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:05/28/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 started a coding bootcamp with General Assembly in July of 2024. I was told verbally over the phone that I would not have to make payments on the loan until 1 year after I got my first job. Now I have written communication from somebody at General Assembly that I should not have to start making payments on the loan until 1 year after I graduated. The lender, Climb Credit, is telling me I have to start making payments next month (June).I took out a 0% interest loan at $15950 with Climb on the expectation that I would not have to start making payments until 1 year after landing my first tech job after the bootcamp. Now both parties are telling me lies.Also, part of the services rendered was supposed to be career services. General Assembly made absolutely no effort to help me get a job. I had to find this job completely on my own with no help from them. The career services was the biggest reason for me to join, and they did not provide any at all. So I also believe that I am entitled to a refund for the career services.Please find attached 3 files:1. The email from *** ****, a representative from GA telling me I am not supposed to start paying until 1 year after course completion.2. A statement from Climb Credit saying my first payment is due June 13 ******. My certificate of completion from the course, dated October 18 2024. Therefore, by what they are telling me, I should not have to start paying until October 18 2025.Please note the payment date is one complaint. I am also deeply unsatisfied with the career services rendered and would also like half of my total payment refunded for not receiving any career services at all.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/22/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by General Assembly regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2025

  Type:Order 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 attended general assembly in 2022, I was kicked out of the program by the career coach ********* *****, there was nobody else at general assembly that I can get in touch with and stay in the problem. I no longer had access to slack or student platform. I never got the education that I paid for and the income share agreement comapny is asking me to pay even I did not get the education that I paid general assembly for.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/17/2025

  We are sorry to hear your experience at General Assembly (**) was not what you expected. GA has provided skills training for tens of thousands of student learners, many who have graduated from immersive bootcamps like the Software Engineering course you completed.  Our Software Engineering Intensive Remote course included providing students with a solid base of fundamental computer science and programming knowledge, experience with specific languages and frameworks, and promoting a flexible outlook to tackle new technologies in a fast-moving and ever-changing industry.  GA does follow the refund policies required by state regulatory agencies. As an Illinois student at the time of enrollment, this policy allowed a pro rata refund upon withdrawal if you have completed 50% or less of your course through the last day of attendance. You were responsible for 100% of the tuition for the course if you completed more than 50% of the course, even if the course had not been completed. These policies were included in the enrollment agreement you signed in March 2022 and in the student catalog.  You completed 100% of your course, as scheduled, in July 2022.  
  
  Post-completion, you became a qualified job-seeker and elected to work with a career coach to help you navigate your career search. As described in the course syllabus, school catalog, and student handbook, outcomes support involves active participation, requiring job-seekers to meet several weekly and monthly commitments to remain active. Our coaches work closely with graduates that are engaged in the job search process to communicate their skills, make valuable connections, and identify career opportunities. When you did not meet more than one of the commitments, your career coach reached out to let you know you would no longer be active and provided, at your request, additional time to collect resources on Slack. Post-completion career services are not part of the contact hours for the course but are an added student service provided at no additional cost. 
  
  We are committed to fostering a global community of individuals empowered to pursue the work they love. For any questions on loan conditions and obligations, please reach out to the lender directly. We take any feedback seriously and will continue to review your concerns to identify any opportunities for improvement.    
  
  Sincerely,
  ******* ****** * ***
  ******* ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/19/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   Prior to signing up for the bootcamp, the advisors promise to students that they will have access to a career coach. The price to attend this three months school is extremely expensive! When I did the math, GA is making more than 400k a three months co-hort, so to tell me that the career coaching is just complimentary is absurd. Maybe that's what you have to include in your predatory terms and conditions to make sure that you get paid after the first half of the course even if one of your instructors decide to kick out a student from the program. ********* ***** told me that I was doing a good job with the job search when I was asking her for help and when I told that I still needed her help. When I insisted that I still needed career coaching, she did not show up to any three career coaching 1on1 session, giving me excuses like she had to pickup her kids or she had to go to the doctor and when we tried to re-schedule it the 3rd time, I couldn't make it for that day because I was traveling to see my family for a cultural holiday, she told me that she did not want work me anymore, just because I was not available that day which I was 100% sure it was just an excuse for her to kick me out. If I was available that day, she would have called on me another time and that was her tactic to get kick me out of the program to make way for newer student. I have screenshots of all the conversations with her as proof, I tried to tell someone at ** but I did not have a single contact. If any of your students gets kicked out, the will have nobody to talk to. And for that, I ask you to please either set me up with another career coach as I am still looking for a job a few years after the program or refund my tuition.

  When I got kicked out, there was not a single person to talk to ********* ***** and look into the reason why I was kicked out. Many people from the same class said that she has used tactics to kick them out. I even tried to contact senior employees on ********, show them the proof and asked them for help. I got blocked by a board member and ignored by the CEO. This would have never happened at any university, if I pay tuition, I get to attend until the end and nothing is complimentary.

  
  Since you mentioned that I was an Illinois resident, I would like to bring to your attention that I have never been to ********! The advisors called me to see if I was still interested in attending **, I told them that I couldn't afford it without an ISA and that I couldn't get an ISA due to being a ********** resident because the *** was too predatory for California resident, they suggested that I use that Illinois address since they don't send any mail and everything was electronic anyway. That should have been the red flag and I shouldn't have done it.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/09/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  False advertising for UX program offered which rest of loan totaling $14,900. dollars be cancelled/forgiven. According to their educational support and coaching instructions, students have to spend at least 12 hrs a week applying to numerous UX jobs, therefore making it difficult to work and which in reality my dtr wasted a whole year doing this submitting at least 200 applications to entry level jobs, internships and zero return calls as well as rest of her cohortthis is not what is reflected on their student outcome statistics. Not only did she waste her time, we ended up with this 500./month bill I have filed a complaint with the *****. My dtr is a smart college grad and I am of retiring age and cannot afford to pay for false promises made. ***, she needs little job coachingshe found a job outside of tech in less than a month. Per their response to AG complaint, they offered to only continue working w/my dtr for job placement.not sure they meant for her to go homeless and spend years on end waiting for a phone calltotally ludicrous. They do not prepare their students as they claim. I can only speak about their UX program. Additionally, they receive federal educational funds (GI Bill) which makes all this extremely disturbing perhaps criminal.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2024

  We are sorry to hear the experience for your daughter, after graduating from General Assembly (GA), was not what either of you expected. ** has provided skills training for tens of thousands of student learners. We acknowledge that the job market in tech can sometimes be challenging and frustrating. While employment assistance is available to all graduates, we do not and have never guaranteed job placement for graduates of our courses. The enrollment agreement signed by prospective students prior to matriculation into classes as well as the catalog state that neither job nor salary are guaranteed by GA. In addition, the employment assistance available to graduates is described in the catalog as an active process that requires a time commitment. Our coaches work closely with graduates that are engaged in the job search process to communicate their skills, make valuable connections, and identify ideal career opportunities. 

  The *********** Experience course offers students the opportunities to apply fundamentals of digital design using design tools, produce design documentation, conduct usability testing and implement effective methods of user research to internal and external projects to help students prepare for positions in the field. These projects must be completed satisfactorily in order to complete the course. GA does follow the refund policies required by state regulatory agencies. These policies vary by state and are published in the enrollment agreement and General Assembly catalog. As a Florida student enrolled through our Utah-approved remote course, your daughter was subject to a refund based on the proration of tuition and percentage of program completed at withdrawal, up until 40% of the program. The enrollment agreement further articulated that if a student withdraws after completing 40% of the program, no refund of tuition will be made. Your daughter completed 100% of her course, as scheduled, in June 2023 and is not eligible for a refund. In addition, we understand that your daughter used a loan to finance her education.  As indicated in our catalog, GA does not provide institutional financing but that we do provide information on a range of financing options through independent, private funding sources and that if a student receives a loan to pay for their educational program, the student will have the responsibility to repay the full amount of the loan plus interest, less the amount of any refund.  For any questions on the loan conditions and obligations, please reach out to the lender directly. 

  We take any feedback seriously and continue to review your concerns to identify any opportunities for improvement. We are committed to fostering a global community of individuals empowered to pursue the work they love. While it sounds like your daughter has found gainful employment in another field, our offer remains to provide additional career resources should she still be interested in pursuing a career in ******   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/08/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 formal complaint against General Assembly (GA) regarding my experience with their Software Engineering bootcamp, which I attended from October 2022 to January 2023. My educational journey was marred by disruptions and challenges, primarily due to the haphazard instructor selection process. One of the main instructors was a first-time hire, brought in hastily after the original instructor resigned shortly before the class began. This abrupt change left us feeling like experimental subjects, with the replacement instructor lacking experience and preparation. Additionally, there was evident discord between the replacement instructor and assistant instructors, impacting the quality of instruction.During the setup process, I encountered a critical incident where a temporary instructor inadvertently disabled essential features in my git account while attempting to assist me. This incident caused frustration and hindered my progress in the program.What compounds my dissatisfaction is the significant financial investment I made at GA's recommendation, exhausting my modest life savings to cover living expenses during the bootcamp. The demanding schedule left no room for outside employment, leading to a precarious financial situation with additional debt totaling $16,000.Furthermore, I am not alone in my dissatisfaction. Around twenty other students from my cohort share similar grievances, with some attempting a class action lawsuit against GA, though legal counsel deemed it unviable.It is evident that GA's program structure does not cater adequately to individuals with modest incomes. Despite my dedication, the program's flaws have placed undue financial strain without delivering the expected educational value or support.[NOTE: The "supporting documents" I am including below are screenshots of text messages from one of the assistant instructors which include his candid account of what happened behind the scenes.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by General Assembly regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************