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Business ProfileforIThink Safety Academy
Additional business information
While the Houston and South Texas BBB has not recieved complaints or customer reviews for IThink Safety Academy, the Lake Charles BBB has issues the following Alert.
10/10/2018
BBB
alerts consumers to company offering fake safety Certifications
Better Business
Bureau Serving Southwest Louisiana is alerting consumers to iThink Safety &
Technical Academy, a Baytown, TX company offering training for National Center
for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) and Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) certificate in both the Lake Charles and Baytown
areas.
Several consumers have called BBB over the last week
reporting they paid $1400, took a four and a half week class and were supposed
to be given certificates with certifications for NCCER and OSHA. When consumers
completed the course they were harassed via text messaging, stating the only
way they would get any of the paper work was if they paid any remaining balances
in full. Not only were their certifications held, consumer’s resumes were also
being held.
Residents
heard about the business through Facebook posts. After locating the page, BBB
noticed iThink not only promised certifications from these top safety
companies, they also promised job placement at the end of the four and half
week course. After researching the company’s website, it stated they would also
place consumer’s resumes in the hands of top hiring managers at the plants in
the area.
Consumers reported when they noticed about halfway into
the course they were not learning anything about safety. A majority of the time
was spent on the instructors trying to prove they were able to place consumers
into high paying safety jobs. Additionally, the instructors went as far as
calling former “students” who would provide assurance on the legitimacy of the
safety course.
Nationally, BBB contacted NCCER and OSHA to inquire about
the courses being offered; neither company had heard of iThink. NCCER is a
not-for-profit education foundation in business since 1996. It was created to
help standardize training and credentials in the industry. OSHA is a part of
the United States Department of Labor and it was created to assure safe and
healthful working conditions.
Locally, BBB has contacted Safety Council of SWLA and
ISTC Baytown, neither of these companies has heard of iThink. Safety Council of
SWLA, a non-profit group, provides safety education and training in the Lake
Charles area. They are also a charter member of the American Association of
Safety Councils (AASC) and the Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils
(ARSC). ISTC Baytown a non-profit company offers education and safety training
in the Southeast Texas area.
BBB
offers the following tips to avoid this and similar scams:
* Start with Trust®. Always check with BBB at bbb.org before doing business.
* Know what you should expect. When you sign up for a certification or work training, know what the certificate of completion should look like. Be careful to note if it should have an official stamp or training number to guarantee authenticity with a government or regulating body.
* NCCER offers information on training courses in your area; you can all them at 386-518-6500 or visit their website https://www.nccer.org/ for more information.
In Lake Charles you can contact Lake Charles Safety Council by phone at 337-436-3354 or visit their website at https://www.safetycouncilswla.org/# for more information.
In Baytown, TX you can call ISTC Baytown at 281-421-0459 or visit their website at http://www.istc.net/ for more information.
Beware of job offers on social media. Do not believe everything you read and verify that the offers are real before providing information, time or money.
At-a-glance
Related Categories
Business Details
- Location of This Business
- 2407 Market St. Baytown City Hall, Baytown, TX 77520
- BBB File Opened:
- 10/4/2018
- Business Management
- Mr. McKinley Gray, Director
- Mr. Derrick Thomas, Director
- Ms. Kayla Smith, Director of Administration
- Contact Information
Principal
- Mr. McKinley Gray, Director
- Mr. Derrick Thomas, Director
- Ms. Kayla Smith, Director of Administration
Customer Contact
- Mr. McKinley Gray, Director
- Additional Contact Information
Phone Numbers
- (832) 872-9449Other Phone
- (832) 872-0767Other Phone
- (832) 872-9449
Customer Complaints
0 Customer Complaints
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