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Find a Location

The Great Courses has 1 locations, listed below.

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    Business ProfileforThe Great Courses

    Continuing Education

    At-a-glance

    Customer Reviews

    2.13/5stars

    Average of 8 Customer Reviews

    Customer Complaints

    13 complaints closed in last 3 years

    6 complaints closed in last 12 months

    Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating

    Reasons for BBB Rating

    Overview

    Continuing Education, Professional, High School, Mathematics, Economics & Finance, History, Music, Fine Arts, Literature & Language, Religion, Philosophy & Intellectual History, Science, Podcasts

    Business Details

    Location of This Business
    4840 Westfields Blvd Ste 500, Chantilly, VA 20151-4219
    BBB File Opened:
    11/19/1996
    Years in Business:
    34
    Business Started:
    1/19/1990
    Business Started Locally:
    1/19/1990
    Business Incorporated:
    9/25/2006
    Type of Entity:
    Limited Liability Company (LLC)
    Alternate Business Name
    • The Teaching Company Sales LLC
    Business Management
    • Ms. Ashanta Solomon, Customer Advocate
    • Mr. Paul Suijk, President/CEO
    • Mr. Jason Smigel, Vice President of Operations
    Contact Information

    Principal

    • Mr. Paul Suijk, President/CEO

    Customer Contact

    • Ms. Ashanta Solomon, Customer Advocate
    Additional Contact Information

    Phone Numbers

    Email Addresses

    Website Addresses

    Customer Complaints

    13 Customer Complaints

    Need to file a complaint? BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process. How BBB Processes Complaints and Reviews

    File a Complaint

    Most Recent Customer Complaint

    09/13/2023

    Complaint Type:
    Customer Service Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    I must share my deeply unsatisfactory experience with Wondrium, a service I've been loyal to for three years, to highlight a crucial concern for potential customers.Over three years, I faithfully paid my monthly subscription fees. However, the sudden discovery of an annual ********* me feeling deceived, leading to this negative review.When I initially signed up, an annual plan was not presented as an option. Only when I tried to rejoin with a friend did I find this discrepancy. I contacted ********'s customer service for clarification.Initially, they redirected me to ****, where I initially signed up, but **** sent me back to Wondrium, as they managed payments. This is where the ordeal began. Instead of addressing my concerns, ********'s customer service adopted a dismissive attitude, claiming I had "fully enjoyed" their service.The heart of my grievance is that I paid $300 more over three years than I would have with the annual plan. When I pointed this out, their response was disheartening. They refused to offer a 50% discount on a 4-year plan (equivalent to $300), citing fairness to other customers.Their notion of fairness raises ethical questions. Other customers didn't suffer a $300 loss due to the absence of the annual plan during my sign-up. Their persistence in this stance seems like an attempt to retain my money, disregarding my legitimate concerns. It's frustrating that, despite my financial loss, they continue promoting their services to me with new customer promotions.I want to emphasize that I never requested a refund. My only request was a fair offer to return to their platform.The underlying issue is Wondrium's failure to understand customer satisfaction and ethical responsibility. They've not only provided unsatisfactory service but also profited from my $300 extra. I caution potential customers to consider alternatives that prioritize customer concerns and satisfaction.
    Read More

    Customer Reviews

    8 Customer Reviews

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    How BBB Processes Complaints and Reviews

    Start a Review

    Most Recent Customer Review

    Diana D

    2 stars

    01/28/2024

    My late husband purchased a lot of courses from this company over a number of years and enjoyed the instruction and most of the instructors. As far as I know he never encountered any billing problems. He constantly got catalogs in the mail, and when I received the first one after he died I looked to see how I could remove him from the mailing list. Instructions for someone who died were to actually write to the company with the particulars - name, customer #, etc. - and ask them to remove the name. I took the time to do that and thought that would be it. Unfortunately, not only was his name not removed, Great Courses started mailing catalogs to him at my new address, which they must have gotten from my correspondence. I then called the company to complain about the mistaken mailing and ask again that his name be removed. I was assured that would happen, but that it would take a couple of months because of mailings that were already in the pipeline. Several months passed and I continued to get catalogs and mail addressed to my dead husband, which was extremely upsetting. I wrote on one of the letters, in very emphatic language, that he had died and mailed it back, begging them to stop sending catalogs. After I got yet another one, I called again and was told by someone who actually listened to me that there were 2 accounts for my husband and that only one had been cancelled. She assured me that she would cancel the 2nd one and the mailings will stop. She also apologized. This was an extremely upsetting experience for me, and it never should have taken as much time, effort and stress as it did to get corrected. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

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