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Sent to a friend[13038] The VLC, Mindsplore, homeworkers.org - disappeared
On April 20, 2005, I paid $1457.95 for a course with The VLC. On February 02, 2007, I paid an additional $449 for the internship program. I have kept all past emails and correspondence, including receipts for payment and grades.I was in the last part of the program and the school has disappeared. For the past several weeks, there have been no responses to emails or submitted assignments. In the latter part of November, 2009, I attempted to access the school forum and check my grades. I could not do either. I assumed there was a problem with the website and waited several weeks. In December 2009, I attempted again to contact the instructors and access the site. I can still access the site but no grades or forum. Emails are bounced back. Telephone numbers are disconnected. On December 23, I filed a complaint with the Ontario Canada BBB. On December 24, I saw notification that the company “appears to be out of business†on the BBB site.
Their student recruitment website http://www.thevlc.com/ is still up. There are several reputable organizations’ logos on the bottom of the page, and a blurb that says “ The Virtual Learning Center are proud members of AHIMA, AMBA, AAPC, adhi, and BBBâ€. They are not. I have been in contact with 2 other VLC students and we have all been doing research. One student questioned these organizations. AHIMA claims never to have heard of them and their BBB membership has expired. She has not yet received replies from the others.
There are several names associated with the VLC. Owners are Stephen B. St. Louis, Bill Redford and Pat Filice. Others are Amy Rudd, Ken Mack, and instructors Carol Simpson and Linda Najar (who claims to be 'exclusive transcriber to the president of On-time Transcription').. Alternate methods of contacting these people have failed.
They are/were owned by a group called Mindsplore (Stephen B. St. Louis, Bill Redford and Pat Filice), along with http://www.homeworkers.org/. This is the information that is on their website;
Canada: Virtual Learning Center, 143 Main St. East, Suite 203, Hamilton, ON L8N 1G4 Canada
USA: Virtual Learning Center, 1925 Pine Ave., Suite 9035, Niagara Falls, NY 14301 U.S.A.
Phone : (905) 521-2193, Toll Free : (866) 539-1901, Fax : (905) 521-9799 (24 hr.)
Email : support@thevlc.com Hours : Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST (NONE OF WHICH IS WORKING)
Please assist me in resolving this. I want my money back, and I certainly don’t want this happening to anyone else. I now have to begin researching other schools, who will not accept any grades or give credit for what I have learned. I have already asked. This is a time-sensitive issue, as my fulltime job ended last week, and I need to start back at square one. Not only am I out the $2000 that I paid, I have nothing to show for all of the work that I have completed.
Posted 2 years ago
Rating:5.00
Comments
- I know how you feel I just found out about this disgusting situation. I wanted to work from home to be able to take care of my autistic son and afford the therapies he needs. They have gone and destroyed everything I have worked for. We should not let this pass we have worked too hard and paid too much. contact me at rangeeli_s@hotmail.com and see if we can all get together and find justice.
Posted 2 years agoReport - I signed up for the medical transcription course in late September with the 3-payment option. I was to be billed end of September, end of October and end of November. One week after the end of October billing, I was billed again. I thought it was 3 weeks too soon but decided as long as no further charges showed up on my credit card, I didn't care. Sometime in the beginning of December, I e-mailed to ask when I might expect to receive the foot pedal and any remaining materials I was due. I got an answer right away that said "foot pedal" and remainder of materials was shipping out that day. Now I wonder if they only shipped because I inquired about it, which I guess makes me lucky that I received them at all! I must admit, I was not that involved yet in the course. Work, homelife, the holidays, never seemed to be enough time to really "get into it". My New Year's resolution was to put my nose to the grindstone and really get cranking, with the goal of passing finals, receiving my certificate and ultimately being able to enjoy the freedom of working from home. Before I signed up for this course, I must have researched every on-line training that was available. Yes, money was an issue and that steered me away from many (probably more reliable) courses. Anyway, yesterday I tried to log on and that's when I found out the VLC is out of business but the website "should" be up and running soon for students and grads but with no instructors and I assume no tests, final exams nor certificate. The only thing I've taken so far is to report this to the Better Business Bureau and also put in a complaint with my credit card company. I've also been searching MT chat rooms and just looking for information when I came across this website. So I am adding my comments for whatever they are worth and I'll just keep looking and reading and trying to decide what to do next.
Posted 2 years agoReport - If the two people above this comment have not founf other ex vlc students please email me at c_a_b_69@hotmail.com There are about 20 of us so far that have agroup together trying to do something about it.
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I was reading the comments about not being able to logon and the website VLC no longer exists. My wife was enrolled in their Medical Records program and paid them $2312.95. I would be very interested in what information everyone has obtained up to this point. I have exhausted all options as they all seem to lead to dead ends. We would like our money back as I’m sure others feel the same way. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Thanks!
Posted 2 years agoReport - I paid for my common law to be able to do the medical transcriptionist course and this happened, i am not sure who to contact but i definitely want to get my money back. I am open to any information at scottjohnson.ns@gmail.com Thanks
Posted 2 years agoReport - I paid for my common law to be able to do the medical transcriptionist course and this happened, i am not sure who to contact but i definitely want to get my money back. I am open to any information at scottjohnson.ns@gmail.com Thanks
Posted 2 years agoReport - I paid for my common law to be able to do the medical transcriptionist course and this happened, i am not sure who to contact but i definitely want to get my money back. I am open to any information at scottjohnson.ns@gmail.com Thanks
Posted 2 years agoReport - I paid for my common law to be able to do the medical transcriptionist course and this happened, i am not sure who to contact but i definitely want to get my money back. I am open to any information at scottjohnson.ns@gmail.com Thanks
Posted 2 years agoReport - Yes, I have had the same problems that you all have been having. I called the University of Tenn. non-credit course office last week. They still have the same course, I signed up for last June, listed for their Winter Course Catalog. I called to not only warn them about the vlc closing down, but to see if they had any answers. I was called back and told that they were aware of some issues, but to look for an e-mail soon, and that I would be able to receive a certificate. I don't know if this was to get rid of me, or what was told to them, or what will really happen. I would like feedback from anyone else out there. Maybe we should band together to see if anything can be done. My e-mail is joebuckshot7mm@knology.net.
Posted 2 years agoReport
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