Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Anderson College's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Anderson College

  400 - 180 Bloor St W Toronto, ON M5S 2V6

  
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  Anderson College

  100 - 5734 Yonge St North York, ON M2M 4E7

  
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  Anderson College

  60 - 499 Main St S Brampton, ON L6Y 1N7

  
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  Anderson College

  600 - 3025 Hurontario St Mississauga, ON L5B 2N6

  
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  Anderson College

  200 - 31 King St E Hamilton, ON L8N 1A1

  

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:05/03/2025

  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 am filing a complaint against Anderson College regarding their Medical Esthetics program. I withdrew due to the school’s failure to provide the promised education, yet I am now burdened with an OSAP loan of over $18,000 and am still being charged tuition for the remainder of the year, despite no longer attending (over $6000).
  
  The program had serious deficiencies, including:
  
  - Lack of essential supplies and equipment, preventing proper hands-on training and leaving students no choice but to purchase supplies to share with the class.
  - Use of non-Health Canada-approved equipment, posing safety risks.
  - Poor hygiene protocols, including improper sterilization of tools that break the skin and no proper equipment for sterilization.
  - Incompetent instruction, with the teacher reading from a book and handing out exam questions and answers for memorization instead of teaching to prepair students for working in the feild.
  - Lack of practical exam supervision, allowing students to complete tests unmonitored behind a curtain.
  
  Despite these failures, the school refuses to refund my tuition or remove the makeup kit fees, which was initially stated to be refundable for those that purchased and if a student did not they were not expected to pay. Additionally, I am still being billed for tuition for the rest of the year, despite withdrawing due to the program’s shortcomings which is above $6000.
  
  I request that Anderson College be held accountable, that my OSAP loan be refunded, and that the school cancel any further tuition charges. I appreciate your time and assistance in resolving this matter.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/03/2025

  Dear BBB
  Complaint Administrator,

  We acknowledge receipt of the complaint submitted by a
  former student regarding her experience at Anderson College of Health, Business and Technology. We take
  student concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to respond to the
  allegations raised.
  

  The college prioritizes safety, following all required
  protocols and guidelines in order to ensure a secure and supportive learning
  environment for all students. Medical Esthetician program equipment and
  supplies meet the necessary standards required to facilitate the hands-on learning
  of practical skills within a college. We can confirm that all instructors are
  qualified and meet the standards set by Section 41 of Ontario Regulation 415/06
  under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.
  

  The
  College’s policy on withdrawals and refunds adheres strictly to the Ontario
  Career Colleges Act 2005, Reg. 415/06. The refund policy is outlined in the
  enrolment contract as well as in the Student Handbook. All withdrawal
  calculations are completed in accordance with Ontario Career Colleges
  Act, 2005 of Reg. 415/06 (sections 24 – 33). This regulation provides both
  colleges and students with specific policies on the retention of fees and the
  payment of refunds.

  Under the Ontario Career Colleges Act 2005, Reg.
  415/06, students must provide official notice of their intention to stop their
  studies to be eligible for a refund. After commencing her studies in the Medical Esthetician program on
  December 18th, 2023, the student later provided
  written notice of her intent to withdraw in November 2024. At the time, she
  stated that this was due to “building a business” and expressed her wish to
  re-enrol with the next cohort.
  

  The student’s withdrawal calculation was then completed in
  accordance with the Ontario
  Career Colleges Act 2005, Reg. 415/06, which states that, due to the fact she had completed more
  than 50% of the program, the student was responsible for the full program fees.
  Consequently, our Finance Department issued a Statement of Account to the
  student identifying the balance that was owed, based on the time she attended.
  

  We would be
  more than happy to welcome the student back to complete her studies at Anderson
  College at a time that is convenient to her.
  We
  appreciate the BBB’s involvement in this matter and remain available to
  provide any further documentation or clarification.
  Sincerely,
  
  Anderson College

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/03/2025

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  Good Day,

  
  I am writing to formally dispute Anderson College’s response to my complaint, in which they falsely claim that I withdrew from the Medical Esthetics program to focus on my business. This is a complete misrepresentation of the situation.

  During my initial discussions with the college regarding my withdrawal, I was exploring all available options, including the possibility of returning at a later date if I decided to continue my education with Anderson College. However, after careful consideration of my concerns—many of which the college was well aware of—I determined that it was in my best interest not to continue with the program. ******** ** * **** ** *** ***** ****** ** ******** ** *** ***** ***** I originally sent to Anderson College, detailing my reasons for leaving, which included:
  Lack of proper supplies and equipment necessary for hands-on training.
  Use of non-Health Canada-approved equipment, putting students and future clients at risk.
  Failure to follow proper cleaning and sanitation protocols, including unsafe sterilization practices.
  Inadequate instruction, where the teacher read from a textbook and provided students with exam answers rather than teaching the material.
  Lack of a safe and controlled learning environment, including unsupervised exams.

  Anderson College was fully aware of these issues, and after my withdrawal, they continued to receive student complaints, ultimately leading to the termination of the instructor in January of this year. Following this, the college acknowledged its failures and sent a letter to students outlining various compensation options due to the program’s shortcomings—including a $12,000 "goodwill graduation bursary". This further proves that Anderson College recognizes that they did not uphold their end of the contract by failing to provide the education, safe learning environment, and quality instruction they had promised.

  Additionally, I have been informed that the Ministry of Health has since inspected the school and found multiple infractions, including improper cleaning and sanitization protocols and water damage creating an unsafe learning environment. These ongoing issues further validate my concerns and reinforce my decision to leave the program.
  Given these facts, I stand by my request for full tuition reimbursement and insist that all additional charges be dropped. I refuse to be financially responsible for a program that did not provide the education I was promised and that the college itself has since acknowledged was deeply flawed.

  I appreciate the BBB’s attention to this matter and request further investigation into Anderson College’s practices. Please let me know the next steps in ensuring that this issue is fairly resolved.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 31/03/2025

  Dear
  Complaint Administrator,
  Thank you
  for forwarding the student’s follow-up email and allowing us the opportunity to
  respond.
  As
  mentioned in our previous response, the college prioritizes safety,
  following all required protocols and guidelines in order to ensure a secure and
  supportive learning environment for all students. We are aware that a complaint
  was submitted to **** Region Public Health regarding the issues mentioned in
  the student’s email, leading to an inspection # ************** (covering
  services, setting requirements, including handwashing and sterilization, maintaining
  safe and sanitary conditions, equipment requirements, and operator training),
  which the campus passed (*********** ********).
  Again, Medical Esthetician program equipment and supplies
  meet the necessary standards required to facilitate the hands-on learning of
  practical skills within a college. There was an assumption made by the students
  that certain equipment required Health Canada approval, however after thorough
  investigation, it was determined that this was not necessary as it is
  classified as a ‘beauty machine’ and not a ‘medical device’.
  Concerns were also raised by the student regarding supplies,
  and this was investigated by campus management at the time. To provide some
  context, the practical component of the program is designed to use multiple
  stations, meaning that students rotate through the different activities. While
  there were enough supplies for each station, the planning and execution of their
  distribution and use were not properly coordinated, which led to confusion.
  When concerns were raised about the student’s instructor in
  November 2024, campus management reviewed the practices, addressed the class,
  and reached out to our Program Chair for additional support. At this point, the
  school made the decision to remove to bring in an alternate instructor to
  continue the teaching of the program.
  As stated previously, the student did raise concerns
  regarding the program before withdrawing, which management reviewed before
  addressing the class to clarify areas of misunderstanding. After speaking with
  our Director of Education, the student agreed to continue with the program
  knowing that her concerns were being addressed; however, she later informed us
  that she would be withdrawing from the program due to her business commitments
  (****** *** ******** *****).
  The financial implications of withdrawal were made clear to
  the student, and at the time she accepted these and chose to withdraw. As mentioned
  in our previous response to the BBB, the student completed more than 50% of the program and is therefore
  responsible for the full program fees as per Sections 25 to 27 of Ontario
  Regulation 415/06 under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 (this is
  also included on page 3 of the student’s enrolment contract, attached for
  reference). We will reach out to the student again directly to discuss the
  possibility of her returning to complete her studies in the future, as she
  remains welcome to do so. Based on the student’s decision, we will explore
  options to settle the outstanding balance.
  If the BBB requires
  any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.
  Sincerely,
  ******* ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2025

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I do not agree with the facts stated in the email as myself and multiple students had a different experience then what is being communicated by the school. I will contact the school directly regarding the remaining funds and address the letter sent to students offering as stated in the letter if I "wish to void my contract with Anderson College", which I did, the school would then give "a full refund of any moneys paid." which will be "returned to the appropriate funding source".
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* *******