Asia Pacific Management Institute - APMI APMI overmarketing and under delivering, GREAT DISSAPPOINTMENT!! SINGAPORE

Dear all,

I am sharing this bad experience with all fellow friends and potential students of APMI, and also in general students who have intention of taking up private education.

APMI Singapore was the representing party in singapore doing the administrative procedures for the "Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management" (MLSC) course conducted through the University of South Australia.

What was so disappointing was that the management team were not able to commit to the schedule start date for the semester, causing the delay of the course to be more than 1 month. After appealing with them on the implications of starting the course late, I have not been able to get a satisfactory explanations for the delay, and hence I appeal for a refund of the course fees for the 1st semester totalling nearly S$5000, since they were not able to stick to their part of the deal on delivering their service.

Below is the email communication between me and their management team, and they made many claims which is totally unreasonable and unsubstatianted. Anyway, to summarise, i have to go through the Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) and almost about to start a lawsuit with the APMI management before they were willing to refund me majority of the money. So I urge all potential students to stay alert and watch out for all any restricting terms and conditions, and always be clear for the conditions for course fees refund so as to protect yourself if the need arises. Not all big education brand names can be TRUSTED. Be careful. Think twice. Check with your friends, and dont jump on the education wagon, just because the advertising message sounds very convincing, such as ..blah blah.blah.... accreditations.

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Below are their claims and how i rebutted every single one of them back to them.

1)Claim: The start date was actually brought forward on paper for early administrative purposes

When I signed up for the offshore Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management (MLSC) course offered by the University of South Australia through APMI on 21/2/2007 with $800 paid for the 1st instalment, it was with the awareness that the course is scheduled to start on 24 Mar 07. I am currently on full time employment, and have taken into careful consideration the current work schedule and the scheduled timing of the course prior to signup. However, to my dismay, after attending a industry sharing seminar on Measure your supply chain performance using SCOR organized by APMI on 23 Mar 07, I found out that APMI Kaplan has yet to close the application status, and still attracting more students by offering $350 course rebates which was not given to previous students who has already signed up. In short, it was impossible to start the MLSC course on time (24 Mar 07) for which I paid the 1st installment.

Furthermore, prior to the course, there was insufficient information about the course, with only a brochure highlighting the past achievements, various accreditation and past news articles of industry in the similar field. When enquired on the details of the course such as assignments required and datelines, Sabrina (Assistant Manager, Degree Programs) claimed that it was not ready yet, as the lecturers are still preparing on the course. Checks on the university website also did not show any valid results as most of the info requires a userid to log in. Hence, I signed up on the belief that the course will start on time, and I will have sufficient time to get the full details and orientate myself around the system.

However, not only did the course started late from the initial set date by more than 1 month (i.e on 30 Apr 07), there was further delays in administration where the necessary userID/password required for both the University of South Australia website and the APMI Kaplan Singapore facilities access was delayed. Hence, adding up the delays from APMI Kaplan, the course started late by at least 1.5 months, which has caused even tighter time constraints and making the balancing of study and other commitments even more impossible.

By not sticking to the initial time schedule given to prospective students, making claims that the dates were brought forward for administrative purposes, not informing students on the changes, and still attracting students when the dateline for application were supposed to be closed through discounts rebates, APMI has in all ways proved that they are not delivering on their promises and time schedule, which is a clear deception of the consumers, and misleading by false claims on the course details.

2) Claim: Apart from the administrative amendment to the program start date, every other date remains the same. No changes to Welcome Orientation session, lecture start and end dates etc.

It is indeed the no change of the lecture start/ end dates, assignment dates, coupled with the delayed program start date by more than 1 month, which was not communicated to students beforehand, causing the tighter time constraints and impossible to balance both study and other commitments. No explanation was given to the students on the change of date for the start of term from 24 Mar 07 to 30 Apr 07, which is more than 1 month.

Besides, there was absolutely no mention of when the Welcome Orientation session will be held prior to the email sent by Sabrina (Assistant Manager, Degree Programs) on 21 Apr 07 which is already 1 month later than the expected date of term start. Again, no explanation was given to the student on why there is such a long delay.

3)Claim: Every query or request was attended to within 24hrs by our sales consultant and administrative issues within 48 hrs by our Program Manager

This is not the real issue I am trying to raise.

Before the welcome orientation, I was made to pay $4000 before I can get hold of the course materials including the study guides, and reference textbooks. However, after another 2 weeks of administrative delays, I was among other students who were still unable to get hold of the student accounts for access to the university web services, nor access to the APMI Kaplan facilities such as the library. This made retrieving information difficult and tough to progress smoothly with the course.

Before the lessons started, I have spoken to the Assistant Manager on these concerns, and the desire to withdraw from the program. Feedback given then was that fees paid are not refundable since term has started. However, there is a contradiction in this definition of term start. First of all, APMI Kaplan management team has managed the application process badly by not keeping to the term start dates provided initially. When is the course really expected to start? Secondly, when I spoke to the assistant manager about the withdrawal, the lecturing has yet to commence, so effectively I have yet to consume the educational service provided by APMI Kaplan and University of South Australia, hence, why am I not entitled to get a refund for something which I did not use or consume. I have already paid $800 upfront when I applied for the course thinking that it will start on time. This $800 itself should be more than sufficient to cover the cost of the application and the reference materials.

Besides, another of my course mates Cyndia has also previously communicated to APMI Kaplan management team on the same issues, and even after the term has started, through her company lawyer advice and communication to the management team, she has successfully gotten a written confirmation of a refund of $4000. Pls see email as attached. Hence, I see no reasons why she can get a refund, while I in the same situation cannot.

Awaiting your reply and advice.

Education Victim of APMI
Singapore
Singapore