Story Created:
Aug 25, 2009 at 6:18 AM CST
Story Updated:
Aug 25, 2009 at 6:30 AM CST
(August 25th, 2009)
Main Topic: Consumer Misconceptions
Several recent calls to BBB indicate that one old consumer misconception and one new one are alive and well. They are:
72 Hour (Three Day) Cooling Off Law lets a consumer cancel any contract within three days.
This is an old and persistent misconception. Both State and federal laws such laws BUT they only apply to purchases of $25 or more made from a door-to-door sales person. They do not apply to purchases made at a place of business. There are some exceptions. Law does not cover purchases in the home in which the seller made an appointment to come to the home. Purchases of memberships to a health club are covered though the purchase was at the club.
Consumers have a right to free credit scores.
Federal law allows consumers to receive a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies. However, there is no such provision that gives you a free credit score. This relatively new misconception may have been a result of the new commercials advertising “Free credit report and free credit report” marketed by freecreditscore.com. That is the one with Ben Stein as the spokesperson.
Scheme of the week: It’s time to head back to school for many students and Better Business Bureau is warning consumers against online programs that offer fast and easy high school diplomas or college degrees.
According to a 2008 survey from the Sloan Consortium and Babson Survey Research Group, 3.9 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in 2007, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. More than 20 percent of higher education students were taking at least one online course. Unfortunately, not all institutions offering online diplomas or degrees are legitimate and individuals looking to get ahead are being duped by diploma mills.
BBB is warning consumers to be wary of four online diploma mills in particular:
BBB serving Houston has received 117 complaints from students in more than 40 states who paid for high school diplomas and advanced degrees from BelfordHighschool.com and BelfordUniversity.org.
Students were led to believe that Belford High School was accredited and that more than 99 percent of colleges would accept its diploma. Students paid as much as $674 and earned their high school diploma by taking an online test or by qualifying through “life experience.”
Belford University offers associate, bachelors and advanced degrees based on “life experience” including degrees in nursing, accounting, and even a Doctorate of Medicine degree which cost one consumer $1,400. In addition to receiving a diploma, students also received a phony transcript that claims they took classes such as Aromatherapy and Introduction to Aerosol Science.
Most people learned that their Belford diplomas and degrees were worthless from college admissions offices or military recruiters and several received the bad news during a job interview.
BBB has received complaints from consumers in Texas, Ohio, and South Carolina who say they passed Jefferson High School Online’s test and paid more than $200 to receive a high school diploma. When the students tried to enroll in college using the diploma they were told that it was not valid.
The first part of the test is a questionnaire that asks students several “life experience” questions, including what type of music they like, how often they listen to music or read and how physically active they are. Jefferson High School Online’s Web site says the answers on this portion of the test will count toward the students “elective and life experiences credits.”
After students complete the life experience questionnaire they are given a multiple choice test in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. If a student answers a question incorrectly they are given a hint, and three more chances to select the correct answer from the four possible answers given for each question.
Jefferson High School Online is owned by MMDS Ltd., based out of St. Kitts, a small country in the eastern Caribbean. MMDS Ltd. also operates a Web site called Vencer High School Online. Aside from using a different name, the site is an exact replica of Jefferson High School, and offers the same services.
BBB cites the following red flags to help identify diploma mills:
· Degrees or diplomas are awarded based on “life experience” and require very little or no work.
· The institution guarantees you will receive a degree or diploma within a few days, weeks or months.
· The institution offers deals if you sign up to receive more than one degree at a time, such as a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree for one low price.
· Addresses for administration buildings include P.O. boxes or suite numbers.
· Prices are stated per degree instead of per credit hour.
