another dissatisfied computeach user...

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Freeloader, I would disagree 100% with what your saying. If Shambles was taking his MCSE with them then I would get an extension depending on the quality of the course. For an A+ forking out more money just isn't worth it. For the cost of the extension and possibly one retake for each of the exams at a discount from somewhere like getcertified4less I think it would be cheaper than an extension. I would buy a good book like myers or my personal choice sybex and read through it making notes and with that and the knowledge shambles has learned from the two years should get them through the exams. What Shambles needs to take into account is his/her skills and if their general PC knowledge is upto scratch. I think with a good book you can fill in the missing gaps.

At the end of the shambles it's really down to what knowledge you have in which path you choose...

 

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Tyler D - those pass scores don't sound especially high. I don't have a calculator with me, but they look to be under 80%... I can do that, I'm sure! I'm very tempted to do some revision and just go for it...

I've just received the combined mock from Computeach, but whilst I am trying to sort out this mess, I have asked them to suspend my studies. If I continue, based on past performance, it might take me six months to get up to their 90% pass, by which time I am into their penalty payment period, and if I accept that, then any argument I have with them goes up in smoke. Unless I cheat and look in the book for the answers, and get them to enter me for the real exams when I pass theirs - in which case A+ has cost me £5000... Even if I get them to enter me now, it's still a lot of dough for an entry-level qualification...

But they still might come good. I'm trying to keep an open mind.

 

Shambles,

The pass marks for the A+ exams are about 55%. If you can consistently acheive 85-90% on any test software each go after another then even with the worst questions they can think of you stand a very good chance of passing

 

That's good enough for me! I think the lowest score I ever got was 65%. With a bit of new-found optimism (thanks, guys!) I'm sure I can do it. It might cost a couple of hundred pounds, but even if the computeach example questions are easier than the real thing, I reckon I must have a fair chance. And it might give me some additional weight in my argument with computeach. I'll let you know what happens...

 

Shambles, don't rush into anything before making sure you have done your prep for the exams first. Before sitting the exams I would read through the sybex book and make notes to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. If you need help then post in the forums and I'm sure people will help you along the way...

 

Hi Shambles,

Don't quote me on this, but as far as I am aware, the Computeach mock questions are actually very accurate, as I believe they are written by a highly reputable US prep test provider (the name escapes me). The downside (if it is one) is that they are every bit as dubious and confusing as the real thing, so at least you will go in prepared.

Good luck, and I'm glad we made you feel at least a little better about this situation.

 

I couldn't rush it if I tried - I've been doing this for years, remember! I realise I will have to go through the whole lot again, but I am more confident about actually sitting the exam for real and getting a pass, than I am about hitting another 90% for nothing. Interesting comment about the questions, though - I thought that was down to You-know-Who rather than something else...

 

Spot on there Jak

 

I have just posted my third letter of complaint to Computeach. They (apparently) couldn't be bothered to reply to the previous two. I'll let you know (if you're interested - some of you will be, for sure) how things go...

 

I have been with CT myself and my 3½ yr limit has now expired. I refuse to pay £80 per month to stay with them as this is far too much money (as if I haven't spent enough already).

As for the mocks they give you, they are taken straight from the Transcenders, or slightly modified. This is the reason they will not send you the transcenders until you have passed the Mock.

On a personal note I did not do A+.
I have passed exams 70-210 and 70-290, failed 70-291 once will resit it soon.

Probably my biggest gripe with CT is the time you spend at their base In Dudley, for 70-210 and 290 we had 2½ days training and took the exam on the third day (either mid morning or early afternoon). When I took 70-291 we had approx 2 days training and sat the exam at the end of the second day at 4.45pm. Sitting down to an exam at that time of day is not good!!

They told us this was at the request of students who wanted to get it over with and go home When you look at the money we all spent to be on the course, you would think people would want to spend as much time there as possible.

Altough the tutors are very good (especially Manish), I found the rest of my experience with CT rather disappointing. I feel there should be more in centre visits, not just to sit the exam, especially for people who are obviously struggling.

Thats enough moaning for now, I only intended to add a small post

Ian Dennis

 

@shambles: did you take the A+ exam then?

@Ian Dennis: yeah i know what you mean about the exams, i always make sure to take them in the morning before my brain clouds up.

 

Not yet - I have my hands full with moving house. It would have been cool to have got it done and passed before getting into a fight with you-know-who, but I also have real-life to look after. Hopefully, I will be settled in my new home by Easter - then I can seriously book up.

 

So what is the end verdict?? This is quite a story?
@Shambles: have you got a reply with CT complaints? Did you do your A+?

All i can say about CT is " Damn you! Damn You!!!!!!"

 

Hi, TheCheekMaster...

No, it's not over yet. I suspect this could run and run, because the more I am getting messed about, the more determined I am getting about sorting them out a bit.

My third (and final) letter, threatening legal action if they fail to respond, has been ignored just like the previous two. It's now been two weeks - plenty of time in my opinion. Altogether, this has been going on for 8 weeks...

I have a bit of a dilemma to deal with now. Someone posted me details of a company that specialises in making claims against IT training companies. They work on a 'no win, no fee' basis, and make their profit from taking a percentage. I might get a bit less in my pocket (assuming a win), but I at least get some knowledgeable support in court. I emailed them a while ago, but got no reply. Maybe I have a rubbish claim, maybe the email went astray, maybe they are not that well organised - I don't know.

The dilemma is: Do I go with a company like this (if I can find one willing to take it on), or do I go the DIY small claims route? (For those of you outside of the UK, we have a court system which allows for a more informal way of taking someone to court for amounts less than £5000 - it's cheap, you don't need a lawyer, and the court take special account of the fact that you are not legally trained and probably quite nervous). I'm not really sure how Computeach will respond to either. If I go the 'no win, no fee' route, I guess they might get heavy in their response. If I go small claims, I should get a more moderated response from them. I only want my money back! Any advice out there?

Some of you, I know, will think I am wasting my time - I signed a contract, tough luck if I didn't read it properly. Some of you will think I am whinging on, and creating a crusade against Computeach to cover my own spectacular failure to learn.

But I think I was mislead, and my inexperience and trust taken advantage of. I think I have paid a lot of money for something I haven't actually had. And to top it all, I have been completely ignored when I have protested about it. I'm posting here because I'm looking for some advice, and because I know that the next time someone types the words 'Computeach Complaints' into google, they will (if they go down a few pages) find this post. Hopefully, however this ends, something in it will help someone. Yes, (for those of you who are fed-up with this story already) I could just shut up and put up, but that would be wrong !

 

It's entirely up to you to go to court. but it's going to be a fight, your right they will say its all in the small print , i spoke to my mate about this; he goes they give you 14 days cooling off period where you only just lose your deposit, and you have a 2/3 yr course after which, if it needs to be continued assuming you have not finished, then you will have to pay a percentage of the course per quarter. did you take out a career development loan?

 

Yes, I did. And I'll be paying it back for a long time to come... I'm certainly not going to pay 5% a quarter on top!

PS. Whilst putting my case together, I've reviewed my scores over the past couple of years. Here they are:

Started course: 09.06.03 approx.
Stage 1 (65% to pass)
07.07.03 76% passed on 1st attempt

Stage 2 (80% to pass)
09.10.03 88% passed on 1st attempt

Mock Exam 220-301 (90% to pass Computeach/57% to pass real exam)

11.01.04 58%
18.02.04 76%
20.04.04 78%
01.06.04 82%
14.06.04 82%
30.07.04 82%
11.08.04 78%
01.09.04 82%
23.09.04 88%
08.10.04 88%
03.11.04 94% passed after 11 attempts

Mock Exam 220-302 (90% to pass Computeach/56% to pass real exam)

25.01.05 70%
10.03.05 84%
11.05.05 82%
15.06.05 88%
14.07.05 84%
24.08.05 86%
19.10.05 84%
10.11.05 92% passed after 8 attempts

I've only posted these to show how ridiculous the 90% pass policy is. Based on these alone, I'd likely have got a passing score on the real exams if I had just gone for them without using anything other than Sybex - and without Computeach.

Or, if you look at it another way, I've spent two years passing a pretend exam and still have no idea how I'd do in a real one - after all, I've only ever looked at the 100 questions provided by Computeach in all that time... (Luckily, I've looked for test questions elsewhere - my naivity does have limits!)

 

I've had a look at your first post and this last one.

You are p1$$ed off at the slow progress of the course and the high practice pass mark. You also don't seem satisfied with the respose from tutor support.

Before you launch an attack, you need to be completely clear on what your grounds are.

Generally, you will only win a case where you have been misled or they have not provided you with something that they said they would.
I bought a pair of shoes once, OK, they didn't cost £5000 but I didn't like them, they were uncomfortable.
It never occured to me to take them back because I didn't like them, I made a bad decision in buying them.

In their defense they will say that the high mock pass rate is there to ensure a higher rate of success in the exam (better prepared etc) which is of benfit to both of you.

They could well be obstructing you from taking the real exams, but you would have a hard time proving it. When you sign up with someone, you have to stick with their rules and procedures. The fact that you might not like them has nothing to do with it. In my opinion, the ruling would go something like 'If you didn't want to do it that way, you shouldn't have signed up'.
If your only response is 'I didn't know how they would do it...' then the obvious response is 'What? And you gave them £5000?'


I'm not attacking you or having a go. You're not alone here, but you need to be realistic about what is going on.

Good luck.

 

If you go to court, there is a chance that it will be settled without the court actually having to make a judgement. It often happens like that. You and the representative for CT will be given a chance to talk it over and see if you can come to a mutually acceptable agreement.

It is worth a try, I don't think you have much to lose and there is a possibility you could claw some cash back.

If it goes into court and the judge makes a decision, it will be based on legal facts. IMHO you will lose the case.

Good luck!

Those internal exam scores are interesting, did they give you any feedback as to what areas you were falling down on?

 

@jonnyMX - Yes, you are right, I am not at all happy about the response I have had from Computeach. Mostly, because there hasn't been one!

But it's also true to say that my position has changed somewhat in the last eight weeks. Initially, I was just upset that I had been mislead about the time available to me to complete these courses, and that as a result of this, I would have to find yet more money to add to the £5000 I have already spent. I was annoyed at myself that I hadn't spotted it in the small print and that I had allowed myself to get sucked into what feels like a marketing scam. I'm still really annoyed at that, but I also now feel aggrieved that, because of the way the 'training' (inverted commas because I have actually only been 'tested' - the word 'training' implies an attempt to impart knowledge) has been delivered, I may well have wasted the last year attempting to reach a standard that has delayed my progress, rather than improving my performance in any real way.

But here's the clincher for me. I paid for an A+ qualification (2 exams) and the 'Master Networking Professional' qualification, which I believe consists of the MCSE and a CISCO component - 11 exams there, I believe. No matter what I think about the A+ training I have received, I cannot deny that they have delivered it, in part at least. But I haven't even seen the more advanced material. I have paid for something I simply have not had and which has so far cost Computeach absolutely nothing. To use your shoe analogy, this is like paying for a pair of shoes and a pair of socks, getting the socks straight away, and then, because the socks don't suit you, you get told that you can't have the shoes you paid for, or a refund for them, either. From my point of view, I bought two seperate things. I have had part of one of those things, but no part of the other. I don't even want to give the socks back, I just want the money I paid in advance for the shoes!

But believe me, I do know that the odds are stacked against me. But this situation is just so wrong. And Computeach won't even talk to me about it!

@Bluerinse - I'd be happy to consider any offer - but I am annoyed that it looks like it is going to take me making threats to get them to do it. As for feedback, basically, they split 50 questions into 5 or 6 sections of 5 to 10 questions on (say) 'Diagnosing and Troubleshooting', 'Printers' etc. the feedback you get will tell you that you have 2 questions wrong in Section 1, 1 in Section 2 etc. But you never know exactly which question is wrong in any section. Now the thing is, as far as I am concerned, every answer I have given is right - I wouldn't knowingly enter a wrong answer. But because the feedback says that one of them is wrong, I have to look at all of them again - I can't assume that because I think it is right, it actually is right. But, funny thing, despite reading and re-reading the reference materials until I am blue in the face, I was often just coming up with the same old answers as I gave before, which is infuriating, because I know I am wrong somewhere... Eventually, it turns into a bizarre guessing game, where you have to put down what looks like a 'wrong' answer because all your 'right' answers just can't be right... I can't think about this too much - it gives me the heebee-jeebees!

@Sparky - Trouble is, I really am right in the middle of a house-move. It's going to take me a while to settle things down, and get back to studying again. I said in an earlier post that I felt that I had gone backwards in the last few months, and that is true. You know that old saying - if you don't use it, you lose it? That's how it feels. I have spent so long focussing on finding those last few wrong answers, I feel sure I know less now, than I did a year ago. Also, I think there might be a clock ticking on me taking legal action. I need to get that done as soon as possible. Because my main arguments against Computeach are that I was mislead, and I have not been given a service I have paid for, the issue about the structure of the training is going to have to take a back seat. Besides, I think it would be a difficult argument to make, given that Computeach apparently have such an outstanding reputation for IT training delivery...