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Business Profile

Business School

Harrisburg Area Community College

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 5 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 2 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:11/26/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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 school refuses to allow students to speak to the financial aid department. The only method of contact is through email. At times that isn't ideal. Refusing to make your financial aid department available to your students to literally speak to is unheard of and completely unacceptable. It has been this way for going on a year now. With no signs of them fixing the situation. It needs addressed.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 11/29/2024

    I was sent a letter asking to clarify if I'm the student or not 

    Yes. I am the student.

    Business Response

    Date: 12/12/2024

    Please see the attached response from Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) regarding *. ******** compliant. 

    Thank you,

     

    Business Response

    Date: 01/16/2025

    Please see attached response.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/06/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    Resolved
    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.
    HACC punished me for reporting an instructor who was making death threats towards another student.After the retaliation I had to quit the program and only after was I found guilty of academic dishonesty.HACC doesnt care about students. HACC now makes it impossible for future employment and opportunities.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/24/2024

    To *****************************
    Concerning Complaint ID ********; *************************
    We do not discuss personnel issues, but an investigation was completed. The student was not retaliated against, nor dismissed from the program. I am sorry about the perception here, but the student stop attending the program during the investigation, as such, the college will refund the $1400.00 tuition paid.
    The college consider this complaint closed. 

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/24/2024

    [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 made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

    Regards,

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

    Customer Answer

    Date: 07/09/2024

    It has been two weeks and Still have not received refund as stated. Have reached out to HACC unsuccessfully. No one has responded. 

    Customer Answer

    Date: 07/22/2024

    No refund as of 7/22/2024.

    have contacted the college by phone calls, emails and certified letters. No response at all.

    Business Response

    Date: 08/13/2024

    Once I receive the information from our finance department it will be forwarded. I do know the check went out on July 24th.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 08/13/2024

    Complaint has finally been resolved.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/02/2024

    Type:Customer Service Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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 is threatening to send a bill to collections for a class I DID NOT take. I am a visiting student to this university who always pays my bills on time. I went to register for 2 classes and there was a financial hold on my account for a Meteorology class I never registered for. I did not receive credit for this class because I never took it. They are trying to make me pay $900 for a class I did not take. I never received a confirmation email regarding my registration from the class. And because Im a visiting student, that is not my primary school so I dont check that email regularly. I contacted HACC and they said I must pay the balance because I registered for the class and was never present, so the professor dropped me from the class. I was not present in class because I didnt have intention on taking the class so I did not know I had a class to be present for. I will not give this University for a class I did not take. They have no interest in trying to resolve the issue. I will also not allow them to send a bill to collections for a class I did not take. My credit score will not be impacted because of this.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/13/2024

    To Whom It May Concern,

    HACC has reviewed the students complaint and has found that her charges were accurate. This is because she did not withdraw from the class during the drop-add period. It is the responsibility of students to update their enrollment during the drop-add period if they intend to make changes to their class schedule. However, a representative of the College will contact the student to offer her the opportunity to request a reversal of tuition charges, which means her debt will be removed. HACC considers this matter to be resolved.

    Thank you!

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:08/25/2023

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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.
    HACC Financial Aid office was negligent in sorting out financial details during the school year. They did not return emails in a timely manner, and not a single phone call was returned. I continued to email them, as they stated I was on financial holds and would be dropped if my financial aid wasn't processed. HACC never disbursed my additional loan money for supplies once they received the funds. I continued to receive emails about being dropped due to financial aid, so I withdrew myself at the last minute to avoid accruing any costs. I am already having to pay the student loan portion back over attending classes for +/- 3 weeks. I had withdrawn from all classes simultaneously, however not all of them "took", and I had to re-withdraw after the refund period, which is when I was notified by HACC that I was still enrolled in classes. I'm looking for HACC to acknowledge their lapse in professionalism and guidance since registration and waive the amount they believe I owe.If there were better or more consistent communication from HACC, without constant emails stating I would be dropped because they didn't apply funds, this could have been avoided. No where is it acceptable to not respond to an email for weeks, when there are deadlines. I have not ever defaulted or not paid any of the other colleges I have attended, and they have certainly not been as silent and sleazy as HACC when it comes to account balances, funds and refunds. This is NOT the typical operating procedure for colleges. HACC should eat their own expense of $2k and change due to their own lacking on clear, consistent, and timely information.

    Business Response

    Date: 09/12/2023

    BBB Complaint 8/25/23 
    The timeline below is in response to the BBB complaint filed by student ****** ***** (*********) on August 25, 2023. 
    In response to the student's complaint, the timeline demonstrates that the student's assertions are not fully accurate. 
    1) HACC financial aid - and other offices at the college - had several email interactions with her between October 2022 and February 2023. To our knowledge, we responded to all email outreach received. 
    2) HACC has no evidence that the student attempted to withdraw from classes during the refund period or at any time prior to February 14, 2023. This late withdrawal date resulted in her balance due of $2078.64. 
    3) HACC sent the student tuition reminder messages on 1/17/23 and 1/23/23 because she had not accepted her financial aid; thus, it appeared that she has an unpaid balance. The fact that she hadn't accepted her financial aid was also why she was not able to purchase her books prior to February 1, 2023. Until she accepted her loans, there was essentially no money on her account, only a balance due. 
    4) The student was marked as "attending" classes by the faculty in her spring classes. She was dropped for non-attendance in one class during that same process. 

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/23/2023

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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.
    Hacc company is claiming i owe money for classes i did not take. in addition messing up my timeline to complete my classes leaving me emotionally scarred. Did the necessary steps to withdraw. Messing up my financial aid as well

    Business Response

    Date: 08/01/2023

    July 24, 2023 

    Dear *** *******, 
    This letter is in response to a complaint (ID No: ********) received on July 12, 2023, from the Better Business Bureau regarding Harrisburg Area Community College's (HACC) withdrawal, financial aid, and refund process. In reviewing our records, the individual did not follow the necessary steps to withdraw from her classes as alleged. Below is what the College has recorded in its information system regarding the student's history at HACC. 

    Transaction per College Records                                                                                                                        Note
    1. The student registered for 12 credit hours during spring 2023. 

    2. The student was dropped per federal regulations for non-attendance for two of her classes               No charges were incurred for those classes. 
    during the Confirmation of Attendance (COA) for part of term 1.

    3.  The student was marked as attending per COA for her two other classes per the instructors. 

    4. A late withdrawal was later performed on the student for the two classes noted under #3. However, that occurred after the 50% refund, which caused a charge to be incurred for both classes.

    5. The student submitted a Reversal of Tuition Charge (RTC) request in June for one class (*** ***). The College approved the RTC request. 

    6. The student did not submit an RTC for the second class (**** ***), and as a result the charge of $496.00 remains. 

    7. It is important to note that if the student would have included both classes on the RTC request, then all their aid would have been reversed in the Return to Title IV (R2T4) per federal regulations. 

    The student claimed in their complaint that they took the necessary steps to withdraw from the classes; however, the College has no record of the student doing anything prior to the RTC request in June, and the two faculty actually dropped the student for non-attendance as noted above. 

    Respectfully submitted, 
    ******* ** ***** *****, MSW, Ed.D. 
    Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management & Chief Enrollment Officer 
    HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College

Harrisburg Area Community College is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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