ComplaintsforEducational Perspectives, nfp

• Initial Complaint

  11/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 1, 2023 I emailed the business requesting a copy of my evaluation report to be submitted to: ********************* *************************** IEIN *******. Since then the business refuse to do it and is requesting more money, as stated in their email from November 1, 2023 "Upon receipt of your order, we will update your report and release it to the new recipient accordingly.Please note that the $60 Update fee does not include report copies of the Course-by-Course. Report copies are $45 and may be ordered here: ***********************************************".Per their website: "Option 2: Electronic | $45 Advantages:Electronic copies sent to you, a school, employer, etc.Credential/transcript copies included Widely accepted secure delivery of documents and evaluation Note: Report copies and credential/transcript copies are available for up to 5 years after the date of evaluation completion. Click order button below and register as a New Learner via the Parchment portal. If you already have a Parchment account, you can order your report copy directly via Parchment."

  

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  Dear BBB representative,

  **************** requested and paid for a 'Catalog Match' evaluation report which is appropriate for individuals who plan to attend community college; the evaluation 'matches' courses from the institution they attended in their native country to those in the catalog of the institution in which they intend to enroll. The report is appropriate for transfer credit only at the receiving institution and is therefore not appropriate for use for other purposes, such as educator licensure with the ******** *********** of ********* (ISBE). ISBE requires a different type of evaluation report (course-by-course) to that which **************** requested; in order to provide an evaluation that will be useful to her and the ***** she needs to pay for a revision of her Catalog Match report - a fee of $60.

  We are not trying to prohibit **************** from requesting copies of her report, but rather advising her that the type of service she has requested will work to her disadvantage if used for a different purpose. A catalog match report indicates an applicant's academic deficiencies, whereas a course-by-course report will emphasize her degree equivalency and coursework that is appropriate for educator licensing.

  This has been explained numerous times to **************** by phone and email and we have considered this issue resolved. However, to resolve this issue we are willing to provide a copy of her Catalog Match report to ISBE with the understanding that ISBE may reject the evaluation. Alternatively, **************** can pay the revision fee of $60 (she need not submit any additional documentation) and we will revise her report to one that will work to her advantage.

  I trust that either of these options will resolve her issues with Educational Perspectives.

  Sincerely,

  ***************************

  President
  

   

   

  Customer response

  12/05/2023

   
  Complaint: 20848385
  
  I am rejecting this response because: as you can see I've asked several times a copy of Catalogue match to be sent to ********************** Educational perpectives keep insisting me to buy a course-by-course and here is what their website states: "Electronic copies sent to you, a school, employer, etc." ETC so I can get a copy and send to whomever but they are terrorists and refuse to send a copy to  ******************** without really knowing what is the copy for! But this a struggling shady practice 

  Option 2: Electronic  |  $45
  Advantages:
  Electronic copies sent to you, a school, employer, etc.
  Credential/transcript copies included
  Widely accepted secure delivery of documents and evaluation
  Note: Report copies and credential/transcript copies are available for up to 5 years after the date of evaluation completion.
  Click order button below and register as a New Learner via the Parchment portal. If you already have a Parchment account, you can order your report copy directly via Parchment.
  
  

  ***********************************************

   

  Customer response

  12/06/2023

  Complaint: 20848385
  
  Hello, I wanted to attach one more piece of evidence to my response. It looks like Educational Perspectives stated :"We are not trying to prohibit **************** from requesting copies of her report, but rather advising her that the type of service she has requested will work to her disadvantage if used for a different purpose." Can you explain why my parchment is still on hold until this date? They should release my documents immediately and refund me for the $45.00. I lost several thousand dollars since I was not able to pick up sub shifts for work!  

  Sincerely,
  
  **************************; 

  

  Business response

  12/27/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out regarding ******************** most recent complaint. We released her report as per her request to the ******** *********** of ********* via Parchment on 12/7/2023. If she is experiencing any issues with her order via Parchment, please advise her to contact us at *********************** We would be happy to assist.

  Kind regards,

  Educational Perspectives

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On September 25, 2023, I made a payment of $205.00 intending to purchase Educational Perspectives' evaluation service. This service required the submission of necessary documents, which I provided in accordance with the company's requirements. However, despite my efforts, the evaluation process has not taken place.Educational Perspectives' refund policy states that refunds are applicable for applications that have not been submitted. In my case, I am certain that I did not submit the application as there was no "submit" button or any clear indication of final submission. The process, instead, directed me to proceed to payment immediately after checking the refund policy checkbox.Furthermore, when I inquired about returning my documents due to the inability to provide the service I paid for, I was informed that I would need to pay an additional shipment fee of $25.00. This further compounds the financial burden I have faced due to the company's actions.I believe that Educational Perspectives' website design intentionally misleads consumers, leaving them with a false impression that an application has not been submitted, and then prompts them to make a payment. Any payment made automatically disqualifies the possibility of a refund. This approach appears to be deceptive and misleading.I want to emphasize that I did not submit the application, and I am not willing to pay for a service that has not been provided. I kindly request a refund of the payment I made and an explanation for the shipment fee request.Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.Order ID : ****** *******************

  

  Business response

  10/25/2023

  Hello BBB,

  We are happy to address ***'s complaint.

  Regarding her second sentence, we can confirm that she did not provide the necessary required documents. Our document requirements are published clearly on our website. When *** submitted her application for a credential evaluation, she agreed to having understood our published document requirements. For her country of study, we require original documents. *** did not provide original documents. 

  Regarding her 3rd sentence, please understand that the evaluation report *** not be prepared without required documentation. While a report has not been completed because we lack the required documents, we have offered an alternative, as a courtesy, and one that *** agreed to. In lieu of waiting for her original documents to arrive, we offered to communicate with her offshore institution to verify the copies of documents she provided. It was explained to her that this can take time, however, once we receive a response, we will be able to proceed. 

  Regarding her statement about her certainty that she did not submit an application, we can confirm that she did submit an application. We have her formal, submitted application on file including the payment she made with that application. As we cannot disclose private information of our applicants without their permission, the submitted application will not be attached to this response. For the BBB's information, our applicants are required to start an application by clicking a button that says, 'Start New Application.' Upon clicking that button, entering personal information, entering educational history, selecting services, and agreeing to terms of conditions are required steps to take before submitting payment information. Submitting payment is not required immediately either. Applicants are welcome to leave the application and then return to submit payment. There are steps to take before our applicants submit payment. We only contact applicants to request required documentation after we receive an application and payment, both of which *** submitted. 

  Regarding her statement about the return of her documents, she requested an expedited return service of her documents. Return services are available with payment, which is why we charged her a fee for the return of her documents. Upon receipt of her return order and payment, her documents have now been returned. 

  Regarding her statement about our website misleading consumers, that is also incorrect. We receive applications like the one *** submitted every day and process them accordingly. Like her case, sometimes, when an applicant does not have the required documents, we work to support them and sometimes, as a courtesy, provide alternative options that require more time. Because they are alternative options, the process can take longer than our standard process with required documentation. As mentioned above, there are multiple steps to take to get to the payment section of the application. Our refund policy is in place because our work begins upon receipt of an application - research, review of submitted documents, communication with applicants and off-shore institutions, verification, etc. At this point we have done all of the above. 

  I appreciate the opportunity to explain our side of this case. At the moment, we are waiting to hear from ***'s institution. Once we hear from them, we will contact *** and provide her with an update. Please understand that we are a not-for-profit organization, and our mission is to recognize international education so that applicants like *** *** study and work in this country. Our team worked to provide her with standard document instructions, and when she expressed that she could not provide standard documents, we worked with her and provided an alternative. Every step we have taken with ***'s case was to support her and help her obtain the required documentation so that we *** prepare her evaluation report. We are not here to make things difficult for our applicants. We hope to hear from her institution soon so that we can proceed with her evaluation. As mentioned in previous correspondence with her, a refund will not be issued.

  Kind regards,
  Educational Perspectives, nfp

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 10/03/23 I dropped my docs for evaluation with Ed *********** around 10:00 am. I was told that my documents would be processed prior to payment. At 10:09 am this morning I sent an email requesting a stop on my process since I was not sure if some of the other colleges would require a course catalogue. At 12:**** of today, 10/4/23 Hello, I request a refund and disclosed that at this time I would not be able to pay for a course by course catalog and would transfer my college credits to a city college instead of applying for an AA at **************. at 1:00pm I received a call from ************* asking me to explain why I would like to cancel the process. At 1:07pm, the business *********************** Associate, ************** stated that she "would forwarded mine refund request to the appropriate staff member [...]". At 2:15pm *************************, Vice President stated that "Our refund policy is published on our webpage and does not require submission of application and payment to review them. Additionally, our refund policy is stated on the terms and conditions which you agreed to and signed off before you submitted your application for evaluation. We accepted your application for evaluation in good faith and processed them right away. Therefore, no refunds will be issued."

  

  Business response

  10/24/2023

  Hello BBB,

  We would be happy to address this applicant's complaints.

  The call referenced at 10:09 on 10/4/2023 began with the applicant requesting that a copy of the Course-by-Course report she ordered be sent to a community college. It was not until our customer service representative explained that the community college referenced required a different kind of report (not a Course-by-Course report) that the applicant expressed that they were unsure they wanted to attend the referenced community college. The applicant requested we place the evaluation on hold until she had a better idea of which institution she planned on attending, which is something we were happy to do. As the applicant mentioned in her complaint, she requested a refund via email on 10/4/2023, in which we responded that a refund would not be issued. Refunds, as mentioned on our website and on the application submitted by this applicant, are only issued in the case of overpayment. Please understand that our refund policy is not there to make things difficult - our work beings once we receive an application.

  On 10/5/2023, the applicant contacted our team to request to pay for an upgrade to the report type required by the referenced community college. The report type required by the referenced community college is called a Catalog Match report and the fee is higher than our Course-by-Course report, so we required the difference in order to proceed with the new report type request. We replied with instructions on how to pay for the upgrade, which included a payment link. 

   On 10/11/2023 the applicant requested a payment link for the upgrade and a report copy. As requested, we provided the payment link and the applicant paid for both.

  On 10/13/2023 we reached out to the applicant to request more documentation as there are additional requirements for a Catalog Match report.

   On 10/17/2023, the applicant contacted us to request a status update, in which we explained that we were still waiting for the additional documentation we requested on 10/13/2023. We explained that the additional documentation could potentially result in her having transfer credit - this was explained thoroughly by our Vice President. It was also explained that we could proceed without the additional documents if that is what she wanted, however, it could result in her having to retake classes at the community college that she may have already completed in her previous country of study.

  On 10/18/2023 the applicant contacted us to let us know that her university was assisting her with obtaining the requested documents.

  On 10/23/23, we received the requested documents.

  On 10/24/23, we completed the report and released it to the applicant and to the community college.

  As you can see, my team worked closely with this applicant before and after this complaint was submitted to provide as much support as possible so that she can receive the evaluation report she needs. We wish her the best of luck in her future. 

  I hope this has been helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions.

  Kind regards,

  Educational Perspectives, nfp

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On December 20, 2022, I made a payment of $395 intending to purchase EP's ******************* This service required the submission of necessary documents, which I did not provide.As a result, the Evaluation process did not take place.EP's refund policy states that refunds are applicable for applications that have not been submitted. However, in our email correspondence, the company claimed that I had already submitted the request and refused to issue a refund.Upon reviewing the process I followed, I realized that there was no "submit" button throughout the entire process. Instead, after checking the refund policy checkbox, there was only a "proceed to checkout" button. Clicking on this button directly led to the payment page, and once the payment was made, there was no possibility of obtaining a refund.I believe that EP's website design intentionally misleads consumers, leading them to believe that an application has not been submitted and subsequently prompting them to make the payment. In fact, any payment made automatically disqualifies the possibility of a refund. The refund policy appears to be merely a deceptive tactic.I want to emphasize that I did not submit the application, and I am not willing to pay for a service that has not been provided. I kindly request a refund of the payment I made.Thank you for your assistance in resolving this matter.Payment information:Access Code: lcg9tsj Order ID: zefang shang - 12.20.2022-7:34_AM Total Bill: $395.00

  

  Business response

  08/03/2023

  Dear ************ and BBB,

  When completing our online application applicants are required to read and certify that they have read and agreed to our country-specific documentation requirements - this occurs on the first page of our application. Applicants are unable to proceed in the application, unless they agree to the document requirements.

  Once the application is completed, a screen appears to which you must agree to the terms and conditions of our services, which include a reminder of the afore-mentioned documentation requirements as well as our policy regarding refunds, once an application is submitted. It is not possible to proceed to a payment screen (or make any payment online) without agreeing to the terms. Our current online application has been in use for approximately 7 years, and your complaint is the first instance in which a claim such as this has been made.  Please see the attached document for the terms and conditions which must be agreed to before proceeding to a payment link.

  We do everything in our power to ensure that our applicants understand our terms and conditions, including providing this information upfront on our website. We trust that they have read this important information about our services, before proceeding with making their payment.

  Sincerely,

  ***************************, President

  Educational Perspectives, nfp

   

   

   

  Customer response

  08/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 20336947
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They still refuse to refund for the service not provided.

  According to the message provided by EP president, they claim that complaints like mine have been the only one in the past 7 years, which is quite amusing since I found two identical complaints to mine in BBB's Customer Reviews. It seems they have been making money this way. The reason for the scarcity of complaints might be that most of their customers are international students who are unaware of BBB in the US.

  Can EP please answer my question: which step in the application process indicates that clicking "proceed to checkout" will be considered "submitted"? Alternatively, before making a payment, where does it notify me that I have already submitted and will not be eligible for a refund? Please provide a screenshot of this indication or the "submit" button with annotations, instead of sending me another lengthy and tedious agreement.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ************

• Initial Complaint

  12/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They stole my original documents they I cannot renew because they were issues in ******* and there is a war in *******. They sent me a fake tracking number that never updated and my documents never arrived. I need my original documents back as well as the money I spent on them but they are refusing to work with me.

  

  Business response

  12/27/2022

  Dear ***************,

  Your documents were sent out of our office on December 7, 2022 and delivered to your home in ********** ** on December 12, 2022 at 2:22PM. Please check this tracking number: 

  9114902200852077579657

   

  Sincerely,

  ***************************

  President

  Educational Perspectives, nfp

   

*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. ↩