At the beginning of April of 2010, I wanted to get my high
school diploma and registered with Ashworth in Norcross, Georgia. In good faith
I paid the registration fee and the tuition for the first month. After three or
four weeks, I sent a request regarding my books and asked when these will
arrive. I was urged to complete the first course since the books will arrive
soon. I disliked the answer, and I refused paying the tuition until receiving
the books. The month of August came, and the only one thing Ashworth sent
was the monthly statements.
Due to my failure
in paying the tuition (in this instance - their failure in keeping a promise
of a contract, a promise to send books and to proceed with the course),
Ashworth sold my account to a debt collector, to National Account Recoveries.
The agency informed me that I owed $1,496 to Ashworth and demanded payment of
the entire tuition. I answered their letter by asking them to validate their
request and to prove I owed what they said I owed.
In the meantime, I
got in touch with the school and informed the school representative that I
genuinely wanted to earn my high school diploma and that I would resume
payments ONLY IF they would communicate how much it would cost, what courses
were required, whether my transcript had been accepted, and they had to send
the study materials to my address. At that time, I did not have the high school
transcript because the ten classes were finished abroad, and I asked how much I
will have to pay if I could not provide the proof of my education. I was told
that I had to end the first course in order to find HOW MUCH I WILL HAVE TO PAY
for the high school diploma. Ashworth informed me that I had to be in the
program for four years, but never informed me of the payment amount; however, I
was told that ANY kind of proof of high school from abroad was to be taken in
consideration.
I contacted a friend
from abroad, sent a Power of Attorney to act on my behalf in order to obtain
the transcript from the Learning Ministry. I faxed my transcript to Ashworth to
(770) 729-8578 on 11/10/10. There was a person from the high school who
confirmed its receipt and asked me to wait 48 hours to have it loaded into the
system. Three weeks passed, and I did not hear anything from Ashworth. I was
late with the payment because I was uneasy about how Ashworth had performed to
that date, yet I made it current in the hopes that somebody would talk to me about
my problem.
The payments I made
were through their website because I had not received a statement from Ashworth
since August, probably because they sold my account to the collection agency;
however, Ashworth did not refuse to take my money without giving anything in
return. After all, I had no account with them anymore. Apparently, I was sold
to the National Account Recoveries back in August. Did this mean that my
account was "discharged" by them at that time? Why would Ashworth
accept my money if I "voluntarily" made the payments for a
nonexistent account with them? I contacted the
school on 12/7/2010, and requested information regarding the transcript I had
sent them. I was told that the transcript had no value, and that it proved only
eight grades of education. A day later I received another message (from another
employee of Ashworth) in which I was informed that the transcript could not be
evaluated if I did not have the first course completed. I received two
contradictory emails in two consecutive days: one said that the transcript had
no value, and the other one said that I needed to complete the first course in
order to have it evaluated. Each conversation I had with Ashworth had the same
pattern: I was reminded over and over again that I HAD TO COMPLETE THE
FIRST COURSE, in order for them to disclose information or/and evaluate the
transcript at a later undisclosed date. The contract states that a student is required to pay the
entire tuition if he/she quits school after completing the first course. The
high school does not evaluate transcripts first, and refused to give me more
information about classes. The contract itself is deceptive because it does not
disclose enough information for the student to determine how long the courses
will take, how much money it will cost, whether the transcript will be
acceptable, and the contract terms require students to pay off the tuition soon
after they start school because they have completed the first course. Quite reasonably under the circumstances, I sent a
cancellation request and asked for money reimbursement. The representative
answered that I will not receive money because I HAVE completed the first
course (even though this never happened), and that I was entitled to only $145.
I paid more than $400 beginning from April 2010, to December 2010, and I have
not received anything in return. Ashworth college deceived me from the
beginning to the end. The fact that they did not accept the transcript when
they said that they will evaluate ANY kind of proof of education is reason
enough for me to get my money back. How could they accept me as a student, and
charge me any money at all, if the transcript was deemed to be inadequate? Ashworth does not
want to reimburse my $400.00 because the agreement shows that 20% of the
entire tuition should be paid in case of cancellation. I have not completed 2%
out of the first chapter of the first course, I never received a book, nor have
I ever received any information about how to take the classes. In conclusion, under the contract that was never completed
by fault of Ashworth, I am entitled to an entire refund, yet Ashworth contends
they are entitled to money under the terms of the contract, even though they
have not performed any actions to complete the contract and earn the fee. |
