Complaints

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:06/27/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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 started the Animal Behavior College Classwork in August and completed towards the beginning of February. The company stated that they were very flexible with those who are working full time while attempting to complete the coursework. Since I had finished all my coursework i got placed at a grooming salon for my externship. I clearly stated I needed a salon that was open on the weekends and they placed me in one that was not. I let them know that due to their hours and my work schedule I would not have been able to get my required 8 hours a week. I stated this to them and so they removed me from that salon and informed me that they would find another mentor salon for me. It has been since end of February since they said that and I still have yet to be assigned to another grooming salon. I have emailed the program manager and my program mentor 3 times regarding this matter to which they have stated we are working on it please be patient It has been almost 5 months now. I have not been able to get my grooming career on track due to this issue. I also paid almost $4000 for this schooling. I have asked them for a list of the grooming salons in my area that they have contracts with so that I can go and check them out myself but they have yet to do that. Im running out of options here which is why I am reaching out to you all. Please let me know if you need any other information from me. Thank you!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/03/2024

  We thank Consumer for granting Animal Behavior College the opportunity to provide clarity in the matter of the externship. *** offers online vocational programs in animal-related careers. The first nine stages of the course introduce the student to concepts, theories, and applications of the vocation they chose to study. *** offers a great degree of flexibility here,with the ability to request exam extensions, turn in a test before the due date, or even request an academic hold.  Stage 10 is the externship. 
  Animal Behavior College offers externship placement for this stage. Externship locations are private, independent businesses that are separate from ***. Because of this, there is a degree of flexibility lost, as the school is not able to control certain aspects, such as if the salon has an opening to host a student when the student is eligible to take part in this stage, or business hours kept by local salons.
  Upon enrollment, students are provided with a detailed enrollment agreement.  *** is transparent in that we cannot guarantee a timeframe for externship placement and include this in the students enrollment agreement.  This vocabulary is included in the enrollment agreement that the Consumer agreed to:
  Your training may take longer than stated on Page 1 as your Scheduled Completion Date. In stage 10 of this course, you will participate in actual training in a grooming environment (Externship). As part of this stage, you will be assigned to a location to complete your Externship. It is possible that you may be delayed in completing your Externship due to scheduling delays, hours of operation conflicts, or other unforeseen circumstances. Animal Behavior College, Inc. makes every effort to continue your Externship without any delays; however, if there is a problem in scheduling your Externship when you finish Stage 9, you may experience a delay of up to several months in completing your course.
  We show that the Consumer was eligible for placement by the end of February.  Animal Behavior College provided placement for Consumer on March 11. While students must participate in the externship for at least 8 hours each week, the school does not dictate the actual externship schedule;this is worked out between the student and mentor. Once the student has been accepted by their mentor and they have a schedule created, the student has the responsibility to inform the school of what this schedule is.
  While the Consumer states that *** placed them at a site that was not open when they had the availability to participate, the Consumer fails to mention that due to their work schedule, they cannot commit a minimum of 8 hours each week, as they agreed to upon enrollment.  The following is an excerpt from Exhibit A Externship from the Consumer's enrollment agreement:  
  The student understands the exact location and hours will be based on the availability and hours of operation at the Externship location he/she is assigned to once they reach this stage of the program.Students understand and agree that they will need to be flexible regarding the dates and times *** assigns for the Externship portion of the program. Student must be available to work at the Externship location at least 8-10 hours each week. *** does not guarantee any specific Externship dates or times.
  Most grooming salons across the ************* are closed on Sundays and Mondays of the week, and Saturdays are their busiest days. The Consumer has one day open a week, which is Saturday. Technically, this indicates that the Consumer is no longer agreeing to the terms that they previously agreed to.
  Furthermore, as the school had fulfilled our contractual obligation(s) by issuing placement, but it wasn't compatible with the students availability, the Consumer is in a Reset. Canceled or non-passing externship attempts have also been addressed via the Consumers enrollment agreement.Below is an excerpt from the second page of their enrollment agreement, under Notice to Students:
  Cancelled Externship Occasionally and due to a variety of reasons, *** may elect to cancel an Externship prior to completion.If this occurs, *** may schedule a new Externship (Reset). In the event a Reset is required, it is likely the Externship hours, already completed, will need to be repeated. This will be at ***s sole discretion. In the event of a Reset due to cancellation, *** will make every effort to continue your Externship with minimal interruption; however, the student understands that delays of up to several months could occur before the Reset is scheduled. If this happens, the student understands and agrees that it will not be considered a breach of contract by *** nor grounds for cancellation of the program.
  While there has been some time that has passed between this Consumers placements, this is not a breach of the terms that both parties have agreed to. Students are not privy to the contact information of the externship sites/mentors; unless the mentor has agreed to meet with a student, we respect the privacy of the mentors as they have requested from us. The Consumer was issued placement once again on June 27th.
  Lastly, the Consumer claims that this delay has caused them to be off track with their career; this is untrue, there is no reason that a student would be prohibited from obtaining employment in the career field of their studies while they are still a student. *** encourages as much practical experience as possible, and employers have been more than happy to support their employees education journey. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2024

  Type:Order 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 signed up for a course in animal grooming I wasnt able to pay for the whole course at once, so they setup payment plan for me. As I paid monthly they would allow me to take portions of my course. I recently gave them some of my tax return, $2000 to help payoff the tuition. Afterwards they opened all the classes. I did most of them except 9 I did the test of 8 and 8 I failed. And they shut me out of my account. Their reason, that I failed 3 tests, when I really only failed 1 test, test #8. When I signed up for the course they told me in text(I still have) that if I ever failed any test I would have options. I feel that this college is operating kinda shady. As of now I havent seeked legal advice. I have tried several times to contact the college, and I get the same message: financial ***** is busy. If the colleges will is not to comply I will seek assistance with the Bureau for ******************************* and U.S ********** of ********* and affiliates. I dont make a lot money to be taken advantage of.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2024

  All colleges have an academic baseline to meet, including Animal Behavior College. The academic policy is outlined in the school Catalog, Student Handbook, and is embedded in ABCs online test center. Should a student fail to meet the minimum grade(s) required, they receive written notice, and the academic policy is repeated once again.  The policy is as follows: Only two (2) retake exams/stages are permitted during the entire course of the program. If a student fails to pass more than 2 stages (including Externship/Shelter Experience), or fails a retake exam/stage, they will be dropped from the program. Students, including this Consumer, acknowledge that they have reviewed and understood this policy in writing.

  Records show that the Consumer received three non-passing grades in total. Consumer had the opportunity to retake both stage exams to receive a passing grade, which they did. When Consumer received the third non-passing grade, they received a notice of dismissal for failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with ABCs stated academic policy. 

  While we understand and are sympathetic to financial hardship, the financial aspect, or tuition, has no relation to academic policies or performance. Enrollment with Animal Behavior College does not come with a guaranteed outcome. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/05/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 been out of school going on 7 months Im done with all my assignments online and I been looking for an entership and everytime I called them they tell me they still looking and they dont know how long its go take them to find me and internship. We have to pay **************************************************************************** and internship and its still no internship and I been waiting forever.They told me that I only have 9 payments left and Im done paying for an ***** course for gromming and I need to know whats the next steps because Im getting very angry

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Animal Behavior College is in frequent and continuous communication with Student as well as members of their family and are truly sorry to hear of this grievance. Upon enrollment, Student and family chose a 24-month payment plan to finance tuition for the 12-month program of study, and payments are not contingent on student participation.

  While *** acknowledges a timeframe of 7 months since Student was approved to participate in the externship stage of their program of study, *** minimizes placement delays as much as possible so as not to interrupt the educational process. However, there is no guaranteed timeframe for externship placement. This is stated in the Consumers enrollment agreement, under Notice to Students that Your training may take longer than stated on Page 1 as your Scheduled Completion Date. In stage 10 of this course, you will participate in actual training in a grooming environment (Externship). As part of this stage, you will be assigned to a location to complete your Externship. It is possible that you may be delayed in completing your Externship due to scheduling delays, hours of operation conflicts, or other unforeseen circumstances. Animal Behavior College, Inc. makes every effort to continue your Externship without any delays; however, if there is a problem in scheduling your Externship when you finish Stage 9, you may experience a delay of up to several months in completing your course.  *** pairs students with local private businesses in and around the students physical location. *** has provided Student with placement in this timeframe. Students must interview their potential mentor before acceptance. While no school can guarantee a students outcome, Animal Behavior College is committed to continued support for Student. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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 signed up for schooling prior to the Covid pandemic. I completed the study/book portion and was supposed to be set up by the schools externship coordinator with a groomer in my area for skills. The country shut down and as it opened back up, I went ahead and began my business as I had already paid out of pocket for renovations and they were having issues with keeping a coordinator to schedule me. After TWO YEARS, and three externship coordinators later, they called to say they found a placement. The groomer they placed me with did not have an open business, and lots of personal problems going on so I could not schedule any time with her.
  
  Since I didn't go, they kicked me out of the program. I completed everything very timely on my part prior to the country shutting down. I paid great money just to get this certification, only to be told I was unenrolled.
  
  This is upsetting to me because of the amount of time the school took to find me a training facility, as well as the fact that they set me up with a business that doesn't operate and a trainer that is not certified.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/18/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/26) */
  Animal Behavior College offers distance learning vocational courses that incorporate an externship, which is performed in-person. The program of study contains 11 stages. The first nine stages of the educational program are performed at home, in an independent study format. Once the student has successfully completed these stages, they are then placed by the school with a working groomer in their physical location. Our records do show that Consumer enrolled in the Grooming Instruction program offered by Animal Behavior College in January of 2020 and was eligible to move forward to externship in November of 2020.
  
  ABC minimizes placement delays as much as possible, as to not interrupt the educational process. However, there is no guaranteed timeframe for externship placement. This is plainly stated in the Consumer's enrollment agreement, under "Notice to Students" that "Your training may take longer than stated on Page 1 as your Scheduled Completion Date. In stage 10 of this course, you will participate in actual training in a grooming environment ("Externship"). As part of this stage you will be assigned to a location to complete your Externship. It is possible that you may be delayed in completing your Externship due to scheduling delays, hours of operation conflicts, or other unforeseen circumstances. Animal Behavior College, Inc. makes every effort to continue your Externship without any delays; however, if there is a problem in scheduling your Externship when you finish Stage 9, you may experience a delay of up to several months in completing your course."
  
  COVID did affect the ability to place students, as the school communicated with all students in 2020 and 2021. Our records show that Consumer was placed in an externship September of 2021. After several months of no contact by Consumer, the groomer confirmed with the school that Consumer never attended externship with them, Consumer had only sent pictures of their grooms to solicit the mentor groomers feedback.
  
  Consumer did not reply to outreach from ABC from the period of September 16, 2021, through June 2, 2022, and was dismissed from their program of study due to lack of contact, after providing fair notice. Per Consumers Refund Provisions, as outlined in their enrollment agreement "No refund is required for any student who withdraws or is dismissed after completing 50% of the potential lessons of instruction." We are truly sorry to hear of Consumer's grievance; ABC upheld our obligation to Consumer as outlined in the enrollment agreement.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/09/27) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I have several e-mails in which I communicated early on about my status and externship with the initial coordinator, *************. This person left the company and from there I had TWO new externship coordinators take over my file but only after a prolonged period of time. I do still have several communication e-mails that were sent in reference to this portion of the program, if needed.
  
  While the paperwork may state that there could be delays, a huge portion of the marketing to promote this program is that it can be completed quickly and at my pace. It does not indicate that it will be well over two years before I have a placement. That's beyond ridiculous from any business standpoint and unacceptable.
  
  Additionally, it does not state that the externship location will not be under a certified groomer, or with a location that does not offer normal hours of operation. The lady breeds dogs and seemed to only want me to come to her garage (business) which has no heat or air to groom the animals she sells.
  
  When you invest money for schooling you assume that they will perform due diligence to insure a facility meets minimum requirements and has normal operating hours to fulfill their obligations as a mentor/coach. April, my mentor admitted she was not going to stand out in her garage with me for 8 hours.
  
  Not only am I dissatisfied with ABC, but disappointed. Before I paid $5,000 to get certified they told me the training facility that was previously used was within miles from me, and I know has all required insurances and proper facilities to accommodate on-site training.
  
  No, this excuse for their lack of performance for cash paying students is not acceptable.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/10/07) */
  Animal Behavior College is truly sorry to hear of Consumers disappointment with their experience. To receive a certificate of completion from ABC, the student is expected to meet all requirements set forth, and Consumer did not meet requirements. Furthermore, our records do not align with Consumers' statements, such as time frame of externship placement being two years when it was 10 months. This is not a time frame the school strives for but it's hard to deny that COVID created challenges on a global level. Consumers states they were dissatisfied with the quality of placement yet did not give ABC the opportunity to make any changes on their behalf due to lack of contact.
  
  Animal Behavior College understands that student's lives can get busy. Students enrolled in any of Animal Behavior College's distance learning vocational programs do have the responsibility to maintain communication with ABC staff. Animal Behavior College repeated attempts to contact Consumer by both email and phone for over 7 months with no response from Consumer.
  
  While we understand that not all Consumers are satisfied with the school's policies, ABC has upheld our obligation to the Consumer and Consumer is not owed a refund as per their enrollment agreement. ABC does have a Re-Entry Policy which allows prior students to potentially rejoin their program of study and provides an opportunity to have a successful outcome of completion. Consumer is welcome to contact the school directly if they'd like more information.