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:04/11/2025

  Type:Facilities 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 name is ******** ******* and I am currently enrolled at Bluefield University. As a student who has meticulously followed the graduation requirements, I am now being told that I must complete an additional hour of coursework to graduate, despite having accumulated 132 credits, of which 35 are from Bluefield University. According to the institution's policy, a cumulative total of 36 hours from Bluefield is necessary to qualify for graduation. I have had numerous interactions with advisors, *********  ***** to address this matter. From the outset, my experience with advisor Ms. ****** *** ***** has been marked by a lack of responsiveness. Despite my persistent efforts to communicate with her via phone and email, she has failed to return my calls or provide timely email responses, often taking a month to grade my work. This unprofessional behavior is not conducive to the academic success of students who rely on their advisors for guidance and support. I have encountered a serious issue with the information provided by Ms. *********  *****. On February 18, 2025, she assured me that, upon reviewing my advising worksheet, it appeared that I had met all the graduation requirements. This conversation was important, as it influenced my decision to proceed with my academic plans , assuming that I was on track for graduation in May. To my dismay, I later received a graduation report on March 27, 2025, indicating that I was one hour short of the necessary credits. This discrepancy directly contradicts our prior discussions and has caused considerable anxiety and inconvenience. Mrs. ******* *****, who is also the Dean of Education, has unfortunately been equally uninformed and unhelpful in this matter. Despite her position, she has demonstrated a lack of knowledge regarding my specific degree requirements, which is unacceptable for an advisor and a dean.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/07/2025

  Good afternoon,After meeting with our President, I was authorized to provide a response to this complaint. You will find attached two documents. '******** ******* Email Correspondence" is a document providing the email chain in my conversation with Ms. ******* when she brought her complaint (almost identical to the complaint she filed with the BBB) to my attention. The second document, "Complaint - ******** ******* - Response Letter" is the letter referenced in the email conversation where I provided the results of my investigation of her complaint. You will see that it is clear she was informed about the requirement of 36 credit hours in residence and given the opportunity and options to register. This was done with plenty of time for her to enroll in the required course. She did not. As to her complaint about lack of response or confusing communication, I could find no evidence to support these claims. The evidence showed that emails were responded to within 24-48 hours and often within less than an hour. She insists that Dr. ****** ***** did not return communications. Dr. ***** searched her email and our Learning Managment System (where students can contact their professors) and found no communications from Ms. *******. I offered to review my decision if Ms. ******* could provide evidence of communications that were not returned, were confusing, or were not responded to in a reasonable amount of time. She did not provide any such evidence. As for the phone conversation from February 18th, the counselor does not recall the conversation, and the email does not indicate that she has met the qualification or that it would be waived. All it says is that the Registrar's Office would confirm whether all requirements had been met when they complete the graduation evaluation.As you can see from her response in the email chain, she acknowledges that she knew about the requirement and denies that that was even something she wanted. Her desired goal, she ultimately claims, is that other students would suffer in the way she did. I indicated that bringing the issue to our attention would help us continue to review our practices and improve.While all of this was going on Ms. ******* sent an email to Dr. ***** asking about the possibility of taking additional classes because she was considering graduate school and wanted to raise her GPA. If Ms. ******* was so upset by this incident why would she even consider taking additional classes with us? It all points to a frivolous complaint.Thank you for reviewing our response. I hope you'll see that we were thorough and fair in our review and response. The complaint just lacked any evidence that would support the remedy she proposed.Blessings,******* ** ********, D.Phil. Provost Bluefield University

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 supposed to attend Bluefield University in the fall. I paid a $200 deposit. I’ve completed all my requirements but haven’t been given any sign up information for courses and no responses to emails. Bluefield was hacked and I no longer want to attend. I sent an email over a week ago to ask for reimbursement of this $200 and they responded today saying the deadline has passed. They haven’t apologized for our social security numbers, address, date of birth, etc. being released on the dark web along with account information. I asked for my money back so I can recover any information possible and take precautions to see what all accounts have been hacked. They are refusing to do so per policy despite this massive security breach they didn’t even warn us about happening.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2023

  Hello, On behalf of Bluefield University, I will authorize a refund today to the complainant. I am so sorry for this inconvenience. ****