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Report: #117430

Complaint Review: American Intercontinental University - Hoffman Estates Illinois

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  • Reported By: Chester Pennsylvania
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  • American Intercontinental University 5550 Prairie Stone Parkway Hoffman Estates, Illinois U.S.A.

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AIU calls itself a University, when in fact, it's nothing more that a sub-standard enteprise, driven by profits and preying on innocent hard working individuals who are desparate to impove their education with the hope of acquiring a better higher paying job and impoving the quality of life for themselves,
their families and loved ones.

In many cases their dreams of a better education and lifestyle end up being their worst nightmare resultng in the embarassment of being unceremoniously kicked out of a program for a multitude of reasons, save acedemic performance which in most reputable uiversities would be the only reason and resulting in the devastation of a good credit history by the greed of AIU.

I emigrated to america three years ago thinking that america could provide me with an unlimited opportunity to realize my dreams. I possess a degree in English language and Literature and a post graduate degree in mass communications.

At the time i left my native country I was the host of a daily television show that was broadcast nationally in my country. I had just started hosting and Producing my own show that focussed on improving the environment and educating people on the right attitude towards ensuring a safe environment for us to live in. This led to an invitation to America by the United Nations. I fell in love with the U.S and decided to stay and work my way back up.

Life was not easy. I had to accept lower paying jobs in the service sector, which were quite physically demanding. Additionally I found these jobs quite demeaning, degrading and boring considering i was a university graduate of an "Ivy League University " in my native country. No businesses in America would recognize my degree even though the educational system is based on the education model of the U.K., hence, I was blocked from attaining a position that I was acclimatized to.

Determined to realize my dreams I began to search the internet for an educational institution that would allow me to complete courses that fit my schedule and would allow me ot finish a degree as soon as possible. I sent AIU a request for more information on courses. From that day on I was continually hounded and pressured into registering, calling day and night even on sundays. They hound and coaxed me into signing the student Handbook online without reading its content while on the phone with me and pressure me into accepting the conditions of the Sallie Mae Loan at an interst rate(13.5%) substantially higher than a conventional lending institution.

Once they have the loan porcessed you never her form them. There is no communication with the school or the institution as to how the loan was disbursed. Even though this information was requested numerous times.. in fact i have never to this day received any document from the Lending Institution for me to sign and return.
However this was not the reason I was unceremoniously kicked out of the progam.

Two to three weeks after I had started taking classes I received an e-mail form the Records Office requesting that they needed original transcripts from the Educational Institution in my native country, even though prior to registering they accepted a copy of an evalution of my transcripts from World Educational Services whom I had paid a fee for them to peform their evaluation.

I informed them that it would take four to six weeks to acquire the transcripts and requested that they wait in due course for this information.

I telephoned the University in my native country and paid for them to send the transcripts to the me. They informed me that it is their policy not to forward transcripts to graduates but rather directly to the instution that is requesting them, through regular mail. I furnished them with the name and address of AIU. Till tody AIU has not contacted me to let me know if they got it or not.

I continued on with their program and on the first week of my second class, I was blocked form logging into my class. I treid to contact them by phohe and e-mail which was met with no response from AIU. Then one morning I received an e-mail from the Academic Dean stating categorically that I had been withdrawn from the program leaving a phoney, run around number for which to call. That was the last communication with AIU until I received a letter from them demanding approximately $3600, part of which they took from the Sallie Mae loan they got me to sign for under duress. I say that because the ledger sheet they included is constructed in such a way that i cannot ascertain what i exactly owe. I am owing AIU and am also owing Sallie Mae for a course i did not finish. They withdrew me from school for dubious reasons. Who pays that kind of amount for a 4 weeks couse? This is fraud if you ask me!

In addition this was the first and final demand for payment and they are threatening to take me to a collection agency for the balance even without a rebuttal from me.

To me this is quite disturbing. Upon my acceptance to the program I changed jobs which would allow me to devote more time to the program. This new job also pays substantially less money..and now i am in a positon where i am barely surviving,, have been removed from the program and now have AIU threatening to sue me and ruin my personal credit history.

In the short period of time I have been in the U.S, I have worked very hard to establish a good credit history which is being threatened by a Business that had promised me of how much i would benefit financially from an AIU-MBA. This has turned into my worst nightemare.
In my opionion, AIU is nothing more than a bunch of blood sucking charlatans preying on the disadvanged and dispossessed who are trying to make a better life for themselves.

THEY ARE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE AND CAVEAT EMPTOR (BUYER BEWARE).

I need help desperately. Anyone who knows how to wake me up from this nightmare should please come to my rescue. I am helpless in a foreign land and do not know the proper legal procedures to take. I surely cannot afford an attorney as am barely surviving on my low income and do not know how I got myself into all this mess! The entire opposite of what I ever envisaged education to be.

Marion
Chester, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 11/11/2004 09:27 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/american-intercontinental-university/hoffman-estates-illinois-60192/american-intercontinental-university-online-ripoff-scam-artists-blood-suckers-deceivers-117430. 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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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
4Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#4 Consumer Comment

Amy, you miss the point.

AUTHOR: Susan - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, August 11, 2005

There are so many people who have gotten into trouble which they can not back out of due to deceptive practices.

While one can crtitcize those who have unwisely begun classes with the assurance from a sales rep. that the finances are being worked out and not to worry about the details, it is just this group of unsavy folks that they target.....I repeat, they target.

I got out with my finances and dignity intact only because I knew better than to start classes without an official FA commitment.........in written form. When this did not take place...when the sales rep. PROMISED (over the phone) one thing and FA said another, I became leary. When my "package" changed a week before class began and I was advised to ignore, start classes and let the dust settle, I withdrew.

These are master manipulators. They know which buttons to push until one signs on the dotted line and goes through the door. They are more than manipulators. They are preditors.

Susan

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#3 Consumer Comment

AIU isn't all that bad

AUTHOR: Anna - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Tuesday, August 09, 2005

I personally don't believe that AIU Online is as bad as you say. Yes, some people might have a rather unsettling experience with a company. It happens. But I am a student with AIU Online and my experience has been nothing except WONDERFUL. When I applied to AIU Online I was overseas with my Reserve unit and they took care of everything for me. I've been able to take all my classes and my teachers have been very understanding about my situation when I've been travelling and have had to turn work in late. I will now graduate next month with my Associate degree and plan on returning the next week to begin work on my Bachelor degrees.

I'm sorry that you had such an unsettling experience but don't worry, alot worse things could have happened to you from another company that you might not be able to recover from.

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#2 Author of original report

not disappointed by this rebuttal, coming from someone who claims to work for the parent company of AIU.

AUTHOR: Marion - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Need i say that am not disappointed by this rebuttal, coming from someone who claims to work for the parent company of AIU. If only you could put yourself in other people's shoes for once , rather that justify the bad business practices of AIU - online. First, there was no need to use a bank loan with such a high interest because, they could have used a Federal Stafford loan, which they obtained.

There is nothing wrong with a business being "Private for profit", it is the manner in which they go about that business that constitutes 'a rip off'.

Most businesses require their reps to live up to a 'strong recruitment push' with targets and deadlines to meet, but ripping people off is not a common practice with them. They still manage to do what is right.

It is inhuman, selfish and inconsiderate to cheat people and put them in the kind of vulnerable position that AIU - Online places law abiding, hard-working, tax paying citizens/Residents of this country. 'Is wrong is wrong". If everyone were to be deceptive like AIU - Online, the world will be one chaotic place to live in.

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#1 UPDATE Employee

Work for companyq - AIU

AUTHOR: Tina - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, December 03, 2004

I am not totally surprised by this report. I work for the larger organization CEC which owns AIU and know the strong recruitment push Admissions reps are expected to live up to. I am very sorry that someone had such a horrible experience with AIU but I do have to point out that each individual is responsible for their own actions. You could have simply asked AIU to never call you again and put you on the do not call list. Simply hang up when they call you and never ever agree to that horrible interest rate you got on your loan (which was probably due to a lack of credit history rather than the school "ripping you off"). AIU is a private for profit University, as is Phonix online and Capella University. It is run like a business - to make profit but also to have an outstanding product. It doesn't sound like you were dissapointed with the product itself but rather the customer service.

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