Thanks for that, I will let her know she can call ICB if she needs more support or changing tutor. I personally think it is mostly her fault paying money for something she is not sure about what she will get or what it is about. She should have asked questions. Saying that, I think people starting these sort of studies are not sure about ICB's (or in fact AAT's or IAB's) role in their studies so when they inquire about courses the provider should tell them a bit more about the awarding bodies not only about payment options.
I did my bookkeeping studies with Ideal Schools and I did know what to expect after the very first phone call to them. They did not mess up my credit file either with several credit checks to offer payments in installments, they just offered it. I was very happy with their course, the only issue I had was the slow marking of assignments but even this is something maybe I was trying to complete the course a little too fast. People mentioned they are not happy about the tutor comments and help but you always have to consider they have a fairly difficult job,too. Now being in practice I see it is not easy to give an answer when someone phones up saying it is not balancing, I have £10050 on one side and £11200 on the other side. Without seeing the whole lot you cannot give a definite answer.
So conclusion- do not go with HLC, go with Ideal Schools! I cannot recommend any other provider, as I have no experience with anyone else, but I did hear really good comments on Kaplan too.
When I enrolled with HLC i knew all about the AAT and what the course entailed. You dont expect for £2300 a pack of lies from the sales people, errors in the study books, no replys from your tutors with your queries, waiting up to 4 weeks for your assignments to be marked, no detail on marked assignments if you have gone wrong, endless emails and phone calls if you want mock exams. When asked about errors in study books i was told i could buy additional books, the list goes on and on.
If HLC would be one of those companies with real customer service they would refund your monies AND give you new study materials and let you finish your course for free with extra attention...for some reason I don't think this gonna happen. I do feel for you Sally, paying over £2000 you would expect some exceptionally good study materials,etc... Did you contact OFT? HLC might be in breach of contract so you could be entitled for a reasonable compensation and you could take them to court. The last one you can do online and it cost considerably less than your course did... You can call Consumer Direct (OFT) they can give you advice, they are really helpful people.
HLC have informed me that the new study materials for the new QCF framework will cost me another £50, these are available on there Virtual Learning Site, even these new books are full of errors, why should i pay another £50. Its not my fault that the qualification has changed, i enrolled with HLC in January of this year, because i never enrolled with the AAT till after July 1st i was informed by them i would have to change over to the new qualification. These books should be sent out free of charge. Yes i have reported this to Trading Standards, AAT and even the finance company.
-- Edited by sally-anne on Monday 15th of November 2010 08:17:27 PM
Hi Peasie. Good point and perhaps a bit un-pro of me, but then again its not my investigtion or anything to do with my job plus my source isnt on it anymore so nothing lost and a bit of goss gained.
Interesting reading with regards the comments made about HLC, also interesting how James has defended them. To say ICB has had no complaints about the HLC is not true as I know of at least 5 people who have complained to the ICB about them including myself.
James talks about how the HLC include registration fees and exam fees and give 2 years telephone support, even if you take away the registration fees and exam fees the HLC are still on average double the price of all other training providers, I know I have looked at every one!!!!! For me it is obvious to a blind man the ICB needs the HLC. The HLC fees are so high they have to give 2 years credit for their students to be able to pay for the course.
James if you represent the ICB then why are you being biased, why would you represent and defend an organisation who do the following?
1. Have no fees showing on their website.
2. When you call them they are reluctant to give prices over the phone instead wanting to send a salesman round to your house.
3. When the salesman arrives states there is only limited places available and tries to get you to sign up there and then with a £50 deposit.
It is their methods of sale not their support which brings them and your (james) defence of them as far as I am concerned into disrepute. HLC do not send course advisors out they send salesmen, who know nothing about the Money Laundering Act, Nothing about the difference in different Sage and other Software programmes, in fact ask them any technical question they dont have a clue.
Why do the ICB allow their ACCREDITED Training Providers to have website that hides their fees, it should be that all ICB Training Providers clearly show their fees and course outlines.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kitch56
-- Edited by Kitch56 on Monday 22nd of November 2010 01:03:37 PM
-- Edited by Kitch56 on Monday 22nd of November 2010 04:06:15 PM
When the course advisor (sales person) from HLC came to my house, she did not know the difference between ACCA and CIMA. When i enquired about ICB qualfications, she said they were not as recognised in the UK workforce, it would be better to do the AAT qualification, alarm bells should have gone off in head then. Still i have learned a very expensive lesson, i can now see why they do not advertise their prices on the internet, a very clever way of sending very pushy sales people around to your house with as much knowledge as a dead cat.
Very true Sally, however one thing we cannot blame the ICB for is the fees the HLC charge, it is I am afraid down to the student to shop around and look for other Training Providers to see what they offer, I think the thing to remember is regardless of who the training is done with the qualification is the same, its just the price that is paid, at least with home study you get to keep course materials which online and classroom training do not offer. You can find a list of all ICB Training Providers on the ICB website but from my research the only 2 worth looking at are Training Link and Idea Schools with the former having by far the better website.
If the ICB rely on Training Providers to bring in new members as they do then it stands to reason that their (ICB) staff will protect the institutes revenues by overlooking all the comments made on here about the HLC as without them the Insitute will struggle. HLC Salesmen only want a sale, they dont care if its AAT or ICB as long as its a sale, as I understand it from an ex employee these salesmen have a sales target that has to be reached, of course you complain to HLC and they just claim that this person has now left the company, there is such a huge grey area, it would be a good idea if Distance Learning Training Providers had a Governing Body that sets out legal standards that all have to adhere to, but from what I can see at the moment its just a free for all. I am sure in time this will happen.
Thank you for your kind comments, I just wanted to put my experience with HLC on here just to warn others not to loose out of their hard earned money. I am not going to give up on this qualification, now the AAT has bought out their new QCF framework, I am going to learn this myself and find an external centre to sit my exams, not going to give up on my dream, even though my experience with HLC was bad and an expensive one at that.
I spend most of my time working in Germany and there is a massive difference in standards over there, it actually annoys me whenever I come back over here to find that we are slipping further and further back. We always state that this and that is or should be regulated (paid for by those who are being regulated), but the problems we have are that we never seem to get the right person for the job which consequesntly means that our regulations either have loopholes or are over complicated and unworkable. Back off over their now and looking forward to working with logical systems implemented by logical people and regulated by qualified and logical professionals.
