ComplaintsforColumbus State Community College

• Initial Complaint

  10/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 22, 2023 paid $115 payment plan setup charge/deferment fee to Columbus State Community College to extend the due date for Autumn 2023 semester tuition fees to October 21, 2023.

  Although the deferment fee was paid correctly and on time, several email correspondences were received accusing nonpayment of the fee and delinquency on payment of tuition in full.

  On September 8, 2023, confirmed with a representative via email that the payment plan fee was paid correctly and on time. The representative reiterated that the remainder of tuition fees were due on October 21, 2023. This information matched the due date as published in the deferment agreement, on the school's calendar, and in following school announcements.

  On 10/19/2023 was charged $115.30 with the description "card payment void 8/22/23." Not only was there not any "void payment" that occurred, there was no card on file approved to be charged an additional $115. Furthermore, since fees were not due until 10/21/2023 there was no reason for a payment to be attempted. This fee is not applicable in any way and shall be removed from the account including any late fees associated.

  In addition, there is a discrepancy in what is being charged for half-semester classes that were moved from the first half to the second half within the allotted time. The school's Cashier's Office is intentionally not responding to requests to speak with a manager for a printout of the account activity to confirm the dates of class adjustments.

  It is believed that the $848 paid for the accusation of classes dropped outside of the refund period shall be refunded as classes were moved from one half-semester to the second half-semester within the class adjustment time allotted. 

  Business response

  11/06/2023

  Complaint# 1.
  The payment for $115.30 was voided by our credit card processor PayPal on 8/22/2023 because it failed to process with an approval code. The transaction occurred at 6:33:07 PM and was voided at 6:38:11 PM.  The student account showed the payment and was manually reversed once the college received the void report on 10.21.2023. No payment was received for the failed transaction. Please refer *** ************* to review her credit card statement. No duplicate payments were charged to her credit card.  The $115.30 is still owed.
  
  Complaint #2.Real Estate Law and Real Estate Principals and Practices were dropped by the student using her access to our self-service registration system.  The attached reports show the student self-registered and self-dropped her classes. One of the classes Real Estate Law was dropped 9/2/2023 at 8:07 PM. This class was dropped during the 50% refund period and was refunded 50% of the paid tuition. The second course: Real Estate Principals and Practices
  was dropped on 9/10/2023 at 2:44 PM which is after the refund period had ended on 9/07/2023. The other attached screens show where the student dropped classes multiple times prior to the classes starting. No refund is owed as our refund policy is clearly stated on the 2023 Autumn Academic Calendar. 
  
  Payment was received on 10.21.2023 for $848.00. The tuition balance due was $848.68. The total unpaid amount is $115.68 and is due immediately. $115.00 for the voided payment and $.68 for the balance of the tuition due. 

  Information provided by,

  ***** ****, Director, Cashiers and Student Accounting

  Columbus State

  Customer response

  11/15/2023

  [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 
  
  Complaint: 20796046
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Essentially this apathetic response reveals an issue with the college's payment system, not with anything done on my part. I did exactly what I was supposed to do, in addition to confirming with the college several times that the transaction was complete, and it is unacceptable that it took two months to find an alleged payment issue on their end that I am now being faulted for it. The documents I sent show a payment of $115 applied and an additional $115 later added. Furthermore, students have the freedom to add and drop classes as needed, yet the college does not provide a history of activity within the student account that allows for confirmation of dates and details independent of their claims. I will have my lawyer to contact the Attorney General to check into Columbus State's payment practices.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ****

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