Reviews

This profile includes reviews for Embark's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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Embark has 7 locations, listed below.

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  Embark

  1000 - 50 Burnhamthorpe Rd W Mississauga, ON L5B 4A5

• 

  Embark

  201 8185 120A St Surrey, BC V3W 3P2

• 

  Embark

  2220-10123 99 St Edmonton, AB T5J 3H1

• 

  Knowledge First Financial

  P.O. Box 997 Halifax, NS B3J 2X2

• 

  Knowledge First Financial Inc.

  250 Charbonneau Crescent Winnipeg, MB R2X 1E2

Review Details

• Review fromPamela T

  Date: 22/03/2024

  1 star
  ******** ******** Trying to get money back paid in 31 years ago. 3 kids paid for in family group plan. 3rd child finished university now and didn’t get payments as promised (EAP’s) Company likes to use confusing jargon and told me if we wanted money back we had to fill out forms when they were 13, 19, 22 etc. They said that I could make appeal but after waiting about another year they tell me appeal not successful. *** ** **** ** *** *** **** **** *********** Online format doesnt work either. They like to send emails and have a revolving staff of ill-informed people who hang up in you and no one seems to be in charge. * **** **** ******* ** **** ******** ******* *** ***** ** ** ***** ******* ** *******

  Embark

  Date: 28/03/2024

  Thank you for expressing your concerns, at Embark Student Corp, we strive to provide professional and efficient service to all our
  customers and take all complaints very seriously.   
  
  
  
  We
  have sent you an email with the next steps, in the hopes of connecting with you to assist you,
  please respond back to our email. Thank you 

  Pamela T

  Date: 02/04/2024

  I continue to get emails from Embark but no one does anything to fix the problems that I have encountered throughout the years and have been told so many different things about my money that I believe was held for my family’s use. When my 3rd daughter finally got some EAP’s I thought the money would continue to help her. After she finished school I found she had received little assistance. She was told that she received all the money but she had received only a small portion and it is impossible to see what is grant money and what is our money which was invested on our children’s behalves

• Review fromJ. R.

  Date: 05/03/2024

  1 star
  **** *** *** ****** I had a plan with Knowledge First that got bought out by Embark, so who knows how long Embark will be around. I can't get the rest of my money from them but they keep saying I have some, and continuously send me email after email after I told them to keep it and unsubscribed. **** ** ***** *********** You can't contact these people. They don't listen. All they want is your money and in some cases the conditions to get it back are impossible. The plans are in my kids name since becoming adults so I can't access it but they keep sending ME the emails and postal mailouts. ***** *** **** ***** ** **** *************** *** ****** **** *** ***** **** ****** ** ******

  Embark

  Date: 15/03/2024

  We sorry to hear that your experience with our company has not met
  your expectations.
  
  Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and that this was not
  demonstrated to you.
  
  While we'd love the opportunity to regain your trust, we
  understand how frustrated you must be and our apologies for any inconvenience
  we have caused you.
  
  
  
  You
  may, at your earliest convenience, please contact our Customer Care team at ********@******.ca to determine how we can provide you with a solution.

  J. R.

  Date: 24/04/2024

  I’m still getting emails from you even though I unsubscribed long ago. You had a chance to do the right thing but didn’t. My review stands and I have no TRUST in what you say. ****** **** **** **** **

• Review fromBrittany B

  Date: 22/02/2024

  1 star
  *** ******** ****** **** **** ** ***** ******** ********** ***** *** ***** sales tactics so you sign up for things you don’t understand but they make it sound so sweet, horribly slow customer service, and they make it impossible for you to get your money once they have it. *** *****

• Review fromJennifer A

  Date: 01/02/2024

  1 star
  This is **** COMPANY.
  * **** ** ** ************ that holds your money for as long as possible and will do anything and everything including ***** to you to make sure that it takes as long as possible for you to get back your funds.
  I'm * ****** *** who has contributed for 15 years and now I am in a situation where I needed the funds and they **** to me multiple times saying my funds will be deposited in my account in 4 days.
  After I sent the form for withdrawal the first time I specifically asked in my email for a reply and confirmation.
  The email I replied to appeared sent in my outbox.
  I needed the funds *** ****, so when I didn't receive a confirmation for my with sent withdrawal form, I called 2 days later.
  The EMBARK representative said that the email address she emailed me from does not accept return emails. **** *** *** ******* ****** 
  She sent me a form without providing a correct return email address on purpose. ** ***** ** ******* ** ****** And the catch is that I did NOT receive a bounced email in return, as is standard practice in a non reply email address.
  So I called back again and she told me oh ya that one doesn't work.
  Then she finally processed it and tells me 4 business days it will be in my account.
  That was nearly a week ago.
  Today is the 1st and i still did not get my money!! I called in AGAIN AND NOW THEY ARE MAILING ME A CHEQUE AND HUNG UP ON ME *** * ***** *** ** **** ** *** ********** *********

  Embark

  Date: 13/02/2024

  We understand your disappointment with Embark Student Corp and it is important to us that our customers are more than satisfied
  and we would like the opportunity to resolve this issue immediately.
  
  
  
  If you give us a chance, we intend to make this right and hope you will allow
  us to speak with you to discuss the situation.
  
  
  
  You may, at your earliest convenience, contact our Customer Care team at ********@******.ca to determine how we can provide you with a solution.

• Review fromChris T

  Date: 12/01/2024

  1 star
  ******** ************* We have been sold an investment plan without the fine print being made clear. They took very high fees from us at the beginning so we lost is all now. The gain of our investment was far below what we were made to believe and the excuse is that they can't control the market. After 8 years we finally had enough and asked to transfer to the funds to our bank which would have offered a better plan to begin with. *** **** Embark promised the transfer would be done in 45 days. 3 months later we still don't have our money and more fees were taken. Apparently we ware now paying for fluctuation which occurred weeks after the money should have been already with our bank. Plus we are only told now that there was supposed to be some paper work to be filled in.
  They are holding on to our money on purpose. Not ok!

• Review fromSanjeev M

  Date: 18/11/2023

  1 star
  They have changed promised contract forcefully; and without our (customer) consent; as they say directors vote for the change and as a customer even if we never wanted change the contract they did; on top of that they charge their customers processing fee for change in contract; they are so greedy that even when customer denying change; they forcing customers for the change and charging processing fee. This happened few years back.
  Now these greedy people again with same tactics, forcing another change in contract even if as customer have declined by opting against it; going to change it by management vote for it and again going to charge processing fee for another change which as a customer I am denying for.
  They call themselves nonprofit organization but draw big salaries and keep breaking contracts by management votes and keep charging customers processing fee.
  ********* ****** ************* ***** *** zero value for contract with customers.
  If you are buying new products, it does not matter what’s written in the contract; by the time your child would be university going; they would have changed terms of contract by management votes.
  ********* ****** ************* wont recommend at all. Be safe and ask about do you have power to change contracts by management votes, before buying any product for your child.

• Review fromCemal C

  Date: 06/11/2023

  1 star
  What is it going on who is EMBARK
  I thought I am with heritage education why names are getting changed.

• Review fromLindell K

  Date: 27/10/2023

  1 star
  My daughters are 20 and 21 yrs…and my son 25yrs. We started with KnowledgeFirst 25yrs ago!
  I tried to log in with new Embark login and it was a nightmare. It continued when I finally did get in and then they kicked me out 3 minutes later? said my session had expired?
  Not sure but I smell a rat? I do not feel one bit secure this company is legit. Something just isn t right? Plus when I did call a few weeks ago customer service said there were no funds?
  Hence updating to the Embark login. ( took me 1/2hr) then only allowed to look at info for 3 minutes?
  I think something is up and us Knowledge 1st customers should start a Class Action. It only takes 2 people to start that!
  It doesn t feel legit at all. I want my $!

• Review fromGumuthinee V

  Date: 16/09/2023

  1 star
  For 14 years I made monthly deposits for an RESP plan from Knowledge First Financial for my first child which resulted in a good investment. However, for about 18 years I made monthly payments for a second RESP plan from EMBARK for my second child and it was a very poor experience. I had applied for a withdrawal twice and it took about a month for each in order to hear a response back. The second attempt took 40 business days for the withdrawal application to be reviewed and in the end, I only received half of the payment I requested. My child needed the money to pay for her tuition before the deadline, thus a withdrawal application was made two weeks in advance since Embark's website claims that it only takes 5 business days for a request to be processed. However, due to Embark's lack of timeliness the tuition payment had to be paid using my ****. * **** ******** ** ***** ***** ****** ********* ****** ** ***** ****** *** ******* ** ** **** **** *** ***** *****. I STILL have yet to receive a full payment even after making several calls to customer service.

• Review fromAngela B

  Date: 14/09/2023

  1 star
  Extremely disappointed! This company took over the company that I originally signed up with. No communication and I can’t get logged into my account online.
  I finally received my money but it was way less than I though I would be getting.
  ***** *** **** ******** Very poor customer service and they fees they take on your invested money is ridiculous.