Dear complaint reader;
Below is an email I sent to Testing Authority. A company that ran an add in my local San Diego area newspaper saying that the Post Office was hiring. This by the way was untrue, the closest Post Office jobs that were open at the time were over an hour away. When I called they said I needed to pay $130 but that $100 was going to be refunded to me upon either A. Failing the battery test B. Not being offered a job by the Post Office in my fist interview, or C. After completing my first week of work for the Post Office.
The following were FACTS that this company did not disclose to me:
1. The Post Office was not actually hiring in my area.
2. The Post Office does not endorse their services, in fact the Post Office in every case I have read about warns people to stay away from them. I was actually warned about them myself by a mail carrier but I had already paid for the materials.
3. The Post Office does not even utilize the exam for which you purchase the preparation materials from Testing Authority. The PO has now switched (at least in San Diego) to using an online assessment and evaluation process.
Furthermore, here are two questions (and TA's calculated responses) I took from their own FAQ board. If these questions are in your FAQs, you know you're doing something unethical.
FAQ. Why does the Post Office say you guys are a scam and I should not be asked to pay anything?
Unfortunately, the Post Office says that about every company selling study materials for their exam. There are a few companies who claim that positions are guaranteed to be open, or that candidates are guaranteed a job if they simply pass the exam. We don't make promises like that. The bottom line is, if you want a job with the Post Office, you need to do well on the exam, and if you prepare using our materials, you will increase your changes of getting a higher score. We guarantee, in writing, a refund if you do not pass the exam or if you are not offered a job on that first interview.
FAQ. I called/visited my local Post Office and they said they weren't hiring?
Policy prohibits local branches from discussing positions with candidates. The correct procedures to follow are included in our registration packet, along with a list of all the positions currently available in your area.
Right...
Now stop for a moment to think about these next FAQs and answers from TA's website. After reading them ask yourself the question, how does a company stay in business that refunds the entire cost of the product (all they keep is tax, shipping and handling) that you bought from them in any scenario where you actually get to use it?
FAQ. How do I request a refund if I fail the exam, do not get offered a job on the interview, or work at least one full week for the USPS?
All you do is fax us a copy of either your grade or rejection letter, or a copy of your pay stub along with your request for refund and we'll process it that same day.
FAQ. Will I receive a refund for the full amount of the registration, including tax, shipping and handling as well?
The registration fee of $99.50 will be refunded.
Plain and simple, Testing Authority is ripping off people like me and others that have posted on this site. Do yourself a favor and avoid them at all costs. I wish I had. My email to them is below, my situation is yet to be resolved.
8/7/08
Testing Authority:
I was recently lead to believe by your company two things that are not true. The first was that the Post Office in San Diego was hiring. The second was that I needed your testing materials to begin the process of getting hired by the Post Office. Of course I was assured that the money I spent on your materials was refundable so I went ahead and purchased them based on the two false premises that I have already outlined. At no point was it explained to me that the materials I was paying for were optional. Upon further investigation into the actual HR department of the San Diego Post Office I have found that the test for which these materials are meant to prepare a person is no longer being used by the Post Office anyway. They have switched to an online assessment and evaluation process which I believe is called E-careers.
Based on the deception I have fallen victim to at the hands of Testing Authority, I need to be refunded for the materials that I purchased which are both irrelevant to me given my geographical location and unnecessary regardless.
I have not opened the package I received containing the test preparation materials so they are still brand new and untouched. What is further alarming is that a quick Google search of "Testing Authority Postal Exam Prep" brings up results from usacomplaints.com in which other people explain having been taken advantage of in the same way.
A Mr. Ken Williams at the Testing Authority call center presented himself as the highest authority with whom I could speak. He offered no solution other than that I would have to drive from San Diego to Mission Viejo (quite a hike especially in Southern California traffic) to take the test and then intentionally fail it in order to be refunded the amount I paid for these materials. Mr. Williams stated that they would find the original recorded phone call on which I purchased the materials and further evaluate based on that evidence. While that sounds like a good idea, I recognize that it is largely an avoidance tactic and it won't really get to the heart of the issue.
The bottom line is that I need a refund for the materials I purchased from Testing Authority under false pretense. I know you have heard this before from other people so please do the right thing in this case.
Thank You
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