Thomas Edison Sucks

[TeeitupTom]

I can't imagine what it would be like having to deal with them via email but all of my telephone correspondence has been spot on. They answer within 5 minutes and transfer me to an advisor whenever I have more in depth questions.

Don't want to be too specific but one issue I had with calling TE -there is no written record if they give bad info. One told me I could make a substitution-take a different class & it would go toward my degree. It was the last week to register for that semester and he/she said "go ahead." After getting 3/4 through the class, I mentioned the OL course I was in during a call to a diff adviser. Turns out it won't apply. $565.00 lost.-Lesson learned & I'll take my licks and move to bigger things.

[soupbone]

This is exactly what happened to me. Nobody in any department would answer any simple questions. I couldn't even get an answer as to tuition costs. I'm being 100% honest and not trying to say anything inflammatory. The big joke was after paying enrollment the service in my case was not any better. They have this system where you send a message with your question through their support desk. My problem has been that they mark your support desk question as 'complete' and 'solved' even when they haven't bothered to answer it. I think they do this to make it appear as if all questions are being answered promptly.

In my case they have given out wrong information via the support desk system and were quick to mark my question "solved". 3 of my support desk questions were answered by advisement personnel who did not even bother to look up my records. I know this because in the answer would have been completely different if they had not been so lazy as to answer my question without looking at my evaluation and the OL classes I was in at the time. Twice when they did this it cost me time and money. How can they give correct answers specific to a student if they answer the support tickets without bothering to look up the students information? Don't trust the information the support desk tickets contain. Look things up for yourself and you won't be mislead by advisers.

Maybe I am misunderstanding but are you saying you enrolled without knowing what the tuition costs were? If TESC wouldn't answer your tuition costs questions then why did you enroll? Something sounds fishy about your statement. If you enrolled without knowing how much it costs then it is just as much your fault as it is theirs for not telling you. Don't take my tone as bashing either but when you claim that they wouldn't tell you the tuition rate I certainly wouldn't have enrolled until finding that answer out. If you knew the tuition rates and still enrolled then why are you complaining about them?

I personally have not had a single issue with them. So far all of my phone calls have been excellent and I am pleased with everything so far. I start a few courses in April so I will also find out how the classes are as well. Maybe I've been lucky but I don't have a single complaint yet.

[TeeitupTom]

Not "fishy" at all soupbone. Sorry if my posting this offends you but complaining is a way to make the school accountable so they can make it easier for the next group. Otherwise they could lose business. I think that's why OP started this thread. And I believe you are completely wrong to imply that I said it was not my fault.

Since you seem interested I'll tell you how I figured it out: Before I was admitted I couldn't get an answer as to exact tuition cost and any added fees. Like I knew nothing of the added 100.00 technology fee for online classes and a few other added fees. Maybe the tuition cost and breakdown is on the web site for TE but I searched and could not find it. I didn't know about degree forum at the time or I'd have asked here. Maybe I couldn't find the cost because I don't live in NJ or didn't know enough about who the right people to call were. I couldn't get an answers to my questions.

I had never even heard of TE and had never taken any classes from an OL school. I found about TE from a nurse friend and he told me to be admitted and have a transcript eval costs $300.00. But that turned out to be what they charge nurses not other students. I didn't know this at the time. When I sent in my admission forms with the admission fee I waited and watched my mail because i knew THAT WAS WHEN I'D GET TUITION COST INFORMATION. That's when they sent me the "Fees and Tuition" little booklet. I've only been to B & M schools so I'd never paid an enrollment fee separate from the fee for classes. At my university we would register for classes and the bursar would give you the total amount owed. So once I had the fee booklet I paid their annual enrollment fee. But paying for my 3 classes separate from enrollment fee was new to me. Even with the booklet explaining fees I couldn't understand if the added 100.00 technology fee and other fees were per course or per semester. So I paid the annual enrollment requested in the booklet.

btw: They then sent me a bill saying I owed $35.00 more because of the transaction problem caused when I sent in my admission paperwork with the $300.00 fee charged nurses instead of the $75.00 fee. Apparently not sending in the right admit fee and causing them to refund my admit money and send in the right amount triggered a 35.00 fee. The bursars office said it was because the system saw it as a "NSF". I HAVE NEVER HAD AN NSF. I don't bounce checks. But I paid the 35.00 "NSF fee for the mishap in my admission payment because I didn't feel it was worth arguing over 35.00 and I wouldn't have know who to complain to anyway. I didn't have a name of anyone at the school who could help.

As dumb as it sounds I still couldn't figure out what my 3 classes would cost because the fees booklet isn't specific as to the 100.00 technology fee and some other fee of 40.00. I didn't know if that meant per yr, semester, class or per credit hr. So since I don't have financial aid this is how I figured out what my 3 (9 cr hrs) of classes would total out to be: I registered online when I hit "check-out" shopping basket it gave me the total dollar amount of what I needed to pay for the 3 classes. Including the 100.00 tech fee and the 40.00 fee.

Even then the system wouldn't let me check out so I printed out the computer registration with my exact classes-3 OL courses, exact sections and the mentors I wanted. When I got confirmation of my registration they had switched one OL to a GS and they changed one mentor I requested in another class. They gave me no explanation of why the changes were made. I then went online and found there were still openings in the class I had wanted to do OL but the registrar had put me in the GS version. At that point I didn't care about the mentor change but I called and after finding the right person to talk to I got the GS changed back to the OL course I had requested.

[soupbone]

Tom I agree that there seems to be some confusion as to what the enrollment fee is versus what the actual credit per semester is. I never had any problem finding that information but I certainly did not understand why they had such a breakdown of fees. Also your post never offended me. I was just curious what your exact story was.

Personally I would rather see simply one fee which covers part time tuition (1-9 hours) and one fee that covers full time tuition (10+). That way there would be less confusion. In defense of TESC thoug there are several schools (including B&M) that have all kinds of fees that you don't know about till you dig deeper. Like I said maybe I've just been lucky so far but my experience has been great. So far every advisor I've spoken to has been courteous and helpful. Hopefully this keeps up and I don't have the same problems others have had.

[psclements]

I love this forum and when I was still working on my degree I was on here just about every day. Now that I have "finished" I don't get on here that often. This site was made up of good people, giving good advice, sharing their stories, and just encouraging people as much as they could. People were honest about there experiences but also rational and mature. I just read through this thread and am amazed.

I had a really good experience with TESC. They were timely, curtious, and even went out of there way to help me when applying to graduate school. I have talked to them on the phone multiple times and each time felt like I was important. That doesn't mean that others have not had their problems but to make a statement like "Thomas Edison Sucks" seems to be...well a little immature, an unfair broad generalization, and not really in the spirit of this site.

I read about TESC, COSC, and Excelsior before I decided on TESC. I read useful posts about the good, bad, and sometimes ugly of each. I went to each website to read their own materials. I weighed the pro's and con's and then made my decision. It is the same way when I buy a car, laptop, or tv. I research and get information and then make a decision.

I wasn't surprised by my interaction with TESC because of all the people on here who had given valuable information and the information I had read on their site.

I say all of the above to give some background to the following questions. These questions are for "thatbrian" and anyone else that made inflammatory comments about TESC:

Did you do any research on TESC prior to joining? I did and found a lot of useful information on this site and on TESC's site.

Did you read their materials, guidelines, and other information about how they did business? I did and knew exactly what fees were involved and when graduations occured and most any other question that I had.

Did you feel that making the comments you have made(on here) really helps someone make an educated decision to what school to choose? I don't feel that you have helped at all. I feel that the comments cause more confusion than they do good.

I would even argue that if you can't say that you researched the different schools and read their materials/guidelines before you chose TESC that you are responsible for your problems, not TESC. I would even suggest that if the "truth" about your situations were to be really known that one would probably conclude that most of the problems you complain about are self inflicted.

I could be wrong but experience suggests that a large percentage of people who have different(bad) experiences than the majority are people who caused the different experiences by not being able to follow simple directions or comprehend basic guidelines.

I guess for a post this long I need to write a conclusion...I love this site. I am thankful to all the people that have posted useful, honest, and logical comments. I had a great experience with TESC and would recommend them to others. TESC isn't for everyone as each of the "big 3" have different characteristics that make them better for some than others. They aren't perfect but if you are honest with yourself, none of them are. I hope that it does not become common place to start posts like this one. It is embarrassing to it's author, counter productive, and in direct opposition of the spirit of this site.

[jonasling]

I had a really good experience with TESC. They were timely, curtious, and even went out of there way to help me when applying to graduate school. I have talked to them on the phone multiple times and each time felt like I was important.

This is good to know as a counter point so thank you for sharing your experience. It would also be helpful to share which department you were taking to.

Did you feel that making the comments you have made(on here) really helps someone make an educated decision to what school to choose? I don't feel that you have helped at all. I feel that the comments cause more confusion than they do good.

I feel differently. The more information I have the better. I don't want to hear just the good things, I want to find out the bad as well. If I were to consider TESC because of some other advantage that it has, then I would want to know that there is a potential tradeoff in customer service. So if I enrolled and found out that it was true, then I went in with my eyes open. Now, if after reading this thread and you enrolled and still compained about the customer service, then I don't know what to say.

TESC isn't for everyone as each of the "big 3" have different characteristics that make them better for some than others. They aren't perfect but if you are honest with yourself, none of them are.

The original author of the thread did not say the other 2 are perfect. Just pointing out the bad experiences he had with TESC. If you have any bad experiences with the other two, you could share with the rest of us so we can look out for them.

Also, I believe the original author's real point is that TESC's customer service is bad. Rather than TESC is bad.

I hope that it does not become common place to start posts like this one. It is embarrassing to it's author, counter productive, and in direct opposition of the spirit of this site.

I again respectfully disagree. Buyer beware. The more the buyer is made aware, the more they can look out for themselves. The title of the thead makes it clear what this thread is about. No one has to read it if they don't want to. It's up to the reader to make up his or her mind but it's another data point to consider.

[psclements]

Also, I believe the original author's real point is that TESC's customer service is bad. Rather than TESC is bad.

I am somewhat puzzled by this statement. You took what the original author said and tried to restate it in an productive way. I think that you have only confirmed part of my argument. In its original form there is little usefulness to the comment.

Let's take a minute and look at what the author said:

"Don't make the stupid mistake that I did by choosing them. Go with EC!"

Even after he was asked to clarify:

"They are slow, and they don't care. Their main response if you have a problem is basically "tough luck". So, I say without hesitation or apology that they suck - avoid them. Why give money to a place like that when EC has such a great reputation?"

I am having a hard time reading those statements and being able to say that I have learned something useful or helpful about TESC. Are you able to do this?

See, you can get a good feel for someone's intent by what they write and how they go about stating their thoughts. Think about it, if he were trying to provide useful information to the forum would he have said what he said...the way he said it? Probably not. What if he were trying to get back at TESC because he was mad or his feeling were hurt? That seems to be a little more likely.

I feel differently. The more information I have the better.

You don't feel differently. That is one of the points I made. The more information the better!!! We differ when it comes to the "information" part. You would say that "Don't make the stupid mistake that I did by choosing them. Go with EC!" is information or data. I would say that it is not information or data.

Now, if after reading this thread and you enrolled and still compained about the customer service, then I don't know what to say.

Again, this was one of my points. He had the opportunity to read the different posts on this site that discussed their customer service. From what I understand he was on this forum before he decided to enroll at TESC....and he is still complaining.

The original author of the thread did not say the other 2 are perfect.

Not exactly but close..."Why give money to a place like that when EC has such a great reputation?"

I again respectfully disagree. Buyer beware. The more the buyer is made aware, the more they can look out for themselves...

I think I said this earlier but did you read his post? That isn't buyer beware. Can you imagine if I started a post that said "TESC is the greatest college ever...don't make a mistake by choosing another college...you would be stupid!" Readers would immediatley feel cheated. Where is the substance to support a comment like that. They would ask..can you tell us why you say these things? I could respond with...They are faster than anyone else, and they care. Their main response if you are struggling with your studies is "don't worry, we'll just give you an A". So, I say without hesitation or apology that they rock - pick them. Why give money to any other place like EC that has such a horrible reputation? Again the reader would feel cheated because I haven't really said anything useful.

(You caught what I just did...I used his words...Just in case you didn't catch it)

Here is the problem in my mind. If we allow, encourage, or foster posts like this then all we end up with are pages of people blasting off with useless information, inflammatory comments, and if we really call it for what it is...it is nothing more than an attack on TESC. This site will no longer be a place that someone can come and find helpful information. You will have to weed through page after page of wasted characters to find something that will help you.

I like it the way it was...people making useful, productive, and truthful comments for the better of everyone else.

Do you really disagree??

[jonasling]

I am having a hard time reading those statements and being able to say that I have learned something useful or helpful about TESC. Are you able to do this?

Yes. I was able to learn that he had problems with TESC. It is useful to me to know what issues people are having so I am more informed in my decision when choosing a college.

What if he were trying to get back at TESC because he was mad or his feeling were hurt? That seems to be a little more likely.

Yes, I agree that's probably one of the reason why he's doing this but that's exactly why this is important. He's just a student wanting to get a degree and TESC caused him so much resentment that he had to start this thread.

I would say that it is not information or data.

I do because it is helpful to me. So I consider it information.

From what I understand he was on this forum before he decided to enroll at TESC....and he is still complaining.

I didn't read anything from him on this thread that suggested that to me. How did you come to that understanding?

You said:

I think I said this earlier but did you read his post? That isn't buyer beware.

He said:

I didn't start this thread for my benefit - it's too late for me. I am trying to warn others, before they make the same mistake I did.

So I do believe he was also trying to warn others by talking about his experience.

Can you imagine if I started a post that said ... Again the reader would feel cheated because I haven't really said anything useful.

I for one would think it would be an useful thread. I wouldn't feel cheated at all, unless you were lying about the reasons. I actually think it is even more important because most people write when they are angry at a company but rarely start a thread saying how good a company is UNLESS they are directly rewarded.

There was another thread trying to compare the costs differences between the colleges. Would you not have found a thread like that useful. I did. So too will a thread that discusses the advantage of a college if it was from real students and not just employees of the college.

I like it the way it was...people making useful, productive, and truthful comments for the better of everyone else.Do you really disagree??

I understand you not wanting most of the threads to be like this one but people who has issues with TESC will probably just add to this thread so I see every other thread becoming like this, I don't see an issue. Besides, if the companies provide good service, there shouldn't be many threads like this. Which is what we all would like, no?

[lmech]

I love this forum and when I was still working on my degree I was on here just about every day. Now that I have "finished" I don't get on here that often. This site was made up of good people, giving good advice, sharing their stories, and just encouraging people as much as they could. People were honest about there experiences but also rational and mature. I just read through this thread and am amazed.

I had a really good experience with TESC. They were timely, curtious, and even went out of there way to help me when applying to graduate school. I have talked to them on the phone multiple times and each time felt like I was important. That doesn't mean that others have not had their problems but to make a statement like "Thomas Edison Sucks" seems to be...well a little immature, an unfair broad generalization, and not really in the spirit of this site.

I read about TESC, COSC, and Excelsior before I decided on TESC. I read useful posts about the good, bad, and sometimes ugly of each. I went to each website to read their own materials. I weighed the pro's and con's and then made my decision. It is the same way when I buy a car, laptop, or tv. I research and get information and then make a decision.

I wasn't surprised by my interaction with TESC because of all the people on here who had given valuable information and the information I had read on their site.

I say all of the above to give some background to the following questions. These questions are for "thatbrian" and anyone else that made inflammatory comments about TESC:

Did you do any research on TESC prior to joining? I did and found a lot of useful information on this site and on TESC's site.

Did you read their materials, guidelines, and other information about how they did business? I did and knew exactly what fees were involved and when graduations occured and most any other question that I had.

Did you feel that making the comments you have made(on here) really helps someone make an educated decision to what school to choose? I don't feel that you have helped at all. I feel that the comments cause more confusion than they do good.

I would even argue that if you can't say that you researched the different schools and read their materials/guidelines before you chose TESC that you are responsible for your problems, not TESC. I would even suggest that if the "truth" about your situations were to be really known that one would probably conclude that most of the problems you complain about are self inflicted.

I could be wrong but experience suggests that a large percentage of people who have different(bad) experiences than the majority are people who caused the different experiences by not being able to follow simple directions or comprehend basic guidelines.

I guess for a post this long I need to write a conclusion...I love this site. I am thankful to all the people that have posted useful, honest, and logical comments. I had a great experience with TESC and would recommend them to others. TESC isn't for everyone as each of the "big 3" have different characteristics that make them better for some than others. They aren't perfect but if you are honest with yourself, none of them are. I hope that it does not become common place to start posts like this one. It is embarrassing to it's author, counter productive, and in direct opposition of the spirit of this site.

Did you do any research on TESC prior to joining? YES

Did you read their materials, guidelines, and other information about how they did business? YES

Did you feel that making the comments you have made(on here) really helps someone make an educated decision to what school to choose? YES
I don't feel that you have helped at all- Sorry you feel that way, but I agree with most of the points Brian has brought up concerning TESC. Please read my comments on the first page for details.

[thatbrian]

psclements,

You say that you love this place (IC) and have been helped by the people who have generously given of their time to help others, and you are finished with your degree and you have a grand total 22 posts! Are you really concerned about being helpful?

Please read some of my over 300 posts before you call me names.

My review of TESC is honest, accurate, and hopefully helpful to many. I only wish that someone had been so direct about it before I decided on TE.

I love this forum and when I was still working on my degree I was on here just about every day. Now that I have "finished" I don't get on here that often. This site was made up of good people, giving good advice, sharing their stories, and just encouraging people as much as they could. People were honest about there experiences but also rational and mature. I just read through this thread and am amazed.

I had a really good experience with TESC. They were timely, curtious, and even went out of there way to help me when applying to graduate school. I have talked to them on the phone multiple times and each time felt like I was important. That doesn't mean that others have not had their problems but to make a statement like "Thomas Edison Sucks" seems to be...well a little immature, an unfair broad generalization, and not really in the spirit of this site.

I read about TESC, COSC, and Excelsior before I decided on TESC. I read useful posts about the good, bad, and sometimes ugly of each. I went to each website to read their own materials. I weighed the pro's and con's and then made my decision. It is the same way when I buy a car, laptop, or tv. I research and get information and then make a decision.

I wasn't surprised by my interaction with TESC because of all the people on here who had given valuable information and the information I had read on their site.

I say all of the above to give some background to the following questions. These questions are for "thatbrian" and anyone else that made inflammatory comments about TESC:

Did you do any research on TESC prior to joining? I did and found a lot of useful information on this site and on TESC's site.

Did you read their materials, guidelines, and other information about how they did business? I did and knew exactly what fees were involved and when graduations occured and most any other question that I had.

Did you feel that making the comments you have made(on here) really helps someone make an educated decision to what school to choose? I don't feel that you have helped at all. I feel that the comments cause more confusion than they do good.

I would even argue that if you can't say that you researched the different schools and read their materials/guidelines before you chose TESC that you are responsible for your problems, not TESC. I would even suggest that if the "truth" about your situations were to be really known that one would probably conclude that most of the problems you complain about are self inflicted.

I could be wrong but experience suggests that a large percentage of people who have different(bad) experiences than the majority are people who caused the different experiences by not being able to follow simple directions or comprehend basic guidelines.

I guess for a post this long I need to write a conclusion...I love this site. I am thankful to all the people that have posted useful, honest, and logical comments. I had a great experience with TESC and would recommend them to others. TESC isn't for everyone as each of the "big 3" have different characteristics that make them better for some than others. They aren't perfect but if you are honest with yourself, none of them are. I hope that it does not become common place to start posts like this one. It is embarrassing to it's author, counter productive, and in direct opposition of the spirit of this site.