Need help regarding problem faced with BCOC college

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Hi All,

I need some help or advise to put forward my problems with BCOC i.e Bickenhall college of computing.

I would say that BCOC is the worst college I have come across.
BCOC and LCSE are one and the same thing. These are the two different branches of the same college.
Their management is very poor. I had to face many problems after my enrolment.
Management treats you quite different before enrolling but after you make the payment their behaviour changes.
They don’t entertain their students properly, they hardly reply any e-mails and if you call them, they will say ‘Please call after some time or we will get back to you.’ But they will never call you back.
I faced many problems with BCOC.
The biggest problem is:
I have enrolled for a course since September 2009, my course name is SCWCD.
Since then I am waiting for the classes to start. . They have enrolled me, I paid around £900 and now they don’t have any course for SCWCD. I have been calling them regularly to check if they have any batch for this course. The worst part is BCOC is not refunding my money, but is forcing me to change the module. It is their mistake if they enrolled me for a course which they do not have.
They are asking me to choose any alternative module as they do not have the module for which I have paid.

I am a java developer, they don’t have any other java module except SCJP which I have already cleared.
Even then they are saying me to choose an alternative option.

I just want to make it clear for others that if you are joining BCOC then you may have such problem.

Also, if anyone is aware or if you have any idea regarding where can I complaint regarding BCOC.
There must be some board to keep a check on such educational institutions. I am looking to take some legal action.

£900 is big money. These colleges are cheating students, we can’t let our money go like this.

I would really appreciate, If you can advise me on this.

Thanks in advance.

 

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Contact your local citizens advice bureau.

 

Well, it's a bit of a p1ss poor complaint to be honest.
What was it that you signed up to?
In what way have they failed?
How are they 'cheating' students?
Is it really their job to 'entertain' you?
When was the course supposed to start?
Is it a classroom course, or distance learning?
What course is it?
Why would anyone feel the need to help you?

If you sent that info in an email to CAB, they'd probably just delete it.

More than happy to help, but not sure what you're after...

 

A bit harsh there Johnny, I think its a fair assumption English isnt the native tongue for the OP but its fairly clear what the complaint is, and it isnt lack of entertainment!

As GBL suggested, I would go to the CAB, and if necessary be prepared to follow up with a solicitors letter. If they have had to pull the course since you signed up for it that is fair enough, but they shouldnt hold you to ransom with your money, either an alternative that you are happy with or a full refund would be the way to go.

Saying that, you have left it a year - you should have been on this last year when the course didnt materialise as expected.

 

Sorry.

I'm all for helping out people who have been stiffed and I've done so in the past.

I just get really annoyed when people randomly shout out for help when they aren't clear about what they were expecting and how it's gone wrong. It's just happened so often it starts to grate on the nerves.

 

If you have signed any form of contract/agreement with them then you need to check that.
Even if they have managed to get you to sign something stating that refunds would not be given I doubt that would stand up legally since they have not even attempted to provide you with the service you paid for.
As GBL said, contact your local citizens advice bureau. They should be able to advise you on the legalities of the matter.

 

You can call the OFT Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or visit http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/ and they can advise you. On the website you can go to After Buy and it will give you a list of links. One is to Template Letters and you can use these to see if the matter can be resolved. With BCOC I am having to go one step further and go to www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk to challenge them legally as they:
1. Reject my complaint out of hand without responding to any of my points based on their own claims for level of qualification, expertise and fitness to teach. They have a complaints email: [email protected] and info is available on http://www.bcoc.co.uk/contact_us.aspx Principal is David James Kohn.
2. This in itself shows that they don't take complaints which is why they claim to never have any.

My story:

I enrolled in a course on web design and web database and found it wasn't, in my estimation, correctly sold to me.
It may be harsher to say that it wasn't 'tuition' as such and more of a workshop.
The first session was followed up with a homework assignment to practice what we had learned in class. I completed this successfully. The course leader wrote script up on the board, commented on it as he went and the class followed him by writing up script on their own computers, checking it in a browser as they went.
After the second session there was no coursework set. They provided a large textbook which did not follow the syllabus followed in the class which meant the classwork was difficult to practice or follow at home in the text book.
I said to the teacher that although I was following the script in class well, and I can touch type, it would help to have some homework to practice what had been shown in class. He set me the end of term assignment of producing a website with databases. Half way through the course that meant I had to see if the weekly 3 hour sessions of 'follow my leader' would give me sufficient working knowledge to so this. My comments about how the classes were taught without practice, tests or pages of the textbook indicated for home practice were rejected out of hand by the teacher, so I went to the students' office. A helpful person gave me the name and address to write into and I did. It was suggested that if I didn't think the course was right for me to withdraw and I waited 8 weeks for a response. It simply said 'course fees are non-refundable and my application form was sent to me. It mentioned terms and conditions I do not believe I had been shown.
I was then offered another course however there was no assurance it would be any different or better.
I then visited Consumer Direct and they talked me through the letters which I sent.
The regulation is the Supply of Goods and Services Act and the first letter gives them 14 days to respond and the second letter, 7 days.
I got both replies (that I had sent by registered post) after the specified time and the letter sent by regular mail was ignored.
The reply showed a total refusal to take any of my comments on board and there was no response except to say how well qualified the teachers were, how successful they were and this indicates that they reject all complaints. Or they just don' admit that they ever receive any.

I've now sent them a final action letter and am going to spend £50 taking them to the civil court unless they resolve the issue by reimbursing my course funds (or in part with any form of acknowledgement of no customer service). The Citizens Advice Bureau would help anyone who would like it or who, unlike me, doesn't have time at home to DIY.

I am working towards accessible, human-friendly and correctly sold tuition as 'follow my leader' with no homework, home study or even a page to read from the text book does not seem like teaching to me.

Also, web design is a design element that requires visual skills as well as technological ability and the BCOC web design course was purely focused on the programming and script, with no visual skills involved at all. It was therefore not very accessible to non-verbal, visually orientated or dyslexic people who are often very good at computers and design.

 

Hi
I've got a problem with Bickenhall college as well. Could you tell me if you got your money back? How did it end up?
Bickenhall college is a real pain in ...

Thanks

 

BCOC RiP and I'm not talking about routing protocol. They have collected money from their students and vanished. What can I say? If you used your Visa card to pay you can claim a chargeback (and have a hope) or take a legal action against these "clever" criminals.

 

Brick their windows in