Complaints

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

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• 

  Boston University

  1 Silber Way Boston, MA 02215-1703

• 

  Boston University

  590 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA 02215

• 

  Boston University

  236 Bay State Rd Boston, MA 02215

• 

  Boston University

  236 Bay State Rd Boston, MA 02215

• 

  Boston University

  85 East Newton St # M915a Boston, MA 02118

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:01/23/2025

  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.

  I have been charged twice ($83.10 + $332.40) on the same day (09/26/2024) for a dental charge. I have only been going back multiple times to have a crown that I had made at Budsm put back on (3 times), and it still fell off. I was told it would not be a charge!!! I have asked why via mail but no response why as of this request,

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2025

  We have received the complaint, and we are reviewing it.  We will provide a more detailed response, once we have completed our review.

  Best,

  **** de St. *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/29/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.] I have asked and have still to this day never seen my insurance (DELTA) payments on my ledger. I am talking about years. I was told there is a year warranty on the services performed but have always been charged the second or third time to fix an issue. 
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/30/2025

  That is why I filed this complaint because I have 2 insurances (Delta and ************ and they never give you a receipt of my insurance payments? 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/02/2025

  Hi Mr. ****************************** have reviewed your complaint and we believe that there is a misunderstanding.  The clinic had fitted you with a temporary crown not a permanent one, it was that temporary crown that came off. We charged you for two separate procedures, but we did not charge you for recement the temporary crown that came off. The treatment plan that was provided to you outlines the charges. 
  
   
  
  You have not yet received the permanent crown and canceled your last two appointments for that procedure.  We have called you and left a message with this information. 
  
   
  
  Best regards,
  
   
  
  Marc de ******************
  
  Associate General Counsel
  
  Office of the General Counsel | Boston University

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/03/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I reject the response because the procedure that you changed me twice has yet to be explained why. When I started coming to BU years ago, it was explained that if any procedure fails, there would be no charge up to 1 year from the date of service. I keep getting different explanations from the student, the faculty, and now billing. There should not be multiple decisions based on who you deal with. I will not answer phone messages, as I stated before, the mail or email is the only forms of communications.
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2025

  Thank you for your response.  The charges can be broken down as follows:

  - Root canal treatment was $831 and your insurance paid $312.40.  You are responsible for $518.60 remainder.  

  -That $518.60 remainder was divided in different invoices (due to insurance consideration of benefits). The charges of $83.10 and $332.40 are part of $518.60 remainder.

  As you have paid $318.50 of total $518.60, you still owe $200.10 for the root canal treatment. Regarding the temporary crown, that is temporary. Please contact the office to schedule your permanent crown.  If you have any financial questions, please email our finance office at *********************.  

  Best,

  Marc de St. Maurice 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2025

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  I have asked for a detailed ledger many times and as of this email, none has been provided. My insurance payments are never shown on the billing statements, just the charges. The instructor has told me more than once that this session is a no charge, that has never shown up either. For some reason credits are never on the billing statements. My 2 insurance company's credits are never on the statements either, WHY ????:??
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/05/2024

  Type:Product 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 enrolled my son (12+) in the ********************** at Boston University's Fitness and ***************** on 08/20/2024. The program was scheduled to run from 09/09/2024 to 12/12/2024, four times per week, with each session lasting two hours. The total fee was $750.There was no mention on the website (********************************************************************************) or in the receipt about a requirement for parents to remain with their child during the program. (see attachment)We only learned about this requirement after the program had started, and my son was not allowed to attend his class until I arrived by taxi. I contacted the business owner to explain that we couldn't accommodate this new requirement due to short of notice (I am teaching in the evening and my husband has health issue that prevent him to stay at swimming pool 8 hours/week) and requested either an alternative solution or a refund for the remainder of the program, but I have not received a response.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2024

  We have reached out to the customer directly and resolved the issue.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/08/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/30/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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's name is *********************** ID ********* and she is a student at Boston University. For the Summer 1 semester, she enrolled in a course "HP 353 O1", but she had to drop the class abruptly. My mother (her grandmother) passed away in Feb 2024, since she had been struggling Stage 4 Lung Cancer with a hip fracture. I have attached her death record and pictures. Her grandmother's death, has been extremely hard on our family very emotionally. She briefly looked at the calendar and saw I could still drop HP 353 O1 which she was enrolled in, and so she dropped the course, so she can spend more time with her family. She dropped the course on 05/30/24 (the last day to drop without a 'W' and with a refund) and saw she hadn't gotten a refund for the tuition cost yet, so she reached out to Student Accounts same day. Student Services said verbally and in an email that it would take a while for the refund to be processed and will be posted to her account because the ** Student Portal had been experiencing lags, but they promised she would definitely get a refund. After some more waiting she reached out again, and it was then that they told her that online summer courses have a different schedule (they are classified as nonstandard courses) and the last day to drop without a 'W' and with a refund was the first day of classes, which she was totally unaware of, and that she should reach out to the ******************* She have always been a responsible student, keeping track of deadlines. She was unaware that online courses were not standard courses. Also, they confirmed in an email that I will get a FULL Refund. she was unfamiliar that online courses had a separate calendar. She was going off the calendar posted on the '** Summer ****** which says broadly that the last day for tuition credit was 05/30 for Summer 1 Term courses. It is NOT fair now they are not issuing her a refund of $3180 going back and forth in emails. They promised her refund in an email but not honoring

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/05/2024

  Prior to receiving this BBB compliant, Boston University received a tuition refund policy exception request in relation to this matter. I inquired into the status of the request, and it is pending.  A final decision on this matter is expected in 7-14 days.  The complainant will receive notice as to whether or not the exception is approved promptly after a determination is made.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/06/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have attached the email they sent to my daughter on 6/4/2024 saying they will credit the dropped class. As they confirmed, I can wait for 10 more days to see if it gets reflected. Thank you for your assistance. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/07/2023

  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.

  I was charged to my credit card in June/July 2023 for a FirRec membership of July.1 to Dec.30,2023,which is a automate charge without my consent.I contacted the staff, the staff sent email to me" Our website has disclosed the membership with automately renewed if you don't stop it one month ago",I think this is an unfair clause for consumer.I couldn't read all the terms like insurance,usually the *** and common sense work, the consumer should be notified before they will be charged, including my utility, rent,insurance,as a individual,I can not read all the detailed stuff, the FitRec gym should invoice or bill me like all the other merchants do, I was injured and when I found this charge in Aug from my credit card bill.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2023

  Dear **********:
  

  You have a six-month, auto-renewing Friend of ** membership at Boston Universitys Fitness & ***************** (FitRec). You indicate you did not know the membership was auto-renewing and assert that your credit card was therefore charged without your consent. However, the University clearly stated the auto-renewing nature of the membership on multiple webpages you visited in the process of joining FitRec. Indeed, the webpage on which you started the process of joining FitRec states: The 6-Month membership option is available during open enrollment periods only. Memberships automatically renew every January 1 and July 1 until cancelled. This information is not buried in text but is two of just five lines of text immediately adjacent to the link to start the membership process. When you clicked the link, you were taken to a second webpage where you added the chosen membership option to your shopping cart.This webpage stated: This is a primary membership plan billed every six months and offers a savings off the monthly rate. This is an auto-renewing membership plan and you will be charged on July 1 and January 1 of each year until cancelled. Then, in bold text the webpage stated: In order to cancel, a cancellation form must be received by the 25th of the month prior to avoid being charged for the next six months. This second webpage also provided a link to FitRecs Cancellation Policy and online cancellation form, which makes it easy for one to cancel a membership before it renews. Finally, it is worth noting that you continued to a webpage where you explicitly agreed to abide by FitRecs Membership Handbook. That Membership Handbook contains a section on Membership Plans, Renewals, and Periods, which states the following about six-month membership plans:

  +Members can receive a discount off the monthly rate if they commit to and pay up front for one six-month membership period.

   +This plan is for a six-month commitment. Please see Cancellations for cancellation and refund details and guidelines.

   +Six-month memberships are based on a July 1 to December 31 and/or January 1 to June 30 calendar.

   +Your plan will automatically renew on the first day it expires.

  So, as you can see from the attached copies of the aforementioned webpages and FitRec Membership Handbook, in signing up for the six-month membership,you proceeded through at least two webpages that clearly informed you of the auto-renewing nature of your chosen membership, and you explicitly agreed to abide by the terms of a Membership Handbook that did the same. You also previously held an auto-renewing monthly membership with FitRec, which might have familiarized you with the auto-renewing nature of FitRec memberships generally. Auto-renewing memberships like FitRecs are not unlawful and are compliant with FTC regulations.
  
  In your complaint and in previous correspondence with the University,you suggest that you stopped attending FitRec due to injury. In the previous correspondence, you also indicated that you had moved out of the area of FitRec.The University informed you in response to your correspondence that, pursuant to ************* law, you could cancel your six-month membership and receive a pro-rata refund if you provided documentation either that (1) upon a doctors order,you could not physically or medically receive the services (of FitRec) because of significant disability for a period in excess of three months, or (2) you moved either your residence or your place of employment more than twenty-five miles from FitRec. To date, you have provided no documentation of either circumstance.If you have documentation that you qualify for a refund, the University invites you to provide it. However, the University is not in a position to ***** refunds to ******* users other than in accordance with the law and the terms of the FitRec Membership Handbook.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  1:I think the rule is wrongly set,I received couple notices every year from different business including healthcare insurance, auto insurance,lease,banks,I have never met  automate renewal service which costs $400 without notification. They have their right to post anything, but that's unfair for consumers as for my personnel I won't be able to read the content seriously including the bank consent, insurance consent, what I did is to sign with BOA,Chase,because you couldn't change it.and they will send notice as well.

  Btw,of course I didn't read the consent because I trust BU for both security and fairness so that I can proceed the payment with my credit card.

  For other party without trust,I won't pay online with my credit card.

  It is hard for a consumer in an information explosive society.this is the common sense.

  2:I proposed I just need a resolution to postpone the membership to Jan.1,2024 to July.2024.as I won't go to FitRec from July.1 to Dec.30.2023

  FitRec of BU is just repeating the communication,that doesn't reflect the fairness to consumer as a common law.

  I like BU and FitRec,and I would love to still involve,just need a pospone to "Jan.1 to June.30"

   

  3:I found I moved out only 10 miles and my injury didn't have a physician's record.

   

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  
  
  Regards,

  *****

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2023

  Dear **********: As noted in our last response, the auto-renewing nature of your FitRec membership was not buried in some fine print, but was identified clearly and conspicuously multiple times in the process you completed to sign up for the membership. While you identify multiple services you use where you receive advanced notification of renewal, there are also plenty of memberships (including gym memberships), subscriptions, streaming services and other services that do not--and are not required to--provide notification before renewal (whether monthly, semi-annually or annually). Our renewal process is in compliance with all applicable law. It is not unfair to hold a customer to the clear terms of the ********************** he signed up for and agreed to.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  As I said, a lot of people don't read and rely on notice regardless BU ****** non legal enforcement authority.

  Doing business in a good faith.A 6 month membership renewal is different from Amazon Prime.House insurance,helthcare insurance though those are always providing paper notice.

  I like BU ****** center,I said,I just need to have a resolution to defer the membership to: Jan.1 to June.30.2024.

  BU ****** center doesn't lose anything. 

  
  Regards,

  *****

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2022

  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.

  Our daughter was required to pay $8,700 for an on-campus room and dining plan for the 2022 Fall semester at Boston University of which she was not aware of. When we had registered a request for an on-campus room on May 22, 2022 on the ********** internet portal, we did not realize we were committing to a $9,000 contract. No information, confirmation or communication was ever made by ********** at the time or following our request. They state we had signed a license agreement and should have terminated that agreement prior to August 19th. We were not informed of that condition either. They refuse to release our daughter from the lease, and we had to pay the university the entire amount on September 19th in order to avoid late fees.Two other BU students are experiencing the same problem.Although this situation concerns a university, we feel they are not unlike any other business and have a responsibility for providing full disclosure of contract terms, as well as basic communication and fairness vis--vis their customers.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2022

  Dear Better Business Bureau:

  The customer is the parent of a student studying at Boston University for the Fall ********************************************** her complaint, they applied for on-campus housing via the online ********** Portal on May 23, 2022. At that time, they also signed a Residence License Agreement and selected a dining plan. In her complaint, the customer claims (1) that they did not realize they were signing a license agreement/contract that committed them to paying for the students housing and dining plan, (2) that they received no subsequent communication from the University regarding on-campus housing, and (3) that they were not informed of the August 19, 2022 deadline to cancel the Residence License Agreement. However, please find attached a PDF containing screenshots of pages in the ********** Portal that the customer and her daughter would have seen and another containing the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement, which can also be found on the ********** website.

  Regarding claim #1, please note that the first page from the ********** Portal contains just three, short paragraphs. Paragraph 1 advises upfront that part of the application process for on-campus housing is the signing of the Residence License Agreement. Paragraph 2 further advises that the student must electronically sign your Residence License Agreement. Then, the entirety of paragraph 3 states: Once you have signed the Residence License Agreement, complete the remaining steps to complete your application. The Residence License Agreement itself is found on page 2 from the ********** Portal and consists of just four, short paragraphs. Paragraph 2 or the Residence License Agreement states, in part: I further understand that I, and if applicable, my Guarantor, will be held responsible for all residence and dining plan rates for the academic semester, as outlined in the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement. The entirety of paragraph 4 of the Residence License Agreement simply restates that understanding in larger font. Then, immediately below paragraph 4 is a box for the student to electronically sign the **** along with the note: Your electronic signature on this contract is fully binding. Given the above, the student either knew or should have known that she was signing a license agreement/contract that committed her to paying for her housing and dining plan.
  

  Regarding claim #2, please note the section on Residence Assignments on page 1 of the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement. The very first sentence of paragraph 1 of the section states: Residence assignments and other pertinent housing information for the fall semester generally will be available on the My Housing Portal by early August, provided all housing materials are received by June 1, which they were for the student given that she completed her housing application on May 23. Under paragraph 3 of the Residence License Agreement, which the student signed, the student was responsible for reading and knowing the contents of the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement and acknowledged receipt of the same. Accordingly, the student either knew or should have known that she was able to obtain information on her on-campus housing assignment by early August by logging into the same ********** Portal she used to apply for on-campus housing.  After the August 19, 2022, deadline to cancel a students Residence License Agreement, ********** emailed students to request that they register a date to move into their assigned housing.

  Regarding claim #3, please note that the very first section on page 1 of the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement addresses Term/Cancellation. It states that the Licensee and Guarantor will be held responsible for all residence and dining plan rates except under three conditions.The first condition mentioned is where written notice of cancellation is received by BU housing on or before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 19, 2022. As noted above, under paragraph 3 of the Residence License Agreement, which the student signed, the student was responsible for reading and knowing the contents of the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement and acknowledged receipt of the same. Accordingly, the student either knew or should have known of the August 19 cancellation deadline. Neither the customer nor the student provided notice of cancellation to ********** prior to the deadline.
  

  Boston University is sympathetic to the customers and students situation. However, the University is not in a position to refund the residence and dining plan fees of every student who signs up for on-campus housing and a dining plan and does not cancel their request by the established deadline or otherwise qualify for a refund under the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement. If a student is ever unsure about their housing assignment or the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement, they are encouraged to contact ********** for assistance. Unfortunately,the student at issue did not do so before the cancellation deadline and before she opted for off-campus housing not offered through the University.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2022

  Dear Better Business Bureau,

  We thank Boston University for this detailed response to our complaint #********.
  
  We confirm and recognize the screenshots in the first document provided by Boston University. 
  
  We did not, however, receive the Terms and Conditions at the time of our online application made on May 22, 2022. The Terms and Conditions are not clearly posted on the ********** website, where the document could have been readily noticed and understood when the online application was made.  As can be seen on the screenshots, there is no direct link to the Terms and Conditions.
  
  Elements mentioned during the online application process include, Thank you for submitting your application, On-line application, Application Complete, which led us to believe we were simply applying for a room on-campus.
  
  We maintain that an online application was indeed made for an on-campus room, but disagree with the claim that a contract was signed.  Furthermore, we find it surprising ** expects students to blindly sign a contract without having the relevant information of the financial investment required.
  
  The Residence License Agreement (RLA) referenced by ** indicates a time-frame which includes the academic school year 2022-2023, whereas our daughter is attending ** only for the 2022 Fall Semester. We understood she did not qualify for an on-campus room.
  
  To our knowledge, there are two other ** students having the same experience, which indicates to us that the information and comprehension of the ********** online application system is not evident.
  
  We understand ********** must have a large number of online applications to manage, however we would expect a minimum amount of communication on the part of ********** (ex. email confirmation of online application with Terms and Conditions included, cost, dates, location of on-campus rental, etc.). We feel ** failed to inform us of the essential information regarding their RLA. 
  
  It is difficult to accept paying this significant amount of money and not have goods or services rendered in exchange. We feel the practices of ********** are unfair, which resulted in our loss of $8,700.
  

  Regards,

   

  ********************

   

  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  
  

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2022

  Dear Ms. ************* University regrets that we cannot accommodate your request for a refund. Each year, the University receives thousands of applications for on-campus housing and dining plans. While the vast majority of the applications result in the applicant ultimately moving into their assigned housing,each year a subset of applicants request to cancel their housing assignments and dining plans, some after the deadline for cancellation has passed. Given that the University makes contractual commitments for dormitory facilities, other spaces,staff, and a wide variety of services based on the number of students who indicate they will be residing and dining on campus, we are not in a position to cancel housing assignments and dining plans and to issue refunds to all the students who request it after the cancellation deadline.  Nor can the University fairly pick and choose students to receive such a benefit, but rather seeks consistently to apply the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement.
  

  You now claim that the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement and information on the financial commitment associated with on-campus housing options and dining plans were not provided to you or readily available to you at the time you and your daughter completed the application for on-campus housing and a dining plan. However, please note that paragraph 1,sentence 2, of the very first page from the ********** Portal states: Before you complete the survey questions and sign your Residence License Agreement,you should spend some time reviewing information on the ********** website to learn about the housing and dining options Boston University offers. Notably, the reference to the ********** website contains a hyperlink to the main webpage of the ********** website. As you can see from the attached screenshot of the ********** main webpage, there is a link in the top right corner to information on UNDERGRADUATE HOUSING, including rates for the various on-campus housing and dining plan options, information on the housing assignment process, and the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement. The top right corner of the ********** main webpage also contains a link just to information on Dining Plans & Options, if one just wants to see that. Despite these clear links, if one if having any difficulty finding the information they are looking for, or simply wants to see a full menu of all the information available on the ********** website, the top right corner of the ********** main webpage also contains a large red button linking to such a Full Menu. As you can see from the attached screenshot of the Full Menu, it contains clear links to on-campus housing and dining plan rates, as well as to the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement. In summary, the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement and information on the financial commitment associated with on-campus housing options and dining plans were provided to you via link at the time you and your daughter completed the application for on-campus housing and a dining plan, and were publicly available on the ********** website before, during, and after that time. Moreover, as noted in our first response to your complaint, in signing the Residence License Agreement, your daughter explicitly acknowledged that she was responsible for reading the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement and explicitly acknowledged receiving them.

  Regarding your continuing claim that no contract was signed,the University addressed that claim extensively in our initial response to your complaint.
  

  You finally suggest that you and your daughter believed she did not qualify for on-campus housing because the Residence License Agreement references the ********* Academic Year, but your daughter only planned to study at the University for one semester. The import of this suggestion is unclear, as is the reason you and your daughter completed the application for on-campus housing if the two of you believed she did not qualify for it. Regardless, the first section of the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement, on Term/Cancellation, clearly allows a student to reside in, and pay for, on-campus housing for just one semester.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/19/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********.

  We thank Boston University for their response dated October 13, 2022 and the accompanying screenshots of the ********** website. 
  
  The online application process for an on-campus room at Boston University begins with a link found on the ********** website (******/housing) entitled, Begin your application which then transfers the student to an independent website, StarRez, with the *** address of **.starrezhousing.com. This platform serves as the ********** Portal (screen pages shown in pdf file entitled, ********** Portal Screenshots attached to ** response dated October 5th).
  
  Nowhere during that application process on **.starrezhousing.com does it outline the Terms & Conditions. This platform is lacking critical information, and as stated earlier, based on the wording used during the online application process, we were led to believe we were simply submitting an online application.  
  
  It seems fairly simple to provide a warning to applicants with regards to the August deadline, when finalizing the application. If this information had been provided, we would have certainly sent an email to ********** before the August 19th 5 PM deadline.  Our email was sent less than 10 working days after the deadline when we became aware a room had been assigned which then cost us several thousand dollars. 
  
  ********** was one of the options available when searching for lodging in Boston, an arduous and lengthy task, since housing is scarce and most landlords do not accept a 4-month lease.  If we had known the outcome of this experience, we would have never have applied to **********. (Incidentally, we see there is no information for semester-only housing rates on the ********** website.)
  
  We find it difficult to believe ** is not capable or willing to communicate with students following the application submission and regret this absence of communication.
  
  We are disappointed in Boston Universitys refusal to refund the $8,700 and sincerely feel that we have been treated unjustly.

  Sincerely,

   

  ******* and ******************
  
  

  
  FAQ