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:23/06/2025

  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.

  I have filed a formal complaint with ILAC (International Language Academy of Canada), specifically its Alberta campus, due to a sudden and significant change in its academic advancement policy.
  
  When I signed up for the program, ILAC's official communication and advisors clearly stated that students could be promoted every two weeks based on academic performance and attendance. This policy directly influenced my decision to join ILAC as it fits my financial budget and schedule.
  
  However, just today, ILAC suddenly changed its policy. In a meeting with more than 100 students in attendance, we were told that students must now complete 8 consecutive weeks of courses to be eligible for advancement to the next stage. This change was implemented as follows:
  - No prior written notice;
  - No prior communication;
  - No transitional accommodations for existing students.
  
  Result:
  - My course length was forcibly extended;
  - I was asked to pay additional tuition fees that were not included in the budget;
  * ** ****** ********** ************ *** *********** ***** **** ********;
  - The explanation given was just "this is a higher-level regulation".
  
  This sounds very misleading because there was a clear condition when I signed up, but it was later unilaterally revoked. *** ** * **** ** ************ ** ******** **************** **** ******** *** *** ****** ** *** ****** **** *** ****** *******.
  
  I am seeking a fair resolution to this issue that includes:
  1. Acknowledgment that the policy was abruptly changed without proper notice;
  2. Refunding or waiving tuition for the additional weeks that are now required;
  3. Guaranteeing that existing student* will not be penalized for the policy change mid-course.
  
  Ultimately, I am confident that ILAC will deliver on its original promise. ****** ******* **** **** *** **** **** ******* *** **** ********* ******* ***** *** ***********
  Thank you for your attention to this matter.
  
  ILAC Alberta Student*

  Business Response

  Date: 27/06/2025

  Dear BBB, 

  Our team met with the student today (June 26) and found out and confirmed that there was misunderstanding. 

   Please find the email summary we sent to the student below for the details. 

  
  The meeting you attended on Friday, June 20th was not related to your academic progress or standing. We believe it may have been an ILAC Immigration Seminar or a third-party event. We are currently investigating further to confirm.
  You confirmed that you now understand that no academic changes have been made to your enrollment or in the Pathway program. You also confirmed that you will be withdrawing the complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau.
  If you have any questions about your program, please feel free to reach out to the online support team or contact me directly at ***************************.

  Please let us know if you have any questions. 

  Thank you, 

  ** ****

  Director of Operations (Toronto)

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:25/04/2025

  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.

  Dear Better Business Bureau Officer,
  
  I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against the International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC) regarding an unresolved refund issue.
  I registered for a 3-month online language course with ILAC and paid the full tuition in advance. However, before the course began,
  I decided to cancel my enrollment and requested a refund.
  ILAC instructed me to communicate with the agency I registered through.
  After repeated efforts, the agency confirmed that they approved my refund and that my profile and information have been removed from their ILAC system,
  meaning they are no longer able to assist with this matter.
  Despite this, ILAC continues to redirect me to the agency and refuses to process the refund.
  **** **** ** ************** *** ************** *** ****** ** ***** ****** *** ********* ********.
  I have made every reasonable attempt to resolve this matter through proper communication channels.
  I believe ILAC's actions are unfair, **************, *** *********** ** ****** ** ******** ********** ***********.
  Therefore, I respectfully request your assistance in resolving the following:
  
  1.Ensuring ILAC processes my refund without further delay;
  2. Clarifying which party is legally responsible for the refund;
  3. Preventing other students from encountering similar difficulties.
  
  ******** *** ******* *** ******* **** ******* ** ******. I appreciate your attention to this matter and hope it can be resolved promptly.
  
  Sincerely, ********** **** **** ** ******** ********** *** ******* ******** **** ** ******** ***** *** **** ******* ********* ******************* **** ** ************ ***** ****** ** ******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 29/04/2025

  Dear BBB,

  Thank you for your email.

  There was indeed a delay in processing the student’s refund, primarily due to a lack of timely response and communication challenges with the agency involved. We acknowledge this caused an unfortunate delay.
  The issue has since been resolved, and our accounting team has processed the refund. The student should receive the funds by Monday, May 5.
  

  Please let us know if any further information is needed.

  Thank you, 

  ** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2024

  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 paid $1870 to ILAC for 16-week lessons for ** ********** on 2024/05/22. After ** ********** took 4 days of lessons, I emailed ILAC on 2024/05/30 to notify them that I wanted to drop and requested a refund. On 2024/6/6, they emailed me saying the refund would be $1144 and provided the calculation method. I disagreed because such a calculation method was not listed in the refund policy of the website when I paid and it was interpreted arbitrarily in favor of them. I emailed them several times giving reasons why it was unfair, but they kept directing me to other colleagues.
  
  Besides, I have not received any refund (even the $1144 they said I am entitled to) within 30 days, which was promised by the refund policy on their website.
  
  On 2024/07/02, I read Ontario's Consumer Protection Act and realized it was "unfair practice" and I could get a full refund according to *************************************************************************** 
  Personal information of the supporting document was removed as per the requirements of BBB’s Complaint Submission Terms.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/08/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  
  Thank you for bringing ***** ***** concerns to our attention.
  
  After conducting a thorough investigation, we found that the refund process did indeed take longer than our standard 30-day timeframe, which is not in line with our commitment to timely service. We also acknowledge that the student was unaware that, due to her cancellation within the first week of enrolment, the regular tuition fee per week was applied instead of the discounted rate for her originally planned 16-week course.
  
  In light of these circumstances, and to address any inconvenience caused by the delay, we have decided to approve a full refund. The student can expect to receive this refund within the next week and we will communicate this with the student as well. 
  If there are any further concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
  

  Thank you. 
  

  Best regards, 
  ** ****
  Director of Operations, Toronto