Penn Foster High School Reviews
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BEWARE! This is a complete scam and waste of money. I enrolled in the graphic design course and upon taking two assessments and two lessons I realized the content was incredibly dated and poorly presented. I further reviewed the course curriculum and Penn Foster's reputation and realized that even after spending thousands of dollars and countless hours - this course would not prepare me for a career in this field. So, I cancelled right away. They continued to charge me for 5 months. After 5 months, they said I didn't confirm my cancellation so they didn't push it forward but they are still saying that "assessments" are considered "lessons" or "courses" - even though nothing was taught in them. So now I'm paying college credit prices for useless assessments.
When complaining about this I was told "well college is expensive" - which it - is however Penn Foster is a poor excuse for a college and the level of education you receive is worse than awful YouTube channels. The content is dated. Save your money and learn things on YouTube. Or spend you money at a place that is accredited and specialized in the field you are pursuing because Penn Foster only specializes in offering a wide variety of unaccredited programs with non-transferrable credits and dated, useless teachings along with a scammy contract that steals money without providing anything of actual value.
Hello Jay: We are disappointed to hear that you felt our program was not a good fit for your needs. Per the Terms on the Enrollment Agreement, students may cancel by writing to the school. If automatic payments were set on the account at enrollment, they would continue monthly until the student cancels their program & disenrolls from auto-pay. If you have questions regarding your account please call 1-888-427-1000 or feel free to write to us at student.reviews@pennfoster.edu. Thank You!
When I enrolled my contract stated a price and said I had 6 years to complete my schooling. I maintained being a Dean's list student. I later lost my job and then covid happened. I called them to let them know, I need to take a break from studying to get back on my feet but at least want to pay them off. I paid them in full. I was told to take as long as I need as long as I complete all my courses by Dec 2022. I called back Jan of 2022 to get back going with my studies and they informed me they unenrolled me for taking a long time period off.
The rep stated she had no record of my lump sum payment and I'd have to start all over, re-enroll and pay all over again (even though I had only 6 more months left). Furthermore, she couldn't find my old student ID number and they had even already gave me a new ID and student account. Also, after I had already paid in full, they sent me a second "contract"/invoice for additional money after already telling me the first amount was all I needed to pay. They kept all my money, over $4,000 and claimed to have no record of me.
When I took them to the state board, they withheld specific call transcripts and only provided the call logs that ruled in their favor. They left off the calls of me calling in to inform them of me taking a break due to job loss, due to covid and they withheld the logs that included the reps telling me to take as much time as I need and the reps who told me they see that I should have never been unenrolled. Please stay far away from this school. They are completely dishonest and preying on consumers for a profit! I was able to get $1250 back, however, they have the rest of my money from the $4,000 I paid and I have no degree and no money. God does not like ugly and even if not from my case, they will pay.
Dear Student:
As an accredited distance learning institution, our school must follow the guidelines set by our accrediting authorities, which allows each program a maximum number of months to complete their program before the account expires. Therefore, we regret that we simply cannot extend program study time indefinitely. The information regarding time limits, including study extensions, are posted clearly within the enrollment agreement and Student Handbook. We thank you for your feedback.
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I had to cancel program due to medical issues. This school is trying to make me pay 200 in something dollars for canceling and doing exams. This school is definitely money hungry. I also have known a few who have not received there diploma after finishing the schooling. Customer service had no interest in hearing I'm on ssi and can not afford that, she said I can pay 100 two months, I explained I cannot afford that. I was completely ignored on that. Overall, I believe this school is a scam for money.
Even though I made each payment and took screenshots from my bank to prove it, they kept harassing me about my payment. The tech support was awful (called 4 times to attempt to straighten out the issue). No one seemed to know what they were looking at or doing. It was extremely obvious that the support team was working from home and irritated that I was bothering them with a question. This went on for 3 months. I unenrolled my student.
We are disappointed to hear this. We are interested in hearing more from you, and how we may be able to turn this experience around. Please feel free to reach out to us at student.reviews@pennfoster.edu. Our team will be happy to help. Thank you!
Honesty, I think it's great to have an opportunity to get a High School diploma through Penn Foster. But I believe they are money motivated and have no real concern for their customers. There is a lot of personality coming from the 'Instructor". This interfere with professional conduct and questions the legitimacy of the entire entity. From different sources of information that I have collected over time, I have learned that in some instances the school is requiring prior education in connection with the very educational program that is being paid for to be learn. Then you would have to ask the question; If I am already educated in this area, then why do I need Penn Foster? For Instance: I want to learn HS Algebra! Well, first you'll need to know HS Algebra because we will not teach you as with other schools. It is the whole reason why people go to school. To learn!
So, rather they are willing to admit that they need to make some changes or not, it is definitely a question that need to be asked. And I believe it will be. Taking time to understand your students/customers, helping in areas of uncertainty. We know that Education is serious business, as with costs and funding and the battle between the two goods. If customer service is put on the back end of the two, you'll surely have your full share of backlash which includes bad reviews, BBB reporting, Suits with many students dropping out to gain negative impact to their credit report. Penn Foster should take a closer look at what it believe its goals are for its customers as an accredited entity and work toward that end. Just my opinion!
Dear Student, Thank you for your feedback. We definitely care about our students and want to be sure they are having a positive and rewarding learning experience. We are interested in hearing more about your studies and how we may be able to help. Please write to us at student.reviews@pennfoster.edu Once we have a little more information we can direct your concerns to the appropriate person(s) for further review. We look forward to hearing from you!
This company will not be recommended by me! They are awful to try and get assistance from. My son signed up for the electrical elective and after months of study and trying to get assistance we had to switch electives so he can get his diploma. When I call asking for assistance the person I FINALLY get to speak to after several emails and messages will just tell me the answers are wrong and not answers that can be googled. We are not trying to Google the answers and he is definitely taking notes and studying. We had a MASTER electrician help him with one of the exams after he failed and the master electrician failed it too. Now I just paid $100 to switch electives so we can be done with this!
I would love to know how many people have suffered and wasted time and money on this course. It’s like they know when you take this course you will have to switch and they will make more money. I’m totally appalled with the time it takes to get someone to get back to you (weeks) and then you get NO help. I finally had to call and just refuse to get off until someone could help me. They were no help, but more than willing to take my credit card # to switch electives. We wasted about 6 months with this only to start all over again. Please do not use them!
As the title states, Penn Foster still has not given me my diploma even though I’ve already completed the program 7 months ago. I’ve contacted Penn foster customer service numerous times via email and number but they are no help whatsoever, they just give me the same robotic response.... It’s infuriating. There is no way that the postal services are delayed by 7 months!. I’ve spoken to three or more different people and each time they said that they’ll order a new diploma for me but it’s funny because I’ve never received a single one. What is happening? I’ll never know because they don’t response to my emails nor will they give me a valid answer when I call them. Worst customer service I’ve ever experienced in my life and I’ve just come to accept that I’ll never receive my physical diploma.
Dear Student:
We are disappointed that your original documents were not received. Upon reviewing your account, we see that your diploma was shipped on numerous occasions per your request. We understand that the long delays have been upsetting. Unfortunately, the postal service has been delivery delays caused by COVID19 throughout the United States as well as internationally. We have resent your documents, and we ask to please allow sufficient time for them to arrive
Thank you!
I signed up for Penn Foster in April at the beginning of the pandemic due to my job temporarily closing I was out of work for months. I didn't realize they were charging me regardless even though I never officially started any of their courses due to the stress the pandemic brought on my family. I called today to find out they were charging me even though I never had started any of their programs and informing me I owe them 200.00 for nothing. It was a nightmare. I would advise anyone to research other options just go get a GED study guide from your local bookstore. Go that route. It is widely accepted and you know you can't go wrong. Are do the smart thing. Do your research. If there was a zero they would have achieved that rating. BEWARE please.
This issue is regarding a nsf fee that I was charged for a CLOSED checking account. This account was not a saved payment method on my student portal. The last payment I had made with it was on October 28th, 2019. Since then, I have been using a different account. I have spoken to a supervisor on 7/14 and he said there is nothing he can do about it and that it was probably my fault this happened. How in the world could this closed account be charged When it isn't even a payment method on my student portal? Yes, the fee may only be 35 dollars. But I shouldn't have to pay for something that wasn't even my fault to begin with!
Hello, Nicole. We are sorry to hear this happened. Unless a student contacts us to change their payment information we would not have the ability to know the account had been closed. If you feel there was an error with the payment method we'd be happy to investigate. Please reach out to us at student.reviews@pennfoster.edu We will be sure to follow up with you. Thank you!
After middle school and beginning high school, I began to suffer from a severe lack of confidence. My grades were bad and I would dread going to school. For a long time I had just given up on life and had counseling and took medication for depression. I was well passed the typical high school age bracket and worried that I would never really make anything of myself. This changed when I was told about Penn Foster High School and learned of its program. After I signed up I was relieved to see how easy it was to understand the curriculum and that I could go at my own pace. With a GPA of 3.58 I became a high school graduate on 5/27/2020. I was so happy that I cried and now I finally feel that I made my parents proud. Now I'm ready to get out there and take on the next challenge. Penn Foster High School gave me my confidence back. My only regret is that I didn't know about it after I finished middle school.
Penn Foster High School author review by ConsumerAffairs Research Team
Accredited in 1972, Penn Foster High School is located in Pennsylvania and licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools. The school has a focus on lifelong learning as well as traditional high school education.
Early college program: Students of Penn Foster can receive college credits with the Early College electives program. Though guarantees of credit transfer cannot be made, courses are ACE evaluated and recommended.
Concentration diplomas: Penn Foster offers high school diplomas with a concentration in more specific areas of study, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, tech and healthcare.
Flexible payment plans: Families can pay the full cost of tuition up front or set up monthly automatic withdrawals or manual payments. Payment plans are interest-free.
Career cruising: Penn Foster partners with Career Cruising to provide career guidance services for all students and alumni.
Accreditation: Penn Foster High School is accredited nationally by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and regionally by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
The ConsumerAffairs Research Team believes everyone deserves to make smart decisions. We aim to provide readers with the most up-to-date information available about today's consumer products and services.
Penn Foster High School Company Information
- Company Name:
- Penn Foster High School
- Year Founded:
- 1890
- Address:
- 14300 N. Northsight Blvd., Suite 120
- City:
- Scottsdale
- State/Province:
- AZ
- Postal Code:
- 85260
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.pennfoster.edu
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