Complaints

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Basically, I was forced to sign a collections agreement due to the person who runs the financial aid of the schools failure to notify me about funds directly deposited to my account. This person did not inform me about a payment that went to my bank account instead of the school for over 3 weeks. Now I am being treated like I stole something from them, even though I am paying the money back. They are unable to show any invoice for the agreement of payments I signed and refuse to help me. Instead of sending an invoice they sent the whole school ledger, which is not what I am currently paying for. It was a secondary agreement that I would pay back the money owed.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2025

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for the opportunity to respond. We have reviewed Mr. ****** account with ********************** (UTI) along with the details in his statement.  Mr. ***** authorized *** to deposit refunds directly to his bank account, with email notification prior to the deposit.  On 5/24/2024,UTI notified Mr. ***** via email of a pending refund, advising him that he had 24 hours to make changes to the direct deposit, otherwise we would proceed based on his original guidance.  Mr. ***** did not make any changes within the stated 24-hour period and UTI deposited funds directly to his bank account.
  
  Mr. ****** account subsequently had a balance due to UTI which we brought to his attention.  Mr. ***** made payment arrangements to resolve the outstanding balance, first opting for a lump sum payment, and later opting for an installment plan.  Mr. ***** has been making payments towards that plan and his account, though not settled in-full, remains in good standing.
  
  We understand Mr. ***** would like a copy of his payment agreement in addition to the statement of account (ledger) UTI provided him.  It appears we may have misunderstood his original request and apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused.
  
  We look forward to providing ******** with the documentation he has requested as well as answer any questions he may have regarding his account.  We are attempting to contact Mr. ***** to arrange for a call/meeting at his convenience.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/04/2025

   
  Complaint: 22818664
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have clearly stated, all I need is a break down of this amount. What has been paid and what is due. It is not my fault you deposited money into my bank account failing to inform me for over a month. So I'd appreciate your company to stop treating me like trash. ******** in financial aid messed this up.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2025

  I contacted the student to see which documents that he requested,confirmed his e-mail address and he mailed him his account leger with the breakdown of all transactions and a copy of the payment agreement that he signed for the owed balance.  Mr. ***** and I went over the ledger together and I answered the questions that he had. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  False advertisement by admissions, recruiters, and student services. Unprofessional and disrespectful treatment from staff. Unsafe living conditions provided by compass rose student housing. Lack of motivation and willingness to help or provide solutions for all of these issues when they were brought to the schools attention. Absolute scam. Recruiter states that you come out of the program certified by all 5 manufacturers, manufacturers have on-site offices, and challenge tests can be arranged upon your request with a super easy process. None of this is true! No manufacturer offices, you do NOT get certified (nor do you even have the option to), I was told challenge tests are impossible because some of my relevant experience is self-employed (which I specifically asked the recruiter about). Also said that I had to pay tuition for classes I do not take even IF I did test out of them. Compass rose student housing said they did a pre-move in inspection and all was good. NOT TRUE! Mold everywhere in the apartment. They did not even respond to my service request when I brought this to their attention. When I went to their office to ask them about it they said I should have inspected it myself before moving in. But they also told me I was not allowed on the premises until I completed the move-in process and signed the lease!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/16/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  

  We regret to learn that ********************** experience with Universal Technical Institute (UTI) did not meet his expectations. At ***, we are committed to ensuring every student is treated with dignity and respect,fostering an educational environment where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive and develop the technical skills essential for the future.
  

  Our records indicate ****************** was enrolled in our Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI), which offers two program options:
  A 51-week diploma-granting program.
  A 60-week occupational Associates degree-granting program.
  Note that neither of these programs offer manufacturer certifications as part of the curriculum.
  

  *******s enrolled in our marine programs have the option to participate in extracurricular dealer training, where they complete the same online dealer training courses as dealer-employed technicians and earn the corresponding dealer training credentials. Mercury Marine offers a Mercury Outboards product line certification for students who complete the required dealer training courses during their MMI program. The criteria for this are outlined on page 62 of the 2024-2025 Course Catalog. To date, 187 marine program students have successfully earned the Mercury Outboards product line certification while completing their marine program.
  

  We do not have on-campus offices for marine engine manufacturers at our ******* campus. However, we do have classrooms and courses dedicated to five major marine engine manufacturers: ****************** Marine,Yamaha Marine, ****** Marine, and Mercury Marine.
  
  UTI's Challenge Test Policy is outlined in the 2024-2025 Course Catalog on page S-24 and stipulates challenge testing may be permitted based on a student attestation of prior related work experience, related and current ASE certification, or education that demonstrates proficiency of the content. The catalog also states requests made after the completion of the first course period of attendance will not decrease program tuition. According to our records, ****************** was encouraged to provide the attestation of experience (to include his self-employment experience and automotive industry experience) on July 1, 2024, after a conversation with staff. ****************** was advised that if he submitted an attestation, it would be reviewed to determine his qualifications to test, and if approved, potential exceptions to the tuition cost of the associated course tests would be evaluated. ****************** did not submit an attestation prior to his withdrawal request on July 2, 2024.
  

  Regarding his apartment, student housing resources are available through Compass Rose ******* Housing, a third-party student housing provider. Compass ****'s records indicate the first report ***************** filed regarding an issue in his unit was on Saturday, June 29, 2024. On Monday, July 1, maintenance staff completed work orders in his unit.Additionally, on Tuesday, July 2, a work order was placed by Compass Rose for cleaning the air conditioning ducts. On July 8, 2024 ****************** retuned the apartment keys to Compass Rose staff. ****************** should address further concerns with Compass Rose ******* Housing to them. Contact information may be found on their website at www.compassrosehousing.com.
  

  We take all student concerns seriously and strive to address them promptly. If ****************** would like to discuss his concerns further, he can reach *****************************, ******* Services Director at ************. If he would like to return to school to complete his education,he can contact the ******* Services Department at ************.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  Universal Technical Institute

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/22/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a Veteran of the **** Forces seeking ***************** 1/20/24 I toured *** ******** campus where I was given the number on the back of a business card to call for their military admissions guy. A different person called, the phone number being ****** area code. I think his name was ***** when he called 1/22. Long story short he wanted me to sign a legal instrument in the amount of $32,550.00 which I wisely did not do. This was going to be billable to my VA Benefits. I think veterans go for their tours at UTI, then they have a vet on their payroll who knows the system call up veterans, I think I saw the same phone number on their website or email.To summarize, they sent an ENROLLMENT AGREEMENT which gives NOTICE TO BUYER This is a legal instrument. The payment method is my GI Bill. I believe I almost legally signed all of my GI Bill tuition away to a scheme that would **** 100% of my tuition benefit. All of this contrary to UTIs commitment to veterans.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  Universal Technical Institute has attempted to contact the individual directly to discuss their concerns, but we have been unable to reach them. We encourage the individual to contact a representative of our organization so we can discuss and resolve their concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/06/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  BUYER BEWARE - VETERANS, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. I have never consistently experienced such a lack of respect from the faculty of any organization. I was WRONGFULLY TERMINATED from the diesel program on 03/02/23 for refusing to be the victim of an overly aggressive & extremely disrespectful instructor. This instructor blatantly violated multiple rules within the UTI employee code of conduct. This organization claims to have a zero tolerance policy against this kind of behavior, yet they had an extreme bias in favor of the instructor from the very beginning. This investigation was extremely unfair & despite any form of evidence, they kicked me to the curb. Your education experience here will vary WIDELY from class to class, as each instructor has a different level of compassion. Some of them are good, many of them just simply do not care about teaching. They are just tired mechanics who took a job "teaching" to get out of the Florida heat & into a cushy desk job in an air conditioned building. There is very little accountability within the school's faculty, to the point where the administration will be aware of obvious problems with their employee's, but will refuse to do anything about it. The curriculum is outdated & many of their training aids are over a decade old that have been repainted more times than I have fingers on my hands. Universal Technical Institute relies solely on name recognition to keep their doors open. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/17/2023

  To Whom it May Concern:

  UTI received a complaint that a former student felt they had been wrongfully terminated from our program and had not been given the opportunity to provide their side of the story.
  

  UTI completed a review of the investigation conducted for the incident referenced in the complaint. To gain additional perspective, the Student Services Director spoke to the former student over the phone on March 8th, 2023. We evaluated the entire investigatory process that had occurred: reviewing all witnesses statements, video footage, interview notes, and final outcome.
  
  The follow up investigation noted that the student provided their statement both verbally and in writing (via email) on March 1st, 2023, and an objective investigation occurred. The final outcome was appropriate and consistent with our practices.
  
  UTI is committed to holding both students and staff to the standards set in the Code of Conduct and will take appropriate measures to ensure that standard. 
  
  Students have the opportunity to appeal terminations and return to school.  The process to return would be providing a statement to a member of Student Services. A meeting would then be scheduled to discuss the request.
  
  In 2020 the school had the distinct honor and privilege of being recognized as a school of excellence by Accrediting Commission of Careers Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Our curriculum and lab equipment meets or exceeds ACCSC and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) learning objectives for automotive training programs. Our automotive program meets or exceed nationally recognized competencies when it comes to automotive training.  We also actively participate in a professional advisory committee (PAC). The members of this committee are active industry professionals who evaluate and review curriculum and lab equipment. An important responsibility for PAC members is to provide extensive feedback and suggestions on industry updates to improve our curriculum and or lab equipment. In our last PAC meeting, dated November 15th, 2022, members had no concerns or findings regarding outdated equipment and curriculum.

  Timothy D****** Campus President

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've paid roughly $29,000 to attend the Orlando campus. I was a student from December 2020 until October 2021. Since the course was during the Covid time they were hybrid classes which meant half of our materials were videos in the other half attending class and doing the lab. I graduated with a 3.2 and I never failed a class. However I ran into some issues with uti staff and because I expressed my concerns and told peoples bosses and people got in trouble this is a repercussion for telling the truth of what happened to me I'm going to that school. No other UTI graduate has lost their email since it has to do with alumni status and upcoming events. I have spoken to several people who graduated before me people who graduated with me people who graduated after me and people who didn't even graduate that all still have their emails and yes they have shown me. Everyone still has their videos and all their educational materials that were paid for except for me. This is a repercussion because of things that happened while I was a student at that school and now that I have no materials or textbooks to aid me in my mechanical career I need to purchase online manuals and information since all my video material that I paid for I was blocked from. Student services when I call the number freaks out. I know I'm being lied to you and I would like $9000 back so I may buy manuals and other text materials needed for my career since MMI decided to take mine away after I already paid for them I think they should pay me so that I can buy new materials. I don't feel that taking away my training aids I paid for was appropriate in nowhere in the beginning of UTI are you told you're going to lose access in fact you're told you get to keep access and when I called the number and talk to the people who signed you up for UTI they also told me I would be able to keep my highbred course materials after I graduated. Shame on you for trying to make me take another course. Scammers.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2022/08/29) */ Dear Better Business Bureau of Orlando, On Monday, August 15, 2022, Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Orlando, FL campus received complaint case #XXXXXXXX. Please accept this letter as an official response to your documented concerns. Our records indicate this student graduated from the Motorcycle Technician Harley-Davidson program on 10/15/2021. In the complaint, the graduate mentions attending hybrid courses, which began as a response to the COVID pandemic, and has since become a standard method of delivery. The graduate received communication regarding transitions to the ********** platform from ****** Classroom and other relevant updates, including course guidelines and expectations on April 26th, 2021, April 28th, 2021 and May 3rd, 2021. During this timeframe, they were also provided a ********** handbook, which is also posted on our website at *********************************************************************** Under the FAQ section in the ********** Handbook it states: Q: "Will students have access to prior course content?" A: "Courses are closed in ********** after the course has completed. In 'My Courses' in *********** students will retain access as long as they are an active student." In the complaint, the graduate mentions not having access to their UTI student email. We have checked the graduate's email account; their access was blocked due to sign-in failures. We have unblocked the email and reset the email with a temporary password, which we will email to the graduate via the personal email address listed in their student records, unless otherwise indicated by the graduate. Upon resetting the password their UTI student email will be accessible. It is present standard that all graduates retain access to their email post-graduation. In the complaint, the graduate is asking for school materials, and we will support that request by offering printed course materials for previously completed courses, which can be retrieved by contacting the campus. The items requested, can be mailed or made available for pickup with 5 business days' notice. Additionally, graduates are given the opportunity to retake any course they have successfully completed, as often as they desire, at no additional cost (provided the course is still offered and the space is available). We require 3 weeks' notice to Student Services to arrange scheduling to support this request at any time in the future. These courses are treated as audited courses and do not impact a student's final cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and do not replace the previous attempts. Graduates who elect to take refresher courses are granted access to the ********** course material through the completion of the course. The graduate can reach out to the Student Services Director to request the printed course materials or to schedule refresher courses. Complaint Case #: XXXXXXXX Sincerely, Tiffany ******* Student Services Director Universal Technical Institute Chosen by Industry. Ready to Work.TM 2202 W. Taft-Vineland Rd. Orlando, FL XXXXX O: (XXX) XXX-XXXX Ext XXXXX or XXXXX M: (XXX) XXX-XXXX F: (XXX) XXX-XXXX E: ********@uti.edu Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/09/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I reject what mmi has to say. Talking in circles might work for mmi, however I sent screenshots of emails with Tiffany saying I was blocked and lose access after I graduate. Now mmi wants people to believe I was locked out?!? I still want to know how the complaint was filed against Tiffany for her retaliation by blocking me but yet she got to conduct an investigation about her mis doings. Ok. Harley Davidson course is 6 different classes, with 3 week courses each. Say each class is 2500 x 6 = 15,000 Since I lost access to all my Harley Davidson text content materials that I paid for I was asking for $9000 for materials to purchase and take another course at a new location. I do not believe anything MMI says, in fact I have emails of Tiffany making promises to me if I take DSO 1 again. I have the emails that I can send in at any point in time I have recorded voice conversations where I was promised things by Tiffany. The fact is I still do not have access to my materials that I paid for and even if I do mmi can take them away at the drop of a hat that's why I'm writing this. I don't want to be out what I paid for and mmi can't be trusted that's why I'm here I lost my materials, so I am requesting that I get my own materials that I paid for. Reimbursement/ new school class not mmi. This is 100% retaliation and I'm sure I'll get more. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/09/16) */ Complaint Case #: XXXXXXXX September 16, 2022 Dear Better Business Bureau of Orlando, On Thursday, September 8th, Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Orlando, FL campus received a notice of consumer rebuttal for complaint case #XXXXXXXX. Please accept this official response to the consumer's rebuttal. As previously stated in our August 29th response, we have checked the graduate's email account; their access was blocked due to sign-in failures. Student email accounts are managed by an automated process by our IT team. The campus support team does not have administrative capacity to make student email related changes, such as the deactivation of a user's account. As stated previously, UTI does not deactivate graduates' access to their student email. Ms. ********'s email account was unblocked and reset with a temporary password, which was sent to her on Monday, August 29th at the personal email address she provided. Our Service Desk was able to confirm there was a successful login on August 31st, 2022. If future technical issues should arise, she can contact the Student Service Desk at (XXX) XXX-XXXX. As also stated in our August 29th response, we will support the graduate's request for access to course materials by offering printed course materials for previously completed courses. At Ms. ********'s option, we can mail her printed copies, or she can pick them up from the UTI Orlando campus with 5 business days' notice. Additionally, she may retake courses at no additional cost (provided the course is still offered and space is available). This will also give her access to course materials during the term of that course. These courses would be treated as audited courses, and would not impact the graduate's final cumulative grade point average (CGPA) or replace the previous attempts. The graduate can reach out to me to coordinate their request. Sincerely, Timothy *. ******, Campus President Universal Technical Institute ***** ******** *******@uti.edu Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2022/09/17) */ ***Document Attached*** This is actual proof from Tiffany saying that I lose my course materials and she's sorry for any confusion so this is MMI right here saying I lost all my course materials. I am astonished there is proof they took my educational materials away and now they're trying to say they didn't. So I have had to re-purchase materials I feel I should be reimbursed for and materials that I need to go purchase because I no longer have access