BCTI Scam Ripoff Vancouver Washington

I'm surprised people are still talking about BCTI.

The truth is BCTI scammed many students and employees. But most instructors did their best to transfer knowlege. Some students took no responsiblity for their education and dropped out.

Problems on both sides.

As for Krystal in Vancouver (if she is a young slender blond girl, that smokes) - I was one of the CS reps that worked with her. Her attitude says why she is not successful.

As for the owners - hopefully they'll get what they deserve. Although, watchout for the churches they own in Gig Harbor area (harborlight ministires, or something like that).

I first heard of BCTI in Salem a number of years ago when leaving the employment office. Some guy with a clipboard waited outside trying to sucker people into enrolling. We had a long talk. I asked him about tuition and all he could say was "well, it depends on several factors". Ok, give me an idea. "Wellll....." So that was the first lie. He knew about what it cost, but if he didn't tell me, then I would need to go to the school and find out. So I went ahead and made an appointment.

I could immediately tell the lady who I was talking to did NOT like her job. Unhappy, monotone, more interested in signing me up than getting me the information I wanted. So showed me the cirriculum for technicians and there was NOTHING in it I wanted, or needed to learn. I pressed her really hard to find out how much of a waste of time this was going to be for me, since I was already well established in my skills. She finally admitted this class was a complete was of time. She then recommended another school (I forget which) that she claimed would be so much better for my skills. I threw it away.

Sure, the classes they offered were probably fine for someone with little/no skills. I have more than enough. We also got talking about my dad who had been in his field for over 25 years, and she kept trying to tell me you HAVE to get a degree to get a good paying job. BS. My dad retired making over $35/hr. He does not have a degree. Not one of my friends has a degree, and one makes over $16, the other close to $20. Sure, a degree helps, but that does NOT guarantee success. She made a few derogatory comments about my dad being in an "unskilled labor", which pissed me off. I finally got up and walked out. She can be a miserable, unhappy b***h on her own.

I never went back. Shortly afterwards, I got a job that I was happy with. One of my coworkers had graduated from BCTI. Talk about clueless! He had taken the course I was looking at, and this guy had NO IDEA what he was doing. He was one of 3 BCTI grads I met over the next few years, and not a single one of them knew computers. Not one.

I agree that BCTI probably did lie to lots of people. They lied to me. I just had the common sense NOT to enroll.

The best thing to do before enrolling in ANY school is check out their reputation. Look for reviews from former students. Not everybody is going to be happy, but I have already cancelled out at least 3 schools because they wanted to charge me a HUGE tuition for what I already knew, but to get a degree. It's not worth it.

I'm glad BCTI is gone. In my opinion, they were a complete joke. To each their own.

Okay, that's certainly your call if you won't put BCTI on your resume and/or application. But unless you have completed or will complete some type of education soon, that's going to hurt you. And, if you somehow say on your interview "you didn't go school" or didn't mention BCTI, but they perform a background check on you (which alot of employers do nowadays), kiss your new job goodbye. So, just to let you know...just because you'll hide some facts about your past, it'll catch up with you. Good luck!

As a former student of BCTI I feel like I have been cheated out of many opportunities in my life. The promises that were made were not kept and the education value sucked. I would love to join in on the lawsuit against BCTI and its owners. I don't know about anyone else but when ever I put down BCTI on my resume or job application I get a rejection notice sent to me stating that I will not be a candidate for the job in question due to the education source I listed. So to answer the question that someone posted OH HELL NO !! I WILL NEVER LET FUTURE EMPLOYERS KNOW THAT I WENT TO A SCAM SCHOOL LIKE BCTI. Yes I admit I'm a little on the bitter side when it comes to the school but they betrayed my trust and they should pay for that betrayal.

I would never pay for a school that recruits outside the welfare office. Just a thought....

Hey Mike,

Krystal could audition as an extra character for South Park. Her foul mouth should just fit right in. And I'm sure they pay more than the minimum wage. Who knows, she may even get a guaranteed contract if she cusses enough.

Wow, I'm wondering what has happened to all the ex-students wanting "class-action lawsuits." I'm so up for debates and I haven't had one in awhile in this website. Maybe I should should go to other post and argue there.

So, let's see...I want to sue the Blazers because they promised the game will be exciting. But they got blown out 'cause the starting lineup were all in the courtroom that day and they lost. How could that be exciting! So I want a refund...gosh darn it!

An observation:

Krystal, the BCTI student uses personal insults and name calling towards other writers in her posts. This is a reflection of her character,....which is probably why she is unable to obtain more than a minimun wage job.

Perhaps if she (or any other foul-mouthed complaining students) cleaned up their act and took some lessons from Pro-grow, they would be more successful.

I swear I am so sick of all these whining and "woe is me" posts that I am just going to lay it out for you and hopefully put an end to this. Here is the BOTTOM LINE...

WHAT BCTI DID WRONG:
1. They didn't update their program to make it worth the cost of tuition and keep up with industry standards and hid behind a 20 year reputation.

2. They used misleading language and "sales" tactics to prey on the uneducated and "down and out" popualtion.

3. They "allegedly" falsified documents to inflate their image and increase profits.
4. They replaced good hard working staff with unqualified "friends" which in turn, sped the process of their demise.

So, basically this all adds up to one thing. They were just plain bad at running a business!! Everyone saw it. Any employees who say they were screwed by BCTI I have this to say. ALL employees knew that their job was about as secure as a paper towel bridge but we didnt quit and held out to collect a paycheck and feed our families until the end came in the form of a new job or unemployment insurance... which ever came first.

As for the students, I saw many success stories and I truly believe the school benefited some. I also did see some students that shouldn't be enrolled but those were few and far between. Most (I think over 85%)of the students that BCTI enrolled were welfare recipients, homeless, unemployed, etc. If you had seriously attended every day and cleaned up your appearance along with your ATTITUDE I guarantee that you would be in a different place. I am appalled at the amount of "gimme" that is all over this site. A University degree costs far more than your BCTI loans and they never offer to help with a job/resume or anything and most degree jobs don't pay more than $6.00 or $8.00 an hour either. I know because I have one and I still had to work my way up and up in every company I have worked for. True, it was awful the way the doors were closed on March 14 with no notice and I understand the anger, but since when is a business going to divulge private information, especially about their impending demise? Like it or not, that is BUSINESS!

If you attended at all, and even learned a few things then I guarantee there is something to be added to your resume. And when you are in an interview, maybe the employer has heard of BCTI, but maybe they haven't. Either way, you COULD say your experience was positive and that you learned a lot. If anything, you learned to do more research before spending a significant amount of money. Employers are looking for valuable skills but in the 200 interviews that I have conducted in my life time I can guarantee you I hired people more on words, appearance, and positive personality.

So basically I am just saying that if you have a VALID reason to sue, then you shouldnt need a FREE class action suit because that means that you are just out to get something for nothing (and for a lot of you that is nothing new). Find a lawyer and do it yourself and take a stand for what is right. For the rest of you I guess you havent learned anything (also not new for a lot of you).

There it is, like it or not. Its true. And you all know it.

I've readthis report with interest, mostly because educational malpractice suits are rarely brought, and it seems as though there must be some emrit to these claims if there is an actual class action in the works. I am having a hard time, however, discerning what exactly the allegations are. Maybe someone could fill me in on the specific claims.

Anybody considering joining the class [action] would be well advised to also consult with an independent attorney. Joining the class may not be the best option for you. A class action lawsuit aggregates the claims of all the people in the class and, at the end, aggregates and distributes, pro rata, the award.

Your claim may be distinct from that of the class. You may be entitled to a larger award than you would receive from the class action. The defendants, realizing that they are facing a massive judgment and massive leagl fees will very likely declare bankruptcy. You may want to get your claim before a judge before they do so. I know that the term "class action" is very attractive to laymen, but it isn't always the best option for the individuals involved. Again, I'm not trying to dish out any advice other than to tell you to get a second opinion.

These types of educational institutions are a dime a dozen. They consistently over-promise and under-deliver. They prey on people unfamiliar with the job market, fill their head with ideas of professional success, deliver a severely defunct education, and cash the check. The graduate soon learns that he is competing for jobs with graduates from respected four year institutions, and that he is ill-equipped to compete in such a market.

If you've put in the effort (and the money) for one of these sub-par educations, you should pick up the pieces and do the best you can. As I see it, you have three options. 1) Consider this a lesson learned and get yourself into a better institution, get a decent education, and try again; 2) Take whatever job you can get at this point, build up that 1-3 years experience, and keep an eye on the future; 3) asy screw it and head down to Manpower, or McDonald's, or whatever. I would recommend options 1 and 2.

Good luck!

When the doors closed the current students were informed by the notice on the door when we showed up to class on March 14. I could see the writing on the wall when so many instructors and staff were leaving and not being replaced but we were told that the school would stay open until our class graduated, we were the last class enrolled at the Lacey campus. It appalls me that management had so little respect for us to not tell us before hand. I had worked hard on some projects and would like to have been able to email them home so I could keep them.

As far as the lawsuit goes the lawfirm is going back 6 years and are willing to add more. I tried to give their email address here but was censored by the editor of this site. So if you email me at thejerdog@msn.com I will pass that info on.

As far as the student loans go, I have been informed that my federal student loans have been forgiven and also I recieved a letter from the wtb saying that I owe 0 dollars even the bcti loan that I had to take out to cover the huge tuition bill. The only thing that really upsets me is the worker retraining money that I recieved from employment security is lost. The 3 months of in school tuition that I paid is lost as well. As I have stated before I just want the owners of bcti to lose their millions and never be allowed to pray on the misfortune of others.

It makes me sad that people feel that they should just be handed high paying jobs.Everyone needs to start at entry level positions and work their way up. That is how the real world works even with degrees from real schools. It goes to show that bcti really prayed on the uninformed and people that maybe should not have been in institutes of higher learning. People are not going to get rich by the lawsuit and we should be happy that bcti owners will never be able to prey on poor to get rich while pretending to be doing good.

I have told the paralegal, working on the case about this site and hope that some of the former employees of bcti will step up and testify to the real workings of bcti. Mike and Jon have been quite candid about their comments and their testimony would be beneficial to the lawsuit.

I hope people can be realistic about their experience at bcti and turn the lemons into lemonade.

Mike,

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Students who were currently enrolled and then had the doors slammed in their face is just awful. These students deserved better and should get their full refund. Tom & Morrie will get what they deserved. I hope.
Students, next time you pursue something that requires alot of money; I just hope you have learned from this and research their business operations carefully.

I feel for the students who were in mid-program when the doors closed. No doubt like the staff, they were told until the last minute that in no-way would their school be closing.

Tom Jonez & Morrie Pigott deserve to have the pants sued off them for all of the many reasons previously stated.

This does not mean that every graduate has a claim, too many students never cooperated with the program.

Personally, I'd like to see them in jail (tom&morrie)- the "Im just a corporate executive and did'nt know what my underlings were doing" excuse went out with Enron......, and they knew.

There are suits forming against BCTI owners in both OR and WA. In WA I know that 'Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim, L.L.P' is trying to put something together. (WA students only).

I don't know for OR, althought I know there is one (more?), maybe if Darcie in Portland is reading this - she might know.

Wow, this is getting interesting by the minute. You're going to convince a lawyer to defend you because you couldn't get a job. And it's BCTI's fault. You know what this means? Every school job placement agencies will get sued across America! On the grounds because they were a student and could not obtain a job based the education they paid for. And because of that they want a refund. How do you explain this: I have who graduated Bachelors in "General Studies" I do believe at Portland State. And right now she's even getting a hard time finding an office job; just like most of the BCTI "grads" are looking for? So I guess I can tell her to sue the university instead. By the way, my job placement agency where I graduated from didn't help me at all. I should sued them then. Dang-git.
I do not think you will win with that kind of reasoning.

I graduated from BCTI in Vancouver Wa in January 2000 and haven't been able to use the skills I've obtained because most jobs want 1-3 years on the job experience.

I've contacted many people in regards to finding out if there was or is a class action suit against BCTI, but I'm excempt because statute of limitations is only one year. I contacted Peggy of Washington Work Force Board at 360 586 8682 and she told me there isn't a class action suit, but there might be one. All she suggested that I do is call a lawyer.

Once anyone gets a lawyer, have them contact Rip=off Report. Everyone that I've called has no idea about BCTI. I did file a report with the BBB, but I haven't heard anything back from them.

A degree in anything does not guarantee a job, no matter which one you attend. I was attending bcti when it closed and am very bitter about my experience. I also learned a lot, in the three progress periods that I attended I learned word, excel, power point, and quickbooks. Also my typing skills greatly improved.

Now on this site there is a lot complaining and whining about bcti. Even though they lied and accepted students that did not belong one could learn if they wanted too. The instructors at the Lacey campus( where i attended) seemed to care and wanted to teach what they knew.

All the other crap seemed out of there hands and they are as much a victim as the students are. As far as resumes go, I do not put bcti on mine but I do put the things that I learned and have tested well on these subjects for temp services. I feel that people are expecting a career to be handed to them without really working for it.

That is wrong. As far as the lawsuit goes I hope the owners get what they deserve, they are the real criminals and they deserve punishment. Mike from Lake Oswego has resonded a lot to the posts here and I have learned a lot from him. He is not the enemy, he is on the side of the students and he is very realistic about it.

I feel bad for the students involved in the lawsuit who think they deserve and will get a big payday. That is not going to happen. What I hope happens is that the owners have all there wealth stripped from them and that no one else can profit from the misfortune of others.

Sorry my dear those weren't rude comments. Those were facts. Rude is like "shut up b**ch. You don't know what your saying!" That's rude. To answer your question: Yes, I can put BCTI on my resume as student as well as an ex-employee. BECAUSE what the company should not reflect of who I am and how I can contribute to the company. MS Office Skills, Keyboarding, Ten-key, and yes Pro-Gro did not have to do with these two following issues that BCTI got in trouble for:
1) Misreprensentation of training related positions. Such as counting a student who was working at WalMart as a Customer Care Representative (for example).
2) Admitting student who could never benefit from the school (brain damage, learning disability, and so forth.
I'm willing to bet most of the students who are posting just wants to get a free ride. And they are so lazy about doing their own "job searching" they blame Career Services for not handing them a job. If you look at ALL job agencies...they do not hand people jobs. They give them leads and they have to interview with the company just like any other prospects. Unless you're a scholar from any of the IVY League Colleges you won't have jobs handed to you. If CS promised you that, you should have questioned their motives in the first place.
We are not defending BCTI in any ways. We are just ticked that people are so easy to blame something and someone else for their own failures. Accept it and move own.

I've never expected anything to be handed to me. And I realized that career services was only to HELP and not to hand me a job. But the point that I was making is that career services didn't do thier job for the students. Thats it. Instead of focusing on receptionist postions and entry level clerical postions, they were focusing on telemarketing postions. We didnt need a ceritificate to get into that type of work.

And yes, I did a HUGE part of my job search. Not working in Portland put a huge damper on that, and I did limit myself, but I knew that. I had my own reasons. I was promised certain things and I never recieved those promises. Instead me, and a ton of other students, were jerked around these career services people.

So you two ***holes need to go badger someone else.

Mike and Jon:

I wonder if you where a student (past or recent) at BCTI would you put the school on your resume now? I wonder... hmm.

Dont you think past and recent students have a right to be bitter. Not all found the silver lining. I wonder your age as you are downright rude.

You seem to be defending the company that took so many people, including UNCLE SAM.

Jon,

d**n right I'm an all-star, I got an all-star award at several of those miserable success team meetings, their collecting dust on my floor at home right now.

Most of Jon's points (in this post atleast) are correct.

I'll add that 1. your future wage, or 2. that you'd have a job upon graduation were never guaranteed. In fact, if one were to read their enrollment paperwork, it says in several places that career services is there to "help" you with finding employment, not "get" you employment.

Something to add to Jon's list of Truths: those graduates that stuck with working w/ career services and were serious about their job search - got decent jobs.
The 80% either did not understand what it really took to get a professional position, were unmotivated, or just simply refused to have any part in their own employment search. - and yeah, they ended up at McDonalds, mad at BCTI.

Again, I'm totally not defending BCTI, but students that put nothing into the program got nothing out of it.

Exactly what I've saying. Some students can not differentiate the truth and lies.

Truth - Curriculum in Phase One can get you an entry-level office position. I've seen it happen.
Lie - You're not gonna get a high paying position especially if you're starting from the bottom. But it could get out of getting paid minimum wage.
Truth - A+ and Network+ are industry standard certifications. It is required before you even interview for certain companies. I should know... that's my line.

Lie - You're not going get $25/hour for passing A+/Net+ especially when the computer industry took a dive years ago. Again, it's going to improve your chances to getting higher pay and stability. You should do your research regarding industry pay scales. I did.

Truth - Career services did falsify certain records. That's why BCTI got in to trouble. But students should not depend on Career Services. Somebody hands you a free turkey and you want gravy with it. Wrong! I never did like the idea of somebody helping me find a job.

Truth - BCTI did admit/pass students who were not going to benefit. Now, those who are posting I don't think you fall in that category (brain damage, learning disability, etc.) If you are then you have the right to sue. If not, too bad.
Some of you just got too spoiled and not want to work hard. I noticed that in the classroom. As a former PP4/5 and Phase II instructor I made sure my students weren't going to learn from me through hand holding. Yet, I failed in some occassions. But I was respected for those who believed.

Another, for those of you knew or heard of Phillip Hermens...he was/is and will always my best success story. He came to BCTI already had the knowledge of Phase II subjects. He went through Phase I 'cause he knew he needed the Certs to show for. He continued to Phase II. Instead of pouting because he already knew the curriculum, he became a leader and helped the Instructor and enhanced the classroom environment. When he graduated Phase II, he acquired his A+/Net+ and has a job in the IT field and loving it.

I realize BCTI has done wrong to its and employees and students. But I firmly believe the curriculum did work (yes it had flaws) or else not of us would have longer than we should. Shoot the salary we were getting sometimes wasn't worth the headaches "you" students gave us plus the BS we needed to deal with.

Exactly what I've saying. Some students can not differentiate the truth and lies.

Truth - Curriculum in Phase One can get you an entry-level office position. I've seen it happen.
Lie - You're not gonna get a high paying position especially if you're starting from the bottom. But it could get out of getting paid minimum wage.
Truth - A+ and Network+ are industry standard certifications. It is required before you even interview for certain companies. I should know... that's my line.

Lie - You're not going get $25/hour for passing A+/Net+ especially when the computer industry took a dive years ago. Again, it's going to improve your chances to getting higher pay and stability. You should do your research regarding industry pay scales. I did.

Truth - Career services did falsify certain records. That's why BCTI got in to trouble. But students should not depend on Career Services. Somebody hands you a free turkey and you want gravy with it. Wrong! I never did like the idea of somebody helping me find a job.

Truth - BCTI did admit/pass students who were not going to benefit. Now, those who are posting I don't think you fall in that category (brain damage, learning disability, etc.) If you are then you have the right to sue. If not, too bad.
Some of you just got too spoiled and not want to work hard. I noticed that in the classroom. As a former PP4/5 and Phase II instructor I made sure my students weren't going to learn from me through hand holding. Yet, I failed in some occassions. But I was respected for those who believed.

Another, for those of you knew or heard of Phillip Hermens...he was/is and will always my best success story. He came to BCTI already had the knowledge of Phase II subjects. He went through Phase I 'cause he knew he needed the Certs to show for. He continued to Phase II. Instead of pouting because he already knew the curriculum, he became a leader and helped the Instructor and enhanced the classroom environment. When he graduated Phase II, he acquired his A+/Net+ and has a job in the IT field and loving it.

I realize BCTI has done wrong to its and employees and students. But I firmly believe the curriculum did work (yes it had flaws) or else not of us would have longer than we should. Shoot the salary we were getting sometimes wasn't worth the headaches "you" students gave us plus the BS we needed to deal with.

Maybe if you did look for/ take a job in Portland, you wouldn't be "working graveyard, making 15 cents more than minimum wage". -Sounds like you should be blaming yourself instead of career services.

So if I chose not to work in Portland, whats the big deal in that? I don't care to fight the traffic every morning and have large taxes taken out of my checks.

And yes, you are defending BCTI. I did attend pro-gro and I did go to all my classes. I'm just saying that it was a complete waste of time. So are you.

Krystle,

Perhaps you mean you graded in June 04'? Or are you looking into your krystle ball?

Why did you tell career services that you would not work in Portland? There are much more job opportunites than in Vancouver, and its only a 10 min drive. Vancouver is small, not many opportunites.

(I hate sounding like Im defending BCTI) - But as far as not getting quickbooks - bullspit. The program at BCTI was canned (one of its problems), everyone got the same info everytime. So maybe you were absent or late where you missed that part.
Did you attend pro-grow?

Also, career services never begged anyone to hire a graduate - that's one way to assure they won't get a job.