Blackstone Paralegal Program Reviews
I have been trying to take a paralegal course via Blackstone Career Institute since January. It is amazing to me that an institution with the name Blackstone teaching a course in the legal field that covers from A-Z in a general way at least would be so careless in their website. I researched paralegal courses and was thinking about taking one, and I thought I found a very good school, but it was incredibly expensive.
Blackstone Paralegal Course
So I did more investigation and found another school Fosters and was thinking of taking their course, but then I found Blackstone. It appeared that Blackstone offered a few more things as well as being accepted by NALA for their certifying test. Well, that tipped the scales to Blackstone.The cost as outlined on their website was $2442. Kind of steep, but they directed you to Imagine America Foundation that was giving out $1,000 grants to qualified applicants. So I applied, waited, and lo and behold I was accepted.“Congratulations!
I am pleased to inform you that your 2011 Imagine America Adult Skills Education Program (ASEP) award to attend Blackstone Career Institute-Online in Allentown, PA has been approved. Attached please find your scholarship certificate.”I was off and running. I was just going to charge the balance on a credit card, but Blackstone offered 24 month 0% financing on the course. Well, gee, interest free money is hard to turn down, so I agreed. I gave them a credit card that was valid well into the future with plenty of credit available to cover the course several times over. Blackstone accepted and after paying my down payment of $99 I was off and running.
They immediately gave me access to the first volume online and within the week the Volume 1 book arrived.I immediately went to work and within a few weeks I was done. I had aced my tests and was ready for volume 2, but wait, no access. I emailed them and had to wait several days and no response. I posted on their forum and several people said, you have to make more payments or else they won’t release your books.
I was thinking what is going on. I went back to their website and couldn’t find it anywhere.I called and talked to somebody eventually and it was explained to me that was their policy. I said, wait a minute. Why isn’t that conspicuously spelled out on your website. I was told that everyone knows about it and it is just assumed. I said you got to be kidding write.
I said wait just a minute. I paid you $1,000 in grant money and $99 down payment, which amounted to almost 40% or so of the cost. He then says to me, you know that that grant money is really our money to begin with and that it isn’t really a grant, right? I also at this time told the guy, look, you have my credit card, charge it if you have to, but I want my books.I replied, no, it was a grant I have the papers to prove it. What a shady practice, to scam people like that into thinking they are getting a deal or something. The cost of the course really is $1442, but they LIE to you and say it is $2442.
Pretty sad if you ask me. He finally agreed that they could do much better and they would fix their website. He then immediately shipped me the first 6 volumes of the course.
A month later I noticed that he released the entire course online, so I immediately downloaded all the PDF files.I finished volume 6 a week ago, and called to inquire about volume 7 and being shipped out, since their website already indicated that it was sent some 2 months earlier. Again I was told that they wouldn’t ship without payments. Again, I told the lady on the phone, look, I told Paul to charge the card if necessary, and I am telling you charge the card if you must, but I need the book and I don’t appreciate the roadblocks they keep throwing up. Days past and nothing shipped. I post again on the website trying to get some response and finally the president sends me an email asking to chat on the phone. I explained that I am tired of this nonsense and told him in the email just charge my card if you have to, but send the book. He responds back with nothing, asking for a phone call.
I respond back again, charge the card, and again, he responds back feigning confusion about what is going on.I am at my wits end at this point. I notice I can make payments on my own. I email and ask the president if he could tell me how much to send extra to get my book. He sends me an email saying they can just charge the whole course on my card if I want.
It is unconscionable that this person could not have understood that I just want the figure. I send another email asking for the dollar amount and again he sends me and email saying:“I see in your message below that you instructed one of our student service representatives to charge your card so that you will be able to receive additional shipments. Notes to your student file show that BCI has partially conceded to our financial payment plan policy in an attempt to move closer to what you want. BCI has released physical shipments in advance of payment and also, released your ability to access the entire course in your online student account. I see nothing that shows that we are impeding your progress in any way, in fact we have offered you the ability to work on the entire course ahead of your payments.If what you want is the remaining physical parts of the course to be shipped to you, and you are willing to have BCI charge your card, then I will instruct the finance department to charge your credit card for the remaining balance today then ship the remaining physical resources to youthat will solve your issue with the finance policy we have in place.
Is that what you want to resolve this?”Notice that he says they conceded and released shipments in advance of payments. That is an absolutely untrue statement. I had paid them over a thousand dollars at the point they released the first 6 volumes. And then notice he doesn’t tell me how much extra, but instead finally acknowledges that I said to charge my card in previous emails, yet, he ignored it repeatedly and never did it. At the point if his preceding email I had sent two emails stating how much do I need to send you so I can get my book, and that they don’t have permission any longer, and that I would do it myselfWell, I made two extra month payments and not have paid for 59.5% of the entire program, which consists of 14 volumes. Simple math dictates that 8.33 volumes have been paid for. I sent notice of my payment a copy of my receipt to the president asking that volumes 7 and 8 be released immediately and shipped.
McCloskey the president whom I had been corresponding with, did not confirm my email and did not send me an email stating that they would ship the books.It is incredible the lengths at which Blackstone has gone to delay shipment of my books. I actually asked them 4 different times to charge my card to send me my books and they refused each and every time.
I asked for the amount of extra payments that I need to send, and to date, they have ignored or refused to tell me how much extra I need to send them. I have followed their financial agreement to the letter. I never asked for anything that I hadn’t paid for, period. I have never asked for them to do anything that they are not supposed to do and in fact promised to do. I never asked for the entire course to be released online. Although, it is awfully hard to take notes while reading a computer screen when you have to switch to different pairs of glasses which I explained to them.It is quite evident that Blackstone Institute does not care about their students, and is only interested in the bottom line their pocketbook. I am a highly motivated good student, and they have done everything in their power to block my progress.
I frankly don’t understand why they refused to just charge my card. I mean, let’s be serious for a moment. It took me less than 2 minutes to make the extra payment. Surely they could have figured out how to charge my card which is on file and charged once a month by them already. I think the reason they don’t put it on their website is to lure you in and hook you, and then they hit you with it. Why offer 24 month financing for a course that you have to complete in 12 months?
Blackstone Career Institute Paralegal Program
How is a person suppose to complete it in 12 months if you won’t release the materials until payments are received? Seems incredibly deceptive and not very above board for someone with the name Blackstone on it.
I can see holding the diploma or certificate of completion until it is paid, that is common knowledge in the world.So when researching things, perhaps your first choice is really the best choice and don’t be swayed by some apparent extras that they offer you, for in the end, it might be more hassle than it is worth.
I was briefly enrolled at the Blackstone Career Institute until I was denied services under Chapter 35 Title 38 U.S. Code because my benefits, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, did not cover for the “correspondence courses” offered by BCI. According to the Educational Development Coordinator(EDC) of BCI I can only receive benefits to finance BCI's correspondence course if I am the spouse of the veteran which is not the case.
I did not enroll in the correspondence course of BCI. My intent was to enroll in the Online Paralegal Assistance program 900+ credit hours.The EDC has labeled me a “correspondence course” student placing me within this limitation. I went as far as to differentiate between the terms “correspondence courses” and strictly “online courses” in order to clarify that both approaches are within this limitation and this was confirmed by the EDC, holding to the denial of both approaches under Chapter 35 Title 38 U.S.
They may be acting according to the Enr. January 23, 2017BBB serving Metro Washington DC and Eastern Pennsylvania50 West North StreetBethlehem, PA Dear.:.’s complaint states in his opening paragraph that he “briefly enrolled at Blackstone Career Institute until I was “ denied services ”. It is true is that. was briefly enrolled in our program.
However, it is incorrect when he states we “denied services”. Blackstone Career Institute does not have the authority to approve or deny services under Chapter 35. That determination falls to the Department of Veterans Affairs and it is their classification of our school and programs that dictated. could not use Chapter 35 funds for our program. Please refer to Exhibit A where you will see that Blackstone Career Institute is classified, under the Department of Veterans Affairs, as a Correspondence type program.Additionally,. is further confused when he makes the statement: “I did not enroll in the correspondence course at BCI.
My intent was to enroll in the Online Paralegal Assistance program 900+ clock hours”. Here. is confusing our designated program type assigned to our institution with a method in which course content is delivered. Our courses are offered online but our institution is classified as a “correspondence” program in the eyes of the Department of Veterans Affairs. does not meet the requirements under the provision he sought. He is neither a spouse nor a surviving spouse of the veteran whose benefits he is attempting to use. is the son of the veteran and by rule he does not qualify to use Chapter 35 funds for any of our programs.
Please refer to Exhibit B, VA Form 22-5490, Part III. Correspondence Course ( DEA children not eligible ). states in his complaint that “I am currently withdrawn from this school because I’m not the veteran’s spouse”. He is not a spouse or a surviving spouse and therefore does not qualify for funding. However, the fact is that when.
was informed that he did not qualify for VA benefits under Chapter 35 and that he would need to pay the tuition himself, he asked to cancel in an email dated December 23, 2016. also indicated he could not afford to pay for the tuition on his own.
Had he been able to pay the tuition himself, he would have been able to stay on as a BCI paralegal student. Please refer to Exhibit C.Per the complaint submitted,. claims there is a $59.00 Disputed Amount. I do not know how that is possible since we processed a complete refund of his $59.00 down payment to his credit card. This refund credit was processed on our first day back from our holiday break, which was December 27, 2016.
Please refer to Exhibit D.BCI is proactive in providing essential information on the use and qualifications of funding. Please refer to Exhibit E, which is part of our Benefits and Eligibility page on our website, and clearly states spouses only.I suggest.
contact any school, college or university not classified as Correspondence in order to use the benefits he is entitled to under the Department of Veterans Affairs. And as mentioned above, if he has the ability to pay for the program on his own, he could certainly do so.Sincerely,Paul G.General ManagerBlackstone Career Institute. BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment.
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BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business.