(Another) Skillstrain thread?

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

I decided to do one of their courses but had to go through the charade of their advisor vetting me. Guess what? I was a suitable candidate, who'd a ever thunk it? Anyway I didn't mind as he was only doing his job. So at the end of his sales pitch I signed up to a credit agreement for the amount he told me the course would cost. One week later I got confirmation of the credit agreement from the bank. I browsed it and noticed it had been altered and the alteration had been initialed by me. The cost of the course had been increased by 15%. I had not agreed any such thing nor had I initialed anything.

I rang skilltrain to tell them what happened and was a bit shocked to be asked "what do you want to do?". I pressed and, apparently, in that week the cost of the course had risen 15%. So it looked like the salesman had just taken it on himself to hike up the credit agreement in my name. There was no outrage on the part of the person (remember he had been told that one of his salesmen had just blatantly broken the law) I was speaking to and I got the impression they expected me to say "oh well I'll pay the extra". Nothing else was said. The guy acted like this wasn't extraordinary.

The impression I am left with of Skillstrain is very poor. I have a gut feeling that the company were in on this and it's a way to fleece punters (I have no proof). But even if this is not true the childish attempt that was made to defruad me and the companys reaction to it would make me warn people off them.

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

I presume you have cancelled the agreement?

This is clearly a matter for you to decide what to do for yourself but I have to agree, it is not legitimate business practice to initial something on behalf of a client. Whether or not the company was aware of this dubious alteration we can only speculate about. It has always confused me how financial and legal documents can be amended by just initialing them. To me this is a glaring security loop hole. Anyone can write someone else's initials and it would be hard to tell, even a signature can be practised and copied without to much effort. It's time that the legal profession emerged from the dark ages and started to require more advanced techniques to identify people than two scribbled letters.

 

Yep cancelled, to be honest I was in two minds anyway. I can not say 100% that this was comapany policy but I got a very bad feeling about things based on the reaction of person I spoke to at head office. In fact, in couple of days, I'm ringing back to see what action they have taken and if the salesguy has not been sacked, then it's well suspect (don't get me wrong, I'll take no pleasure in a man losing his job, but there is no way he can't be sacked)

I've decided to go down the self teaching route (up to a point), buy a couple of books and self tests. I've seen people say you can teach yourself A+ and N+ with a little effort. I'm not in IT but there are opportunities at work to get experence.

Is this an unreasonable plan?

 

for sure! If you can get experience in work then go for it! The A+ All in one is the book to buy, work your way through it, follow what it tells you and practice everything! Then while you at it see what experience you can pick up - every little but helps!

Good Luck mate and sorry to hear about the experience you had!

 

Thanks. That's the very book I have just ordered. The experience was in no way bad and the dodgy salesman saved me about a grand and a half I reckon.

Someone up there likes me

 

okay, double post, I'm sorry.

Skillstrain have rang me. I dont remember if I was apologised to but what I do remember is I was told personal details about the sales rep (apprently he had just broken up with his girl-friend and his granny had just died) and then asked if he should be sacked or not. I pointed out to the manager I was speaking to that I had no desire to do his job for him and was not going to take responsibility for potentially ruining another man's career (also this man has been in my home, seen my children and knows where I live. Melodramatic? Yes. But the man had just tried to rob me with a ball-point, so perhaps he's not to be trusted) I should never have been put in that position.

You might ask why I'm bleating on here about this. I am because I think that these actions are indicative of a company run badly. They broke every rule all in the customer relations hand book and with style. Think twice before giving them money. They are a bit rubbish as far as I can tell.

I asked, in the flow of my righteous indignation, if I would get my deposit back in the next seven days. They said I would. This is the litmus test. If there is even the slightest hassel in me getting my deposit back then they are truely a company of fools. If they offer some sort of compensation, then maybe there is hope for them. I have no interest in getting any compensation for my trouble. But from my working life I know exactly how these things should be delt with. And doing the right thing is a sign your dealing with professionals and not a bunch of clowns.

 

Hi owhufc,

I'm sorry to hear of this tale, and moreso glad to hear it is almost at a satisfactory conclusion. I have kept out of it before now, and I understand from the above why you are so frustrated (on several occasions, no less). However, from what you're saying, the training provider appear to have admitted liability in this instance, and shown a willingness to comply with your wishes.

With this in mind, I must ask you now to consider what you're posting on here, as it could (and in the past has) have separate legal implications for CertForums, and I don't think any of us really wants to contemplate that.


Thanks for your time

 

No problem. Everthing I am writing is opinion and I can back up any specific claims I have made with documents. I'll happily share them with anyone that needs to see them.

I'm 99% sure it's all down to incompetence rather that dishonesty. I'm not on a crusade against Skillstrain just documenting an experience so that those considering them as an IT trainer are fully informed. I'm sure there are happy customers out there.

 

sorry to hear of your experiences, I too had a bad experience with them having signed and then received out of date material.
Dated 2001 for a 2003 objective exam!
They offered to send the new stuff but decided against studying with them as found this site and thought I would go down the self stud=y than pay £1500 for A+ and N+
Plus had a bad feeling about them in general
Needless to say they kept threatening me as I blocked the first payment as I would not pay for an out of date course, Threatening letter after threatening letter arrived in the post arguing back and forth until they got their solicitors to write me and have the cheek to tell me the Salesman did not work for them and that my complaint should be taken up with the company he worked for!! No chance!!! That was even more shocking!!
got my solicitors to write to them threatening to take them to court for contractual mis-representation if they continued to harass me, Needless to say I never heard another word so please be careful before signing any credit agreeement as in this case I was foolish and signed BEFORE receiving the material.