 20, 2022, that states the increase in indebtedness was cause by changed in your enrollment as reported by your school. The law prohibits payment for classes from which a student withdraws, as well as courses not used in computing graduation requirement. If you feel the enrollment information is incorrect, you should have the school send your ** regional office a corrected enrollment certification, ** form 22-1999. This has been an ongoing issue since July of 2022. Caline L**** states the information the ******* ******* sent to me in the letter is wrong and that everything she reported to the ******** ******* is correct. I have asked to sit down with the Director Anne S******* and Caline L**** to work together to resolve this issue, but the request was denied. The school also issued me a check in the amount $4430.92 for covid relief to help with bills due to the original debt of 7057.43 because I was counting on the $1200 monthly from the ******* ******* for bills while I completed the Practical nursing program, this issue of the indebtedness increase was created after the first indebtedness. I have done everything on my end to try and get this resolved with Porter and Chester with no resolution.

  The next complaint is Porter and Chester was presented to myself and other students that the Practical Nursing Program is 15 months long. The school had deceptive enrollment tactics withholding information that Classes were severely behind schedule, at enrollment in April of 2021 there were still students from 2019 that had not graduated. It took 27 months to complete the 15 month program due to lack of staffing and lack of clinical sites. This resulted in going over the allowable clock hours of 1596 for the **** (** award system) according to ******* ********* who is with *********** ****** ** ****** *********. Mr. ********* stated I have 1763 total clock hours, this exceeds the allowable 1596. Mr. ********* state there is a 110 percent rule which would allow the ** to pay 1755.60 hours. I spoke with the ******** ******* Department of Education and they confirmed what Mr. ********* states. In order for the 110 percent rule to take effect, porter and Chester needs to submit a request to the office of higher education in Connecticut for the hours increase due to the reasons why it took longer than the allowable 1596 hours to complete the program. Porter and Chester already had to have all of the students submit an appeal to the SAP Rule (Student Academic Progress) with ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Career School and Colleges) for the extension of the Student Academic Progress going past the 150 percent rule of 22.5 months allowed to complete the Practical Nursing Program. I have tried to get this issue resolved with no resolution because it is two months’ worth of ** ********* Benefits totaling up to $2800 dollars. In Total there is potentially $5255.67 on the line over the school submitting documents as well as not reporting correct information to the ******* *******.
  

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  ******* *

   

  Our VP of Educational Funding, Danielle P*****, cc’d on this email, has been working with ******* *********, Director of the State Approving Agency, and Ms. ******* to resolve the issue. I will let Danielle provide additional detail as needed.

   

  Alysson

   

  Alysson R*****

  Executive Assistant & Project Coordinator, Office of the President & CEO

  Porter and Chester Institute

  YTI Career Institute

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

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I enrolled in the Plumbing Technical program at the Porter and Chester Institute in ********** in mid-March 2023 which involves in-person labs ( two four hour sessions per week) and virtual lectures three evenings per week as described on the School website and confirmed by my advisor. Since the first week I have complained to my advisor more than five times by phone, my lab instructor directly at almost every session and to the Porter and Chester IT Dept. by email and phone six times concerning the quality and quantity of the instruction. Specifically, the labs are poorly taught and end after ninety minutes including time that the students use to complete their homework. What happened to the other 2 1/2 hours of instruction? Neither my advisor nor my instructor could provide an answer except to say that the labs would continue in this fashion. I also have been unable to complete much of the virtual homework/quizzes because of inability to download the lessons on their provided laptop at home despite excellent internet service as shown on my personal laptop. After finally reaching the IT Dept. I was told by them that it is due to an issue on the website which was provided to the School by an outside vendor ( TY Corp?) and that I should contact them directly. I have left them several messages without a response. I then attempted to contact the Director of the Institute, but the School refused to provide their contact info. I am very concerned about failing this course as well as not learning the required material for my Plumbing Licensure Exam. I committed to this $30,000 year-long program which requires both Federal and private loans and a **** Grant to fund so as to ensure my future in a needed trade. I ask your assistance in achieving my goal. Thank you for your assistance. **** ******

  Business response

  04/18/2023

  Please find below the school’s response to a complaint made by Mr. **** ******, a student in the Plumbing program at Porter and Chester institute – **********..
  
  Regarding the student’s claim that the lab is only 1 and ½ hours long :
  In a program, like Plumbing, delivered in a hybrid format (didactic online and labs on campus) the proportion of online to on campus work can change each term based on the courses. As stated in the enrollment agreement: “In Hybrid programs, the Student’s lab days could be any combination of Monday through Friday, meeting at any time within the taught time blocks stated below.”  So while students need to be aware that labs could last from 5-9, in terms with a heavier online component, labs could end earlier than 9:00.  The labs tend to be fairly basic in the first couple of weeks of the term, to get students acclimated, and some students finish them early than others.  However the instructor has agreed to make himself available through the maximum end time for any student who wishes to stay and get additional hands on time.
  
  Next, regarding the student’s concern that he had difficulty accessing the information, homework assignments, quizzes, etc.. due to issues with the online portion  and was worried about failing the course:
  The Campus Director of Operations and Education (CDOE) reviewed the student’s participation, completion of assignments and grades and noted the following results:
  All assignments for the first course of the term were completed well and on time.
  Home Work grade 96.16%
  Lab Grade 100%
  Quiz Grade 70%
  Final Exam 90%
  Total Course Grade 89.23
  If the student is still having difficulty with the online interface, we request that he contact the CDOE directly to explain his difficulties.
  
  Lastly regarding his request for timely assistance by the administration:
  The CDOE reached out to the student shortly after learning of his concerns (which the student  voiced to his admissions representative, not to the CDOE, who is the campus representative students are instructed to contact if they have been unable to resolve a concern through their instructor).  On 04/10  the CDOE called the student and left a voice mail asking him to return the call and giving him both the school office number and the CDOE’s cell phone number.  When the student did not respond, the CDOE then sent him the following email on 04/13:
  
  Good Morning ****, I understand that you had voiced some concerns about the Plumbing program. Rafael had relayed your concerns to me and I had reached out to you on Monday via your phone number on record. I left you a voicemail as well as my cell phone number to have you give me a call when you had a minute to discuss your concerns. I also discussed your concerns with your instructor as well as the program coordinator to see what we could do to address them. As of today I have not heard from you so I’m wondering if you are now comfortable with the program or if you would like to discuss your issues further.
  
  Please let me know how I can assist you.
  
  Thanks’

  Pat
  
  The CDOE is prepared to assist this student whenever the student contacts him.

• Initial Complaint

  02/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been swindled by the Porter-Chester Institute with a bait-and-switch scam. After signing on for a FIFTEEN-month program for LPN education, including clinical practice, their $34,000.00 tuition cost. PCI knew fully well they had a backlog of students waiting in the wings for clinical, classes, and graduation that needed to be served first. I was NOT informed of this. I started classes on January 17, 2022. based on the idea that I would complete their LPN program in 15 months. They continue to milk and misuse Covid as an excuse. Other schools, communities, and all clinical sites opened up throughout the state of *********** with no problem getting their nursing students out into a clinical class. Here it is February 2023, and I still have not had any clinical experience and was supposed to graduate in April of 2023. On January 12th last day of finishing all didactic classes. I was suddenly told by Ms. Vicki K*** VP of PCI that she would have to pause my and other classmates' education and clinical classes because they have no qualified instructors to teach clinical classes. This resulted in a significant learning gap between classroom education and clinical practice as well as extending their 15-month program far longer than I agreed to. PCI has failed me and many other students. They continue to give us the run-around. Ms. K*** and her many employees do not care for their students. It is a for-profit school. They do not reply to emails, phone calls, and other inquiries. Communication with students *****. Pay service fees for supplies and the classrooms never have enough equipment. Huge instructor turnover, and several different nursing directors within the past year. PCI employees and Ms. K*** VP in charge and overseeing the whole nursing program do not want to take any responsibility for how they failed their students. Pointing fingers and blaming others for their failure. I do not recommend the LPN program PCI institutes to anyone.

  Business response

  03/06/2023

  Ms. ******** enrolled in Practical Nursing at Porter and Chester Institute-***** **** ****** on January 17, 2022 under pandemic conditions. Students who enrolled under pandemic conditions were notified during the enrollment process that delays could occur due to the nature of Covid-19and its impact on program delivery (see the attached Attachment A).

  Practical nursing students were notified of the ***** **** ****** closure on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Individual student meetings were held to discuss the opportunity to transfer to a recommended campus, based on student zip code. 

  Students’ impacted by the school closure received a transfer grant of $200 per term to assist with any additional expenses/inconvenience that may be incurred resulting from the change in location. Students who were unable to transfer or chose not to transfer to an existing PCI campus were informed of the option to (1) withdraw from the program with earned credit and the school’s standard refund policy applied (2) withdraw from the program, void all previous credit earned, and receive a full refund. Ms. ******** elected to continue her program and transfer to the PCI-******* campus (see the attached Attachment B).

  On January 12, 2023, Ms. ******** was placed on Administrative Non-Attending (ANA) status due to the remaining clinical backlog at our ******* location. Students who enrolled in 2019 and 2020 academic years have been given preference for clinical rotations and as students graduate the remaining ANA students will be placed at available clinical sites. PCI anticipates that Ms. ********* and her cohort will be scheduled for Clinical rotations in April2023 barring any clinical closures resulting from Covid-19 outbreaks.

  Any student who wishes to withdraw from their program of study may do so at any time and the school’s refund policy is outlined on page seven (7) of the catalog (please see the attached Attachment C).

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was recently in the middle of an application for the LPN program here. I had Applied for a loan on top of financial aid to help pay for the program. The program was supposed to start on October 17,2022. I’ve tried reaching out on multiple occasions for the last part of the application process. Today i received A call that the lease is expiring for Porter and Chester and my application will be canceled. I was not told any sooner about the program in which I’ve been trying to reach out so i could Figure out a working situation that would work best while I’m taking the course. This is very unprofessional of Porter and Chester.

  Business response

  12/16/2022

  Good afternoon,

   

  I would like to provide an update in reference to Complaint ID# *******. We have conferred with the individual (****** *******) who was initially a prospective student enrolled at our ******* campus. Our Practical nursing courses were later paused and she was transferred to our ***** **** location as a prospective start. The school made the difficult decision to close the ***** **** campus prior to courses commencing, however, she was able to enroll at our ******* campus for the upcoming January 16, 2023 term. She has been accepted into the program and is in the process of being packaged for Financial Aid. The complaint was opened prior to this resolution. We asked ****** if she felt we had resolved her complaint and she did agree.

   

  I do see that the complaint was closed without a response from the school. I apologize for the delay, the correspondence below is the only one I have received. We also wanted to make sure we had the opportunity to gather information and also speak with the student to ensure all of their concerns had been taken into account prior to submitting a response. We are hopeful that the record can be updated to reflect this.

   

  Please let me know if there’s anything else you may need from the institution.

   

  Thank you,

• Initial Complaint

  04/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This companies lied to prospective students and myself to enter into a contract with misleading information and lies for a future to become a LPN upon successful completion. This school has lied about having clinical sites and a lot of availability for me to be successful and swindled me for over 30k and now is also changing my student loans without my knowledge and authorization, terminating me as a student because I’m asking questions on my behalf, their director of nurses have slandered my name and accused me of vial nasty things I’ve never done and is trying to force me to write a letter of how I can change just for asking questions and her personal pleasure, (I have all email proof of this) the schools professionalism is not credible and it’s intertwines serious matters and all lies are made to get you swindled out of your money and too look bad if you have questions when you catch them in their illegal activity that’s hidden very well, I as a student was also forced to beg for already paid for classes and my spot in it just to take it , I wasn’t given true information from this school to make a legal informed decision on attending there as well. I couldn’t back out of the contract as the administration had changed four times since I begun and when I tried I was told that I was just worried due to Covid but all would be ok when it was time for me. I was belittled and made a mockery of and I’ve been discriminated against and more. I’m seeking helping from the BBB to enforce that this school complied with their contract of a true 15 month program and comply with all the terms or a full refund with 15 additional months of finical loss for me wasting my time to attend and complete the entire program with an agreeable and acceptable compensation for all the mental anguish they have caused me and my family. I’d like for this company to get investigated as criminals and a possible grand larceny suit filed against them from the public and from all their students. And

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Hello, My name is Chloe and I am a practical nursing student attending Porter and Chester institute at the Enfield campus. I am involved in a mass effort to contact William Tong the Connecticut attorney general in order investigate Porter and Chester for fraud. My fellow students and I signed up for a 15 month program with in person learning and clinical. I am currently a year past my promised graduation date with no end in sight and 80 percent of my classroom hours were virtual. The school is unable to hold on to staff due to mistreatment and is making it impossible to graduate students in a timely matter. Porter and Chester has been recruiting new students under the false guise that they will graduate in 15 months when there is at least a six month wait list to even start clinical. We try to contact the school to advocate for ourselves and get no response from administration. I want to do everything in my power to plead our case to the state and be reimbursed for our tuition and compensated for months wasted. If you find this story interesting I have over 20 students willing to speak out and tell their story’s of how they have been defrauded. Thank you for taking the time to read this and please feel free to email me any time to discuss this matter.

  Business response

  04/25/2022

  ******* concerns were around clinical. Chloe was called and asked to meet with the VP of Academics. An Academic Plan was emailed to ***** and she has thanked us for the update. She is currently on clinical Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

  Customer response

  04/25/2022

  
  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

  12/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I applied to porter and chester last year and I was going for the nursing program, I dropped out of classes due to financial issues. So I couldn't afford to go to school, porter and chester is still charging me for the classes I will not be attending because of my withdrawal to the school. I have been calling them and messaging them but they are avoiding every one of my calls and emails. They are charging me 9K which I shouldn't be charged for since I am not a student there anymore. I accepted to pay the school only $400 for the remaining balance but I will not be paying the 9K. They are very skeptical and will not help you with any issues you have with the school, very unprofessional. These are Fraudulent charges. I also attached the text messages with financial aid and they will not respond or send me statements of the classes I took previously in order to see how Much is left from my end. I've called Carol C********, Janet A**** and they have no responded to me or resolved this issue and it's been going on for weeks now.

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Paid in full for tuition. I was suppose to graduate in april of 2021. As of yet no graduation because students need to finish their classes (required clinical hours only). Why werent they completed? Because this school does not have enough teachers to teach. The Staff does not communicate with students or address their concerns and/or complaints. This school needs to close in ****** forever. Every department in the school *****. ******** **** ********** ***** **** ****** Teachers are getting paid while not showing up to class, so they were getting paid illegally. Now the student loan department thinks students have completed the class and requesting money back and we are still currently and actively in school. The school refuses to put students as an active status because they were paid off already. Therefore all students must put all loans on hold Students have asked to complete classes from another campus and were told they cant! Now my new graduation date is TBA sometime next year.

  Business response

  12/02/2021

  Unfortunately we lost our evening clinical instructor at the start of the term, and have been actively trying to find a replacement.  We told ****** at this point, that our HR has made hiring an evening instructor a priority, and we are currently looking at all our staff to identify any faculty who could possibly step in.  As soon as we have someone, we can resume clinical.

   

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