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Report: #389494

Complaint Review: Environmental Technical Institute - Itasca & Blue Island Illinois

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  • Reported By: Olympia Fields Illinois
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  • Environmental Technical Institute 1101 W. Thorndale Avenue Itasca & Blue Island, Illinois U.S.A.

Environmental Technical Institute Scam Itasca & Blue Island Illinois

*UPDATE Employee: Beware Psychotic HVAC Director

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I have reason to believe (ETI) Environmental Technical Institute is misappropriating government funds. They also practice fraudulent activities daily to sell their program. If ETI is a technical school, why do they represent themselves as a retail business and their students are customers? As a former employee, I felt that these practices were not ethical. When a perspective student is admitted into the ETI program, student's who receive partial financial aid to pay the $13,000 program are encouraged to take out a salliemae loan. It is solely up to the financial aid representative to force the student to take out a Salliemae private loan with know other options. ETI don't offer any other payment options cash or government funds.

The students are sent to retention and they are told to get a co-signer to get the loan preferably grandparents suggested by financial aid. I had a student tell me he was told to take out the salliemae loan and use his mother as a co-signer. The student said he got the loan and his mother was undergoing foreclosure precedings at that time! ETI only concern is getting their money! Once a student defaults on a student loan ETI no longer provides job placement. The problem is that students can't find jobs to pay back the loans? This trade is often seasonal, ETI encourage students to put in writing doing side work. ETI covers themselves by having students sign a form called a PQ? This is a form ETI says required by the government in case they are audited hmmm? Director Jack of all trades master of none Wendy Czyz says she have to get credit from the government we are told to force students to sign this PQ form during the exit interview.

The types of jobs they tell perspective students they are qualified for are job rates of $16-$30 an hour. ETI have posted in the schools and in their catalogue 98% guaranteed job placement not true. They have a card posted on a board in the office when you partake in the Lure tour, supposable sent in by a parent? The parent was very pleased that her son was able to get a $16 an hour job. When recruiting these students after numerous calls to a perspective student Fred Idele, who is one of the main recruiters at the Blue Island location. Fred uses the same line about the card they have received from this supposable satisfied parent. This is very misleading as Job Placement/Recruiter I know this is not true. I have had a lot of contractors hang up in my face. I have been told by the contractors that I contact the program do not teach the students enough to know anything about heating, cooling and refrigeration. ETI only teaches the theory come on for $13,000 per student? When I contact these contractors they only want to start students at pay rates of $7-$8 an hour. Contractors tell me they have to train these students because what (ETI) teach is old material and outdated! ETI curriculum haven't been revised since 1988 I was told by an instructor. The equipment they have is old, rusty and outdated. ETI also advertise hands on the student aren't allowed to touch the old rusted equipment. Why are they advertising hands on? On ETI website they have posted their Instructor's have over 20 years experience. I know they have an instructor who is almost 80 years old teaching. This instructor can barely get around the student complain often how old and racist he is! ETI was short staff for the evening students they had a student who was enrolled teach the class because they did not have an instructor that evening? Come on for $13,000 per student they should at least have qualified license instructors. I was told by a day student that since he started the program he has already had over 12 instructors! ETI has an ongoing running ad in the local paper their always looking for instructors. ETI offers 9 certifications at their Itasca campus and only 1 certification is offered at the Blue Island campus. I asked Wendy Czyz why do they only offer 1 certification at their Blue Island campus her response was these guys don't have enough money for additional certification. When you complete the program at ETI all you receive is a certificate?

I know students who would be willing to speak out current and former (ETI) students. The students called me daily while I was employed at ETI complaining how (ETI) sold them this dream. I often got calls that they are still not employed. I had a parent contact me crying she said she had reason to believe her son was having a nervous breakdown, because he only had 1 job making $7 since he graduated about 8 years ago. I notified Wendy Czyz Director of everything Wendy told me to give him some leads and don't contact him any more. ETI advertise they offer continued job placement after graduation! ETI is big on attendance, I was told repidiately by Wendy Czyz she didn't care how much a job paid these students she just need to get credit from the government! This was Wendy's favorite line.

Wendy Czyz who is Director of Admission, Financial aid, Job Placement, Retention and many other titles. Wendy's partner Fred Idele they use to sell Britannica encyclopedias years ago together. Fred gets to the office around 9a.m. in the morning Fred leaves 10 p.m. sometime 11p.m. on phone targeting perspective students. ETI have many convicted felons who attend the school. I once tried to assist students with information about expungement. I was told not to offer that literature because it's too complicated! Why not these are people that you are recruiting? Many times I did not feel safe, students would call irate saying this school is a scam and they demanded job assistance! They have recruiter's that go to the High Schools and recruit students. I was told High School students are easy prey to influence to attend ETI! I had to conduct an exit interview with a student who was a convicted murderer you tell me do you want this person entering your home to repair your furnace? ETI is big on advertisement they had a local radio station at the Blue Island campus a mentally challenged person entered the school, the Director Wendy Czyz said she would give the individual the B tour? They attempted to recruit a mentally challenged person. I think you draw the line this made me sick to my stomach.

The owner of the school is Tony Tortorelli who is ill with a lot of medical problems I was told by the office secretary Maureen. The business is run by the daughter Camille and her husband John. Pete is the Director of the Itasca campus who is a family member as well. There are 2 campus locations Itasca & Blue Island the Director at Blue Island is Moshen Daviapour

I am represented by counsel, with ETI on a separate issue filed with the IDHR I received a letter from ETI attorney making idle treats, intimidating me, ordering me to cease and desist. The letter was forwarded to my attorney! How dare ETI and their attorney threaten me what are you hiding? The students and parents want answers it's been way too long to continue these fraudulent business practices! I will continue to move forward I want ETI investigated! I have involved the media and have agreed to do an on camera interview with a major news station! This is not personal on my behalf, ETI is wrong I want them to practice what they preach. ETI practices are not fair and dishonest. ETI owes a responsibility to these students. I am in contact with many current and former ETI students we have developed a forum. All ETI students want is jobs to take care of their families! Don't sale this $13,000 dream and encourage students to take out loans that they can't pay back for your own personal gain! ETI program don't provide adequate training, hands on experience, high paying jobs after graduation, 98% guaranteed job placement prove it! These business practices should not be tolerated this ruins our economy this is predatory within the loan industry. First the mortgage industry now student loans, I have a daughter who recently went off to college. I am concern will there be any money left to borrow for accredited institutions? As a tax payer this concerns me I know I am doing the right thing for our future generation!

As a former employee I have a duty to report any fraudulent behavior, faulty business practices misappropriating government funds! I worked in deplorable working conditions at the Blue Island campus. There were many building code violations that were not corrected. When ETI need repairs done to the building they have the student do the work with no pay! Come on now these students pay $13,000 per student to take this program. The money that ETI make off the students and all the funding they receive from the government. ETI has 9 classes per year with 20-30 students per class at $13,000 per student. Do the math you can't hire a certified contractor to provide a safe environment for the students and your staff? ETI is selfish and too cheap to hire outside contractors all for personal gain endangering lives! The office I worked in had no windows or ventilation. The telemarketer who was hired a 17 years old girl made calls from the file room with no windows only a phone line. The cafeteria that the employees used was disgusting it smelled, no windows again no ventilation. I often ate in my car or I would go out. The bathrooms were disgusting it reeked of fowl sewage problems that often smelled with no toilet paper. The student cafeteria I was told the coffee machine haven't worked in 17 years. The vending machines were always empty. ETI didn't even have an outside vendor they would go to Sam's club and buy chips. Moshen at the Blue Island office would tell me he often used his own money to buy snacks to fill the machines. This is not right these students are there from 8am to 5pm and your evening students are there from 6pm to 10pm. Although when you are on the Lure tour you are offered coffee. Once you are a student you are not allowed to get coffee from the office. ETI make students pay for everything pens, pencils, paper, copies, resumes to name a few. I witnessed the front office secretary charge a student to make a local phone call. One day a student forgot his shirt he had to pay a fine and they made him rent a shirt for that day ETI fine for just about anything. The students have to pay for the EPA cash only $75.00 shouldn't this be included in there tuition? Why is this paid cash only?

ETI is big on getting anyone in their school and listen to the same con speech they give every one to take part in their bogus program. Coyne offers a HVAC program I believe it's a two year program. ETI programs are fulltime for 7 months days and partime evening for 12 months. Who can learn HVAC in such a short time? I recently was in contact with a student who graduated a few months ago from (ETI) he was student of the section consecutively. The student told me he applied for a position with Trane. The test that was administered to him he could not identify with any of the material he was taught at ETI!

Anonymous
Olympia Fields, Illinois
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 11/09/2008 05:05 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/environmental-technical-institute/itasca-blue-island-illinois/environmental-technical-institute-scam-itasca-blue-island-illinois-389494. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#1 UPDATE Employee

Beware Psychotic HVAC Director

AUTHOR: Superlady - (United States of America)

POSTED: Sunday, January 06, 2013

I can tell you first hand this guy Pflanz is a certified psycho. I have been in the business for over 25 years and I started working at the same company as Pflanz . I soon found myself going on numerous call backs of Pflanz because the guy really could not fix things technical. Turns out Pflanz has no formal training or education in the HVAC field, that would explain the numerous call backs and inability to train anyone properly. Pflanz could not hold a job afterwards because of his lack of knowledge. How this person in in charge of the HVAC department is a mystery in itself.  With a guy like Pflanz in charge, that explains the numerous negative complaints about ETI  and the heavy turn over of instructors there.

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