Complaints

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

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  Certification Academy

  4742 N 24th St Ste 300 Phoenix, AZ 85016-9107

  
• 

  Certification Academy

  3104 E Camelback Rd Ste 2297 Phoenix, AZ 85016-4502

  

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:10/09/2024

  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.

  On March 29th, 2024 I paid $1200 for PMP course to ***** @ Certification Academy. My bank statement shows the name of the business as Project Management *****************. ***** and her department approved my refund request in August. ***** informed me that I have to complete their "Melio Payment" process for refund. I completed that process by entering my bank account information. I received a confirmation on August 9th, 2024. I was informed I will have the funds refunded within 30 days. When I didn't receive the refund by September 9th, 2024, I reached back out to the company. I was told they will check with the billing department and get back to me. No one got back to me. So, I called them again. Now it is October 9th, 2024. I call them religiously every other day and I am told by ***** or **** the same thing every time, "We will talk to the escalation department and someone will get back to you." No one has ever called me back. I don't have my $1200. Every time I call ************ I always either get ***** or ****. It is starting to seem like a scam run by two females. All I want is my money back and try and forget that I ever contacted Certification Academy. What a nightmare!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2024

  customer has been fully refunded

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/16/2024

   

  Certification Academy said they have fully refunded the $1200. When in fact that is not true. I just checked my *************** account and I still dont have a refund from them. They did reach out to me via email letting me know that they will refund me and that they are disappointed that I contacted BBB. Since they have been promising the refund for a very long time, I dont trust their email, now more so because they replied to BBB that I have been refunded when in fact I have not been refunded. This just goes out to show their intent to never refund.

   

   

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/27/2025

  Customer has received a full refund on October 10th 2024. 2 days after initial filing of the BBB complaint. This matter should be closed as resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/30/2024

  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 signed up for Certification Academy's PMP Bootcamp in May of 2024 hoping to take my PMP Certification exam in June. Last minute, they cancelled one in-person bootcamp and subsequently two more virtual bootcamps were cancelled the week before being due to take place. They keep cancelling and asking me to reschedule. I asked for a refund of my $2000 paid. It's been over a month with no refund and no communication from their "billing" department. This company is a scam and has delayed my PMP certification by months, hindering my career development. They should be required to be shut down.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/04/2025

  We are processing refund

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/08/2025

  This business did not process my refund like they said on BBB. It has been 7 months since they said they would refund my $2,000.00 USD purchase. This company is fraudulent and should be prosecuted as such. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2025

  We have sent communication to this customer and we are awaiting their confirmation. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2025

  I have yet to receive a refund. They email me every time this comes up saying they will be sending a refund and it has yet to show up. It is almost 9 months overdue and they have not delivered my refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/14/2025

  We have provided a date to the customer as to when their refund will be processed and are awaiting their confirmation that they have received our communications. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/17/2025

  I have acknowledged receipt of communication and will only be satisfied when full refund is issued back to my account. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/06/2024

  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.

  We have been fighting a refund on a class cancelled numerous times. They company finally agreed to reimburse our company (see email below from 2-8-24 and attachments) - and we never heard from them again. We've attempted to contact them numerous times with no response. This company is one scam after another and in no way should have a B+ rating.---------------------------------Thank you so much for taking my call this morning. Per our conversation, we are going to restart the refund process. As I understand your frustration with the delay, I do not want to drag things out. I am copying my billing department here to begin the process. Our billing department will email you via our payment system Melio in 2-3 business days for you to choose how you would like to receive the refund. Refunds may take up to 30 days for you to receive but it typically can be faster than that. We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you. Billing, per the conversation above, a ticket has been created for a refund for Mr. ***** of $2495. Please confirm with the customer and advise them of the next steps.*******, please confirm receipt of this email at your earliest convenience. As we discussed, I am committed to getting this resolved as soon as possible.--***** ***** Management Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/03/2024

  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 agreed, signed up and paid for their PMP Bootcamp In-Person course in April 2023. They never mailed out the course materials to me, as promised. They cancelled the course I originally signed up for 3 times. I finally attended the ************ in-person course 9/5/23 - 9/8/23. However, the instructor was over an hour late two times. 30 min late the 3rd day. And the instruction was highly unprofessional and unorganized. Ended class an hour early tw days. I called and e-mailed my highly dissatisfaction. I asked for a full refund. They did not want to do that, but offered for me to take the class another time, with another instructor. I agreed. They cancelled that class. Then offered me to attend a class in ************** 11/7 - 11/10 2023. I said that it is way too far from my house. They agreed to reimburse me the hotel cost and pay me a daily per diem. Hotel cost of $125 a day (4 nights) and $35 per day for per diem ($140), total of: $640. I provided them with my hotel receipt on 11/10/23. They have still not paid me the $640 owed and promised. I have e-mailed at least 15 times. I have called numerous times. They continue to "say sorry" and are not paying me the money owed. They are now avoiding my e-mails and phone calls. This is a breech of contract and blatantly not paying me. I have done EVERYTHING they have sked me to do in order to get paid. Their billing department is ignoring my e-mails. They sent me a link to Melio for them to set up for them to pay me. I did that immediately. I added my bank account information as requested. Still no payment and no e-mail responses.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  *************** fails to disclose that he was given a second class. That he did send in a glowing review of the trainer and the class overall. He emailed ** and said QUOTE - "Just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that this class and this instructor (******) is EXACTLY what I was looking for in a PMP Boot camp. Hes doing an exceptional job and I appreciate it!!!  Hes on point in giving us an outline for the week and each day. Hes actually using the slides in an actual planned and easy to follow order. Huge improvement. Thank you for making this right. I will provide constructive suggestions as always. But ** already very excited and pleased. "

  Furthermore his reimbursement was fully paid and settled and he refuses to acknowledge that. When initially contacted about his poor review our Support staff member said they would like to know if we can resolve this on the timeline we are offering, can we restore his trust and opinion of us? He twisted that and tried to say we were threatening him. Then he left a ****** review on 4 different locations around the country. We're sorry this issue caused so much concern, we hope he is in a better place now. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/26/2024

  I stand by my initial complaint and would like to add that a staff member of Certification Academy called me and threatened me, used extreme profanity, called me names, would not allow me to speak and was acting like a complete thug trying to scare me into removing my 100% honest reviews. 
  

  They were completely ignoring my numerous emails and phone calls UNTIL I wrote my reviews online. 
  

  They have yet to offer an apology for this members extremely unprofessional and berating behavior. All they care about is the reviews I wrote. And nothing else. 
  

  I am not satisfied with their response. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  *************** has NEVER mentioned his glowing review of the second class. He bullied and harassed the initial company representative and FALSELY accused HER of attempting to intimidate him. His antics INCLUDE writing ****** reviews for several location of ours across the country. When the second person contacted him he immediately interrupted and started shouting and talking over the representative saying "are you paying me or not" over and over and over. His attitude was returned in kind. We wish him the best of luck, as he will need it with his clearly demeanor. We DID attempt to reach out again as we believe his review falls under the ******* tort for ***** and we were hoping to resolve the matter without litigation. We are no longer of that opinion. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/08/2023

  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.

  Details Date: 9/8/2023 Amount: $2495 Commitment to provide:The **** Exam Prep Course is designed to prepare individuals for the **** certification exam.Immediate access to in-depth **** pre-study course ISACA review manual **** exam voucher Access to replays of daily lessons Exam Pass Guarantee The nature of the dispute is that the Certification Academy has not provider the **** exam voucher, access to replays of the daily lessons, or any information in regards to the exam pass guarantee. The Certification Academy has stopped responding to email and phone calls as well.There has not been any attempt to resolve the issue on the part of the Certification Academy that has provided to me. I have received emails stating we are working on it with management.Transaction ID: ***********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  Reimbursement has been issued via check, per the customers instructions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 registered with the Certification Academy on April 8 for a 4 day in-person PMP Certification Course bootcamp starting May 8, 2023. On April 10, I contacted them to move my class to the next slot, June 5, as my cat was very ill so I did not want to be away for 4 days, which they did. On May 23, they contacted me that the June 5 class will need to be cancelled due to low attendance and offered me a remote on-line option or to move the date for in-person. As I registered for this to be an in-person class, I chose to move the date to the next date offered in ************, July 31. I had asked if I could go to an earlier session in ************* on Jun 10 or Jul 12, but they did not allow me to move location. On July 27, ** Support contacted me to state that the July 31 class needed to be cancelled due to low attendance, and I could do remote learning or move to Sept 25 class. Again, I stated I paid for an in-person class but needed to be assured that this class would happen as I need to complete PMP Certification for my current job search. Otherwise, I would need to ask for a refund. They assured me that the class would happen, so I allowed them to move my registration to Sept 25, but I informed them that I would file a BBB complaint if this class was again delayed and I did not get a refund. CA Support then contacted me on Sept 20 to tell me that again the Sept 25 class needed to be cancelled and I could do a remote on-line class or register for Oct 23 class. I stated that I wished to get a refund. They said they would contact their ****************** to get me a refund. On Sept 28 I followed up as I had not heard from Billing, so they emailed billing and copied me. On Oct 2, Oct 4 and Oct 9 I sent emails to their billing department asking about the refund process, and nobody has yet responded to my emails.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  A full refund was issued. This matter should be resolved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/26/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/11/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  4/18/2023:My company purchased the Comptia Sec+ 5 Day bootcamp for $1995.00 to occur 9:00am to 5:00pm EST every day from *******/5/2023 to 6/9/2023 and with its conclusion, be provided an exam voucher to sit for the exam. 6/1/2023 Within several days the Certification Academy reached out to confirm a different day as the instructor had a medical emergency that required the training be moved. I selected 6/26/2023 to 6/30/2023.6/26/2023 I attended the training. All was expected.8/1/2023 Present I called and emailed several times with an ************** with whom I first provided proof of acceptable practice assessment scores, after which shes validated that this will qualify for the exam voucher. Several days later I followed up again asking for the status. My request delayed due to Understanding my request as a retake voucher request instead of the initial voucher request as was promised. Several days later of me continuing to call and I continue to hear my Request is escalated and My manager should have looked at your case. Today (8/11/2023) I have heard the same verbiage once again but have no faith that the request will be fulfilled as over the last two weeks I have continuously be lied to. From what I can tell the only effort on the business side to resolve the issue was simply taking my phone call, they have provided no evidence (in the form of returned phone calls as promised or returned emails) that my case is being addressed.Conclusion: My only mistake is that I did not consult BBB earlier to understand this is a sham company, advertising unvalidated pass completion rates, with a history of customers feeling swindled. While they have provided training, the stated expectation was not met. This company has lied in what they said they would provide despite me providing adequate evidence of my preparedness, displaying patience, and addressing the lies cordially. Do not provide the company with your business under any circumstance.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  Voucher was issued 8/11/2023. Student successfully passed the exam. This matter should be fully resolved. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/26/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ********************* Iv
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2023

  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.

  Per the attachment, 23June2023 email from Certification Academy (CA) employee: **************** confirmed the initiation of a $959.20 refund to be mailed to me within 30 days. In the email, ****** stated it typically should not take as long as 30 days. As of today (8Aug2023), not only has it been **************************************** the mail, but I can't even get a solid response from anyone at CA with an actual refund status. The attached email documents the multiple requests I've sent to both CA Support Team and CA Billing Team for a refund status. The attached email also documents the multiple phone calls I've had with CA Support Team representatives. I am hoping this filing with the BBB results in me securing my overdue refund check of $959.20 from CA.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  The customer was issued the refund Aug 17, 2023. This matter should be fully resolved.
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2023

  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.

  On March 9th, 2023 I had paid Certification Academy $1899 to enroll in a CAPM course scheduled June5th-June8th. On March 23rd, I received the first cancellation email, "Our events team has encountered an issue with your course, and with such a short timeframe, we feel we need to discuss this with you as soon as possible" which followed the ask for me to switch to the July 31st in person course. I was okay with switching things around because things happen...but then I received a second round of unfavorable emails.Next comes cancellation #2 for the July 31st, 2023. I received a "Look forward to seeing you" email July 10th, 2023 and shortly after on July 19th, 2023 received a "We had an issue arise" email asking me to pick a new date for the course. At this point I requested a refund due to the inconsistency in keeping with scheduled sessions. With the change in course dates, it has become very inconvenient on myself, my boss, and my project teams and we cannot afford to work through any more time sensitive schedule delays in the future. My project schedules have been affected due to freeing up my calendar for the weeklong session. Dates that were solidified can no longer be used due to overlap from other meeting requests and arrangements had been made on my behalf. It has been very inconvenient to have to retract my time off across multiple teams / platforms and it put me in an unprofessional position amongst my colleagues. I appreciated the effort on their end, however, because this was the second time the in-person course was being cancelled, the *** director had requested that I no longer move forward with their services and request a full refund. I asked if they could please honor this request, which they proceeded to tell me their policy does not allow. All of the supporting documents will show that their website states "firm dates" and to add to it the course for my second "cancelled" option is still active on their website for others to buy into.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  Customer has been contacted to resolve the issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/16/2024

  I posted a complaint about this company before and thought that the issue was resolved. They are still holding my refund back and have provided no updates. This has been a frustrating and exhausting process. Its unbelievable how difficult it has been to get a refund. I have reached out to my finance department for assistance as well my bank. I have continuous communication as proof from this company promising me a refund and never actually processing it. It should not be this hard to get a refund and I am now confident to say that this place is a scam. DO NOT spend your money on training here. Go to the *** official website and only use courses that have been approved by ***.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2023

  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 signed up for an IN PERSON course in ******* **. 1 week before the course was scheduled to begin I received an email requesting I select an alternate option of attending a course online or in person in ******* **. I signed up for an in person course because that is how I learn most successfully. Regardless if they would compensate for travel to **, that is not an option for me whatsoever. I called to get a refund since they were the ones that canceled the course and was told this was outside of their policy. Their site clearly states: "Firm Course Dates When you register for one of our classes, you are guaranteed it will run as scheduled. You can focus on your training and certification and not worry about cancellations or delays."They have not help up their end of the above statement. The class WAS canceled and now I cannot focus on my training as I'm worried about getting my money back. I am a full time practicing project manager looking to advance my career to the next level with a PMP certification. It is extremely difficult for me to clear 4 days from my schedule to take this course, and I'm getting busier every week. Waiting for the next in person course (which I doubt would even take place) is not an option as I have active installation taking place over the next few months I need to be onsite for. I need to get my PMP now, not later or next year. I'm extremely disappointed in the Certification Academy and their professionalism and how this is being handled. I wish I had read the reviews on BBB before paying for the course, they have done this to so many people! How are they able to continue practicing business this way? It feels criminal and we (the consumer) are left to pay the price and deal with the fallout.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  The refund was issued July 6th via ACH. This matter should be fully resolved