Complaint Review: High-Tech Institute - Phoenix Arizona

I attended High-Tech Institute in 1995-96 after a representative came to our High School. I was impressed by what I was told, and had several meetings with this representative during the summer before my Senior year, and the summer after. I decided to attend the school, and began working on literally hours of paperwork so that the school could "assign" a compatible roomate for me, at a local apartment complex that they supposedly had a deal with for our housing.

Once I reached Phoenix (new to a Big City, having grown up in Montana) I went to the school and did my registration stuff. They gave me a basic map showing directions to my apartment. No roomates listed. I was rather worried. I showed up at the Apartment complex (looked pretty ratty) and waited in front of the office, where the complex managers grabbed up the first 4 of us going to the school that showed up to the complex and stuck us together in an apartment. 1 very heavy drug user, 1 experimenter and 2 of us that were what I'd consider "normal".

Not a good start. As I lived here, there were MANY drug busts (most having nothing to do w/ students) by police all around us. One in the apartment right under ours. Our apartment was broken into, much of my stuff stolen, my expensive bicycle was stolen (which upon talking to the manager, found that he'd WATCHED them walk off with 3 bikes, but was afraid to approach him, so just never said anything to anyone), and my roomates doing heavy drugs in our apartment as well.

My one good roomate and I moved to a different place that we'd found on our own, and continued school.

The school then reported, on 3 separate occasions, that they'd never recieved my payment that was due for schooling. My grandmother was making the payments, and had the paid checks back in her possesion. They had taken them to the bank, cashed them, yet still reported no payment. She had to argue with them heartily each time to prove payment. I got sick during one week of school, upon which my instructor told me that he was totally fine with my making up a major test I"d missed (I had a B+ in the class before this) so that I wouldn't fail the course, but it had to be approved by the administration. I went to them, and they denied me, and then charged me $100 re-entry fee to take the class over. I paid this, and continued through this course again. They again reported non-payment, of which I'd had the receipt for one payment, but in my college-immaturity had lost the other receipt. I had no argumental proof that I'd made the payment. They kicked me out of the school at this time, stating that I had not paid my tuition.

I'm now back in Montana, and STILL get notices about once a year from various collection agencies trying to collect this money (which I've had lengthy discussions with all of them, and my grandma's about to sue someon) that I don't owe. This has been on my credit now for 9 years, since it's moving around different collection agencies.

I'm now attending a local college, and they're giving me information on reporting this and fighting my credit report's accuracy. It's kept me from buying a car, or being able to get a credit card.

So from the start, the school lied to me about pairing me with roomates, "set me up" in a drughouse apartment complex (which among all of us were paying $800 a month rent, while ppl who WEREN'T with the school, I found, were paying $600 a month rent for the same apartments), continuously reported non-payment, and to this day is causing me grief with my credit.

David

Kalispell, Montana
U.S.A.