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:11/15/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 purchased Sophia 1 month membership not knowing their stalling practices. I requested either a refund or an extension to account for the time often wasted waiting for a class to be added or for a touchstone to be graded. Sophia limits learners to 2 classes at a time. This means when a U.S. History takes over 5 days to grade an assignment you have to wait in limbo. The other problem is, they force you to use their template and then accuse of plagiarism. Thankfully I showed them my As in actual brick and mortar University to prove my background and knowledge. They need to account for likeness if they are going to make everyone use the same template for many of the courses. If you want to add a class, I have had to wait over the weekend, I had to wait over 24 hours for a class to be added. All of this adds up making the 30 day membership forced to have a longer membership. Again, for any days that I was forced to wait, I would like back since I wasnt able to add courses until your slow graders graded my work. I requested an extension or a refund and they denied me both. I want others to learn from my experience. Also please do not reveal my private info as I am not allowing consent to release my public info. ***

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2023

  We have addressed this complaint with the customer directly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/17/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  We will choose to disagree on that perspective. Your company does not make it an efficient process to add courses when you are only allowed to take two at a time and can perceived as a strategy. Do you wish to explain the two course limit? Or why it takes over 24 hours to add a course and on weekends it takes longer? You have to wait over 24 hours for a person to add a course. By the the way any private information you respond with regarding me I will not give consent towards. This is about transparency. Let your customers know the reality that you guys take over 24 hours to add a course and longer on the weekends. There is limit of two courses at a time which will impeded anyones speed so for anyone taking certain courses know that they can take over five days to grade which means you have a week loss essentially. This was my experience and I hope others have a better experience. 

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2023

  The Sophia Learning Coach team work diligently to respond to requests promptly. Our business hours are Monday through Friday 8am - 8pm CT, and in addition, we respond to requests submitted on weekends as much as possible to ensure timely responses. Grading turnaround times range between 1-5 days, but on average are within 3 days. Sophia's model allows for learners to take up to 2 courses at a time and learners are welcome to reach out to a Learning Coach for support if they are waiting on an assessment to be graded. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/21/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  It was past five days for ** history and extra days for regrading. On average three days is not accurate for some classes. Some classes the graders are quick and that is fine. You can not add a class on the weekends when most people are free. May we please stop the back and forth? I already agreed to disagree. This did not acknowledge most of my complaint which is the advertising does not mention the difficultly of having to wait for a class to be added. It is assumed that the user simply adds a class but the reality is you email to add a class and have to wait over 24 hours for a class to be added and longer on the weekends. In addition, if both your classes have a touchstone to be graded, you must wait for the touchstone to be graded until you can take the final milestone. No where does it say on your site prior to agreeing to membership that one must wait to add a course nor does it say one must wait for a touchstone to be graded to take the final milestone. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

  Per Sophia's refund policy (see here: ****************************************************************************), this learner is not eligible for a refund at this time. In future situations, please do not hesitate to contact Learning Coach team to request an extension if you are experiencing a delay in grading time that is causing challenges to maximize your membership. Note, our business hours are Monday through Friday 8am to 8pm **, so there may be a delay if you contact our team on the weekend.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I attend a university and usually get decent grades. The grading on the material that I have submitted, has been a reflection on the inaccurate perceptions of the teacher. There is no doubt that the grading methods that these teachers are incorporating, will be the downfall of this company. Complete bias in there grading and there is no care for the education development of the students. I would not recommend these services to anyone. They state that "students love us." This is not a fact. I have also submitted inquiries regarding the grading and there has been no response.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Thank you for your concern and feedback. We are sorry that your learner experience has been less than satisfactory. After reviewing your progress in English Composition I and your correspondence with our Learning Coaches, we would like to offer some additional assistance from the Lead Grader for English Composition I, who has reached out via email. 
  
  If you have any further questions about Touchstones in the course, he will be able to help you. If you have any future questions about other course Touchstones, we encourage reaching out via the Touchstone Requests/Concerns Form: **********************************************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/03/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I believe **** English comp 2 course needs revision. I as well as many others have all had similar complaints about our grading not matching our work. It is almost like they are not actually reading your work. They drag it out for us to have to spend more money. I have a 4.0 at my university, doing full time AND A HALF classes plus working 60+ hours a week and raising 3 kids. How in the world am I failing?! Then when you ask for a new grader, the lead grader states the same things are missing but they are not missing nor warrant a zero AT ALL. I had my paper reviewed by tutors, read by professors, they all agreed they did not understand their grading at all. It just does not make sense.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2023

   Thank you for providing this feedback. While we are disappointed that your experience wasn't a positive one, our graders made every effort to explain what needed to change in order for this learner to get a passing score. We will be emailing you directly as well. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I struggle with speech. I had throat surgery as a child that didn't heal perfectly and suffered from mutism. I've had pronunciation issues my whole life and I did not have parents who helped me. I took Sophia's Spanish 1 course already knowing a decent amount of Spanish because I took it in HS and have friends and clients who speak it. I lived with a family who speaks Spanish. I can understand hearing it and read it ok, but enunciating when speaking it is not what I've mastered nor did I think that was required for the course. I worked with a Tutor to get my final written assessment to the level I wanted and even worked with a friend as a peer-to-peer tutor but instead of my final grade passing, I was told it was TOO good and so I received a 0. This doesn't make sense and when I tried repeatedly to fix it I was given a automatic reply saying indirectly that they think I'm cheating. So, I ended my subscription from this discrimination. There are many people who have vocal communication issues and shouldn't be penalized for it. I didn't think Sophia would discriminate against me over my speech issues. I want that credit applied to my account for all the work I did. I hope they make improvements to their grading system to remove incompetent graders.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/21/2023

  Thank you for alerting us of this concern. We have reached out to you separately via email to resolve this matter. We appreciate your feedback and wish you all the best of luck in your learning journey. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/26/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I did not receive a new email response. I've waited 5 days. All I want is the credit I deserve.
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2023

  This complaint has been resolved and the customer has received a refund. We are corresponding directly so this complaint can be closed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/29/2023

   I am rejecting this response because: I did not want a refund. I was happy to give them $79 for all the things I learned. What I wanted was the credit I am owed and to not be discriminated against for having speaking challenges. They have not taken responsibility for this and no apology has been given about the unfairness.
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Sophia is s******* me over. I am enrolled to start at *** next month. I will most likely have to push that back another month due to the counselors at Sophia telling me the wrong course to enroll in. I literally sent a web link to the classes that were accepted as transfer credit so I could finish my General ** as fast as possible and of course, they tell me the wrong ** History class to take so it doesn't transfer over. Now I'm at my wit's end since I'm about to be charged another month of their service. I may do a chargeback on all services rendered - I will absolutely not pay for another month since they couldn't tell me the correct courses to take on the first go-around. I'm demanding my work for my other ** History course to be graded immediately (it has already been 3 business days) if I do not get my work graded by Friday (tomorrow evening) I will start a chargeback against Sophia. I am not paying for a second month of services whatsoever especially since they told me the wrong course to take. I have email proof a counselor from Sophia Learning told me the wrong course to take. I will begin filing complaints every single day until my demands are met. Absolutely livid that I'm getting screwed out of another $100 because they don't even understand their own courses. If I don't get my work graded today and done I will probably file another complaint around this afternoon. I just want to be done with this company and have my work graded immediately.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/26/2023

  Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. Our team has reached out to you separately to help resolve this issue. Please reply to us at ****************************************************** with your future inquiries. We wish you the best in your education endeavors.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I'm pretty irritated with the graders at Sophia.org. After submitting my prior complaint, now my essays were graded with less than a 50% score. My essays were graded not even 20 minutes one after the other. I'm going to keep filing complaints unless I get a fair grade. My two other essays were worse and received higher marks. I 100% feel this is retaliation and demand new graders look at my work or allow me to submit new writing. I'm going to start leaving negative reviews everywhere I can and may even encourage other people to do the same. Absolutely ridiculous I can't get a fair grade now.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/08/2023

  Hi ******,

  Thank you for this feedback. We have corresponded via email to work together to support your progress through this course. We appreciate your collaboration and wish you the best of luck on your education journey. Please continue to reach out to our team via email and we will be able to support you there.

  Best,

  ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/03/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Sophia.org is deliberately wasting my time so I spend more money on their service. I was accused of one of my papers being plagiarized when I wrote the original work. Albeit I'm not a great writer and I've been trying to finish this course as fast as humanely possible - I wish to challenge this decision and to get an immediate response from Sophia.org as to EXACTLY WHY my paper was flagged. I put my own essay I wrote in other plagiarism checkers to see what would be flagged and nothing. This is just a ridiculous attempt to get me to stay so I pay another $100 for another month.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Hi ******,

  Thank you for sharing your feedback. As I mentioned in my email, your Touchstones will be re-graded tomorrow. If you have any additional questions or concerns please contact me directly via email. 

  Best,

  ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On February 27, 2023 I sent an email to request my final assignment be re-reviewed by a different learning coach than the previous. The initial learning coach *********************** graded my assignment very low and his feedback did not add up to what was provided as a sample from Sophia Learning as to how the power-point should be submitted. I pointed out the grading and feedback I received, along with a failed grade. The feedback did not align with the sample which was provided by Sophia. Needless to say, I received a new review of my assignment and that learning coach graded it with 15 points higher than the initial coach. Fair to say, the second coach did give me feedback that was substantial and straightforward. It wasn't much I needed to correct as I only needed 5 more point to pass the course. After revising my assignment as requested by the second learning coach I was blocked from resubmitting the work due to being told that it couldn't be reset again and that I had ran out of chances to submit the work. This is leaving me to have to retake the entire course all because a learning coach unfairly graded my work and I had to request someone other than him to re-review it. That's not fair to say the lease and I was only off by 5 points from passing?! I would be able to pass the course if I was able to resubmit the new revision from the corrected feedback. I've taken other courses with Sophia and never had this issue to happen. Disappointment and discouraged at this point.....hopeless!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2023

  Thank you for providing this feedback to us. We take it very seriously. The Sophia Learning Coach Supervisor has contacted you to discuss your experience and to rectify the situation. We appreciate your feedback and are taking the necessary steps to support you and all learners at Sophia.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2022

  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.

  I have reached out via ***************** (goes to voicemail) left multiple messages requesting a call back since May, 2022. The company claims to return calls the next business day. However, I am still waiting. I am currently enrolled at university and have been directed to take Sophia courses. The final class has not been graded according to rubric and graders have cited APA guidelines incorrectly as reason for deducting points on my work. The inconsistencies such as, deducting points for not having a title page (not in rubric), then deducting points on the next paper for including a title page (not in rubric), returning my paper claiming it is not cited properly, however, upon review from my universities academic writing tutor and the 24 /7 tutoring service it was made clear that the grader was incorrect with his assertions. My attempts to reconcile this ongoing issue and seek a solution have gone ignored. It is the only thing standing in my way for graduation. Is have taken multiple courses through Sophia without issue. Therefore, Im dumbfounded by the incompetence of the graders for this class and even more disturbed by the atrocious lack of customer service. I need an expeditious solution as I am in need of graduating on time and the membership fee is about to renew in 11 days. This assignment is two parts. First part rough draft, second part final draft, and I am stuck in limbo once again. This is an ongoing issue since May and I desperately need a solution. I am running out of time.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Thank you very much for sharing this feedback with the Sophia team. Learner experience is a top priority for us, so we sincerely apologize for the experience you had.
  
  
  We have taken the steps to support the learner with the follow up action and have come to a resolution. In addition, the grader who initially graded the assignment incorrectly is no longer on the Sophia team. We are continually improving our learner support experience and will be addressing the feedback shared by this customer regarding call back and response time to ensure that all learners get the necessary support going forward. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/23/2022

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that had I not reached out to a third party (The Better Business Bureau) I would have not received a phone call from the business following up on my concern. I subscribed to their service  2/27/2022 and reached out in 5/ 2022 multiple times via telephone, email and live chat regarding this issue. I unsubscribed for two months because of the lack of response.

  I resubscribed in 7/18/2022 to complete the remaining three assignments, still having not heard from anyone, but I needed these credits to graduate my college program. Unfortunately, I was met with the same issue on 8/7/2022. Therefore, I went through the same outreach process (e.g., voicemails, live chats, emails). I completed the assignments and course on 8/16/2022.

  However, I  was not contacted until 08/22/2022. It was made clear the call was in reference to my BBB complaint. Too little, too late. Hopefully this helps someone in the future. However, it did not help me throughout my process. I did not receive the assistance I needed, and I did not receive the education in the subject that I paid for, nor did I receive a proper opportunity to excel in the subject matter. Thankfully, this course is a pass or fail because it would have negatively affected my current GPA had it not been. 

  Respectfully, 

  ******************;