Computertraining.edu Computertraining.com filing bankrupcy mass layoffs breaking leases closing schools refunding student money, Internet

How dare you! This is too the person who was employed with Computertraining.edu who thought it would be good to degrade the several upset students and employees who were left out in the cold! The fact that you can still back them up tells me you are just as responsible for this nightmare that us students and ex-employees have to deal with!

The facts are simple! You sit there and say that we should basically just leave well enough alone and go out and find a job! Well, consider this: Many students, including myself chose this school to better ourselves and get into a new career to support our families! What about us! I myself sunk $14,000.00 into this school and have absolutely nothing to show for it except for 5 months of assuming I had a set training course and three weeks of school before we were rudely greeted with this current debacle!

On New Years eve I was greeted with a short, cheesy two line email stating that due to circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that operations will cease to continue! No Name, no explanation, no formal apology! If I do not recoup the money that i spent towards this program, I have no chance of getting another loan or being able to pursue a better career choice. Am I mad as hell? YOu can assume that I am! I want answers, as I am sure several of my fellow classmates and students throughout the program do!

I will continue to pursue a source of responsibility. Do you have what it takes to come forward and except responsibility for the school you are defending? I didn't think so! I have a new family, I was laid off right before my classes started, and now I am without a school, unemployed, and no clear answers as to what lies ahead for me! Before you go ripping on us, think about how we are directly effected by the clear and blatent screw up!

A concerned student who wants answers and not afraid to make myself known:

I have been involved in the IT industry since 1997 and I have run a training school in the past.  I heard about computertraining.com through a radio ad few years ago.  I checked their website out along with their program.  I noticed that they at one point were charging close to 30k for their training program!!!!  The training program only covers primarily the MCSA certification. I noticed that other schools teach the A+, MCSE, MCDBA for as little as 5 - 7k.  So why were they charging so much for so little?

The salary numbers they displayed on their home page "MCP - $69,000" or something like that were misleading!   I have been in the IT industry long enough to know that you can not make that kind of money without any experience.  I have seen the ups and downs over the years.  In the late 90s being able to get a job $50/hr by just passing your MCSE exams (which were word for word on the old transcenders practice exams).  Those days were long gone by 2001. 

Most career changers can expect to make between 30k - 40k by going though a good program and passing some exams.  There was nothing "new" or "original" about their training program!  They were just good at marketing their programs and the whole placement exam was a great way to bring people into the school.  They were teaching you MCSA certificaiton for as much as 30k!!! OUCH!  I just could not figure out how they can charge SO MUCH for so little.  There are vocational schools all over the US and they offer so much more for 4th the cost!  I guess computertraining.com was really good at marketing themselves. 

If you do your research on Monster.com, computerjobs.com, careerbuilder.com for a person with MCSA or MCSE you will clearly see that most graduates will not qualify for a job as an MCSA or MCSE due to lack of experience.  Most graduates can only apply for a desktop support type position.  So the fact that you are even in a program getting trained on technologies which you will never get to touch or apply is a pure waste of time and money!  I would think for 15-30k there is a program which gives you a competitive edge over other schools. 

So from the beganing the students were misled to believe they will qualify for high paying jobs, I think.  THe whole "certificaiton" training path is flawed and its sad to see that almost 100% of the vocational schools follow this training methodoligy. 

A+ certification is designed for someone with 500 hours of hands on lab training or real world experience.  MCSA / MCSE certifications are designed for individuals with 1 to 2 years of hands on experience in the field.  These certifications are for professionals to validate their skills for their employers.  You can go to CompTIA and Microsoft Site to read the experience requirements yourself.  The certifications are not designed for newbies to memorize exam questions or to go through thousands of practice questions!  You can do that yourself with $200 worth of books and $500 in practice exams software!

Students were put in a program with unrealistic job expectations.  In today's economy with 10% unemployment rate, you are competing with experienced professionals.  The students need an amazing program to help them compete at that level!

I am sorry for all the students, I hope all you guys can really get some of the money back!

Just my two cents!

 

Minnesota:

Students who feel they lost money can call info@ohe.state.mn.us

Ohio:

Students can contact the Ohio Board of Career College and Schools at 877-275-4210

PA:

Complaints: Attorney General at 800-441-2555 or go to www.attorneygeneral.gov. Select the complaints button then consumer complaints

Contact the Bucks County Consumer Protection Office at 215-348-6060

Any other state:

Your local consumer protection agency.

If you would like to attend a great school for computer training go to CED Solutions. They are helping to rescue students from schools that have recently been shut down. You can see info on their site at www.cedsolutions.com.

Good luck!

Its truly funny to read these comments especially since I'm not sure how many people actually have any idea what they're talking about...

Here are the facts... I worked to CTC for 3 years- loved my job in the beginning and not until I was asked to go against the very things I believed in, did a problem present itself. For the record, I WALKED OUT when I was asked to lie to students, to cover up situation or to smile if everything was ok.

I worked in CORPORATE, I looked Curtis Hickman in his face everyday. I talked to Chuck Lang, Jerry Collins, Donna Hutchison, Deanne Brezicki, and David Rau. I sat in closed doors meetings with them as they discussed raising tuition, giving students less, asking Directors to work more, and pushing the call center to turn against each other for $25. Those are the facts...

I know for a fact, that Donna lied to state boards, hid information, and asked her workers to do her dirty work. I know Curtis made many comments about feeling like he was going to hell because of the things he's done but didn't have a choice.

I know for a fact that Deanne & Curtis had a sexual relationship even though she "reported" to him and now have a kid together. Was supposed to get married...

I know that Chuck took joy in firing people, sent DOA's emails daily blaming them for what the company wasnt able to do. I know they spent money on airplanes, buying students pizza every night, stayed at top end hotels for no reason, all on a corporate card. I know David gave out $20k Christmas presents, and those listed above made money off of students they knew wouldn't succeed.

I sat in the meeting the day we discussed ripoffreport and Donna said it was a bunch of bs. I know they spent THOUSANDS of dollars trying to find a way to stop this site from producing information about the school.

Chuck take a pay cut... thats bs! But I will tell you that the day David was going to fire him, he begged like a baby and said he would take a pay cut but would also do ANYTHING to keep his job... so David made him do ANYTHING!! They knew months ago about BB&T coming in to close the doors. They were given until the end of the year to get things together and when they didn't the $h!t it the fans.

The facts... Donna, Chuck, Curtis were in Hunt Valley today "moving files" and furniture!! Those are facts! Facts: Those listed throughout got paid and are in no hurry to file unemployment...

FACTS: Student lost big- it will take a while for this to be figured out.

FACTS: Employees are owed 3 weeks pay because CTC is a pay period behind. Employees will loose vacation and benefits. They are not eligible for cobra and some may not qualify for unemployment because "the company" stoped paying a long time ago!!

Facts: EVERY DOG HAS THEIR DAY, and if I were David, Jerry Collins, Curtis, Deanne, Chuck, or Donna I'd move soon.

Call them though...

Curtis: 443-742-2712

Donna: 302-236-3331

Chuck: 410-375-7531

David: 727-599-9050

Make them answer for the decisions they made! I'm sorry that so many people were burned by this company. I wish there was someone willing to come in and teach out the classes, give students a real education and re-hire some of the great employees.

Good Luck to all...

That other web link just showed the headmaster at the school. Here's the real deal.......

Yeah ShaneS, you tell em!  The nerve of these customers actually expecting to GET the services they paid $14,000 for.  I mean, god, at least these people didn't have to pay $25,000 for these un-rendered services!  They should be totally THANKFUL to the owner of the company!  I mean, this one time I was robbed for $40.  I  I didn't even call the cops, cause you know, I was really fortunate that in addition to taking my $40, the robber didn't steal the clothes off my back too. 

Seriously, ShaneS- hundreds of people just paid $14,000 for services unrendered.  This is not what capitalism is all about.  That is theft and/or fraud.  Before you start spouting off about capitalism, I suggest you consult a dictionary or google.

Also, I am not sure what your point was about the McDonald's case.  Are you suggesting that people should have read the loan terms prior to signing their student contract?  If so, I don't believe it was stated anywhere in the contract that the school was going to be closing and that the students were not going to get the services they paid for.  Also, if you are going to talk about the McDonald's case, you should (again) consult Google.  There are many things about that case that you obviously do not know.

ShaneS, it appears that you are the one who should be better informed.  I am not sure who you are, but it is very strange that you are okay with this so called "arrangement," aka: not getting the services you paid for.

I am ashamed of ever working for this company.  It makes me sick to my stomach to know that there are students out there who have no idea when, how, or if they are going to get their money back.  For all of you students out there, I pray that you either get your money back or that you get the rest of your education.

I was a former student of Computertraining.com (before it became .edu).
I paid over 26,000 for my education. Still paying fore it...
However, I feel that the time I spent at the school was very productive. I got a good job and new career out of it. All the latest problems notwithstanding, this company did right by me.
This company has been there for many years. I cannot believe that company management had planned this demise. In this economy it is not surprising that companies fail. What is surprising is how fast vultures are ready to circle over the still fresh carcass. I do not know David Rau, but I got to know my instructor and his manager, and other support people working at the company. All were outstanding.

Just because you had a positive experience working for Computertraining.edu (formerly Computertraining.com) doesn't down play the fact that this company screwed many employees and students. These posts are not a waste of time. The owner and officers of this company broke laws and should pay. Students have been cheated out of services and employees out of payroll and vacation time. Promises and contracts have been broken.

So that's great that you enjoyed working for this company. But who cares. You've totally missed the point of these posts. I expect if you were a student that was cheated out of services you'd feel differently.


Ex Computertraning.edu employee

The website for Fifth Avenue Consulting is a one page joke. No contact info, no nothing. The domain registration is private. I suspect it was all a front from the get-go.

BTW, David and his lovely wife Michelle just listed their $18 million mansion in St. Pete for sale on December 11th. A coincidence??

I suspect they're skipping town. It's going to get very hot very soon.............

I can't believe people are mad about a business that is about making money.  It is called capitalism.  I am/was a current student at one of their facilities in Virginia.  I am happy with the program.  All the people that complain about what they got out of it was a bunch of debt.  I was fortunate enough to not have to pay the 25+ thousand.  I only paid 14,000 thousand.  I think it was worth every penny even considering that I am probably not going to be taught my last segment.

My instructor taught class last night even though it was officially canceled and he is probably not going to get paid for it.  He even offered to meet with us off site somewhere to tutor us and help us succeed. 

Also, form what I understand, the CIO and someone else had stopped accepting paychecks a few months ago to try to help.  These same people are also negotiating with the banks to try to let the company finish out the classes that are in progress.

I can't speak for the rest of the employees, but if the CIO is really doing that, he is a stand up guy.  I already know my instructor is a stand up guy.  He is the kind of person that wants his students to succeed.

For the rest of the people that say they just give you the answers to the exam, you are just wrong.  They provide you with a website where you can take practice exams and cd's come with the text books that do the same thing.  These aren't the exam questions exactly.  They provide you with knowledge that you should be learning anyway which is covered on the exam.  Oh yeah, these are also the only two sites that Microsoft recommends for study for their exams. 

People, quit being lazy and stop trying to get everything handed to you.  The program works if you actually do something with it.

It is unfortunate that the company was mis-managed.  It is not the first company, nor will it be the last.  For the people that want everything handed to them, I have an idea.  I am pretty sure that McDonald's iced coffees don't have a warning label on them for being too cold.  Spill one on yourself and sue, as spilling the hot coffee has already been done.

 

I really feel bad for his kids. They're old enough to hit the web and find out what their Dad really did. They're going to get a real life lesson in what honesty and integrity should be and how their Dad couldn't deliver either.

I feel just as bad for the students and graduates. Once the school folds the previous grads won't have much to brag about. Employers will only see another scam school folding.  Putting computertraining.com on your resume will probably sink any chances you have at a job.

If you're reading this and are looking at ANY for-profit IT training please don't go for it. Attend your local community or junior college instead. Save a ton of money and get an Associates degree that will have real weight with employers.

 

I am a former employee of this company and I can tell you that the people in charge had no clue what they were doing. The president of the company used to send company-wide nasty emails to all of us, telling us employees that it was our fault that the company was failing because we were not doing a good enough job. I remember one particular email he sent; the very last line of it said "blame yourself," not the economy, etc... for the company doing poorly. The real reason the company was doing so poorly was because poor business planning and management. I watched the failure enfold as upper management came up and implemented one shoddy and ridiculous idea after another. They would do things such as try to implement with a new curriculum without ever consulting with our accreditation body or the US department of education first in order to determine of what they were doing was even legal. This company constantly implemented changes, THEN thought about the consequences.

Do not even get me started on how they treated their employees. Like I mentioned before, upper blamed its employees rather than truly examining why things were not working. The only reason I survived at this company for as long as I did was because I never disagreed with management and simply did what I was told. I watched colleague after colleague get fired for disagreeing with how things were ran and for not being a "yes man."

I feel very sorry for the employees who will not get paid, and most of all I feel bad for the students who are not going to get what they paid for in terms of instruction and career services. I hope that the students at least get a partial refund. Anything less would be insanity.

As a former employee of computertraining.edu, I have to disagree with your posts.  I had many happy years there as did everyone else I worked with.

It amazes me how much time and energy people will spend searching for things on the internet just to cause trouble and heartache in other people's lives.

If they spent as much time doing their jobs or searching for gainful employment as they did looking for trouble, we would all be better off.

There has to be a more constructive way to spend your time.

Try this... (((Redacted)))  Get a better job and make more money!

CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

Check him out, Mr. Rau himself.

http://ebytes.shorecrest.org/July-Dec-2008/EBy-Aug22-08/index.html

If you are a student of Computertraining.edu (as I am)-I IMPLORE you to please contact Sallie Mae and stop ANY dispersal of your loan that they have yet to transact!!!!!!  If by some miracle (but do not count on it) Computertraining.edu is able to continue on until its final classes are complete, you may-at your own discretion (or peril) choose to reinstate any remaining dispersal with Sallie Mae.

I would highly recommend following your instincts on that last part, though.  In my previous professional experience I can tell you that when a lending institution seizes assets-it is almost invariably 'ballgame.'  Seizure of assets generally occurs when a lending institution has credible evidence that: A) a lendee can no longer fulfill their repayment obligation, or B) the lendee has displayed the inability to manage assets to the satisfaction of the lender, or C) BOTH.  Rare is the instance when seizure has occurred, that the lender will reinstate the lendee's ability to manage its own finances once more.  More likely, any continuation of business will be set into a legally structured escrow managed by an appointed third party.  This tends to happen only when enough operating capital exists to allow continuation of business.   

There are obviously many other scenarios (like bankruptcy, etc.) that will directly affect the previous paragraph, however this is a rough idea of what we (as students) are facing in terms of the future of our education through this company.

 

I found this article while googling "David Rau" (the owner of computertraining) and "Tampa" (which is where he lives).  Please google on your own and it will the the 6th link on the first page.

This site would not let me input the actual link, so here is the text from the Tampa Bay Business Journal:

After an extensive two-year renovation that included a crew of 100 craftsmen, a St. Petersburg waterfront mansion that was once home to Perry Snell, a prominent developer in the early 1900s, has been listed for sale for $18 million. The nearly 10,000-square-foot home, built by Snell in the 1920s, was the home of cartoonist Wally Bishop and his wife, Louse Bishop, between 1939 and 2005. It sold for $5.1 million in 2006 to the 375 Brightwaters Revocable Trust. The trust is controlled by David L. Rau and Michelle Rau, who obtained a $1.5 million mortgage from BB&T on the house at 375 Brightwaters Blvd., N.E., according to Pinellas County official records. The present owner funded the renovation, listing broker Alona Dishy of Realty Executive said in a statement. The house has seven bedrooms and nine and a half bathrooms. Items restored include fireplaces, light fixtures, woodwork, hardware and other accessories. Some of the restored items are centuries old and the same type that is found in European castles. The Spanish Revival-style house sits on 1.6 acres and has 600 feet on Tampa Bay. The Snell Isles estate is the highest priced Pinellas listing on the Multiple Listing Service used by Realtors. On Dec. 11, there were nine residential listings in the Tampa Bay area for more than $10 million.

Here's the link:

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/12/07/daily57.html

The employees were told that the situation was so dire that there were no funds to pay them for any work performed in December.  They were also told that the owner was losing his home.  Let's see 18 million less a 1.5 million dollar mortgage - I'd take that "loss" any day.

Nice house:

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/12/07/daily57.html#comment

 

Computertraining.edu/.com is officially closed for business. Yesterday the let go all of the admissions personnel and told the Trainers that they were not getting paid for their services. This company mismanaged it's funds and the owner David put this company in the ground. Promises of a New Years Trip and large bonuses are just a chuckle to them now. The only trip that the employees are going to get to take is to the unemployment line.
If you were recently let go from CTC I hope that you find a great job that shows you the respect that you deserve. As for the officers of the company I hope you all get what is coming to you now that you are going to have to actually work for a living. The Trainers and the Placement people made that company work and your staff always treated them like dirt.

If you are enrolled with CTC you need to call Sallie Mae ASAP and stop the loans.   

Hello,

 I am currently a student at this school in Maryland. As of 12/28/2009 we were told that the school is closing its doors for good and that they may be filing bankruptcies. We are only two months away from completing the course and now we are being told that we will still have to pay back the loans for this school, and not complete to course and will not receive the career services that past students received and also the free software that was given to us is no longer any good. If the company was in such bad shape how come they were still signing students up as of 12/23/2009? There is more to this issue than anyone knows at this point! If this school is not a rip-off then how come students have to pay back student loans for ten years when they will not complete the school and they do not receive the carrier services? 

Computertraining has closed it's doors today. There was a meeting with the rest of the employee's yesterday that basically said that the bank froze the assets of Computertraining. As for the man who runs Fifth Ave Consulting and the listed owner of CTC. Great job running a good company into the ground. I am glad that you had the foresight and business skills to run a multi-million dollar company into the ground.We were also informed that we will not be paid anymore and they are in "negotiations" with the bank to continue the final classes. But I have information to say otherwise. The managers from CTC are telling the employees to get their personal belonging because they may not have access today.

I guess the person that had inside information was correct about all of the CTC centers being closed by the ens of the year.

Good luck to all of the employees that were let go. I know that you are on to better things. The people are what made that company go and the owners and manager seem to forget that.

Computertraining has closed it's doors today. There was a meeting with the rest of the employee's yesterday that basically said that the bank froze the assets of Computertraining. As for the man who runs Fifth Ave Consulting and the listed owner of CTC. Great job running a good company into the ground. I am glad that you had the foresight and business skills to run a multi-million dollar company into the ground.We were also informed that we will not be paid anymore and they are in "negotiations" with the bank to continue the final classes. But I have information to say otherwise. The managers from CTC are telling the employees to get their personal belonging because they may not have access today.

I guess the person that had inside information was correct about all of the CTC centers being closed by the ens of the year.

Good luck to all of the employees that were let go. I know that you are on to better things. The people are what made that company go and the owners and manager seem to forget that.

I recently started to attend this school, in the Cleveland area, you know its always funny how people always seem to come up with ways to "show" this schools so bad and that they are "underhanded" and feed you nothing more than "scripts" and "lies". Well....if they do in fact use "scripts" or teach their employees how to sell the company service than good for them....they are after all selling a service. Kinda sounds like they have some sort of business plan...otherwise they wouldn't have schools all over the country. Whether they have locations closing I don't know, I wouldn't doubt it as the economy as a whole in this country is terrible at the moment and the fact that they are completely supported by selling their service would make them easily swayed by the economy. IE. no one has money to pay for school or cant get a loan because they have terrible credit as their homes foreclosed, they lost their job, etc... it would make it hard for them to stay in business. I can assure you that this company is far from a scam, if you want to pay for a service, just like if you were paying to go to college....and you applied yourself properly then yes they would benefit you. Take me for instance....I got lucky, I had family that was willing to co-sign for me on my loan (as my credit was not up to par for the loan) but since I have applied myself and worked very hard, I am only 1 certification away from my MCSA...o yeah by the way...theres still over 2 months of class left....so does it work? You bet...if your not lazy. On a side note because I have learned how to learn this material and how to take Microsoft's certification exams which are not straight forward at all, I plan on having my MCSE within a couple months of my MCSA as well. Thanks to the great teachers at CTC.edu...and my hard work of course =D

O by the way, Its easy to say that your someone with inside information....you didn't give any information that someone couldn't have just made up if they wanted to with a little research...

You would like to know my source?

Sure, it is the owner of the company. The man who centers his Fifth Avenue Consulting, LLC firm out of St. Petersburg, Florida. The owner of the computertraing.com.  I know that he has a really nice office in his home that overlooks nice palm trees and has a nice big brown desk.  I have done much business with him since he incorporated his firm in April of 2004. I know that what he says and what he does are two very different things. I know that he spends money frivolously.  I know that he has had many third party investors see no return on their investment into their school. They want business plans, he has none. They want to see advancement within the company, they see none.

So please, if you really are an Ex-Employee, chances are  you did not leave his business with a good taste in your mouth, so I have to think you are a current employee. And if this is the case, start making plans for a future without work from the man who owns your school.

I guess I am a bit confused.

You state that you have the ear of someone "close to their Florida operation" then give some details!!

While I understand the frustration of some of those who have been laid off (and trust me I am angry about the way it happened too) think about all of the current students and employees who are doing their best to get the job done and to live up to the promises made.  Propaganda like this does nothing but scare people especially because it's so evident that that this was written by a former employee who is pissed that they got laid off.

Life is too short to spend your time being angry and talking smack on the internet so either reveal your "source" or get over it, put the past behind you and move on! Do some yoga or something.

I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.