Exam Payments!!!

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Hi,

I'm so angry and I'm not sure if I'm right or wrong on this...

I got a loan for a A+ & N+ course from Scheidegger - now known as Skills Train.
I requested my the exam information sheet which tells me to call or register for my exams on-line but it says I need to pay!!! What??? I paid £1500 for my course and I need to pay to take my exam!!! Is this correct??

 

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I don't know I am not with your training provider, but as far as I aware some training providers charge you for a course not the exam. This why a lot of people on here self study becuase you can get the books yourself and then take the exam so there is no need to pay for a course.

It will be in your contract that you have to pay exam fees

 

the exams are normally separate as far as i know,mine were definetely separate,it's around £260 for the 2 exams,i went to college so they were £65 each.
£1500 is fairly high just for the A+, it's £300+ to take this course at college.
the £260 would just be for the A+ exams
you'd need more money on top of that for the N+

 

I'm really angry at these cowboys called Skills Train! I don't have a contract at all, absolutely nothing with information. I remember the day the rep came to my home and explained everything but he never told me I would have to pay to sit my exam (what a surprise) and what happened to those work shops I would be attending with other students in Glasgow they never happened either!! I'm so angry! Now I owe debt to the bank and I could have learned all the A+ & N+ stuff from the net.

I'm going to call them tomorrow on my break and request answers if I can't get any resolution... OFT it is.

 

the way it is done at college,exams aren't charged in advance as some people want to do the course and not sit any exams,they just want the experience of the course,i know that sounds odd.
So the course ends you get your certificate for completing the course you can then pay for the exams if you want to take them.
When i was going to go the private route myself,similar to skills train,they were asking for at least £1000- for the course,and they were also asking for full rate for exam fees on top,so another £260, on top of the £1000+.

 

Scheidegger have a very bad rep, i doubt yoru experience is the only case, you may concider taking them to court to get yoru money back.

 

I doubt it'll be much consolation to you narey but it cost me £2200 to find this out. I'm afraid that if you google them you'll find we're not alone.

 

I spoke to skillstrain recently on the phone, the woman didn't really know much at all. I told her £5k I'd already been quoted by another company, she was shocked and said skills train would be now where near that, BUT I've been looking into a few companies and when It comes down to it I think I may have had more knowledge than her!

I had to point out to her that her company don't include the exam fees, and retakes if you fail were included in the other. All in all the cost was about the same for what I wanted to do.

You really have to check the small print before you commit.

 

Im currently with skills-train and im going to be booking my A+ exam soon. They told me that when you pay for the exams they will refund your money with a check.

 

The number of times we see people coming onto CF having been shafted by a TP is really quite depressing. It is so easy to be wise to what these firms are like in hindsight; however, I believe that the fault firmly lies with the Government and the training/IT industry. There has to be some way (rather than just trading standards) that a control can be put on these firms to make them accountable.

Is this type of thing worldwide? Does the US have the same type of issues as the UK?

 

I was quoted £1700 by Home Learning Centre and needless to say I told them where to go, £17.50 for a book and £111 for each test is a far better option (and of course if you need any additional info then I'm sure it's on here).

 

Did the £1700 include the exam fees, or was that just for the course? If it's just for the course, you'd STILL have to spring for the pair of £111s.

In my opinion, you're probably £1682.50 to the wiser.

 

IMHO if you buy Mike Meyers books and you can't cope/understand it then maybe the course isn't for you and spending £1500-£3000 on a HLC won't help you.

Of course I can say that because I'm older and wiser (well older anyway) and maybe I'll not be saying that whenever I try for the Microsoft certifications

 

good point.

I am against TPs in general since all they do is give you some books and charge loads for doing so.

 

Hi all, I started the A+, Cisco course with these company after a marvellous sales technique had me fooled. The documentation actually states 'all examination fees are included in the cost of the course). Like many others, I was furious when I was told I had to pay, then they pay you back. What?? Anyhow, I am not having it, it was not the agreement I signed for and I'll be damned if I am paying £2750 for this course, there are also opinions regarding the actual certificated - which might prove useless...see elsewhere on this site. I was shocked to read the watchdog report on this company.
I have taken it to the financial ombudsman, skillstrain have told him that they have paid for my exam and I have in fact sat the exam - total bulls**t! I see it that the loan is therefore 'not fit for its purpose' and that skills train have deliberately deceived us all. May I suggest emailing this person regarding your problems; [email protected]

He'll have to listen to all of us, just one can be fobbed off.....

 

I have attempted the exam route,the fact is that you take out a considerable loan which is paid in its entirety to skills train for the entire course 'including examination fees'. My complaint is that the student is not expecting to be asked to pay for the examinations what so ever as he/she has already paid via the loan. By the time he / she finds out that skills train expect the student to pay and accept a refund, it is too late to cancel the course if the student simply cannot afford to pay the examination fees.
The information should be clearly available from the outset to prevent innocent people being entered into a binding contract from which there appears no escape for any reason what so ever. To my mind the simple act of asking students to pay for the examination/s, which has already been paid for in the loan, is a breach of contract. There are hundreds of complaints about this company, on various sites and with TV's Watchdog. This has put me off distance learning courses for life. There is no protection out there for the student and there certainly should be, don't you think?
Sorry, didn't realise one had to introduce oneself.....

 

Cheers, I can see it must get a little tedious, I didn't check the dates so I apologise for that. I have read through all the paperwork and I can say there is no information on the exam system. The financial ombudsman is in part agreement with me. Skills train have informed him that I have been sent a cheque by them, booked and sat my exams -I certainly have not. I have contacted Prometric and hopefully they will confirm this for me. I don't know, maybe I am unlucky or maybe they are not 100%? Cheers for your advice, I will look at this.