Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2024

  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.

  I signed up for Classes with Deb Long and her nail tech program in March of 2022 & Started May 3, 2022. The “in class” portion went until June 28th in which I paused the intern portion as I had found out during this period that I needed open heart surgery to replace my aortic root July 5, 2022. I ended up going into cardiac arrest and coded on the ICU room table & was unable to be resuscitated for 3 hours. I spent weeks on life support, in the hospital and then months in cardiac rehab. A surgeon had accidentally sutured my right coronary artery shut. Now I know to this company, this may be neither here nor there to you but as you can assume by the date of the surgery, I was unable to continue on with my classes with Deb Long at “Advanced Educator & Permanent Make up by Deb Long” in Washington IL. After doing taxes and checking into this “student loan” to my horror I realized that everything Id been told was untrue. The cold, rude representative told me I still owed $5,000, not only did I owe this kind of money but supposedly I’d been given a piece of equipment that would equate to this. I could not even FATHOM how that could be! I started doing this in January where I contacted Deb Long because i was under the impression I had taken out a LOAN and at no time was it presented to me as a lease. Not one time did the *********** rep tell me that I’d be getting a piece of equipment, in-fact, when receiving emails about whether or not I’d ever received equipment & I selected NO in those emails. I NEVER CONFIRMED SOMETHING I NEVER RECEIVED. When you call the company it says that the piece of equipment, whatever it was, was delivered directly to Deb but nobody can tell me what the piece of equipment is. The only thing I’ve ever received from Deb Long or “Advanced Educator &Permanent Makeup by Deb Long” was 2hr/2x a wk lessons on how to file and shape nail extensions. I have a text conversation with Deb where she admits it was for lessons and NOT for a piece of equipment!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/22/2024

  ****** did attend my Nail Tech school over (two years ago), it is very unfortunate that that she had some medical issues. ****** did finish school up to the point of taking her final exam, she opted to put her contract on hold and come back when she was well enough, this is what a student would do in her situation. This means her contract would not expire and she can finish any time she likes. A complete kit is given with each class including equipment and supplies the student takes that home with them. ( I believe this may be the piece of equipment she is referring to). ****** signed a loan with a loan company (not affiliated) with the school-   ( we do not do "student loans " nor do we do "in school financing" at the school.) I believe she may have signed a loan agreement with a company, and she did not read the fine print before she signed. Student financing is not connected to the school, each student chooses their own finance option. ****** was also given the same education as each student we have taught since our school has been in business.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/24/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Debra Long has done business with ********************** & is well aware of the fact that they’re charging more than initially agreed.

  Debra Long claims she gave a “nail kit” which included nail tips, glue, monomer, gel, a UV lamp, toe separators, nail clippers, trimmers, and a book. Debra Long never one time gave me a piece of equipment which is what shows in the agreement that I was paying for. Not only that, I ended up having a fee slapped on to the “loan” for not having insurance on the piece of equipment I had supposedly received from Deb and her school. I would like to know what piece of equipment Deb Long or her school gave me that would include something that needed to HAVE INSURANCE PUT ON IT? What in the kit given needed to have that on it DEB? The response is generic and an attempt at a bandaid to the truth of what she actually does. I’m supposed to pay insurance on lessons? Or the $100 worth of nail polish, gel and a lamp? MAKE THIS MAKE SENSE? I’ve attached MORE proof. Which I have SO much of! 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/24/2024

  Debs response was insinuating she has no idea where I got my “loan” from.

  i literally CLICKED THE LINK ON HER WEBSITE THAT SAYS “CLICK TO APPLY FOR FINANCING” AND IT LEAD ME DIRECTLY TO **********/***********. As you can see in her response, she’s acting as if she has no idea where or how I got this financing!! ITS THE FINANCING DIRECTLY FROM HER WEBSITE!

  Debra Long either lead time payment to believe she gave me a piece of mechanical equipment and did not tell them she was committing fraud, OR *********** is apart of it and that’s why they were evading any questions regarding vin number on the piece of equipment that needed insurance. They tried to contact the school and she still could not provide such information besides telling *********** she gave me a bag full of $100 worth of nail things. THAT IS NOT A PIECE OF MACHINERY. You took that money KNOWING that’s what is in the contact. You don’t take the money for machinery, you take it for CLASSES WHICH IS NOT LEGAL!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2024

  In response to ******* second complaint. Once again I have no contact with the loan companies that the students use. The loan companies do not inform me of what the students sign.( That would be illegal.) Students have to have payment at the time of signing the school contract. I do not know the details of their loans etc. . (I run the school. ) I do give a kit with every class. It has equipment in it. Once again the (link) on my website is not my school financing “directly”. It is a link to “ financial institutions “ then a potential student can choose a loan company to use. This is what ****** did. I have never seen the loan papers ****** had signed. (That would be her personal property and illegal for them to show me )(*The company she used never contacted me about her loan) It has also been several years ago since she has been at my school. I believe maybe  3 years now. ****** also signed a (school contract)  and  also finished over 50% of school training, so according to state law she owes the school the  complete tuition. I do not know why she keeps making complaints naming  the school, about a (loan paper ) she signed that has nothing to do with the school. We cannot help her get out of the loan. I am not sure what she wants the school to do about it, SHE chose that loan company, she was not forced, she could have chosen any loan company in the world - SHE chose that one -on her own, she signed up for that loan, she signed up school on her own, she was above 18 yrs old. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Deb Long would know what was required to have insurance on it, as she’s the one that told them she gave me the equipment. I’ve settled the dispute with the loan company - they admitted to their wrongs - I’m continuing to spread awareness of the fraud that is within this company. Deb Long nor any representative for her can produce what piece of equipment she gave me. She keeps saying an equipment kit - maybe she can submit a list of the equipment “kit” she gives out. If she never had contact with the loan company - how would she have been able to let them know if received the “equipment.” I was charged a fee for not have INSURANCE on said “equipment.” This isn’t about wanting money - I’ve settled that dispute. This is about the facts being told about what happened to me so nobody else falls victim.

  if Deb Long can present a list of what was in the equipment “kit” that required insurance ok it - I’d like to see it. I’ve worked in the technology industry for most of my professional career and YOU ONLY need insurance on something THAT IS OF value!! Not a bag of nail polish, an LED light and some fake finger nails to practice on. 
  

  yes i did do the in person portion of her class where I learned very little as there was not much curriculum taught. Some highlighting of a book and getting to leave class early almost every day. This experience costed me nearly $3,000 more than it ever should have. Like i said, I am not looking for a monetary break here, I just want the truth to be out.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2024

  Also, the initial complaint asks for an explanation of charges, line by line from what DEB LONG charged me for. I made this complain on 10/2 - we’re almost to Christmas and she’s yet to provide that explanation. I wonder why?

  If Deb is so unaware of what the loan company is doing that sends her money (which clearly does not state that money is for IN CLASS LESSON anywhere on the agreement) - then when this was brought to her attention 1 she could have reached out to try and figure out the situation. She’s done nothing but ignore, deflect, avoid & victim blame.