Kimberlyann
Anderson,#2Author of original report
Wed, September 17, 2014
Hi there!
I had completely forgotten I had written a review about Anthem College. I read your story and that is absolutely terrible what they did. Was it just the school you attended or did the whole entire company/corporation get shut down? I did my schooling online, which was based out of Phoenix, Az. I know at the time of my original report, I had received a phone call a couple of days later from Anthem stating they were wanting to resolve the issue without getting a lawyer involved. Lucky for them, I had received a phone call that morning that the lawyer I was going to see had to reschedule due to a death in the family. I remember writing a complaint to the Better Business Beaurae and that's how they finally came around to contacting me. They asked what I wanted to happen and I said I wanted the student loan money from the time I was on academic probation until they released me from attending online classes to be refunded, all of it. They said they wouldn't do that because I had used some of it for my course, and I argued back that it was their responsibility to inform students of their academics, financial aid changes, anything that were to affect them. They agreed and then offered me to go back to school and "start fresh", I said no I would not accept that because if this happened before, I'm not risking that it would happen again. They said fine, but they still refused to send all the loan money back. So we argued about 20 minutes and they finally caved and said they would send the loan money back to Sallie Mae. They said they would have it completely refunded within 10 business days and I would need to print out a statement, sign it, saying the issue had been resolved and also let the BBB know the issue had been resolved. So I told them I would do all that once the money was returned and I would call Sallie Mae in 12 business days to make sure. They agreed to those terms and the money was given back, so they did hold up to their end as did I.
In your situation, I would persue going forward with a lawyer and suing them. You could talk to your lawyer about how much to sue for and if it would be beneficial to get records of all students (local or national) and see if they were taken advantage of, if they were refused a refund, and possibly written statements. Once a figure is set and what the lawyer fees and court costs, they may just settle out of court and everyone involved will receive some financial relief. If you have email correspondence, print those out and if you could, try to record your phone calls with them. I'm not sure of how your laws are, but it's best to inform them that just for your records you will be recording the phone call. I hope you do get some type of financial relief from them, but I would work with your lawyer and see what they suggest as well as what you ultimately want. If this becomes a national thing and you need statements, I would suggest going on college review sites, forums, facebook, twitter, as much social media as possible to get as many statements. Also, if you need one from me, just comment back and I would be more than happy to help. Good luck to you.
Medinak
Hartford,#3Consumer Suggestion
Wed, September 17, 2014
Hello,
I agree with you completely that Anthem College is a complete and total rip off/scam. I attended Anthem College in Brookfield, WI from March 31, 2014 to August 22nd, 2014 for Medical Assisiting Associate Degree. I paid 1,500 every month for the financial aid and that was WELL over what I should have been paying. The minimum payments were to be $80 a month.The loan company I had to go through was Eclipse Loans and that was what financial aid had set up. We were told in June that the school would potentially be closing on September 15th, 2014 and they would find different solutions for us. Well out of no where comes August 21st, we were told today is your last day of school and that the 22nd would be the last day the building would be opened. As this was all going on, I put my time and effort into trying to find a way to get my money back. Well I found a way to get my money back, Anthem College has a refund policy specifically stating I have every right to get every dollar back I put into my schooling. When I brought this up to different staff at my school they said no it doesnt apply so I contacted the corporate offices and the help number. Corporate well wouldnt answer any calls because of the fact they knew people were pissed off. But the help line told me I was right and can get my money back. So I brought it up to Megan Carannza and Jarvis Racine, the two in charge at my school and they kept saying no thats not right. I then went and contacted SEVERAL lawyers about this and I was told I do have every right to go and sue them for my money back and for other expenses that went into my schooling. I sent a demand letter to the head financial aid advisor at corporate who went and forwarded my letter to the schools lawyer. Anthem Colleges lawyer tried to talk me out of wanting to sue the school and saying how I was wrong the whole time. At this point I would like ANYONES and EVERYONES advice on what to do and if they are in a similar situation to reply to my post so I can put all of this information together and show Anthem college who indeed is right!! By the way, A lot of people at the corporate office had their jobs terminiated... If this college knew they had financial issues they should have NOT accepted so many students and crushed our hopes and desires into succeeding and finding a career in the field we want!
Chauncey
Phoenix,#4Consumer Suggestion
Wed, March 11, 2009
I have enough dirt on this school to bring down their entire corporation, and am procedding against them before the Arizona state board for post secondary education. I would love to provide a statement to your attorney. my email is (((ROR redacted))) CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.