Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Sprott Shaw College's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Sprott Shaw College

  201 7818 6 St Burnaby, BC V3N 4N8

• 

  Sprott Shaw College

  204 20395 Lougheed Hwy Maple Ridge, BC V2X 2P9

• 

  Sprott Shaw College

  6 140 Terminal Ave Nanaimo, BC V9R 5C5

• 

  Sprott Shaw College

  2603 Skaha Lake Rd Penticton, BC V2A 6E8

• 

  Sprott Shaw College

  7920 Cambie Rd Richmond, BC V6X 3K6

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:23/01/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am filing a complaint against Sprott Shaw College for misleading program advertising, unethical contract practices, and failure to issue a promised refund.Background:In July 2024, I enrolled in the Cybersecurity Specialist program, choosing the advertised co-op option for its hands-on experience and $12,000 lower cost than the practicum option. Despite signing multiple co-op contracts, days before the program started, I was pressured to sign a practicum contract instead. The co-op option was suddenly unavailable, contradicting active advertisements. This bait-and-switch tactic led me to request a refund of my $250 enrollment fee, as the program I selected was not honored.Unethical Practices:Several staff members, including ***** ****, ***** *****, ***** *******, ***** **********, and ****** ******, pressured me into signing conflicting contracts without clear explanations or adequate time for review. This caused significant stress and raised doubts about the institution's integrity.Refund Issues:On November 20, 2024, I requested email confirmation that my $250 refund had been mailed, as I was unable to visit the ******* campus on weekdays. Staff, including the receptionist who refused to provide her name, assured me I would receive this confirmation. To date: I have not received the refund or email confirmation.Calls to the ******* campus disconnect automatically.An alternative number provided ************ does not work.Repeated attempts to contact staff have failed, and ***************** has resumed normal operations, ruling out mailing delays.Request for Investigation and Resolution:Investigate Sprott Shaw Colleges unethical practices, including false advertising and contract manipulation.Issue my $250 refund immediately.Hold the responsible staff accountable for their actions and lack of communication.Sprott Shaw Colleges conduct has caused undue stress, wasted my time, and disrupted my plans. I seek your assistance in resolving this matter promptly.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/02/2025

  This dispute Appears to be closed. The student was refunded on January 23, 2025 - see attached photo of cheque. Student signed that they had picked up. The college has kept no other monies. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter enrolled at Sprott Shaw College with start date March 27, 2023. A contract was signed by my daughter *********************** under ******. The advisor at that time was reading over the contract and made my ************************************************************************************************** place yet. Sprott **** allowed her to start classes before payment. In June ************************************************************** Which i had sent previously in the begining of March. I have emails stating that i have sent the document already. In November 2023 there was an email sent, verifying that **** has been disenrolled from the school with no reason provided. **** tried to contact them from Nov 2023 to get some answers.No communication was delivered by the school. After multiple attempts from **** to speak with anyone from the school, via phone or email,no response until February 2024. After they finally responded to her many email is when they wanted a meeting. That's when they stated that **** should be reinstated and apply for student aid again. This was February 2024. Since the enrollment date of March 2023 there has not been a single invoice or money, or bill owed until until February 2024 at the meeting. Which was being pressured again to apply for her student funding, Today April 3rd, they threatened saying they will have collection coming after **** if she does not sign the student loan papers and putting her under diress again. They said that she went to school for free and need to pay for what she went for. They will not give any certificate until student aid is applied for. Luckily I was there and I had to stop and intervene. The director ****,said to **** that you are a grown up. You need to fugure this out.** ******** *** ****** *******. Has not left the room since this meeting. She had missed classes in the past due to her mental health, which the school is aware of. Please call me for more information at ************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Hello, attached is the written permission from my daughter. Sprott **** has tried to intimidate us and threaten us to pay for tuition, whennit has been their mistake from the beginning. They said they will give a certificate back in November,  which they failed to do so.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Please let me know if you received it

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2024

  April 9, 2024
  

  Sprott Shaw College has a clearly defined student handbook that details academic and attendance policies along with our dispute resolution process. During the registration process students are provided with a copy of this handbook, the campus advisor provides an explanation of the policy and the student initials next to each item that they have reviewed prior to signing the contract. These policies along with many other such as code of conduct are reviewed with students again during their first week of the program during orientation, the student signs another acknowledgement that they have read an understood the requirements of the student handbook. The concern with responding to this complaint is that it is not made by the student that signed the contract who is over the age of 19. It is also to be noted that the student has not followed the dispute resolution process as outlined in the student handbook.

  In the complaint, it was stated that the student enrolled under duress, the college has documentation of all emails and text messages during the enrollment process. The student reached out on multiple occasions to enroll, came to the college in-person to discuss the program on Feb 23, 2023,she then came back to the college on March 1, 2023, the student registered for the program, signed their contract and paid their $250 registration fee.Student was informed that they were required to complete a TB test, and the student paid for their Criminal Record Check which is a requirement of the program entrance. The college contacted the student on March 20, 2023, to remind them of their upcoming start on March 27, 2023. The student attended in person on their first day March 27, 2023.

  The student started out quite strong with regards to grades and attendance up until July 2023, averaging 81% successful completion in courses. Prior to the student withdrawing they either failed or were incomplete for 3 courses, in particular the student failed their last course due to missing too many days. The attendance policy is reviewed in detail to all students at the time of enrollment. On her contract she signed that she had read and understood the attendance policy, which states:

  
  Attendance

  Sprott **** maintains strict policies regarding attendance and punctuality in keeping with the objective of training students for entry into the work force.  In other words:  It is expected that school attendance is considered in the same way that an employee would act in the workplace, with punctuality and full attendance.

  In the case of illness or unavoidable absence, the student must make all reasonable efforts to contact the school prior to class time by phoning the administrator/answering service and giving the instructors name and the name of the class.

  In the event that the student misses a class, they are responsible for completing any missed work on their own time and within assignment guidelines.  It is the students responsibility to maintain contact with the College (instructor) and classmates to obtain missed work and information.

  If late, the student is required to check in with the front administrator before joining the class.

  All late arrivals and absences are recorded by the instructor and become part of the students permanent record.

  The total course hours attended is shown as a percentage on the student transcript (not calculated into any class grades). Fifteen minutes missed in any hour constitutes one missed hour.

  When a student is absent from the College for a period of three consecutive calendar days without notifying the College of the reason for the absence, the student will be considered as having been dismissed from the course and will have to re-sit the course as soon as practical and possible. When a student is absent from the College for a period of ten consecutive calendar days without notifying the College of the reason for the absence, the student will be disenrolled from the program.

  Any student who has excessive absenteeism for any course (up to and including 20% for non-regulated programs; 10% for PN, 10% for Trades programs), may receive an incomplete for that course, and will have to successfully retake the course in order to receive the required credits.

  Absences may only be excused at the discretion of the Director but will still be considered as an absence.  If the absence is due to medical reasons, the student may be asked to provide a medical note. In certain circumstances typically related to a medical absence, any re-sit fees are waived.

  The college has emails in June following up with the student regarding outstanding fees and funding. The student is responsible to complete an Appendix 3 application and the parent must complete an Appendix 1. The student completed their portion of the application with the advisor prior to the start date of the program, which is standard practice. The delay came with the parent not completing their Appendix 1 in a timely manner. The parent claims in the complaint that she had sent the outstanding paperwork, however Student Aid BC did not receive. The college had to connect with the parent in June to walk them through the steps. They were reminded in an email that if the student did not secure funding that they would be responsible for payment for the program. The college sent them a tentative payment plan in July. It is to be noted that the parent did not complete the student loan application therefore the student is owing money to the college. She did send a photo to the college in November 2023 of the Student Loan declaration, but this document is required to be mail to Student Aid BC by the student or parent, this was also stated to them in an email June 2023. The student was dismissed November 9, 2023 due to not meeting program requirements and therefore the college could not process any future payments from SABC.

  At the time of the students withdrawal, she was falling below the requirements and was missing 30.8% of overall course time and had failed/incomplete in 4 courses. There were several email reminders to the student between June and October 2023, informing the student of the college policies, reminders to submit assignments.
  The students last day of attendance was November 2, 2023.

  When they did not attend classes the week of November 6,2023, the college emailed the student to request an in-person meeting with the associate director. On November 9, 2023 the student was informed that she was withdrawn from the program due to exceeding the attendance and academic requirements for the program. The student emailed a few days later asking to return but the college stood firm in the decision to maintain the withdrawal as the student needed to spend some time working on their health so that they could meet the program requirements in the future. She was encouraged to return to the program once she was able to maintain attendance requirements. There was a follow up email to this meeting from the college where the student was told the door is open for you to return.

  The college continued to check-in after the student had withdrawn via email and phone calls to see if there was a plan to return so that she could successfully complete the program. The college reached out November & December 2023. The student replied in December to pause the re-entry in order to focus on her health.

  The student emailed the college on February 13, asking for information regarding the re-entry process, the person she emailed was away at the time. And the college responded to the student on March 4, a meeting was scheduled for March 8. The student and her sister came to the campus to meet with the director and the financial administrator, in this meeting they reviewed the re-entry process and the student loan application requirements.

  The week of April 1st, 2024 the student and her mother came to the campus to meet with the director. They discussed a possible return date that would work for both the student and student loan requirements.During the meeting, the mother accepted the tentative return date and schedule.The college also explained the events that led to the loan previously not being confirmed. They seemed to not understand that that the program that she was previously registered in was a certificate program not a diploma program and felt they were misled. This information is clearly noted on both the program outline and the contract that was signed by the student on March 1, 2023.

  In the complaint the mother noted that the student has severe anxiety, this was never disclosed to the college. The college takes duty to accommodate very seriously, the student is asked at the time of initial enrollment if they have any long term physical or mental health condition that limits the kind of activity that you can perform daily, the student checked the no box. During the many emails that the college sent to the student regarding missed times and offering support there was no mention of anxiety, the college asked the student on many occasions to meet to provide support. The college is more than willing to discuss an accommodation plan, as part of this process the student must provide documentation from a medical professional supporting this diagnosis under the human rights act and duty to accommodate requirements. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 14/04/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because there are false statements made from the school. The advisor at the time was advised of Imans medical condition, which was ignored by the school until ***** attendance was a factor. The appendix 1 that required to be sent by the parent, me, had been sent 3 times. The school did not advise me of mailing it myself. They had said to sign and email it back. Which I have done. The school had lost a few of the students contracts. Which the students had to apply for the studen aid again.  I do not have a problem to apply for student aid for the time **** has attended. I do not appreciate the false accussations and threats being made. I will go through the dispute resolutions that has been outlined by the director. I have emails proving that **** had been disenrolled in November, with no mention of collections. The email states for **** to look for employment and when she is more committed to the course to enroll again.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************

  Business Response

  Date: 23/04/2024

  We have attached our response in a *** attachment.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 23/04/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

   

  The apication is correct! As I have discussed before to Sprott ****. The advisor was well aware of ***** mental health condition,  and had told her not to worry. If she needed any break and is struggling, to talk with her. Shortly after that. The advisor had left.

  This is why i had said that **** had signed under duress and cohersed, as she trusted the advisor,. After all that, **** was still willingly wanted to go back to the school, until she was withdrawn in November, dut to absence. The school asked **** to bring a doctors note. Which was provided.

   

  **** is willing to pay for the time she did study, but certainly not be intimidated to pay for the whole course as it is what she had been advised on.

  The advisor had contacted myself and **** numerous times on her person cell phone discussing the course. Yes, **** was an adult at the time, however, most kids that age dont really know what to expect when it comes to private college.  Even myself, had trusted the advisor.

  There are many discussions in person, and different discussions via email. I will put a dispute through the  website. I do not want to keep going back and forth, and come to some type of agreement. 

  Sincerely,
  
  *************

  Business Response

  Date: 08/05/2024

  Based on the last responce from the complaintant, they are choosing to follow the **** dispute resolution policy. We will wait to hear from them, to date nothing has been sent to Sprott **** regarding the dispute process by the student.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/05/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:20/10/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I saw an ad on ********* for a government funded medical training program, and I asked for more information on it. Sprottshaw had me call the admissions person, Jacquie.
  
  They immediately started having me complete pre reqs. for the program. I paid them for criminal record checks and they sent me to an outside business to pay for vaccines. They sent me a contract to sign saying that I agreed to pay them 10,000 dollars. The advisor sent a separate email saying the government pays for it, and I should just sign it because it's already paid for. She told me not to reply to that email.
  
  I found out later that that email had been retracted and if I had replied to it, it would have left a copy in my sent folder.
  I did check with the school to make sure the person actually worked there. That was confirmed.
  
  The advisor called to tell me I was going to start classes on Oct 17th at 8:30am.
  
  Then the next day she said I had to complete a form for government funding. It was in someone else's name and I couldn't complete it. Even though the school was open for another hour, they refused to answer my calls and put me through to voice mail immediately.
  
  I've emailed who I could, but the only call backs have been to ask for my SIN number. Someone else did call and said I could call them, but they were from a different location, and I couldn't hear the phone number in the voice mail.
  I haven't attended classes because I honestly believe this was a bait and switch to force me into a contract. It was heartbreaking because I put my life on hold for a month for this.

  Business Response

  Date: 26/10/2022

  During the enrollment process, a student who is applying for
  a Government Funded program completes a Participant Information Form (PIF). The
  PIF is part of the process that the Government of British Columbia uses to
  track applicants to the program, which is through their website. The student is
  also required to complete an enrollment contract (via DocuSign) which is
  standard practice at Sprott Shaw College and is in compliance with the ******* ******** ************ ****** ****** since we are providing the program on
  behalf of the Government. The college requires a record of the student’s
  participation in our program. The student contract from Sprott Shaw College
  lists the cost of the program that we will be invoicing to the government
  funding agency on *** ******* behalf. This contract is sent to the third-party
  provider of the government funding as the Government of BC does fund the
  program directly.
  
  In the case of *** ******, the funder of her program would
  have been the ** ****** ******* ***********, and the program coordinator at
  ***** is Michael E****. We provide the Sprott Shaw College enrollment contract
  that *** ****** would have signed to *** ***** at the ***** as proof of *** ******* legal commitment to the program, and afterward they provide Sprott Shaw
  College the funding for the student as per the cost stated on the contract that
  the student signed. As one of our Admissions Advisors, Jacquie C*******
  explained to *** ******, once the DocuSign contract is signed, this provides us
  and the ***** confirmation she will be participating in the program. There are
  additional forms and documentation to finalize her enrolment (TB Test, Criminal
  Record Check, etc.), once the student signs the contract they are sent the
  attached form confirming that they will not be paying for the program (sample
  of this form attached).
  
  As they did not sign the contract the student did not
  receive the second form. She noted that when she saw *** ***** name on the
  Participant Information Form (PIF) she said that she “couldn’t complete”
  because Michael E**** name was on the web page. She emailed our Admissions
  Advisor questioning her about why *** ***** name was on the BC Government web
  site (the link to this form has now expired) and we confirmed with her this was the correct
  PIF page and she should fill out the form via email. We have a copy of this
  email exchange we can provide. She never completed the form. We have one
  recorded call from *** ****** on October 7th to our Call Center in
  the Lower Mainland, of which she did leave a message, but we no records of any
  other calls recorded from her number.
  
  On October 8th she sent our Admissions Advisor an
  email claiming we have “attempted *****”. On October 10th, she went
  on to the chat on our web site and told our Call Center about her issue. Later
  that day on October 10th, Sprott Shaw College’s Director of
  Admissions, Kimber P******, then attempted to call *** ****** to explain the
  situation and left a message on *** ******* voicemail. On our voicemail, *** ******* asked her to call her at our Head Office and the phone number was
  stated on the machine as well as would have been on her call display. She
  did not call *** ******* back. It’s unfortunate *** ****** was not able to
  speak to our Admissions Advisor, or our Director of Admissions, to clarify her
  concerns.

  The program has now started (on October 17, 2022) and there is no
  more funding available from the government for additional students. Since *** ****** was not comfortable filling out the BC Government’s Participant Information
  Form, she has no obligation to the BC Government regarding this program, and
  since she did not sign our student enrollment contract, she is under no legal
  obligation with us. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 28/10/2022

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** ******