ComplaintsforThe Great Courses

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I must share my deeply unsatisfactory experience with Wondrium, a service I've been loyal to for three years, to highlight a crucial concern for potential customers.Over three years, I faithfully paid my monthly subscription fees. However, the sudden discovery of an annual ********* me feeling deceived, leading to this negative review.When I initially signed up, an annual plan was not presented as an option. Only when I tried to rejoin with a friend did I find this discrepancy. I contacted ********'s customer service for clarification.Initially, they redirected me to ****, where I initially signed up, but **** sent me back to Wondrium, as they managed payments. This is where the ordeal began. Instead of addressing my concerns, ********'s customer service adopted a dismissive attitude, claiming I had "fully enjoyed" their service.The heart of my grievance is that I paid $300 more over three years than I would have with the annual plan. When I pointed this out, their response was disheartening. They refused to offer a 50% discount on a 4-year plan (equivalent to $300), citing fairness to other customers.Their notion of fairness raises ethical questions. Other customers didn't suffer a $300 loss due to the absence of the annual plan during my sign-up. Their persistence in this stance seems like an attempt to retain my money, disregarding my legitimate concerns. It's frustrating that, despite my financial loss, they continue promoting their services to me with new customer promotions.I want to emphasize that I never requested a refund. My only request was a fair offer to return to their platform.The underlying issue is Wondrium's failure to understand customer satisfaction and ethical responsibility. They've not only provided unsatisfactory service but also profited from my $300 extra. I caution potential customers to consider alternatives that prioritize customer concerns and satisfaction.

  Business response

  10/06/2023

  To Whom It May ******************** you for the opportunity to respond to the consumers complaint (Case #********).  The consumers complaint concerns The Great Courses Plus, which is now called Wondrium. Wondrium is a subscription service for streaming education and learning videos available on **** and other platforms. 

  The consumer signed up for the monthly subscription plan at $19.99 per month on April 3, 2018, via the ********** platform.  The monthly payments are made via the consumers credit card.  At the time of signing up for the monthly subscription, the company offered two subscription plans on the **** platform:  an annual plan (12 months) payable in one upfront payment of $179.99; and a monthly plan at $19.99 per month, payable over a 12-month period.   Both subscription plans were presented to the consumer when he signed up on April 3, 2018. The consumer elected to proceed with the monthly subscription plan with monthly payments of $19.99, and the consumers credit card charged $19.99 each month until the consumer cancelled the subscription on June 13, 2023.

  On June 16, 2023, the company emailed the consumer a special price to join as a returning customer.  On September 3, 2023, the consumer responded that he was not aware of any annual subscription plan.  Over the next 10 days, the company engaged with the consumer, who ultimately wanted a special discount going forward at a 50% discount, because he felt he paid too much for the monthly plan when the annual plan was available. The company responded that it did not have the plan the consumer requested.  The company offered the current annual and quarterly plan pricing options for returning customers.  The consumer rejected these offers and filed this BBB complaint on September 22, 2023.   

  Both the monthly and annual plan options were presented to the consumer when the consumer initially signed up,and the consumer chose the monthly plan The options between a monthly subscription plan and an annual subscription plan were equally and fairly presented to the consumer at the time of sign-up in 2018.  Upon selecting the monthly subscription plan,the consumer was billed accordingly until the consumer cancelled the subscription as noted above.  The consumer freely selected their membership plan from the two plans offered. 

  Please be assured that we are committed to delivering excellent customer service to all our customers and this is no exception.  We have offered the current plans to the consumer available to our returning customers.  The consumer has no objection to the quality of the products and service received. Instead, the consumer wants a special 50% discount, which the company cannot do. 

  Please let us know if you require additional information.  

  Sincerely, 

  Wondrium Team

  Customer response

  10/08/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  The extensive reply from the company amounts to mere empty talk. I can substantiate that I ended up paying approximately $300 more by opting for their monthly plan over a three-year period, compared to what I would have paid with their annual plan, which was mysteriously absent during my initial sign-up. Despite their ongoing claims of the existence of an annual plan (without any supporting evidence), it was not visible during the sign-up process; otherwise, I would have undoubtedly chosen it. 
  
  It is inconceivable that any rational consumer would willingly stick with a company for three years, knowingly opting for a monthly plan when a yearly one could have saved them around $300. The undeniable truth remains: ******** has profited an additional $300 from this situation, yet they refuse to rectify the matter by offering a reasonable solution, such as a 50% discount over the next few years to compensate for my financial loss. 
  
  Their proposed resolution is nothing more than what they would provide to any new subscriber, irrespective of whether they suffered a substantial monetary loss like mine. It appears they either fail to grasp the gravity of the issue at hand or deliberately divert attention to trivial matters, such as the presence or absence of certain details during the sign-up process, which they cannot substantiate themselves. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In May of this year I bought a series of DVDs from The Great Courses Catalog. My wife has problems traveling so when I saw in their catalog a few DVDs on countries I called and I was told that those videos were specially for that and I was offered a series of other DVDs that cover countries in Europe and that would be as traveling there. I was really happy to be able to find something to replace those trips we could not take. However, when I set in my computer to watch the first one on Iceland, we watched a professor lecturing on the history and other things, in Iceland, no videos of what was she talking about. Things like, "if you go to this Museum in such city, you will see so and so" . " If you go to this Site you will see this and that". That was all. Now a little upset that we could not see anything, but the professor, I set the one on Ireland. The same thing....So I called the customer relations service at The Great Courses and they told me to return the DVDs if I was not happy. They didn't even sent me a label since it was "not their policy" for returns. I had to pay $43.10 for something different from what it was offered. A book with pictures would have been cheaper and more informative. I have complained many times without recourse. They keep giving me excuses that I have to wait and that they have computer problems, so they will pay me as soon as they can. Also a troublesome fact, last week an email telling me that the payment was authorized has disappeared from my computer. This is already two months since I bought the Courses. I would like a refund on the total amount I paid including the return because they sold me something on false pretenses.

  Business response

  07/24/2023

  To Whom It May  Concern,
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the consumers complaint (Case # ********) regarding delayed processing of a refund for a returned order which included various The Great Courses DVDs.  Due to a recent change to a new customer management software, there were some issues with processing returns and issuing refunds.  We strive to provide excellent customer service and have been in communication with the consumer to address the concerns while actively working on resolving the issues that caused the delays.  We sincerely regret and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in processing the consumers refund.  On July 7, 2023,the consumer submitted a refund request to the credit card issuer and we were able to successfully process the refund as a charge back for the full order amount on July 11, 2023. 
  
  At this time, we believe the consumers concerns have been addressed and the matter resolved.
  
  Thank you,
  
  ******************

  Customer response

  07/27/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  According to my bank account, an apparent order was placed on January 22, 2023 at The Great Courses in the amount of $48.60. When I noticed this transaction, I immediately called my bank to file a claim, as I had not made this purchase. My bank filed a claim with The Great Courses and issued me a temporary credit of $48.60, until the matter could be investigated further. This morning, when I checked my bank account balance, I saw that the $48.60 claim was reversed and again, debited from my account. I then called The Great Courses and spoke with a representative who informed me that it did not matter whether or not I ordered the course, apparently a "How to Learn Spanish" course, but all that mattered was that it was delivered to my home address, and therefore, no refund would be given. I thought that the ordering of the "How to Learn Spanish" course was quite ironic, as I lived in Bogota, Colombia, on and off, for over 10 years, my husband is *********, and our children were born there. So how does it make sense that I would order a course on learning how to speak Spanish, when clearly, I already know how to speak Spanish. My bank has been working with me to make sure that my account is secure, but the bottom line is, I NEVER ordered anything from your company, and the only reason that I know about your company is because I see it advertised in the ********************* a magazine subscription that I did purchase and that I thoroughly enjoy.

  Business response

  03/24/2023

  Dear BBB and Consumer:

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this consumer's complaint, which claims they did not purchase the How to learn Spanish course. In addition, their refund was denied. After reviewing the matter, we provide the response below.

  Customers may order DVDs online via our website or with a customer service team member over the telephone. Our records indicate that an account, order, and payment was created and processed under the consumer's name and address, using our website on January 23rd. The order was placed using an exclusive catalog code from a first-time customer catalog, sent to the consumer's address. From our standpoint, the order was valid.

  The consumer entered a chargeback with their bank. During a chargebank, the bank may offer a temporary credit until their research is complete. Our Accounting team receives the notification of a chargeback from the bank. Our Accounting team provided details of the order and tracking information to the bank, which details confirmed that the product was delivered to the address on file for the consumer. Thus, the bank reversed the temporary credit, and the charge remained on the consumer's credit card account.

  We offer a Satisfaction Guarantee for our product, and we pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service. Normally, a DVD must be returned by a customer before a refund is initiated. However, when the Company reached out to the consumer to further review and to see how to credit the consumer's credit card, the consumer responded that the credit card used for the purchase was no longer available. Thus, the Company will process a refund check to the consumer, which may take 3-4 weeks for the consumer to receive.

  Customer response

  03/26/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The have charged me a subscription of $150.00. They provided no notice they were charging this, I have not used their service since August 2020. I cancelled the service in August 2021, after they auto renewed it the previous year. I contacted them when I saw my credit card was charged again this year for a subscription I had cancelled a year ago, and they refuse to give a refund. For all of these reasons, I am filing a complaint and seeking a full refund.

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I ordered A Guided Tour of Ancient Egypt August 11, 2022. I have NOT received the course as of today. I spoke with 2 representatives of the company on August 18, and August 20. They both said their information stated that the course was dropped off by ****** ****** ******* to the Bluffton, SC post office on August 18, 2022, and was placed into a ****** Locker by the Bluffton, SC post office. This is totally false information. The course has NOT arrived, and the company refuses to give me a refund. We are going to Egypt soon, and hoped to have some knowledge of ancient Egypt. I asked the representative today for a refund, and she said that there can be no refund until 10 business days after the purchase date. This date by the rep is August 26, 2022! I was charged $10.00 for shipping by the company. It was not stated the method of shipping. It was told to me by the representatives that *** presents the package to the Post Office, and an employee places it in a ****** Locker. The package has NOT been delivered as stated. We do not have enough time now to review the course prior to our trip. I am requesting a full refund of $47.70. Thank you. **************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered this product catalog several years ago and since then the catalog keeps being sent even after many phone calls to stop the receipt of the catalog.

  Business response

  05/02/2022

  Greetings BBB and Consumer:
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond.

  We apologize for the experience that the consumer encountered. After reviewing the account, the account was not removed from the mailing list. I apologize that the customer's request was not fulfilled.  I removed this address from our printing queue as of today. Please be aware that, due to pre-printing, you may continue to receive mailings for up to two catalog cycles (8 weeks), after which they will desist.

  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

  Well wishes,

  TGC ************* Team
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I have contacted Great Courses numerous times to have them take me off their mailing list and they keep sending catalogs.I don't want them anymore.

*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. ↩