I purchased the Certified Interior Redecorator course because I thought it offered a certification that would be recognized in the home decorating industry as a mark of prestige, distinction, and an added value to my business. This in the end, is not the case and it appears that the certification is worthless. I feel that the advertisement and promotion for the course as a prerequisite for obtaining a certification which seems to be worthless, could be viewed as a deceptive trade practice.
In addition, the learning materials for the course were inferior in many ways. They were out of date (from 2004 - this is an interior decorating course!), contained errors, some sheets were photocopied so many times they were illegible, and the video segments were unprofessional. One DVD was filmed so poorly I couldn't watch it! Not only was the course not valuable, it was an effort to get through.
I emailed them about this back in November and I was told they never knew there were errors in their materials. I complained about the poor quality of their materials and told them this course was NOT worth $2000. I discussed this with them on the phone and told them I wanted a refund and they said "no" because I was now in possession of Lauri Ward's "secrets" (which by the way, can be found in her books). They said they would redo their materials and send me their "new" version when it was completed... Months down the road. I filed a complaint with the BBB and because of that they said they would not send me the new material when it was completed.
I am now in possession of a worthless certificate - they do not offer their "graduates" any continuing help unless the graduate is accepted into their organization, the IRN. I did not apply because this organization is obviously very unprofessional and I don't want to be affiliated with them. What's interesting is that a colleague of mine that also complained tried to join the IRN after she completed the course but was rejected. The reason? She was told they don't have to give a reason!
They have belittled and bullied me because I filed a complaint with the BBB and notified my credit company of their inferior course. I'm sure I will not receive a refund but I want others to know about the problems I have had with this course and the owners of the company.
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