Complaints

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

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  Penn Foster

  200 Hickory St Scranton, PA 18505-1135

  
• 

  Penn Foster College

  14300 N Northsight Blvd Ste 125 Scottsdale, AZ 85260-3674

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:07/14/2022

  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.

  My daughter enrolled in this school without my knowledge she is under age and hasn’t completed 8th grade as she is in a private school. As I saw this I called Penn Foster explained this to them they said they will refund the one payment of 50 they took out of my account. I received her disenrollment letter in the mail. The next following month Penn Foster takes out another 50 dollars out of my account. I AGAIN called. They apologized promise to give me a refund as this was an error. Still to date no refund and only run arounds. I disputed with my bank and Penn Foster denied it. I called Penn Foster they stated that is not true so I called my bank they said no that’s a lie they denied the refund. I called again Penn foster and a the lady said no we denied it . ALL LIES ! From Penn Foster they will try to keep your money. I want my money that you took from my account. This is unethical

  Business Response

  Date: 07/28/2022

  Tell us why BBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: ***********************************
  Guarantor:***************************************
  Student Number: ********
  
  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address **. ************ concerns. ************************** enrolled *********************************** into the High School Diploma program on February 18, 2022 by submitting a signed enrollment agreement and down payment.  I w ill include a copy of the agreement.
  
  I personally reviewed a call recording from March 11, 2022, where ************************** calls and confirms that she enrolled ****** into the program. ************************** called due her automatic payment being declined and requested to have the due date changed. The due date was adjusted per **. ************ request.
  
  ************************* called on April 25, 2022 and claimed that she did not authorize ******'s enrollment and wanted the account closed. As an act of good faith, ********* was advised that the account would be closed with no other liability due. A system error did occur which allowed the following months automatic payment to pull.
  
  ************************* dispute of 2 charges did result in a delay in refunding the May 2022 invoice. I submitted a refund of the May 2022 payment, and it will be refunded back to the original payment method. Based on the above information, Penn Foster considers this matter resolved.
  

  Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at *************.
  
  Sincerely,
  Andrew K*********
  Sr Escalation Specialisthere...

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/14/2022

  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 in one of their programs, then decided to switch to another program. I have been told repeatedly that my split payment has been set up. I keep being turned into collections when told that I have been taken out of collections. This has been going on for months. I am simply over having to call 85 million different times, being told one thing, and then another. Clearly one hand doesnt know what the other is doing. This is very unprofessional, and I need this to be resolved. I refuse to let this mess up my credit. Ive repeatedly stated this too, and everyone who Ive talked to says they have fixed it. Which that is not true. They keep taking out only $10 but its suppose to be $50 a month. $10 for my current program, and $40 for my old program. Its very aggravating, and Im to the point I want to cancel everything.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/22/2022

  BBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: *************************
  Student Number: ********
  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address *** ******’s concerns. On July 7,2021, *** ****** cancelled her Veterinary Technician Degree program and enrolled into Veterinary Assistant Career Diploma by submitting a signed enrollment agreement and down payment.  
  After reviewing *** ******’s account, I was able to have a representative properly set up *********’s split payment. On July 21,2022, I reached out to the third-party collection agency to have the account removed from collections.  As Penn Foster does not directly report on student’s credit, *** ****** will need to reach out to the agency to inquire about her how long it takes for her credit to be amended. *** ****** can reach out to me directly at ***********@pennfoster.edu if she has any additional questions or concerns.
   Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at (570) 961-4014.
  
  Sincerely.
  Laura C********
  Escalation Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2022

  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.

  On 7/1/2022, I enrolled in Penn Foster's Pharmacy Technician program online. I paid $1 down and signed the enrollment agreement, which was agreeing to pay $1.00 as the initial payment and $59.00 each month for 18 months plus a final payment of $36.00, for a total of $1,099.00.Upon reviewing the course material, I was horrified to find that the content was full of errors and omissions, out-of-date information, and was not acceptable as a career training program. Upon realizing this, I immediately contacted Penn Foster student services and requested an enrollment cancellation via email and fax. These two communication methods were outlined as the acceptable means of requesting cancellation, per their website. This written request was sent 7/6/2022.Per their enrollment agreement and Truth in "Lending Act Private Education Loan Final Disclosure" 'You have the right to cancel this transaction, without penalty, within six days after midnight of the day you enroll.' I made reference to this in the signed letter I sent.On 7/8/2022, a $59.00 auto-payment was deducted from my bank account ending in ****. At this point I still hadn't heard from Penn Foster, nor had I received any acknowledgement of my request.On 7/11/2022, I received an email from ***********************, Penn Foster Student Solutions. The email stated that I had 'completed the program' (which I interpret to mean that I had opened each of the course modules) and that because of this, I could not cancel. I replied asking for clarification and on 7/12/2022 I received another email telling me to reference the enrollment agreement and stating that I owed $1074.00. However, I followed their policy for cancellation in the agreement referenced by **************** and have documentation. I believe she was referencing the part of the agreement which states that students aren't entitled to refund if they complete the course, but this is outlined as policy IF cancellation is made after the six day grace period.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/13/2022

  BBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: ***************************
  Student Number: ********
  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address **. ******** concerns.****************** enrolled into the Pharmacy Technician Career program on July 1,2022, by submitting a signed enrollment agreement and down payment.
  ****************** completed 31 out of 31 exams. As per the enrollment agreement, If you cancel within six days after midnight of the day you enroll, you will receive a refund of all monies paid to Penn Foster. ***************** sent in an email request to cancel her program within the 6-day grace period. A representative from our retention department, processed the cancellation for a full refund on July 12, 2022. The refund will go back to the original payment method. ****************** can reach out to me directly if she has any additional questions at ****************@pennfoster.edu.
   Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at **************.
  
  Sincerely.
  Laura C********
  Escalation Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2022

  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.

  I signed up for the Auto Repair Technician program but canceled the program in the same month but for some reason the cancellation never went through, So now I have paid Penn Foster over $500 for a course I did not take and they refuse to rightfully refund me my money.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/05/2022

  BBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: *********************
  Student Number: ********
  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address *** ******’s concerns. *** ****** enrolled online into the Auto Repair Technician program on October 7, 2020 by submitting a signed enrollment agreement and down payment. I will include a copy of the enrollment agreement.
  On March 25, 2022, *** ****** sent an email to inquire on his automatic payment and requested a refund. When *** ****** was advised that we did not receive the required written request to withdraw from the program, he claimed to have cancelled the account on his student portal. *** ****** was advised on March 29, 2022 that there is not an option to withdraw from the program via the student portal.  
  We did not receive another response from *** ****** until an email sent on June 25, 2022. During this communication, *** ******’s account was closed out according to the terms of the enrollment agreement that *** ****** voluntarily signed.
  The Cancellation Policy can be found on the student enrollment agreement, the Penn Foster marketing site, and the Penn Foster programs Catalog. The policy states, you can cancel your enrollment via email or first class mail to the address or number listed in the "contact us" section of Penn Foster's student portal. If you cancel or withdraw from the Program, you will receive a tuition refund, as follows:
  1. If you cancel within 6 days after midnight of the day you enroll, you will receive a refund of all monies paid to Penn Foster;
  2. If you cancel more than 6 days after enrolling but before submitting a completed Program assignment, you will receive a refund of all monies paid to Penn Foster less the registration fee (the "Non-Refundable Registration Fee");
  3. If you cancel after completing at least one Program assignment but less than 50% of the Program assignments, then Penn Foster will retain the Non-Refundable Registration Fee and you will remain responsible for paying Penn Foster for the following:
  a) 10% of the tuition if you cancel after having completed up to and including 10% of the Program assignments;
  b) 25% of the tuition if you cancel after having completed more than 10% and up to and including 25% of the Program assignments; and
  c) 50% of the tuition if you cancel after having completed more than 25% and up to and including 50% of the Program assignments.
  4. You are responsible for paying and Penn Foster shall be entitled to receive the entire Program Tuition and the Non-Refundable Registration Fee if you cancel
  (a) more than 12 months after your enrollment (timeframe may vary depending on the Program selected), or (b) after completing more than 50% of the Program assignments.
  The refund eligibility timeframe for *** ****** expired on October 7, 2021. Due to this, *** ****** is not entitled to a refund on the account.
  Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at ###-###-####.
  
  Sincerely.
  Andrew K*******           
  Sr. Escalation Specialist

  Business Response

  Date: 07/26/2022

  BBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: *********************
  Student Number: ********
  

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address *** ******’s concerns. As previously stated, Penn Foster did not receive a request to withdraw from the program as *** ****** claims. *** ****** has been asked in the past to provide proof of his request, such as the initial cancel email claimed to be sent. *** ****** has been unable to provide documentation to support claims.
  The account will remain as is and *** ****** is not eligible for a refund
  Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at ###-###-####.
  
  Sincerely.
  Andrew K*******           
  Sr. Escalation Specialist

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  How can I provide an email if I was never sent one? Makes no sense. You cant blame me because of yall system failure.
  

  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/27/2022

  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.

  I am currently doing my externship that should have taken 5 weeks. We are well into 7-8 months. The first evaluator never did her job. Was supposed to review submissions weekly but actually did it every 3 weeks and then just denied everything to cover her negligence. I reported this 3-4 times. Each time telling me to just stick with it, we will talk to her, you cant change evaluators once youve started the externship. I was told multiple times to stay in contact and have open communication with the evaluator so they are aware of what Im doing. I got tired of the negligence and false statement not to mention the just keep meddling through, you will finish eventually. I requested my transcripts be released for the classes I have completed and ahead paid for, they refused. I requested a new evaluator, they refused. I finally got a new evaluator last month and when she denied my first submission she explained that submissions could not be completed in a dead dog. I emailed her back explaining what she had written was incorrect, the dog was not dead, just already sedated. She sent an email explaining they reviewed the video in the committee and all agreed the dog was dead. And a comment in the background said now bring it back to life. I explained we would redo the video and that the comment in the background was a bad joke made by an immature person. Her response was that I needed to review my student code of conduct since you ahead recieved it once before, and that if I continued to try to be deceptive in my work I would be reported to the academic discipline committee. So because I was trying to have open communication like I was told she threatened to report me for being deceptive. The school continually takes my money yet is obviously trying to get my to quit so I pay for everything but dont get to graduate or get my degree. I posted my issues on ******** and was threatened to be expelled for telling what was happening, thats why I got the conduct le

  Business Response

  Date: 07/15/2022

  Tell us why hBBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: *****************************
  Student Number: ********
  To Whom It May Concern:
  I  welcome the opportunity to address **. ******'s concerns.**************** enrolled into the Veterinary Assistant Degree program on February 3,2020, by submitting a signed enrollment agreement and down payment. I will include a copy of the enrollment agreement.
  Per externship requirements, if an animal is sedated or anesthetized during a skill, the animal must be monitored. This means taking heart rate, pule rate, respiratory rate, every 5 minutes. After reviewing **.******* account, she ultimately confirmed via email communication that the dog was in fact euthanized and not sedated on June 29, 2022. I will include a copy of the email thread. As stated in the code of conduct, 2. Comply with directions of Penn Foster officials acting in the performance of their duties.3. Accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions. 4. Abide by all published policies including, but not limited to, those that appear in Penn Foster catalogs, study materials, and enrollment agreements. **. ******* enrollment was terminated on July 11, 2022, due to violation against Penn Fosters code of conduct. Additional information regarding the Code of Conduct can be found in the handbook, https://www.pennfoster.edu/-/media/project/pennfoster/pdf/school-catalogs/***************************************************************************************.
  **************** submitted her appeal for dismissal on July 13,2022. We are currently waiting for the results of the appeal. If **************** has any additional questions, she can contact me directly at ******************@pennfoster.edu.
  Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at **************.
  
  Sincerely.
  Laura C**********
  Escalation Specialistere...

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/24/2022

  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.

  I started my enrollment with Penn Foster and did not complete even a weeks worth of assignments before I ended up calling to cancel my enrollment. I called to cancel which it states on their website you can do, then I started to receive letters about late payments and high charges on my account so I sent an email and also a physical letter to them to yet again cancel the account and correct their mistake with the charges they said I owed even though I cancelled well within the time they allow before you owe them anything. Now they are saying I owe them over $700 and have sent it to collection along with putting a derogatory **** on my credit. I do not feel like I owe this money since I called within the allowed time to cancel.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/28/2022

  BBB Case Number: ********
  Student Name: ******** *****
  Student Number: ********
  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  I welcome the opportunity to address *** ****’s concerns. *** **** enrolled into the Veterinary Assistant Associate Degree program on May 19, 2021, by submitting a signed enrollment agreement and down payment. I will include a copy of the enrollment agreement.
  *** **** completed 4 out of 38 exams. Due to defaulted payments, *** ****’s account was sent to an outside collection on March 3, 2022. As stated in the enrollment agreement, “Penn Foster reserves the right to suspend your enrollment in the Program immediately and require you to pay the outstanding balance of the program price associated with the payment plan you chose. In addition, you will be responsible for any collection costs, including legal fees, incurred by Penn Foster to collect amounts owed.”
  If students wish to cancel their enrollments, they must do so in writing via email or first-class mail to the physical or email address listed in the contact us section of Penn Foster’s student portal. After reviewing *** ****’s account, I was unable to locate any previous correspondence regarding canceling the program before the collection agency placement. On March 23, 2022, *** **** emailed student services stating, “Hello my name is ******** *****, I had signed up to enroll for classes a few months ago to become a vet tech. I had my debit card that was being used on the account stolen and had to get a new one. I believe that my card was stolen before the second payment was even made. I am now getting letters about paying an insane balance for a program that I didn’t even use for more than a few weeks. I do not believe that I should have to pay for a program that wasn’t used. If the payment did not go through multiple times, because my card was stolen, then the program should have been cancelled. I understand that everyone needs money, but it is insane to have to pay nearly $500 to get out from underneath an $1800 debt for a program that was used no more than two weeks. I would like this issue to be resolved as soon as possible. I cannot afford to pay what you are asking for, I can hardly afford the bills that I have currently.” Ultimately, *** ****’s account was cancelled on June 24,2022.
  *** **** owes a liability for the coursework she has completed in her degree program. *** **** can contact our financial department or the collection agency to fulfill her financial obligations. As Penn Foster does not directly report on student’s credit, *** **** will need to reach out to the agency to inquire about how long it will take to amend her credit after the financial liability is satisfied.
   Penn Foster is devoted to the educational advancement and satisfaction of all our students. If you have any further questions, please contact me at ###-###-####.
  
  Sincerely.
  Laura C