I tried attending the New Horizons in St. Louis, MO early-to-mid 2009, and here is the list of problems that I've had so far:
Joe Wilkins promised a Cisco IP Telephony class to accompany the ICND 1&2 and that the total would be $5,000. After I agreed to go to the school and signed paperwork, it comes out that the IP Telephony class was unavailable as that it was significantly more expensive than listed. In other words, Joe lied.
While weighing schooling options Joe Wilkins stated that the ICND class was available at your own pace and available from home as well. In reality it took several weeks to get started, because Joe put me off, waiting on an instructor-led version of the course. I agreed to wait, thinking that would be beneficial. Two days before the class was to start, it was canceled. This was just the beginning of my time that New Horizons had wasted. I asked to go back to the computer-based version of the course, as opposed to waiting the 3 more weeks before the next CHANCE for the course to be offered in that configuration. Joe said that it would take a week to order the book, and I planned on being at the class one week later at the Thursday following. That Monday, he called and acted as though I was supposed to be in the classroom at 9 AM. He acted as though it were my fault that I didn't know he had started the "mentored learning lab" time earlier than he had stated.
I showed up Thursday to find out that the lab hours were not "at your own pace available whenever you want" as I was led to believe by Joe's sales pitch, but there are 2 sessions available from 9AM to noon and 1PM to 4PM. It is available whenever they have an opening, and they say you can come in - quite a different story. Initially, my request for information to log in from home was denied. That is when I first requested to be let out of the school, as that the promises were not being fulfilled. Not to mention that the "mentored learning lab" is where you sit and watch a pre-recorded instructor present the material straight out of the book. I cannot see thousands-of-dollars of benefit to watching a video of someone reading out of the book on a computer screen.
Following that one week worth of the videos, that now had to be spread out due to limitations of available "mentored learning lab" time, I was told by the mentor that it would take me one or two weeks of review before I should take the test for the ICND 1. He gave me a .pdf file of practice questions to read through. Once again, reading practice questions to yourself doesn't seem to be worth thousands-of-dollars. I worked through them and contacted Joe Wilkins to schedule the test. Weeks pass, and he still hasn't gotten the test voucher to me as he promised. Upon contacting him again, he asks if I've taken the practice test. I ask, "What practice test?" Nobody had told me at any point throughout the "class" what I was supposed to expect and when. He said that he has to order a voucher for that - and eventually he gets back to me with the instructions to download practice test software. In other words, more self-guided-learning. I get through a few practice tests, and I feel that it's time that I should take the exam that now several weeks ago I had requested Joe to schedule - and Joe says that he needs to order the voucher. Frustrated, I wait. Almost a MONTH later Joe asks me what my status is!
I've had enough. That is my status. Nothing less than a full refund is acceptable, as that I'm going to take the class elsewhere. Now John Saunders, Jr., Director of the Consumer Training Division is saying that I can't even have the class refunded because I completed 50%. I say the 50% mark is after the first test is finished. Which that shouldn't be an issue anyway, because I requested a refund on day two.
I've submitted my complaint to the Better Business Bureau, Missouri attorney general Consumer Protection Division, and will submit my complaints to every website which takes user submitted reviews in the hopes that they will see their way clear to stop the bait and switch tactics.
There is even a website dedicated to their bad practices. I wish that I had run across that before I agreed to go to their "class." read more