Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Colibri real estate offers an online real estate licensing class. I completed my license class last December 2022. I am still on their mailing list. They sent me an email where if you refer a friend, they will send a $25 Amazon gift card. I referred my brother ************************* and he signed up for the class in August of 2023. He completed the licensing course in September of 2023. Colibri should have sent me a gift card to Amazon for $25 but they have never sent the gift card. I have been emailing, calling and I get the run around. I had my brother call and he keeps getting the run around. No one is assisting me. I referred someone to their class and they have failed to send me the gift card. Can you please assist in any way possible?? Thank you for your help

  Business response

  01/30/2024

  The student contacted **************** via email on 9/13/23 to inquire about a referral gift card for referring his brother to ************ Estate.  The gift cards are sent once it has been confirmed that the referred customer made a purchase.  We have found that in some instances the email sent from us goes to a customers spam account.  The student stated he did not receive the email, so our team sent a request to have the issue researched and another email/gift card sent if appropriate. 
  
  Resolution Taken 
  A supervisor contacted the student on 10/31/23 to inform him the gift card had been sent.  The student checked his email while on the phone with the supervisor and confirmed he received the gift card.  We apologize for the longer-than-expected resolution time and we thanked the student for his business. 

  Customer response

  01/31/2024

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

• Initial Complaint

  09/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid $299 for a NJ real estate course that ran from August 14th to August 24, ******************************* 75 attendance hrs then an additional $100 to extent access to course materials online and extend school exam access. Improper dates and times were given by Colibri customer service representatives for tge extension. The course has now expired without me taking the school test due to this minformstion. I originally called back on Sept. 7th to have written documentation about this extension. When given the original invoice, it did not show properly what i purchased nor the end/ start dates/times involved with extension to the course materials and exam time (Im a professor/acquisitions librarian who deals the purchase, licensure and access to digital educational resources and services for a living, so i know what to ask/look for). All of my phone calls were on recorded lines, according to *******, so the company can review what information I was given, which was inaccurate. I did not get a call back Sept 7th, as requested, nor since Sept. 25th when now the class expired with exam, nor Sept 26th when I called again and asked for a direct supervisors email. I now have nothing to show to the state for over a months worth of time and work plus the $399 spent. The simplest solution is to have the exam reopened due to the misinformation by ******* or other reimbursement options, as indicated in my email to supervisor ****** and the course instructor. A simple acknowledgement of receipt plus a supervisors phone call or acknowledge,within 48 hrs after everything expired on Sept 24th to discuss, would have sufficed or since the Sept 7th issue, which led to all of this. I have spent more time on resolving issues at this point than learning a new skill at this and cannot spend anymore time on this. Specific details are in my email

  Business response

  10/03/2023

  ****************** enrolled in the ** 75-hour pre-license livestream course held 8/14/23-8/24/23.  Students have 7 days from the last livestream class date to complete the course final exam and this is communicated by the instructor at the conclusion of the course.  The 7-day final exam timeline for this course ended 8/31/23.  ****************** contacted our *************************** 8/28/23 to confirm the deadline/date by which the course final exam had to be completed.  Though course extensions for livestream classes are not offered, we can make exceptions based on the situation to provide students with additional time to complete the exam.  As a courtesy, the representative provided the student until 9/24/23 to complete the exam. 
  
  ****************** called back 8/29/23 to request an extension for the final exam and access to supplemental course materials.  The deadline of 9/24/23 should have been reviewed with ****************** at that time and the exam process clearly explained.  This did not happen, and ****************** paid $100 for an extension.  She called again on 9/7/23 and requested a written breakdown of the extension transaction she paid for and stated she did not request an extension for the Exam Prep product.  She contacted **************** again on 9/25/23 and requested to speak with a supervisor.  A supervisor returned her call 9/26/23 but was unable to reach ******************. 
   
  After calling back 9/29, a supervisor returned her call on 9/29 and was unable to reach ******************.  The supervisor called again 10/2/23 and was able to speak with ****************** and resolve her concerns. 
  
  Resolution Taken 
  We thank ****************** for the feedback provided and apologize for the experience shes had as outlined in her complaint.  Our goal is to provide timely communication/follow-up to our students and to ensure information is clearly communicated and in this instance, we fell short.  We sincerely apologize to ****************** for not resolving this issue in a timely manner and for not providing the proper clarity regarding the exam process. 
   
  During the call with ****************** on 10/2/23, the supervisor apologized and informed ****************** that on 9/29/23 we processed a refund of the $100 she paid.  As an additional courtesy, we also provided an additional 2 weeks (through 10/13/23) for ****************** to complete the final exam.  The supervisor also provided instruction on how to access the final exam and online ******* service.  Information was also provided on the number of exam attempts allowed by the state and the process to follow if all exam attempts are failed. 
  
  I believe we have satisfactorily resolved Ms. ******** concerns.  We again apologize for any inconvenience and wish ****************** the best of luck successfully passing the course final exam and preparing for the state exam. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I reached out to this company because I was unable to finish my course due to my disability. I cannot read and their online material is not formatted for text to speech. The company has been promising me for almost 3 years that they will either make their material audio accessible or publish videos for each unit. Over time, they kept saying, soon, soon. Since they have not made good on any of their promises, I called on 5/23/23 for a refund. They initially denied me any refund, and when I asked for the call to be escalated, I was offered only a $15 refund. $15! A total insult! I paid over $1500 when everything was said and done. This company is not concerned with students with disabilities, they just want to sell, sell, sell.

  Business response

  05/30/2023

  We sincerely apologize for your experience as we strive to ensure we meet the educational needs of all of our students.  You enrolled in your ** coursework in April 2020 and have been working since then to complete the required curriculum.  Along with the time invested, you have invested monetarily as well.  With the original package purchase amount of $478.20 and subsequent extensions, you have invested a total of $631.20.  Our refund policy grants a full refund within 30 days of the original purchase date.  While you do not qualify for a full refund, we are committed to providing the necessary support to help you achieve your goal of completing the required curriculum to obtain your real estate license. 
  
  Resolution Taken 
  You have shared your concern that our current course curriculum is not formatted with audio/text-to-speech technology.  It is important to ** that we provide learning modalities that meet the varying needs of our students.  Our Product Engineering Team has been actively working for a significant amount of time to bring this technology to fruition.  We are happy to say that we are close to the finish line of being able to test and launch the text-to-speech technology within our course curriculum in the next several months.  In the interim, and so you can continue your course progress, we have a temporary solution we feel *** satisfy your needs.  ******************** Manager, ***********************, contacted you Thursday 5/25/23 to share the proposed solution.  A ticket has been opened with our Curriculum Team to convert the course chapters to *** versions, which should then allow for the ***s to be read with audio.  We will test this with 1 chapter first.  **************** will send the converted chapter *** to you via email once the Curriculum Team has completed it.  If you confirm the *** is readable and functioning as expected, we will have the rest of the course chapters converted and sent to you.  
  
  **************** will follow up with you this week once the *** is available to send to you.  We hope this will allow you to effectively utilize the course material.  Again, we apologize for the experience youve had and for giving us the opportunity to continue serving you.  We are committed to your success and supporting you throughout your educational journey.  Thank you for the feedback and for your valued business.  

  Customer response

  06/04/2023

  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,
  
  ***** Summer *************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I paid Colibri Real Estate for their real estate exam program. I completed my 48 hour course on April 24, 2023 and they still haven't reported it to the state testing center. Whenever I call or email they tell me to call the exam center. The exam center tells me there is nothing they can do because Colibri hasn't sent them my certificate. It is *******'s job to report it. If there is a problem THEY should be the ones calling the testing center! Individuals cannot send their certificates to the exam center directly, it has to come from the real estate school. ******* has not sent it and refuses to look into it for me. I am losing time and cannot start my new career because ******* simply doesn't care enough to work on this for me. This is not just about the money I paid them. If they will not send in my certificate, I will have to start all over again with a different real estate school. This will take me at least a month to finish. Colibri is causing me a lot of pain and they don't even care!

  Business response

  05/05/2023

  **************, we are very sorry for your experience and the delay in PSI confirming receipt of your course completion.  ************************* submitted your course completion to PSI in a timely manner on 4/26 at 1:45pm.  Our Regulatory Supervisor also spoke with a PSI representative and provided them with confirmation of the submission and the file that was sent.  PSI was contacted again on 5/3, to identify the issue they were experiencing locating your file and to obtain confirmation that they have the course completion record.  The ***************** has a new roster process that went live on 4/26 and PSI appears to be experiencing some issues that they are working to resolve quickly. 
  
  Resolution Taken 
  One of our representatives, ********, reached out to you on Wednesday, 5/3 to provide an update on what was being done to resolve the issue and ensure your completion was successfully reported.  We received confirmation from PSI on 5/4 that they have received the completion report we submitted and have scheduled your state license exam for *** 12. 
  
  Again, we apologize for the delay and any inconvenience and wish you the best of luck in successfully passing the state license exam and obtaining your real estate license. 

  Customer response

  05/05/2023

  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

  02/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was promised a refund for this course, in writing, TWICE and this company refuses to provide a refund for a course that is inaccessible.

  Business response

  03/01/2023

  Mr. **** purchased our pre-license course package for ** through ******* in 2015.  After not completing the course in the allotted 6-month timeframe, Mr. **** requested an extension.  He was provided the extension purchase options.  Mr. **** requested we provide him with a courtesy extension at no cost to him.  We offered to provide a courtesy 30-day extension, however, Mr. **** noted he wanted a longer extension.  At that time, an offer to refund was presented to Mr. ****.  Due to the fact that he purchased the refund through *******, our standard practice is that the refund is processed by *******.  At that time, unfortunately, the proper follow-up was not done on our end to resolve and ensure that Mr. **** received his refund. 
  
  Mr. **** emailed our ******** ******* ********** in January 2023 noting he had never received the refund requested in 2016.  His concern was escalated to a manager, and he was advised on 2/3/2023 that a refund would be processed for him, and a check would be mailed.  Mr. **** provided his mailing address on 2/8/2023.  Unfortunately, the proper follow-up was not done to provide Mr. **** with a timeline of when to expect the refund and to provide confirmation that it was being processed.  This is not the type of experience or service we want any of our students to have. Our goal is to provide timely communication and follow-up to all of our students and in this instance, we fell short.  We sincerely apologize to Mr. **** for not resolving his issue in a timely manner and for not providing the follow-up he should have received.   
  
  Resolution Taken 
  We did process the full refund for Mr. **** in the amount of $169 and the check was mailed out, showing a delivery date of 2/24/2023. 
  
  Our goal is to provide every customer with quality service, to meet their specific needs, and to do what we can to make it right when we don’t.  We appreciate Mr. ****’s business, and we again sincerely apologize for any hardship caused and for his experience. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently completed the 3 required courses for ********** real estate license exam through Real Estate Express. However, when i submittd the certificates to ********** dept of Real Estate, the certificate for the course Real Estate Principle was deemed invalid. After contacting the customer service, we realized the certificate did not capture the appropriate enrollment date of 9/12/2021 but an older date of 2/28/2020, exceeding the 12 month requirement. Recognized its was a system glitch, per customer service they contacted the regulatory dept, showed the 9/12/21 transaction invoice and requested a correction. However requests was rejected and i was asked to pay again and retake the course even thought i had already paid, completed the course and passed the exam. After multiple protest, i was then asked to spend another 45 hours to retake the course with fee waived for an certificate with accurate enrollment date entered. 1) Is there not an obligation for the business to provide a valid certificate if student have paid, completed the course and pass the exam? Please. note that real estate express mandate a course to be completed within 6 months after registration. Therefore the enrollment date cannot be more than 6 months prior to completion. 2) should an institution take accountability of their own error and offer reasonable resolution? thank you for your assistance

  Business response

  08/19/2022

  Thank you for the feedback provided. 

  I thoroughly researched *** ***'s concern regarding his certificate for the ** RE Principles course.  Through my review of *** ***'s student account, I discovered that *** *** mistakenly purchased the course re-take for the ** RE Finance course -when his intent was to purchase the ** RE Principles course retake.  The purchase date on the invoice for the ** RE Finances course re-take is 9/13/2021 which directly aligns with the 1st activity date reflected on the ** RE Principles course (which has an original enrollment date of 2/28/20).

  Despite the error with the course re-take purchase, *** *** did complete the ** RE Principles course work on 3/6/22, which was within the 6-month timeline requirement (based on the 9/13/21 re-take/enrollment date).

  Our Regulatory Team updated *** ***'s ** RE Principles course certificate to reflect the enrollment date of 9/13/21 and completion date of 3/6/22.

  I contacted *** *** today via phone.  I spoke with him and explained the research that was done and the findings noted above.  I informed him that the ** RE Principles course certificate had been updated and emailed him the updated copy.  I remained on the phone to ensure the updated certificate was received.  *** *** confirmed he received the updated certificate and that it reflected the correct dates.

  I believe we satisfactorily resolved *** ***'s concern.  We appreciate his business and we wish him continued success with his real estate journey.

  Thank you,

  ***** ******

  Customer Service Manager

  Real Estate Express

• Initial Complaint

  07/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 06, 2022, I passed the 75-hour real estate exam. The following day I tried to upload my certificate it wasn't available. I call customer care and from the 7th of July until today I've received conflicting information on what was needed what was received and what was not received. Customer service was not helpful at all each rep that I spoke to seem not to know what was going on. From my experience this company it's not organized and are completely unaware of what's going on. When I was taking this 75-hour classes online I reached out to the instructor because answers to the questions were wrong. Even then I received no response from the instructor until I threaten to write this complaint. I will like my certificate and a partial refund from this company due to their lack of customer service and support. Also, e ach time I reach out to customer service I asked for a supervisor until today I never received the response from a supervisor.

  Business response

  08/18/2022

  I have thoroughly investigated this incident. The following paragraph is the details of what I discovered.
  
  The student (*** ********) enrolled in the 75- hour *** **** *********** course with Real Estate Express on 7/3/2021. Upon completion of the online portion of the course, *** ******** was scheduled for her first attempt at the proctored exam on 12/8/2021 and a second attempt on 1/5/2022. She did not receive a passing score on either exam attempt. Given *** ****’s requirements related to proctored exam attempts, *** ******** enrolled in the course again on 1/5/2022. On 6/13/2022 *** ******** contacted customer service with questions on a quiz within the course, she was directed to contact one of our course instructors for assistance, as is common practice. On 6/14/2022 *** ******** contacted customer service again escalating her demeanor and using threatening language after being advised she was not eligible for a refund that she was seeking due to having not yet heard from an instructor. On 6/14/2022 customer service escalated the request to an instructor and provided *** ******** with a courtesy 30-day course extension. Ultimately on 7/6/2022 *** ******** completed her exam and received a passing score. On 7/7/2022 *** ******** contacted customer service as she was unable to access her certificate of course completion. She was advised that the state of *** **** has a document that is required to be submitted before the certificate can be released. She was advised of the 1-2 business day processing time once the document is received, and *** ******** disconnected the call while speaking with the agent. Shortly after her initial call on 7/7/2022, *** ******** contacted customer service advising that she did not want to wait for her certificate to be released and asked to speak to a supervisor. On 7/11/2022 customer service was advised by our regulatory team that the certificate was still unavailable due to the required document not being submitted. *** ******** contacted customer service 5 separate times on 7/11/2022 with an escalated demeanor, additionally, she contacted the proctoring location prompting a call from the proctor. *** ******** was advised on each interaction that day, that she is required to submit the ** document to have access to her certificate of completion. On 7/14/2022, *** ******** contacted customer service seeking her certificate and was advised that she had not yet submitted the required document needed to gain access to the certificate. At this point, she threatened to file a lawsuit and report Real Estate Express to the BBB. *** ******** contacted customer service again on 7/14/2022 attempting to gain access to her certificate to which she was advised of the process.  After using profane language with the agent, the call was disconnected, and an email was sent to *** ******** to advise her on what was needed. On 7/15/2022 the course affidavit was received, and the certificate was released and made available to *** ********. On 7/15, 7/21, and 7/22 a supervisor attempted to contact *** ******** to ensure she received her certificate of course completion.
  
  
  Any delay in the certificate of completion being issued was related to the company not receiving the necessary required documentation from *** ********. Once the document was received the certificate was issued within the same business day. Given *** ********’s successful completion and use of our product, we do not feel a refund is warranted.  We have reached out to *** ******** to offer a complimentary live exam crammer webinar to help her prepare for the ** state license exam.

   

  Sincerely,

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

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for real estate express to get my New York lisc. The first time I finished the course and took the exam I failed mostly because the first time I went to where they told me to go take it in an insurance agency in Newburgh they had a problem with their computer I had to reschedule and go back a week later .then the day I took test the computers in that office where not working then we get them running and then they where having issues with the website . I took the test and the questions where not questions I recalled from the course . As matter of fact the whole course is designed almost as if to make you fail because the book they give you def does not match the course order. Either way I said I invested so much money I will retake course . Let me tell you I had nothing but issues with the website . Most of the time it was down . If you try to contact the instructor or the customer service no one will respond back to you in timely manner it was a week later . Then I go to login it lost a lot of my work . This is time consuming and frustratin. My course e pores before I could even finish because the website hardly worked I called customer number to have been hung up on and left on hold for hours . I want a full refund so I can possibly go somewhere else . Thank you

  Business response

  07/25/2022

  We have thoroughly reviewed Ms. *********’s account and found the following:
  
  Ms. ********* enrolled in the following real estate courses through Real Estate Express on 6/5/21
                 75-hour New York Prelicense course
                 Sales Associate Pre-Licensure Course (FREC Course I)
  
  From the notes on her account back in Oct 2021, it appears that the student called on 10/20/2021 trying to schedule the proctored exam, but the site was down for maintenance. That was confirmed by Real Estate Express staff, *****, who schedules NY exams on 10/21/21. The exam was rescheduled at no charge to the customer. 
  
  We did not hear from the student again until 7/17/2022.  There are no notes on the account, no emails/cases and no phone calls that we can find from the phone number on her account. The only email from her is the one from 7/17 where she wanted a free extension at a minimum.
  
  Reviewing her FL course, she hasn’t done a quiz in that course since a Chapter 1 quiz that she passed back on 10/5/2021. She spent to date 487 minutes in this course and is in Chapter two. She has spent a good deal of time (25,881 minutes) in that course and was active about a month ago. 
  
  Upon answering her email 7/17, the NY course was extended to allow the student 1 year’s worth of access – as it must be completed within that time frame, and the FL course was extended. 
  
  Real Estate Express can’t speak about the experience at the proctor's location, but she mentions she found it rude that he was talking on the phone. We cannot speak to her claims about the course being “out of order” and not matching the book. She worked in the NY course monthly since at least Jan 2022 and was able to progress seemingly without issue.  I’m not sure what website issues she claims as we don’t have a record of calls or emails from her. She was granted what her email requested on 7/17 with the free extension of both courses.

  *** *********
  Head of Innovation and Digital Transformation

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased a course last year and have been chasing them for a refund. I asked for refund within 7 days by phone call, which is their preferred method, and never received a refund. The course is misleading, does not have videos and is a defective course as it claims to be written in english but it is not written in english. The sentence structure is very off and not a single sentence makes sense. It's very broken english and I have a masters degree and could not read it. I had to use ****** every time.I need a full refund because I now will have to purchase a different course that is not defective. This is not just my impression but many others that struggled to read this course. I however asked for the refund prior to touching the course but never received it.i then chargebacked on my credit card and they won't respond to them either. The company is too hard to get ahold of and does not honor their own return policy. I need a full refund please.

  Business response

  05/26/2022

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for the information regarding ****** Judges complaint. It is our goal to support our students on their journey to achieving their career goals. As you can see from the summary (attached), we attempted to support Simrans requests for a refund and then later an extension of access to the course material. However, ****** didnt follow up with a phone call for a refund since we do not process those requests via email in order to protect sensitive information. Real Estate Express would still gladly provide support for ****** on either request if they call into our student support group.

  Also, attached is a sampling of the course material to demonstrate that the writing style is clear, direct, and in plain-written English.

  If you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at ***************************************** or **************. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  ***************************
  Regulatory Compliance Supervisor

  Customer response

  05/26/2022

  Complaint: 17240100
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The person responding is being dishonest. I called within the first week for a full refund, I have phone records I can request to prove it. Refund was never processed. Then I emailed and I again called that number, no one answered after an hour of holding.

   

  I can't keep calling a number that wont answer or even after speaking to them, won't process the refund. I need a full refund as the product is defective. There are too many types for any normal person to read this. I have a masters and I could not read it. I asked about videos before starting the course, and they said there were none and that's when I asked for a refund. 

   

  And I called within the first 7 days for refund and refund never came through. The sample she has provided is not the entire course. When you begin getting into the course, you can tell its really bad english. It is so hard to read that I had to ****** every single description. 

   

  Moreover, without making this more complicated. I am requesting that my refund that I requested for within my first week of purchase be processed, as she is claiming she will be happy to do so. So please go ahead and process my refund as requested. Attached are copies of several reviewers claiming they're struggling with the many typos of this course. This site only allows me to send 4 attachments but happy to find more reviews and send them. I'm in the process of purchasing a properly written course.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** Judge

  Customer response

  06/08/2022

  06/08/2022: Mediator left a detailed voicemail for the consumer.

  06/08/2022: This company did finally agree to provide me a full refund to satisfy this complaint.
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I passed my real estate express exam over a week ago on 4/20/22. In order to take the state exam, Real Estate Express must send my test results to PSI, the state exam provider. My results still have not been received by PSI. I have contacted support on 6 different occasions asking if my results were sent and received a different time my results were submitted to PSI every time. When asking support what the issue is I am told to check again in 24-48 hours. Being that I have a limited amount of time to take the state exam, it is imperative that this is resolved. Can you please send in my test results to PSI?

  Business response

  04/29/2022

  I have thoroughly investigated this incident. The following paragraph is the details of what I discovered.
  
  Mr. ******* registered for the 75-hour New Jersey Prelicense Course with American School of Real Estate Express on 1/24/2022.  This course was delivered through our synchronous (livestream) delivery method.  Class duration ran from 2/1/2022 through 4/14/2022.   At the conclusion of the livestream course a final exam is required.  Mr. ******* successfully completed his final exam on 4/19/2022.
  
  Mr. ********* education was scheduled to be submitted to PSI (NJ required testing site) on 4/21/2022.  Confirmation was received; however, it does appear there was an error.
  
  Mr. ******* called on the following dates to confirm his education was reported: 4/21/2022, 4/27/2022 and 4/29/2022.
  
  Mr. ********* hours were again reported to PSI on 4/29/2022.  Please see the attached confirmation screen(s).
  
  If you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at **************************** or***************  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******* ********** ********** **********
  American School of Real Estate Express

*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. ↩