A Pleasant Surprise

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It is nice to hear it - and I'm pleased for you. For the record, my TP was very good as well (sadly gone bust now) - it's just that there are so many cowboy outfits out there promising the Earth to people who have no business sitting in front of a computer unless it's using MS Office in a non-technical role.

 

Of course they gave you an INTRO book... the INTRO exam is going to be retired as of November 6, and the new version of the exam (named ICND1) will be released on August 15.

Hopefully, they are giving you new CCNA elements instead of old ones...

 

In that case, it's all good. And yes, you're right: the basics are still the basics, and the book will still have some value. I still have all my older Cisco Press books from when I first studied.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your naivety astounds me.

Of course they provide you with the Cisco Press book, it is part of their training materials! Wait until you try to sign up for the Live Internet Training Sessions, that don't exist except as pre-recorded downloads.

Since I am doing CCNP with the same provider, having to deal with training materials that are for the exams that were retired last December, with no date given for when the new materials will be supplied (I mean, it is only 8 months!), I wouldn't hold your breath for delivery of a CCNA course that matches the new objectives for quite a while.

Yes I now that at the moment this can't be expected for CCNA, but experience with this tp, who also took years to update their A+ course, and provided an updated N+ course eventually that was not properly matched to the CompTIA objectives, I'm past living in hope where they are concerned.

 

Agreed.

I'm not sticking up for Arro here - she can fight her own battles. It does seem at times though that this site should be renamed 'certificationsuccessprovidedyouagrrethateverytrainingproviderisascumbag.co.uk'

Honestly, about once a week someone comes on and badmouths a particular TP - many of them never to be heard from again who have obviously just bitten off more than they can chew and now want somebody else to blame for the fact that they've got sod all to show for five grand.

YES - there are plenty of shite TPs. Plenty. But occasionally people have some good experiences with their choice of provider, and a bit of positive feedback to redress the balance every now and then can only benefit this community.

As for the 'naive' bit - that was just plain out of order, and insulting.

Chill.

 

Crikey bikey MacAllan!!!! Give the young lady a break!

 

Damn...I forgot to add: Well Arroryn for doing well on your course! Keep the quick pace up!!!

 

Yes, and SkillsTrain, the tp Arroryn is linked with, are one of the worst offenders in that regard. I know personally from correspondence in another forum of their selling a
A+ -> N+ -> CCNA -> CCNP package to an unemployed 17 year old, getting his mother to sign the paperwork as he was too young, and when he found it not to his liking after about 3 months, leaving her with a bill for over £3000.

 

So that would put Skillstrain in the same league as a music shop that sells an expensive guitar and amp (or drumkit) on finance to the parent of child...3 months later the child can't be arsed to learn!!! So who's to blame? I would say the adult who signed the finance agreement...happens all the time with all sorts of products! And it's one of the main reasons that I had to work to buy my own drumkit - I'd bugged my mum and dad for a guitar when I was 7 - they bought me one but I couldn't be arsed learning - a keyboard when I was 11 - they bought me one but I couldn't be arsed learning and then when I was 15 I decided the drums were for me...mum and dad told me to fack off, get a job and save up for one! I did just that - 17 years later I'm still playing the drums!!! My parents learnt their lesson on getting in debt for me...

 

Perhaps the comment about naivety was excessive and I apologise for the offence it caused.

Since I have only just started their CCNP course, I have yet to decide what action to take if the coursework is not updated soon.

But just as you are unwilling to criticise the tp, I have equal cause to put the record straight in factual terms about my experience with them. The fact is that they rely on the Cisco Press books to cover much of the course material - there are areas that are not covered in the red folders, and reference is made to the Cisco books to fill the gap. I.e. they are an integral part of the course taught, not a free extra. The red folders refer to Live Internet Training lessons, that as a matter of fact, are not provided, except as pre-recorded sessions. The red folders contain factual errors, some of which corrections are now given on the website only because of the fuss I made. The TMAs contained questions that were marked incorrectly and have been corrected because of the fuss I made. This is a course several years old - why weren't the corrections made previously?

I don't believe I am being too judgemental: I have written and delivered accredited training courses, and have taught at Universities in the UK. I was taught, and was expected, to provide a professional level of service. I would never have got away with such shoddy standards - I would been sacked.

 

I haven't come here to post about my tp, and have actually been restrained in what I could say about them. Sorry, but I don't fall into your idea of someone who has bitten off more than I can chew, and have never complained that the course was too difficult or that I couldn't cope. But I don't see how it helps this community for information to be given that is inaccurate; and Arroryn's inference that the Cisco Press book(s) are some sort of generous 'extra' was precisely that.

You say there are shite tp's, and in an earlier post give a description of 'shite' behaviour, that in fact this tp is often guilty of. So, if someone has a positive experience with a 'shite' provider (by your definition), does it help the community for that experience to stand unchallenged?

 

But the music shop doesn't send a 'music advisor' to your house and use high-pressure sales techniques, does it? And the music shop doesn't make false claims about the instruments it sells, does it? And the music shop doesn't deliberately target the unemployed and people in sometimes vulnerable circumstances, does it?

Because some tp's do: and so as far as I'm concerned, they are therefore not quite in the same category.

 

You are as entitled to your experiences and standing up for them as I am.

Thank you for accepting my apology.

 

Well MacAllen it really depends on what music shop you go to! Believe me I've been in the queue waiting to purchase drumsticks and I overhear the sales guy doing his best to flog a guitar pick on finance to some poor kid! It really depends on their targets!

I agree with your points entirely but have to say that this isn't just limited to TPs! A LOT of firms do this and unfortunatley these firms are too ambigious on how their sales people reach their targets - in other words they leave too much to suggestion! The result is that the sales guy employs underhand tactics to get the sale - the way SOME of these sales guys sell is to do anything that the TP has not mentioned...this approach covers the TP's arse but not the sales guy i.e. the TP didn't say not to do it...but on the other hand they didn't say DO it...

As for my old TP, NITLC, well the sales guy was great! Not pushy at all...infact he sold it more to my mum cos she fancied the pants of him - now I'm not gay or anything but this guy's looks could sell anything! Top sales bloke in my opinion! I see him round town a lot - he always buys me a pint...b'stard always has a gorgeous blonde with him too

 

I'm tempted to say "caveat emptor"; let the buyer beware. As consumers we have some responsibility to make sure (as best we can) that the people we're buying goods and services from are playing fair with us. There are always going to be sales people out there who will take advantage of others, whether it's a training provider, music shop or (heaven help us) a used car dealership.

On the other hand, if Arroyn or anyone else is satisfied with the services rendered by her TP, so be it. Other people may have been messed over by their TPs but that doesn't invalidate the opinions of those who feel they're getting what they're paying for.

I'll step in and remind everyone that while debate is good, personalizing conflict isn't. If you read a post and start getting hot under the collar, refrain from replying until you've cooled off or if you can't be civil, don't reply.