Complaints

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

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• 

  The College Board

  250 Vesey St New York, NY 10281-1052

• 

  The College Board

  PO Box 025505 Miami, FL 33102

• 

  The College Board

  P O Box 4017 Mount Vernon, IL 62864

• 

  The College Board

  PO Box 8057 Mount Vernon, IL 62864

• 

  The College Board

  PO Box 6200 Princeton, NJ 08541

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:11/18/2022

  Type:Delivery 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 10/1/2022, my daughter took the SAT in *************, at the **********************. College Board released the scores on 10/14/2022. Unfortunately, my daughter has still not received her score. On multiple occasions I reported the issue to CollegeBoard. Their customer service had no idea why my daughter did not receive her score, but they noted down the issue and provided me with case number ********. They told me I will hear back from them in 3-4 days. A week passed and since I had not heard back from them, I called them again multiple times. They still had no idea why my daughter did not have her score, and continued to say that they will further escalate my case, this time promising me a two day turnaround time. This happened several times with no further response. I waited again, until today Thursday Nov 17 (more than 6 weeks from the date of taking the SAT), and had still not heard back from CollegeBoard. So I called them again this morning. They still have no idea why my daughter does not have her score. My daughter had several Early Action college application deadlines on Nov 1st and 15th, and needs her scores in order to complete her applications. I have let multiple agents at CollegeBoard know about this. Yet, they seem to take no responsibility and do not adhere to their own timelines.I would like CollegeBoard to get to the bottom of my daughter's case, declare her score ASAP and report the score to the universities we have requested score reports for.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2022

  After investigating, this students scores were delayed due to a test day issue that resulted in the need for an options letter to be completed by the student.Scores were automatically released when a response was not received from the student within the necessary timeframe. The customer was notified through email that scores were available on November 18, 2022. The customer has the contact information of a ************* Specialist should any further assistance be needed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  The claim by the College board is not factual, and takes no responsibility for their part in what seems a complete customer service failure without even trying to fake an apology.
  
  They said:

  "After investigating, this students scores were delayed due to a test day issue that resulted in the need for an options letter to be completed by the student. Scores were automatically released when a response was not received from the student within the necessary timeframe. The customer was notified through email that scores were available on November 18, 2022. The customer has the contact information of a ************* Specialist should any further assistance be needed."

  Through 5 or 6 phone calls where I repeatedly asked what the issue was, and also including 5 or 6 messages on their site, I was never told what the issue was. Even in their response it seems completely vague and without resolution. Even with this response now, it's completely unclear what an "options letter" is. We first heard of an options letter 6 weeks after the test in an email referencing that we should have received one. My daughter responded by saying we had not received one, and please help us understand what the content of one was in the first place. 
  
  I'm unclear what the "necessary timeframe" was for releasing scores from a letter we didn't receive, and again in multiple phone calls (each about ***** minutes long) and messages (none of which were responded to at all), there was no mention of test day issues, nor an option letter.
  
  We were only notified of test scores being available almost 7 weeks after the test day, (after our application deadline for several schools), and somehow magically the day after we complained to BBB. 
  
  I am sharing all of this to say that us getting our scores in the way we did with the timing that we did, the lack of clear communication about anything in the process, and a continued seeming denial of any sense of responsibility for this is disappointing to say the least. Taking responsibility would be a great first step, and an apology a great second step.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  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.

  My son was scheduled to take the SAT on Oct. 1st but because of the hurricane, it was rescheduled to Oct. 15th. He took the test and I called to find out about getting the score since colleges in ******* have a Nov. 1st early decision deadline. On Oct. 22nd, the representative told me that it can be up to two weeks so I have to wait, I did. Called on Oct. 29th, *** said still no score but the maximum time is 3 weeks. I explained that we have a Nov. 1st deadline and they gave me a case number and said someone would call me in 3-5 business days and don't worry colleges in ******* will make adjustments because of the hurricane. I waited the full 5 days, no call, so I called on Friday, Nov 4th, which is 5 business days, told me they would escalate and I had to wait another 3-5 business days and someone would call me, no call, I called back 5 business days later on Friday, Nov. 11th and explained the urgency and they said they would make it a red flag case number and someone would call me in ***** hours, this would mean Saturday or max ******* I told the rep, you are not open on the weekend and she said, yes we are open 24/7 for these types of situations. Today is Sunday, no call, so I call and get a recording they are not open, call Monday. This is the most despicable company I have ever dealt with and we are powerless as consumers. How and the heck has this company gotten away with this!! Where is the attorney general, where is the department of education, where is the justice, how can colleges accept working with this deplorable company? They are a corrupt non-profit run by a hedge fund! Look at the complaints, the horrendous stories, nowhere should this be allowed to happen and it's happening to families and kids trying to get into college. This is a scam organization that cares less about our kids, how is this not exposed? I will go to every news agency on the planet to tell the world about these con artists. Someone out there has to help.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2022

  A ************* Specialist reached out to the customer on November 14, 2022 to advise that the score was being released. The score released on the same day and no further outreach was received from the customer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore 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 son took the SAT exam on Aug 27th 2022. On Oct 6th I emailed the Board to let them know that he hadnt received his results. It took them two weeks to assign someone to look into the case. After three subsequent weeks, the case manager told me that the paper was lost and there was nothing more that they could do beyond refunding the cost of the test. My son was hoping for a scholarship and worked hard over the Summer for this test. It is crushing to think that it was all for nothing and the monetary implications for our family are obvious. He is in his senior year applying for colleges in November and it is too late to take another test. When the SAT Board holds so much power over these kids they should do a better job of managing the tests. It is unacceptable for a test paper to just go missing. It needs to be found. Case Number :- ********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/14/2022

  On October 18, 2022 a ************* Specialist initiated an investigation into delayed August 2022 SAT scores and communicated this investigation October 19, 2022. After a through investigation the parent was notified that a refund was issued for the registration because we were unable to locate test materials for the student. The parent understood the conclusion of the investigation, and has the contact information for the ************* Specialist should they need additional assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  The Test Coordinator confirmed that my son sat the test. He said that the ******* collects all tests and brings them to him to be counted before they are sent to the SAT Board. "Unable to locate test materials" is not a satisfactory response and no I do not "understand the conclusion of the investigation". It amazes me that the SAT Board offers no apology or a hint of a flawed process that led to this outcome. Such a lack of accountability explains why my son's paper was lost.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2022

  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.

  My daughter took the SAT on August 27, 2022. After she received her score, I put in a request for hand grading to the SAT. I filled out the form as required, offered payment, and mailed the form. They registered as having received the form for processing (it was entered in their system) on 9/15/2022. I was told it would take 4-6 weeks to process the request and provide a report on the score, either updating it or indicating the original score was correct. I called in early October to confirm the request was received and to confirm the timeline. I called on the day that marked 6 weeks, which was October 27. The person at College Board customer service agreed it was late, and escalated the issue. I was told at that time by the customer service rep (recorded line) that it would be 5-7 days that I would receive a call directly to update us. I received no call by 11/3, so called again. I was told that it was a 7 business day wait, and that I should call on 11/8 if I didn't hear anything. I have received no information via email, cell, or mail. I called today, 11/8. The first time, the customer service rep hung up on me when I asked for name and ID number. The second time, **** (*******) said she'd put me in contact with the 'hand marking group'. Instead, she turned me over to *** (*******) in customer service. *** said he would escalate again. When I persisted in talking to a supervisor, he assured me **** would call me within 2 hours. When ****, the supervisor, did not call me within 2 hours, I contacted customer service again. ****** ********* said she was chatting (computer) to **** directly, and **** still didn't respond. We are now 8 weeks past their logging receipt of our request, and through the highest escalation they offer. I have received various contradictory excuses (for example that I should wait 'business' weeks, meaning 6 weeks actually means about 8.5 weeks). My request is that they quickly finish the service they agreed to provide.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/09/2022

  Better Business Bureau:

  Shortly after submission of my complaint to the BBB, I was contacted by the College Board.  They provided the service requested, communicated the results, and requested information on my experience so that they can troubleshoot what happened over the several weeks of interaction with their customer service.  

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************
  
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/03/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 10/1/2022, my daughter took the SAT in ********* **. College Board released the scores on 10/14/2022. Unfortunately, my daughter has still not received her score and has now missed the deadline of November 1st for scholarship consideration for several American Universities. I have called daily to find out when we might expect her score. Every single time, I have to explain the issue to a new customer service representative. Our case was finally elevated to Case manager *************************** (case #********). ****** was able to advise on October 28th that there had been a major problem with the score reporting at the ********* ** writing of the SAT and that nobody that wrote their exam in this location had received their score to date. She advised that she would look into the issue and call me back before the November 1 deadline. She did not. I have called every day since then and left messages for her. None have been returned. My daughter applied to the schools without her SAT score to meet the deadline, but she is now at risk of losing scholarship consideration since her SAT score is required. If she does not get a scholarship to these schools, she will not be able to afford to attend. I am now worried that College Board has LOST these students scores.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/26/2022

  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.

  My son was not able to retake the SAT on 3/14/20. The test was cancelled due to COVID concerns. Therefore, I should have received a refund.I contacted the College Board and received reference # ********. The complaint was supposedly elevated. However, no one from the College Board returns my phone calls or follows-up.I'm requesting a refund in the amount of $79.50 ******* Check Card was charged on 3/2/20. The payment cleared my checking account on 3/3/20. I extracted the following information from my bank statement.Withdrawal **** Check Card COLLEGEBOARD*SAT ONLN.************ ** 03/02 ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2022

  The case was escalated and received by a ************* Specialist on October 27, 2022. Due to the ***** Pandemic, a one-time courtesy exception to process a refund was granted. Due to the timeframe that had passed since the initial order was placed, a check refund needed to be processed.
  
  Upon receipt of the case, outreach via phone and also via email to the customer was completed to confirm a physical mailing address to send the check refund to. The customer followed back via email and supplied the requested information. The information was supplied to our ****************** and in turn they confirmed a check should be expected to be received by the customer within 60 days. The customer was advised this information.
  
  Should further assistance be needed, the customer has the direct contact information of a ************* Specialist.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/10/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/25/2022

  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.

  On 10/1/2022, my daughter took the SAT in *************, at the **********************. College Board released the scores on 10/14/2022. Unfortunately, my daughter has still not received her score.On 10/17/2022, I reported the issue to CollegeBoard. Their customer service had no idea why my daughter did not receive her score, but they noted down the issue and provided me with case number ********. They told me I will hear back from them in 3-4 days.Four days from 10/17/2022 is 10/21/2022. Since I had not heard back from them, I called them again. They still had no idea why my daughter did not have her score, but said they will further escalate my case, this time promising me a one day turnaround time. I waited 3 days, until today Monday 10/21, and had still not heard back from CollegeBoard. So I called them again this morning. They still have no idea why my daughter does not have her score. When I asked to talk to a supervisor, the agent ****** (ID #******** was very reluctant to connect me with a supervisor. When I insisted, she told me her supervisor was on another call and will call me in the next few minutes. It is now the end of the day and I still haven't received a call from the supervisor.My daughter has her college application deadline on Nov 1st, and needs her score in order to complete her application. I have let multiple agents at CollegeBoard know about this. Yet, they seem to take no responsibility and do not adhere to their own timelines.I would like CollegeBoard to get to the bottom of my daughter's case, declare her score ASAP and report the score to the universities we have requested score reports for.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2022

  A ************* Specialist reached out to this customer on October 25, 2022, to notify them we have resolved the issue delaying their scores. A timeframe of when the scores can be seen in the account has been provided to the customer by phone and email. The customer has the contact information of the specialist should any further assistance be needed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/28/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

  I appreciate the BBB's help in this matter. Prior to filing the complaint with the BBB, I had spent a week making several calls to this business, and each time, they provided no clarity beyond asserting that their higher department was looking into the matter. They wouldn't let me talk to a supervisor, and they didn't adhere to their own timelines for a resolution. But in about 12 hours of filing the complaint with the BBB, I received a call from an agent who provided a clear update, and the issue was fully resolved in another 24 hours.

  Thank you for your help!

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  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.

  The college board has 3 different time frames posted on the website for rush delivery. I called to clarify the times, after I paid the rush fee. The website states that all score are sent to colleges electronically only. I was transferred 4 different times, after I clearly stated that I needed a Supervisor. The reps tried to tell me multiple times that scores are sent to colleges by mail. They kept transferring me in hopes to get me off the phone and each time it was not a supervisor and no one could or would clarify the policy. The customer service is horrible and the people on phone must be a seperate call center just for call intake. I have been on the phone 2 hours and still no supervisor or assistance

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2022

  On November 1, 2022, a ************* Specialist reached out to the customer regarding clarifying the rush report shipping speed and ship method for SAT score reports. It was advised that score reports are now shipped electronically. Therefore, the rush report shipping speed is now 1 to 2 business days. The specialist then provided the customer with their contact information for any future assistance they may need.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/23/2022

  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 am an SAT coordinator who is also responsible for submitting student accommodation requests. Students are expected to know that they will take the **** and submit accommodations request by August 23, despite the fact that they've never heard of the ****. I am a brand new test coordinator and was expected to know that I would need to submit these requests the moment I got hired. However, I submitted multiple requests and all but one were approved quickly. One student's request has sat on "pending" for over 3 weeks. College Board tells parents to work with their *** coordinator to submit accommodations so that they are approved quickly. I have called and emailed to ask for assistance--every single person has given me the same script--"Requests may take up to 7 weeks to process. If it says pending that means that they are reviewing her file." Which is odd because the deadline set by College Board is only 3 weeks before the test ordering deadline and the request said "pending" the second I submitted it. I asked if I could order materials for the student just in case her request was approved. No. Not possible, even though the *** office told me that I could request an MP3 for the student. I asked if I could talk to anyone who makes the decisions so that I could know what documentation might speed up this student's requests. No. Not possible. I can only wait on hold, listening to soft jazz, to speak to "customer service" reps who read the same script over and over and provide no actual customer service. I get conflicting answers from the different department representatives. If you're serving students with disabilities, you should at least have an advisor who can help teachers and/or parents work through the process.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/18/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, my complaint, ID ******** regarding The College Board has been resolved.
  

  (By clicking "OK", your complaint will be closed as Resolved.)

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/23/2022

  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.

  My daughter was sent an email by the college board asking for volunteers to take the Sept 24 Digital SAT. She signed up with the understanding that she would have to register for the paper-based Oct 1 SAT but that she would be reimbursed the fee for taking that exam, as long as she took the Sept 24 Digital SAT (see attached email from College Board). As it turns out, she later received an email from College Board saying that she was not needed to take the digital SAT, and that she should email ********************************* if she wanted cancel her registration for the Oct 1 exam, which is what she did. The first email she sent to them was on Sept 9. She realized that she forgot to include her registration number so she sent a second email, also on Sept 9. However, she never heard back from college board to confirm her cancellation and when she checked their portal, it still showed that she was registered for the Oct 1 exam. She sent another email on Sept 20 and still nothing had changed as of today (9/22). So I called their customer service today and spent over an hour on the phone with them. They could only find her email sent on Sept 20, which they said was after the deadline to cancel (which was Sept20). The customer support agent said he would escalate the issue but there is no guarantee that we will get our registration fee refunded because it was after the deadline. In my mind, the whole thing seems like it was a scam designed to get students to register and pay for another SAT. They certainly have not made it easy to cancel - most students wouldn't be as diligent as my daughter had been in emailing the company to cancel, and it's ridiculous that no one ever responded to her emails, and that I then had to spend over an hour on the phone with them. The phone call has enabled us to submit evidence (screenshots of the emails sent) to College Board but with no guarantee that we will get a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2022

  A Customer Care Representative called and left a
  voicemail to the parent on 9/23/2022. The student called back this afternoon
  (9/26/2022). The student confirmed they would like to move forward with
  cancelling and refunding their October 1, 2022 SAT registration. The
  representative issued the refund and provided refund details to student and
  parent.