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:05/22/2025

  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.

  Purchased an online MA program on 5.13.25. Did program and testing , never received certification. However I find out that this program is useless to me as I do not have clinical hours . I would like a partial or full refund as I will need in person clinical hours .

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2025

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond. U.S. Career Institute (USCI) understands that prospective students have a wide range of educational needs and choices to fill those needs. USCIs mission includes offering affordable, quality distance education to our students. USCIs flexible, real-world career training is written especially for the distance learner, and we are proud to have offered quality distance learning opportunities to students for over 40 years. For example, specific to the ****,depending on the year, our graduates average an 11-13% higher pass rate than nationwide **** test-takers. Currently our 2025 pass rate is 92% with the national average being 81%.
  
  USCI provides a valuable education that has helped many graduates achieve their career goals, but no education is a one-size-fits-all.Prospective students must be aware of their needs and research what schools meet those needs, and USCI provides the information prospective students need to evaluate whether our education is the best fit for them. To help prospective students make informed decisions that align with their goals, we provide key information upfront - on our website, in our school catalog, on enrollment agreements, and through our school representatives. We encourage prospective students and students to contact our Admissions, ***************** or Instruction teams whenever they need clarification, have questions, or require additional support.
  
  Our Medical Assistant certificate program is delivered through distance education and does not include in-person clinical practice. USCI focuses on certification in the field. Accordingly, USCI advises students clearly in multiple places on our website, through school representatives, and on the Course Outline (the first item that students download in Pack 1), to name a few, that our Medical Assistant program is designed to prepare students for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (****) exam through the ************************************************* (***), that we reimburse students up to $259 for the exam, study guide, and practice test, and that prospective students should check requirements that may be applicable to them.
  
  Specifically, we state on our website and in the school catalog that:
  - A career in this field may require you to meet certain regulations and requirements for certification, training, registration, and licensure and varies by vocation and state. Some states may include additional requirements beyond those offered in our course. Prospective students should contact the regulatory agency in the state(s) where they plan to work to confirm their requirements before enrolling in this course. Most states do not require licensure of Medical Assistants but employers like to see that you have passed an accredited program and certification exam.
  - Upon graduation from our medical assistant program online, you will receive your U.S. Career Institute Certificate of Completion attesting to your accomplishment. U.S. Career Institute's Online Medical Assistant certificate course prepares you to sit for the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (****) exam through the ************************************************* (NHA).
  - While graduate and career counseling is provided, it is understood that the school cannot promise or guarantee employment and does not provide job placement services to any student or graduate. In addition, prospective students, students and graduates are expected to investigate licensing, certification or other professional requirements for their chosen profession and location of work.
  
  Our records show Ms. ***** enrolled into USCIs Medical Assistant program online on May 13, 2025. USCI offers a five-day review period,during which students may cancel with zero financial obligation. Outside of this review period, students are responsible for the cancellation policy outlined in the school catalog published online (**************************************)and on the enrollment agreement the student signs. Ms. ***** paid $79 at enrollment and opted to make monthly payments toward the remaining $1689 balance, signed her enrollment agreement on May 13, 2025, and completed 100% of the program as of May 21, 2025. According to the terms of the enrollment agreement, the refund policy is based on graded assessments/quizzes for tuition owed. Ms. ***** is not eligible for a refund because she completed all graded quizzes in the program, and she is responsible for the remaining $1689 ********** is important to note that the program is self-paced. This works well with many of our students who need a flexible education without preset deadlines or required attendance at certain times. It does, however, require student effort and participation to ensure they gain the full benefit of the training. While Ms. ***** completed all graded quizzes in the program, she did not complete many of the non-graded activities. As advertised on the school website,students may complete the program in approximately 4-7 months. On average,given the self-paced nature, students take up to 12 months. Students who complete all graded and non-graded academic activities (quizzes, practice exercises, virtual lab/videos, complete all reading, journaling, review all outside links, etc.) average almost 500 hours of work to complete the program.We encourage her to access her program and complete these activities so she receives the full benefit of the knowledge offered in the program and increases her chance of passing the **** certification exam.
  
  Ms. ***** contacted the school on May 22, 2025, requesting a refund and advising that she was doing so because her employer would not accept the program for reimbursement because they require completion of a program with clinical hours. She was advised of the cancellation policy by two representatives, which is based on her signed enrollment agreement and her completion of the entire program. She was also advised of our graduateseligibility to take the **** **** exam and that a quick search of positions in her area revealed multiple open positions that are looking for the **** credential and no experience.
  
  USCI accurately represented our Medical Assistant program so Ms. ***** could make an informed enrollment decision. Prior to enrolling, it was Ms. ****** responsibility to confirm whether the program met her employers expectations. While we regret that Ms. ***** is facing this challenge, she completed all graded activities and is not eligible for a refund. She remains responsible for the tuition associated with the program provided by USCI. We encourage her to advocate for the training she has received from USCI with her employer, explore local clinical opportunities that may meet her employers requirements, or pursue alternative pathways suited to her qualifications. Ms. ***** may visit ********************** to begin the process of taking the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (****) exam and earning her certification. Once she is paid in full, she is eligible for ************ processing and is eligible for reimbursement of up to $259 for her certification exam (she will need to submit her receipts to ********************************** for reimbursement). Again, we encourage Ms. ***** to complete all non-graded academic activities in her program prior to sitting for the **** to improve her chances of passing the exam. Additionally, she is welcome to contact ***************** with any further questions or for assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/17/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  Date of transaction was sometime in the beginning of 2020. An opened debt collection was opened on September 18th of 2020. I paid for the first month and only used a week’s worth of materials. They do not give you all of the materials only a small bit at a time. I had to stop due to unfortunate financial circumstances and now they want me to pay the full tuition of $2,160 even though I only used on small portion of the materials for 1 week. I have tried to dispute it and am getting nowhere. I paid for what I used and should not have to pay for what I never used or received.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/21/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to address
  this complaint. Our records show Ms. ****** enrolled online in U.S. Career
  Institute’s Medical Coding and Billing certificate course on April 11, 2020.
  Ms. ****** opted for the monthly payment plan rather than paying in full at the
  time of enrollment, made a $79 down payment, and agreed to continue making $79
  payments until the course’s balance was satisfied.
  
  Beyond her initial $79 down
  payment, Ms. ****** made one $79 monthly payment in May of 2020 after calling
  the school to check on her balance, and Student Services confirmed for her that
  payments were due on the 11th of each month. Since Ms. ****** did
  not continue to make the monthly payments after that, her account became
  delinquent. Prior to her account being referred to an outside collection agency,
  multiple attempts were made to ensure she was aware of the balance owed and to
  make offers to help her bring her account current. In addition to the past-due
  balance and overall balance being visible in her online student account, USCI
  attempted phone calls, sent emails, and sent letters to Ms. ****** because we
  understand that sometimes unexpected circumstances arise or finances may present
  challenges, and the school wants to do its best to work with students to avoid
  further collection efforts. With that being said, we do need to hear from
  students in order to work with them on payment arrangements. When our attempts
  to assist Ms. ****** remained unanswered, the account was referred to an
  outside collection agency, and the collection agency has also contacted her
  multiple times over the years.
  
  USCI’s practices are regulated and
  our policies are outlined in enrollment agreement, the student catalog, and
  through various other literature, as well as through school representatives
  such as Admissions and Student Services, who are available to answer questions
  and provide clarification for students. This is to ensure that both prospective
  students looking at education options as well as currently enrolled students
  have the information they need to make informed decisions or account changes.
  Additionally, students have a five-day review period and Ms. ******’ review
  period was through April 16, 2020. We understand that students are investing
  their time and money when they choose to take a course; during the review
  period, students may review their course content, the online student account
  that is created upon enrollment, and their specific enrollment agreement, as
  well as utilize the resources mentioned above for questions. After the five-day
  review period, the cancellation policy applies and we have attached Ms. ******’
  signed enrollment agreement for reference.
  
  Ms. ****** submitted three quizzes
  on April 17, 2020, May 1, 2020, and May 14, 2020 (outside of the review period),
  and as shown on the Course Outline available to her in Pack 1, a certain quiz
  in each pack triggers the release of the next pack of materials. Since Ms.
  ****** did not submit additional quizzes and a payment hold was placed on her
  account based on the delinquent status, additional packs were not released. USCI
  had not heard from Ms. ****** since May of 2020, so we have not had the
  opportunity to discuss payment arrangements to help her bring her account into
  good standing so she may have been removed from collections to continue her
  course. She also did not contact the school to request cancellation, which
  students are directed to do in the school catalog and the enrollment agreement.
  
  At this time, Ms. ******’
  enrollment is over three years old and she is responsible for the full tuition
  for the course based on Item 4 in her signed enrollment agreement. However,
  USCI is willing to assist Ms. ****** in by offering one of two options:
  
  1. If Ms. ****** would like to resume her studies, we would be happy to offer a payment arrangement to allow her to bring her account current without the requirement of paying the full past due balance owed. If Ms. ****** contacts the school to pay $237 within the next 30 days, we will bring her tuition balance current so that she may resume $79 monthly payments towards the remaining balance, at which time the collection agency will be notified and they would proceed with closing the account on their end accordingly. Ms. ****** would be expected to remain current in her monthly payments to satisfy the remaining balance or to contact the school to discuss payment arrangements if she needed assistance. In this case, we would also honor an option for her to update to the 2023 version of the course that we are currently enrolling students into and we would waive the normal cost to update as a courtesy so that she would have the opportunity to complete the most current curricula available at no additional charge to her.
  2. If Ms. ****** would not like to resume her studies, we will make an exception by offering to cancel her enrollment as if she had contacted us to cancel within the one-year timeframe outlined in Item 4 of her signed enrollment agreement. Under the exception, Ms. ******’ $2160.00 remaining balance owed would be reduced to $252.90. Once the $252.90 payment is made to the school, the enrollment would be closed and the remaining balance would be waived, no further payments would be owed, and the collection agency would proceed with notifying the credit bureaus accordingly.
  
  We hope this provides some
  clarification and look forward to hearing which option Ms. ****** would like to
  proceed with. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2023

  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.

  I attempted to contact and talk to admissions/ student services before filing this complaint because I didn’t want to do this but they didn’t seem to understand or care about my concerns all they seemed to care about was their money. I explained to them in my email that yes their phlebotomy course is very informative and I appreciated that but it wasn’t going to workout for me due to the fact that no place in my town would allow or accept me to do my clinicals at their offices. They stated that since I completed half my work I owed them half of their money basically even though I was only enrolled in their course a couple weeks. I can’t help the fact no one will accept some random person wanting to come in asking to basically poke their patients with a needle from a school they have never even heard of. I explained I didn’t expect my deposit or anything back due to the circumstances just that I wanted to be unenrolled from the classes and no future charges from here on out.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/13/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint. U.S.
  Career Institute understands that students have many educational options and is
  pleased to have offered distance education opportunities to students for over
  42 years. We do our best to outline important information up front, on our
  website, in the school catalog, on student enrollment agreements and through
  school representatives so that students may make an informed decision regarding
  what will best fit their end-goals. We also understand that a lot of
  information is provided, and students are always welcome and encouraged to
  reach out to Admissions, Student Services, or Instruction for clarification,
  questions, or support.
  
  Due to the nature of distance education, we do not include in-person,
  clinical practice in our Phlebotomy certificate course. Completion of an
  externship or clinicals is not required by USCI for a student to earn a
  Phlebotomy Technician certificate from USCI, but we understand the importance
  of certification. As such, USCI advises students clearly in multiple places on
  our website, through school representatives, and on the Course Outline (the
  first item that students download in Pack I), to name a few, that our course is
  designed to prepare students for the Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam
  (offered by the National Healthcareer Association), that students should check requirements
  that may be applicable to them, that we reimburse students up to $200 for the
  exam, and that students will need hands-on experience that USCI does not
  provide.
  
  Specifically:
  
  The Career and Certification page on our USCI website for the Phlebotomy course says:
  - “To earn an NHA certification you must also possess a high school diploma or GED. Please note that you are responsible and required to show evidence that you have performed a minimum of 30 successful venipunctures and 10 successful capillary or finger sticks. These sticks must be performed on live individuals. You are responsible for gaining this experience, USCI will not provide this training.”
  - “A career in the phlebotomy field may require you to meet certain licensing, training, and other requirements that can vary by vocation and state. You should check with your state, local government and/or licensing board to find out which requirements may be applicable in your state. The BLS shows that there are four states that require that phlebotomists be certified: California, Louisiana, Nevada, and Washington.”
  “IMPORTANT State Licensing Requirements: Click here for more information.”
  
  Although this experience is required for CPT certification
  as mentioned, we are happy to offer the Phlebotomy Technician course as an
  option for our students; our school provides a great self-paced and affordable choice
  for the education needed as an option to become eligible for the NHA
  certification and to have academic knowledge to present when pursuing clinical
  opportunities.
  
  Our records show Ms. ********* enrolled into U.S. Career
  Institute’s Phlebotomy Technician course online on February 12, 2023 and
  completed Quizzes 1-12 out of 23 quizzes as of March 7, 2023 with an excellent
  97% GPA. We are glad to hear that she appreciated the course and we appreciate
  her feedback regarding the response to her email; it was not our intention to
  make her feel as though we are only interested in the monetary aspect of her enrollment,
  which we hope the entirety of this response shows. When she contacted us by email
  on March 8, 2023, she acknowledged that she was outside of the review period
  but wanted to withdraw as she had contacted some of the places in her area and
  they do not offer a way for her to do externships for blood draws, attributed
  that to small town life, and advised that she did thoroughly enjoy the classes,
  would recommend them to anyone wanting to take online course, and requested
  withdrawal from the program. Given that Ms. ********* was outside of the
  five-day review period, the response sent to her on March 9, 2023 addressed the
  cancellation policy, and that as listed on Page 2 of her signed Enrollment
  Agreement, completion through Quiz 13 results in a 75% obligation of the
  tuition, plus responsibility for the $150 registration charge and $29 application
  charge. We also offered to lower the percentage of obligation to the exact
  percent of coursework that Ms. ********* had completed due to the circumstances
  she outlined in her email, therefore reducing her cancel obligation as a
  courtesy. We do not show that we received a response to confirm cancellation or
  with additional questions as was requested in our email.
  
  It is ultimately up to a student to
  determine if our course meets their local industry requirements and individual
  requirements. While we mention up front that students will need hands-on
  experience that USCI does not provide, we do assist students to the best of our
  ability as student success is a high priority to our school. Graduates of our
  Phlebotomy Technician course are directed to our Graduate Services department,
  who routinely assists graduates with suggestions on listing qualifications and where
  to search for practice opportunities/how to do so, as the presentation of
  qualifications when inquiring into or pursuing opportunities plays a key role
  in overall success. Graduate Services is then happy to continue to work with
  students as needed to review marketing materials, discuss progress, and answer
  other questions.  
  
  Based on the request in her BBB complaint and in the
  interest of student satisfaction, we have closed Ms. *********’ enrollment at
  the amount paid of $69 and have waived her remaining reduced cancellation obligation
  of $697.08. We are sorry to have reached this resolution, and wish her the
  best. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/14/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2022

  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 was told that once I was done with classes that a career coach would help me get a job in the field that I was going for with my classes. All I was given was an email to email them and to this date they haven't done nothing to help me with anything. But they will gladly send me a bill for it. They did not send me the transcript I ordered and the $25 was debit from my bank account. They also said that they would send me a letter typed up to show that I completed my classes, which was basically for nothing, cause its not the certificate. They should tell folks that you can't get a certificate till you have paid for classes in full, which they do not tell you. Its in very fine print that you have to hunt their website for. I feel VERY mislead, and a total waste of my time and money for what I paid for, it all was for nothing. They can keep the certificate cause the whole class wasn't even half of what is required to be a medical specialist cause I had applied online for a job and a top medical administrator called me and basically told me I was ripped off and laughed at what lessons I was given for, the classes. They said that wouldn't get me a job no where. I want this cancelled out with a zero balance and they can even keep the money I have already paid them, and they can keep the certificate, and transcript as well, I just want to be done with them since I was ripped off and total waste of my time and money. All for nothing. Also said they would help with my resume, nope that was a joke too, cause it was a general basic guideline they send you and not someone to revise it for you. So you are paying for nothing! I want this zeroed out and they can keep everything cause it was all for nothing and didn't help at all. Basically didn't learn nothing as from what medical field people have advised me and it wouldn't get me a job no where they said. ZERO balance and they keep all and if I get any mailing I will just return unopened to ensure I didn't except nothing!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/12/2022

  Thank you for the
  opportunity to respond to Ms. ******, we are sorry to hear she feels this way. Having
  offered quality, distance education for over 41 years, U.S. Career Institute
  understands that students have many educational options and we do our best to
  outline important information up front, on our website, in the school catalog,
  on student enrollment agreements and through school representatives so that
  students may make an informed decision regarding what will best fit their
  end-goals.
  
  U.S. Career
  Institute is an accredited school offering self-paced certificate courses that
  focus on vocational and career-oriented subject areas. Our records show Ms.
  ****** enrolled online into U.S. Career Institute’s Medical Coding and Billing
  certificate course on October 23, 2022 and then cancelled that course within
  review on October 27, 2022. She then enrolled online into our Medical Billing
  certificate course on October 28, 2022 and she completed the course with an 89%
  GPA and a graduation date of November 12, 2022.
  
  As outlined on a
  student’s enrollment agreement, in the school catalog, and through school
  representatives, students are provided with a Certificate of Completion upon
  successful completion of their coursework and tuition obligations. Since USCI
  offers students the opportunity to pay-in-full or choose a monthly payment
  plan, USCI provides students who have not met their tuition obligations but
  have successfully completed their coursework with a Letter of Completion. The
  Letter of Completion and Certificate both attest to a student’s successful
  completion of the course. In most cases, students are not required to have
  either in hand to pursue job opportunities. USCI graduates should be advocating
  for their training and qualifications when pursuing job opportunities, and this
  includes presenting that they have completed the applicable certificate course
  with USCI. Furthermore, many employers considering hiring a USCI graduate
  conduct an education verification or background check, and USCI routinely
  completes these for graduates.
  
  While we do not
  provide job placement or guarantee employment as there
  are many other factors to consider beyond education to be successfully hired, USCI provides several resources and
  graduate support to all graduates. USCI provides a comprehensive 144-page Career
  Starter Guide in the final set of our Medical Billing course’s downloadable
  materials that contains information on how to approach entering a new field
  with little experience. We also have Graduate Services, who can expand on the
  Career Starter Guide, answer student questions, and review a student’s
  marketing materials. In addition, we provide the opportunity to complete our
  Career Coach Program, which provides guidance from an HR professional and
  allows students to create marketing materials in a step-by-step manner, such as
  a resume and cover letter, that can be specifically geared towards entering a
  new field and are based on the course the student completed. Our graduates have
  varying backgrounds and levels of experience and we believe it is important to
  provide students with options to help aid in their success. Graduates who
  utilize these resources and implement guidance provided generally see
  advancements in their job search results.
  
  Ms. ******
  ordered a transcript on November 11th that was mailed to her on
  November 17th. She contacted the school by email on Friday, November
  11th at 2:49 pm to request a Letter of Completion, and a Student
  Services representative responded to her at 8:36 am the following Monday to
  advise that a Letter of Completion was in the mail that day and should arrive
  within seven to ten business days. Ms. ****** has also been in contact with our
  Graduate Services department, who provided a link to our Career Coach Program
  for the student to access and start if she would like. (We did unintentionally
  miss including the link in our first email, and included it in another email –
  we apologize for this.) Ms. ****** has not started that program, but did email
  her resume to our Graduate Services department. They reviewed her resume and
  responded with feedback, such as where and how to list completion of the
  Medical Billing course, an example of a Medical Billing resume template, and
  some additional resume preparation tips. We have not heard back from Ms. ******
  regarding her resume/our response, but she did contact the school on November
  23rd to advise that she hadn’t received either the Letter of
  Completion or the transcript, and was advised of when both had been sent, as
  well as provided with a letter showing she had completed the course for her
  records by email.
  
  USCI regrets that
  we have not had the opportunity to discuss the feedback Ms. ****** has advised
  that she received from others in this complaint directly. We understand that it
  is frustrating to hear such feedback when you have put the time and effort into
  completing a course and are making payments on a tuition balance. However, it
  is important to understand that students should advocate for and be confident
  in the training they received, and we respectfully do not agree with the
  feedback that Ms. ****** advised she received from a top medical administrator.
  USCI’s Medical Billing course has been offered by the school for decades, is
  reviewed and updated annually, and is written by our experienced curriculum
  team with the input of subject matter experts in the field. While the school
  does not direct graduates of our Medical Billing course to pursue certification
  since employers in this field do not typically require certification, our
  Medical Billing course content is also found in our Medical Coding and Billing
  course. Because of this, the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified
  Billing and Coding Specialist (CSCS) certification exam outline was also used
  while reviewing and creating the current Medical Billing course. The Medical
  Billing course is an excellent and popular USCI certificate course choice, and
  the content prepares students for entry-level positions in the field.
  
  Ms. ****** has
  completed the Medical Billing course and is not eligible for a refund. USCI has
  provided Ms. ****** with completion paperwork and she is eligible for a Certificate
  when her balance has been satisfied. Her account is currently past-due $79 as
  she paid her $79 October down payment but did not make her November payment,
  and USCI has deferred that payment to the end of her billing cycle as a
  courtesy to avoid late charges and so that she is current. Her next $79 payment
  is due December 28th and payments are due until the remaining
  balance of $1104 is satisfied. USCI is happy to discuss Ms. ******’s concerns
  and how to present her qualifications with her further to help prevent
  receiving poor feedback, and we encourage her to contact Graduate Services to
  do so at her convenience. USCI would also be happy to resend either the Letter
  of Completion or transcript at no cost if Ms. ****** has still not received one
  or the other. We look forward to assisting Ms. ****** further and appreciate
  her time.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:Their classes are a joke apparently, cause no employer in NC that I have applied with will except anything that was taught by this place, they said a lot was out of date and not even current! USCI clearly advertising that they have a career coach to help you, BUT THEY do NOT! Yes I sent my resume for their review, but only thing they did in return was send me their "STANDARD" copy they use for everyone to use! NO HELP AT ALL as they advertise! I am not paying nothing for their services cause it was a TOTAL WASTE OF MY TIME and money that I already spent! STILL to this date I do not have my transcript that I order and paid for, I still do not have the letter that I completed my course. I did finally get an email that stated that but even my current employer laughed at that. So basically all was a waste of time, money that I already spent, and I wouldn't recommend USCI to no one. I don't want nothign to do with this company but a zero balance and they can keep their letters, transcript and certificate cause none of it is worth the paper they have it printed on thats for sure!
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms.
  ******. The information in our previous response addresses much of the
  information in Ms. ******’s rejection of our response, and supports the
  legitimacy of our school and course. We are sorry to hear that Ms. ****** still
  feels the way she does after receiving that information. USCI has provided a
  current 2022 Medical Billing certificate course to Ms. ****** and she has
  completed the full content in the course, thereby gaining the knowledge and
  skills from the content covered. Additionally, though Ms. ****** has advised
  she has not received paperwork or graduate assistance, the school did not
  withhold anything from her; we have provided access to our Career Coach Program
  which is viewable through the link we provided, mailed a transcript and Letter
  of Completion to the address that Ms. ****** provided to the school and
  confirmed in her transcript order, and provided Graduate Services support as
  previously mentioned. The feedback that Ms. ****** has shared she has received
  from others is inaccurate and is defensible using the information we have
  provided, and she has been given tools to help her succeed and the offer of
  additional assistance.
  
  While we categorically disagree with Ms. ******’s
  reasoning for her rejection to our original response, it does not appear she
  will be receptive to additional assistance or explanation. Based on this, we
  have honored her request and cancelled her enrollment at the amount paid of
  $79. The Letter of Completion and transcript Ms. ****** was mailed are now
  voided, as Ms. ****** no longer can be considered a graduate or be eligible for
  her certificate after meeting the financial obligations she originally agreed
  to. Should Ms. ****** decide she would like assistance in the future and meets
  her full tuition obligation, USCI will be happy to assist. At this time, Ms.
  ******’s official school record is closed, and no further balance is owed on
  her Medical Billing enrollment. We wish Ms. ****** the best in her future
  endeavors.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2022

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  It is very unfortunate that I have to write this, I had extremely high hopes and excitement regarding this course. I had enrolled in a Phlebotomy course in order to get the CPT certification and become a phlebotomist. Unfortunately, this school fails to let you know that is near impossible to find a clinical site. Every lab, hospital and doctor's office in my state has pretty much laughed at my request to get hands-on experience. So for whatever the price of the course is, you get a certification of completion. It is near impossible to get certified because you need those clinical hours and nowhere is going to allow you to poke their patients without some kind of insurance or affiliation with your school and this one has none. They also are just about useless in trying to help you, I was told to "approach it like I'm looking for a full-time job," with 0 experience? I'm sorry that doesn't work like that. I wrote a well-written cover letter and resume, followed all the "advice" given to me by their graduate department and I have still been shut down every single time I apply for positions (volunteering) or call local labs. It is truly a shame that they are taking large sums of money from people and misleading them into believing this is a simple task. I promise you, you are much better off attending in-person school at a university near you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/14/2022

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. ****. Having
  offered quality, distance education for over 41 years, U.S. Career Institute
  understands that students have many educational options and we do our best to
  outline important information up front, on our website, in the school catalog,
  on student enrollment agreements and through school representatives so that
  students may make an informed decision regarding what will best fit their
  end-goals. Our records show Ms. **** enrolled online on August 4, 2022 and
  completed the course successfully on August 30, 2022. Due to the nature of
  distance education, we do not include in-person, clinical practice in our
  Phlebotomy certificate course. The course is comprised of 23 lessons across
  four packs of materials; Pack IV dives into blood testing, discusses how to
  draw blood and reviews laboratory tests, explores how to process specimens and
  covers special collections, includes the use of a practice arm which can be
  used in tandem with the course materials to gain practice, and concludes with a
  real-world practicum that puts the student’s course knowledge to use.
  
  USCI advises students clearly in multiple places on our
  website, through school representatives, and on the Course Outline (the first
  item that students download in Pack I) that our course is designed to prepare
  students for the nationally recognized Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
  exam, offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), that we reimburse
  students up to $200 for the exam (recently increased from $186 for all
  applicable students), and that students will need hands-on experience that USCI
  does not provide in phlebotomy on a person and to provide proof to the NHA
  prior to exam registration. We are sorry to hear that Ms. **** feels the way
  she does and understand it is frustrating when you are not getting the results
  you expected. However, it is important to note that everyone entering the field
  of Phlebotomy has to start somewhere and while our course services students who
  may already be working in the healthcare industry and have may access to clinical
  opportunities immediately upon completion, many students are new to the field. This
  is why our school provides a great self-paced and affordable choice for the
  education needed as an option to become eligible for the NHA certification and
  to have academic knowledge to present when pursuing clinical opportunities. Ultimately,
  it is up to a student to determine if our course meets their local industry
  requirements and individual requirements, and while we mention up front students
  will need hands-on experience that USCI does not provide in phlebotomy on a
  person, we do assist students to the best of our ability as student
  satisfaction is a school priority. The opportunities a student pursues and the
  presentation of qualifications play an important role in overall success. USCI
  provided recommendations to Ms. **** when she was connected with our Graduate
  Services department earlier this month and encouraged additional contact if she
  was still having trouble so that we could have further discussion and assist
  Ms. **** in reaching her goals.
  
  Based on Ms. ****’s complaint, that Ms. **** attempted to
  remove all of her contact information through her online student account
  earlier this month, and that she disputed her $69 down payment with her
  bank/credit card company, we do not anticipate that she will be contacting us
  to utilize additional assistance and we regret that we did not have the
  opportunity to address this further directly with Ms. ****. She completed the full
  course and had paid one $69 down payment in August; her first September monthly
  automatic payment declined. This week, USCI received notification that Ms. ****
  did a dispute/chargeback through her bank/credit card company and the $69 she
  had paid in August was reversed by her bank/credit card company - Ms. **** has paid
  USCI $0 as of September 14, 2022 as we are no longer in possession of those August
  funds. Although she signed her Enrollment Agreement and is responsible for the
  full tuition since she completed the full course, and USCI would have been
  happy to assist her further, USCI has granted Ms. ****’s request to “refund”
  the $69 paid by cancelling her account so that there is no balance owed (please
  note there are no funds for USCI to refund at this time as mentioned above). Granting
  this request means that Ms. **** will not meet graduation requirements or be
  eligible for Graduate Services support in the future. Her account is closed and
  we wish Ms. **** the best in her future endeavors. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/15/2022

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