Complaint Review: Excelsior College - Albany New York
- Excelsior College 7 Columbia Circle Albany, New York U.S.A.
- Phone: 888-647-2388
- Web:
- Category: Colleges and Universities
Excelsior College Misprinted my Bachelor's Degree Diploma and want concessions from me to reprint it Ripoff Albany New York
*Consumer Comment: The issue has been resolved
*Consumer Comment: The issue has been resolved
*Consumer Comment: The issue has been resolved
*Consumer Comment: The issue has been resolved
*Consumer Suggestion: Think of this Buddhist Philosophy
*Consumer Comment: Enjoy the misspelled degree, then.
*Consumer Comment: Why the diploma should NOT be returned until the school makes it right.
*Consumer Suggestion: The solution? SEND IT BACK!
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When I graduated from Excelsior College, I had to fill out a form with my name correctly spelled so they could send me my diploma. (They said if I misspelled my name on the form they would charge $75 for a reprint.) Even though they have my name in their records and my form with my name spelled correctly, they STILL misspelled my name on my diploma. They admitted that they were in error and I asked for a reprint of my diploma.
They refused unless I sent the original back. They said they were afraid I would get the new one and sell the misspelled one or something. First of all it was their error so they had no reason to believe I would expect to get two diplomas so I could "sell one". That's just ludicrous. And this is just a power play on their part anyway because anyone with any kind of computer skills can create an exact copy of a diploma and put any name they want on it, if they are into that.
I just think that after I put in all the blood sweat and tears to get this diploma (after spending 20 years in the military taking one class at a time to get it), they should SEND ME a diploma. And because they screwed up, they certainly should be willing to correct their error without any concessions from me whatsoever.
You'd think people who work at a college could spell anyway, that they would have some attention to detail, and certainly would be ethical enough to send me my diploma (WHICH I paid for) with my name spelled correctly. I PAID for this diploma. Excelsior College (whatever their excuses are) has not met their obligation. They have accepted payment for something they did not ever give me and refuse to this day to give me. For these reasons, I have to say this college is cold and unethical and in fact, just unscrupulous. And I'm very sorry I got my Bachelor's degree from this scam institute.
So now as a matter of principle I will NOT send their original diploma back unless and until I get the one I PAID FOR. Then they can have the one THEY screwed up on, back. I am enraged that they would treat me like some kind of con artist because THEY can't spell, even when they freely admit they had my name correctly spelled on the form I returned to them (per their rather rude request).
I wrote the College President, Wayne Williams, and the Military member on the Board of Directors, General Gregg, and spoke to numerous other people at this college. They all treated me like I was trying to con them. General Gregg did not even bother to respond. Wayne Williams refused my request numerous times and was a jerk every time I contacted him. In fact his secretary told me I was "harassing" them for calling again and again to get MY diploma reprinted.
There are lots of colleges out there and many will let you do courses online and accept college credit from other universities. If you find yourself in the situation of needing to get your degree from a school who will accept credits from other colleges, I suggest you avoid this particular school as they just want your money and you might as well forget getting your diploma. They just don't care. It's all about the money with them.
Leana
Indianapolis, Indiana
U.S.A.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/24/2006 09:18 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/excelsior-college/albany-new-york-1203-238/excelsior-college-misprinted-my-bachelors-degree-diploma-and-want-concessions-from-me-to-188258. 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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#8 Consumer Comment
The issue has been resolved
AUTHOR: Leana - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, May 04, 2006
People - This forum is to allow those who have not received satisfaction to vent their complaints so that others will not get ripped off and that hopefully the companies in question will take action.
One more time - I did EVERYTHING I was supposed to do to meet my degree requirements and was promised the diploma as proof of having met those requirements. (By the way, check your Webster's: "degree" is the title conferred and "diploma" is the document given conferring the degree.)
I'll just say that no educator with whom I have ever communicated has ever treated me or spoken to me in the manner those people (including the then-President Wayne Williams) did back then. I really had begun to think that maybe this wasn't even a legitimate school. I certainly wasn't confident that if I returned the original diploma, I would receive ANYTHING in return. My decision was to get my corrected diploma before giving back the original, so at least I would have something in hand. I realize some of you don't "get it", but that's OK.
However, the update is as follows: After having written to this forum and referencing it in several emails to various people at Excelsior College, the issue has now been resolved.
Corporate culture is set at the top and the way Wayne Williams treated people is how the College treated people when he was the President. The new President, John Ebersoll, immediately emailed me when he received my email, and he said he would look into this. Within just a day or two, he emailed me again to say he was having my corrected diploma sent to me by overnight shipping and apologized to me for what had gone on before his watch.
I received my corrected diploma last week. I feel certain that Excelsior College is now in excellent hands and that the way the College staff treated me back then, will no longer be tolerated.
So thank you to those of you who wrote to say I should capitulate. However had I not fought this fight, President Ebersoll would never have known this kind of thing was happening (or had been happening). And because of the several communications I have received from him, I am positive that under President Ebersoll's direction, this kind of thing will not happen again at Excelsior College.
Furthermore my degree actually now means something to me now and I do have that piece of paper to display. But perhaps most importantly in the big picture, I now trust that Excelsior College is the reputable school I believed it to be originally.

#7 Consumer Comment
The issue has been resolved
AUTHOR: Leana - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, May 04, 2006
People - This forum is to allow those who have not received satisfaction to vent their complaints so that others will not get ripped off and that hopefully the companies in question will take action.
One more time - I did EVERYTHING I was supposed to do to meet my degree requirements and was promised the diploma as proof of having met those requirements. (By the way, check your Webster's: "degree" is the title conferred and "diploma" is the document given conferring the degree.)
I'll just say that no educator with whom I have ever communicated has ever treated me or spoken to me in the manner those people (including the then-President Wayne Williams) did back then. I really had begun to think that maybe this wasn't even a legitimate school. I certainly wasn't confident that if I returned the original diploma, I would receive ANYTHING in return. My decision was to get my corrected diploma before giving back the original, so at least I would have something in hand. I realize some of you don't "get it", but that's OK.
However, the update is as follows: After having written to this forum and referencing it in several emails to various people at Excelsior College, the issue has now been resolved.
Corporate culture is set at the top and the way Wayne Williams treated people is how the College treated people when he was the President. The new President, John Ebersoll, immediately emailed me when he received my email, and he said he would look into this. Within just a day or two, he emailed me again to say he was having my corrected diploma sent to me by overnight shipping and apologized to me for what had gone on before his watch.
I received my corrected diploma last week. I feel certain that Excelsior College is now in excellent hands and that the way the College staff treated me back then, will no longer be tolerated.
So thank you to those of you who wrote to say I should capitulate. However had I not fought this fight, President Ebersoll would never have known this kind of thing was happening (or had been happening). And because of the several communications I have received from him, I am positive that under President Ebersoll's direction, this kind of thing will not happen again at Excelsior College.
Furthermore my degree actually now means something to me now and I do have that piece of paper to display. But perhaps most importantly in the big picture, I now trust that Excelsior College is the reputable school I believed it to be originally.

#6 Consumer Comment
The issue has been resolved
AUTHOR: Leana - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, May 04, 2006
People - This forum is to allow those who have not received satisfaction to vent their complaints so that others will not get ripped off and that hopefully the companies in question will take action.
One more time - I did EVERYTHING I was supposed to do to meet my degree requirements and was promised the diploma as proof of having met those requirements. (By the way, check your Webster's: "degree" is the title conferred and "diploma" is the document given conferring the degree.)
I'll just say that no educator with whom I have ever communicated has ever treated me or spoken to me in the manner those people (including the then-President Wayne Williams) did back then. I really had begun to think that maybe this wasn't even a legitimate school. I certainly wasn't confident that if I returned the original diploma, I would receive ANYTHING in return. My decision was to get my corrected diploma before giving back the original, so at least I would have something in hand. I realize some of you don't "get it", but that's OK.
However, the update is as follows: After having written to this forum and referencing it in several emails to various people at Excelsior College, the issue has now been resolved.
Corporate culture is set at the top and the way Wayne Williams treated people is how the College treated people when he was the President. The new President, John Ebersoll, immediately emailed me when he received my email, and he said he would look into this. Within just a day or two, he emailed me again to say he was having my corrected diploma sent to me by overnight shipping and apologized to me for what had gone on before his watch.
I received my corrected diploma last week. I feel certain that Excelsior College is now in excellent hands and that the way the College staff treated me back then, will no longer be tolerated.
So thank you to those of you who wrote to say I should capitulate. However had I not fought this fight, President Ebersoll would never have known this kind of thing was happening (or had been happening). And because of the several communications I have received from him, I am positive that under President Ebersoll's direction, this kind of thing will not happen again at Excelsior College.
Furthermore my degree actually now means something to me now and I do have that piece of paper to display. But perhaps most importantly in the big picture, I now trust that Excelsior College is the reputable school I believed it to be originally.

#5 Consumer Comment
The issue has been resolved
AUTHOR: Leana - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, May 04, 2006
People - This forum is to allow those who have not received satisfaction to vent their complaints so that others will not get ripped off and that hopefully the companies in question will take action.
One more time - I did EVERYTHING I was supposed to do to meet my degree requirements and was promised the diploma as proof of having met those requirements. (By the way, check your Webster's: "degree" is the title conferred and "diploma" is the document given conferring the degree.)
I'll just say that no educator with whom I have ever communicated has ever treated me or spoken to me in the manner those people (including the then-President Wayne Williams) did back then. I really had begun to think that maybe this wasn't even a legitimate school. I certainly wasn't confident that if I returned the original diploma, I would receive ANYTHING in return. My decision was to get my corrected diploma before giving back the original, so at least I would have something in hand. I realize some of you don't "get it", but that's OK.
However, the update is as follows: After having written to this forum and referencing it in several emails to various people at Excelsior College, the issue has now been resolved.
Corporate culture is set at the top and the way Wayne Williams treated people is how the College treated people when he was the President. The new President, John Ebersoll, immediately emailed me when he received my email, and he said he would look into this. Within just a day or two, he emailed me again to say he was having my corrected diploma sent to me by overnight shipping and apologized to me for what had gone on before his watch.
I received my corrected diploma last week. I feel certain that Excelsior College is now in excellent hands and that the way the College staff treated me back then, will no longer be tolerated.
So thank you to those of you who wrote to say I should capitulate. However had I not fought this fight, President Ebersoll would never have known this kind of thing was happening (or had been happening). And because of the several communications I have received from him, I am positive that under President Ebersoll's direction, this kind of thing will not happen again at Excelsior College.
Furthermore my degree actually now means something to me now and I do have that piece of paper to display. But perhaps most importantly in the big picture, I now trust that Excelsior College is the reputable school I believed it to be originally.

#4 Consumer Suggestion
Think of this Buddhist Philosophy
AUTHOR: Joe - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, May 03, 2006
There are three types of people when one discusses anger:
Those who write anger in stone
Those who write anger in sand
Those who write anger in water
Be the ball, Danny...errr, the water, and let this go. Why is this such an issue? You just sound stubborn.
Breathe in the good, breathe out the bad.
Congratulations on your degree, by the way.
Round Top, TX

#3 Consumer Comment
Enjoy the misspelled degree, then.
AUTHOR: Tom - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, April 25, 2006
If, as you state, you actually paid for your education not the "diploma" itself (FYI: colleges and universities award degrees while high schools award diplomas - you might want to start using the proper term) and the "diploma" is simply a piece of paper to "honor" you for your dedication and hard work, then why are you so upset about the "diploma"? You got what you paid for: your education.
Seriously, why not just send in the misspelled degree and let this on-line university correct its error rather than trying to find insults in the return request? You will get what you want and the whole thing will be finished. Life is too short to let yourself get this upset over something so minor.

#2 Consumer Comment
Why the diploma should NOT be returned until the school makes it right.
AUTHOR: Leana - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, April 24, 2006
I would like to clear up a misconception. What I actually paid for was my education, not the diploma itself. The diploma is simply a piece of paper to HONOR me for my dedication and hard work. It doesn't COST the school anything. I could see it this logic for an item such as jewelry. I not only didn't feel honored, I was disrespected again and again for asking the school to this right.
In today's world, anyone at all into computers can "manufacture" a diploma with any recipient name on it from any college. The authentic diploma therefore has no value to anyone but me. Any legitimate school should recognize this and WANT TO meet their responsibility and make the diploma right. Your advice is misguided.
I don't, for instance, shop in stores where the store personnel treat customers badly and management allows it. I'm not going to do nothing while this school treats me badly and rips me off for a diploma I earned either. If no one ever stands up and demands that this school treat students (without whom they would not exist) with respect, they'll keep acting this way forever. They should not be rewarded for treating the recipient of an award like this.

#1 Consumer Suggestion
The solution? SEND IT BACK!
AUTHOR: Tom - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, April 24, 2006
I read this complaint a few times to try to understand what the problem was with sending back the misspelled degree. For the life of me, I cannot figure it out. The matter of principal over which you are fighting eludes me.
The university made a mistake. It owned up to it. It offered to make a correctly spelled degree for you. All it needed was the incorrect one returned. There is nothing cold or unethical or rude or unscrupulous about that. Nor does it make the university a scam.
Almost any business will need to have a broken item returned before it ships out a replacement. It is a very common practice. Why is that so difficult for you to do? And yes, selling bogus degrees is a reality and a serious problem for universities, so it is not unreasonable for the university to want to keep control of a degree it sends out.
Mistakes happen. Human error can and will occur no matter how well educated the human might be. There is no need to go into such hysterics over this. Send in the degree and let the university correct its error. Your problem will be over and you can go on with life.


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