On May 17, I signed up for services with ForeFront Direct, Inc. This was after numerous messages left on my answering machine. I should have went with my instincts and should have told them to leave me alone.
My first encounter with ForeFront Direct, Inc. Was quite a few months back. I had filled out their contact form requesting information on their certification training. The representative I spoke too seemed OK at first. This was until he realized I did not have the money to pay for the overpriced courses.
The representative tried numerous sales tactics, but with no avail. I did not have the money at the time. There was no point in badgering me for something I didn't have. When I finally and bluntly told him I didn't have the money, he responded, "I guess you are not really serious about getting your certifications." From then, I hung up on him. His comment was very unprofessional.
Since then, I had received quite a few messages on my answering machine from Smart Certify. I finally called them back and talked to someone. I had eventually agreed to their program. I was sent an e-mail in which I had to "login." to the account. I was told that in order for my account to be created, I had to login. Therefore, I logged in.
I looked over the courses and was not impressed. When I got home from work that same day, I looked over the courses again. Still, I found nothing worth what I was being charged for the courses. For a one year blanket access, I was to be charged $200.00/month for nine months (total of $1800.00). I sent an e-mail requesting cancellation of my service. I was told that per the terms of service agreement, I could not get a refund. It was recommended I contact customer service.
I called customer service (this is the day after I signed up). I was basically given the runaround. I was told that if I had not logged in to the account, I could have gotten a refund. This made (and still does not make) any sense. If I had not logged in initially, I would have not had the account created. Therefore, there would be no account at all.in which, there would not have been a $200.00 charge to my bank account. Finally, if there would not have had no charge to my bank account, there would be no money to refund. The customer service representative's statement completely contradicted itself.
I kept asking for a refund because past that statement, the only response I was getting was the representative quoting the terms of service agreement. Finally, I asked if they has customer service satisfaction guarantees. I was told no. I finally asked bluntly if I was getting a refund or not. I was told no. I hung up the phone and then filed a complaint with the Pinellas County Department of Justice.
It should be noted that Smart Certify, Inc. Seems to have a shady practice. Their only refund is a 120-day money back guarantee. Of which, in order to receive a refund on a particular program, you must FAIL a certification test TWICE. It costs more to take a certification test twice than it does for one of their programs. Even if you studied their materials and memorized it and failed a certification test, your investment would still be negative/in the red.
I personally would not advise anyone to deal with this company. Their representatives are rude (on that one occasion mentioned), when asked certain questions, they give generic and contradicting statements. That alone sends up a caution flag about a company.
I have already been thorugh the Pinellas County DOJ. Smart Certify is standing on the grounds of not giving me a refund. I did not want to type too much here. I have posted a full investigation I done on Smart Certify on my website.
Nicholas
Morgan City, Louisiana
U.S.A.
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